Road Trip 2008

With the real problem of the credit crunch, we (myself, WS, YJ & AT) decided that we couldn't really afford a holiday abroad, no matter how cold this stupid country can get. Although places like Malta, Tenerife, Gran Canaria & the Caribbean all sounded like nicer (and warmer) places to be, our wallets are as thin as supermodels. Not ones to give up, we decided that a road trip in the UK would be an acceptable alternative.

We decided to drive down South and visit the historic town of Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon, then be real tourists and visit Stonehenge. Finally, our trip would be concluded in Bath, another historic city which YJ & AT have not visited. So, in true Jeanie in a Bottle fashion, here are our pictures!

Shakespeare's statue stands proud at the entrance to the historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon!
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The four pillars of Shakespeare's work - History, Comedy, Tragedy & Philosophy..
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Visiting Shakespeare's birthplace. Although our visit to this 16th century cottage was very historic, we reckon living in the Elizabethan period would not have been very nice...
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Visiting Anne Hathaway's 16th century home.. (Anne Hathaway, as we learnt, was William Shakespeare's wife. Did you know that he was 18 and she was 26 & pregnant when they got married?)

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How many cottages have you seen with a real thatched roof?

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One of the more modern shopping arcades in Stratford-upon-Avon town centre..
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Lunch was served at a very swanky restaurant - Bensons. The food was absolutely, amazingly delicious!
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Unfortunately, we were so hungry (& greedy) that we devoured our lunch before any pictures could be taken. Fortunately, dessert was not forgotten..

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Stonehenge.. arguably, the most famous pre-historic site in all of England!

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Thanks to our tripod, we managed to get a group shot.. cheese!

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Can you believe that these stones are over 5000 years old?!!

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UNESCO has named this one of its World Heritage Sites.. no wonder, they truly are a wonder!

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No one really knows why they were built.. A place of worship? A sun-calendar? Aliens?

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We got to meet the Stonehenge model of the year.. we all have to take pics with him! :P
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Chilling out at our hotel, the Express by Holiday Inn, Bath. We were thoroughly impressed with the hotel & its affordability..

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WS & I visited Bath many years ago but unfortunately only managed to catch the Roman Baths.. so this time round, we just had to go see The Royal Crescent!

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Busy Businessman?

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Don't be fooled by the clear blue sky... it was coooold!!!
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Stuck in a traffic jam with nothing to do!
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And with that, we took a slow drive back to wet ol' Manchester.. Even though it wasn't the most exotic or exciting holiday, I think the company was brilliant so we really enjoyed the trip! Plus, I definitely got to learn more about English history.. so that's always a plus!