Stonehenge

As our last day together, Zoe and I decided to go to one of the most exciting points of interest in the UK. Stonehenge. This monument stands the test of time so to now be given the opportunity to stand alongside it was truly amazing.

The sheer size of the blue stones was overwhelming as both Zoe and I were very excited. Stonehenge is a sight that I definitely recommend going because once you go the image will never leave your mind.

Dene Magna Farewell

Today was fueled with emotion as i begin to say farewells, beginning with Dene Magna. For the final day I arrived to Dene Magna at lunch to take as many photos as i could with as many people as possible.

The students and teachers of Dene Magna were so open and accepting to me being there, with the number of friends I made to be truly astronomical. During the last assembly of my stay I gave the school a thank you departure gift from Australia containing flags, australian flags and emblem books, and other small knick knacks.  THANK YOU DENE MAGNA FOR HAVING ME.

Ross on Wye part 2

Today was a day where I could come to the local Ross on Wye again and this time bring my camera. Much like last time we traveled to Ross Zoe and I retraced our steps from the first time we went..except this time I actually had my camera to take photos.

Cardiff

The adventure continues as we head into Wales to see a very refreshing scenic view. Today the family traveled a good 3 hours to Cardiff where we all explored the lively scenery. Within Cardiff there were amazing sculptures of the welsh heritage. But the two main highlights of the day were not found in the stunning sculptures.

The main attraction of the day was not found in the sculptures but instead in the Doctor Who experience and Lunch.

As we were glancing around at the architecture in the distance I saw the glimmer of a blue shed with the words DOCTOR WHO EXPERIENCE written all over the walls. At first I thought it was a little cheap knockoff but as we got closer to the shed we realised it was an actual tourist attraction.

So being the tourists we are, the family and I went for an investigation inside the institution and it was set up like it a proper studio would be. But we looked at the studio entrance fee which came to a total of over 40 pounds. Even though we thought it would be a wonderful experience, nobody was a big enough Dr. Who fan to pay for the visit. So I quickly pressed a penny to show I did go there...just didn't go all the way in.

After having a little walk around Wales we felt a bit peckish, so after a small vote we decided to go for some pasta at a nice looking restaurant. As we walked in we asked for a table of 7. We stood there for what felt like forever. But we soon saw that police and paramedics were rushing in and out of the restaurant. Totally oblivious Zoe asked if she could please hurry and get a table, but i quickly hushed her and pointed out that there was AN UNCONSCIOUS WOMAN ON THE FLOOR IN A PUDDLE OF VOMIT. Quickly we were escorted to the next Italian restaurant and had a nice meal. Zoe was devastated that she didn't see it earlier and shelter her children but for the rest of the afternoon i helped comfort her which was a really good bonding session.

But to finish the day off we went down to the Cardiff Castle fora quick glance and went to a few tourist stores to wrap up the evening. 

Borton-on-the-water & Stow-on-the-wold

A quick trip today as Zoe and I cram more features into our last week. Today we discover two posh looking traditional villages called Borton-on-the-water and Stow-on-the-wold. This was more of a look around and soak in the surrounds instead of high end action packed adventures. Both of these places were small little villages which both shared a small river. Of course when I happened to have gone there was a little bit of flooding around. But this little bit of flooding didn't stop me from wanting to go to what appealed to me. The Brum museum. Part of my childhood wrapped up in a single small museum.

 But with my luck, since it was the new year period, the majority of tourist attractions were closed. So this day essentially was cut short, quickly turning into a stroll around the small village gazing at the architecture.

Shakespeare sight seeing

To be or not to be?

That was the question Paul and I asked ourselves when we visited Shakespeare today. We visited a place called Stratford-upon-avon where Shakespeare's museum was located. Not only was his museum in the town, but also Shakespeare s birthplace, his actual home, and Mrs Shakespeare's (Anne Hathaway) birthplace and home. This has me so excited. I can stand where the infamous author stood. I can pretend to be a literary legend acting out Shakespeare.

We kicked off the tour by going to Anne Hathaway's cottage. It was beautiful. The amount of time and effort which must have gone into the statues and gardens would have been phenomenal. Since it is winter though many of the trees would have had no leaves. Regardless though, from a family who only had a small farm with a two room house, to infamous legend in a 12 rooms extended house was crazy.

Next up we went to the site of Shakespeare's burial site, but surprisingly the cathedral was closed off to the public due to construction in the area in and around the Cathedral. But all was well because Paul and I traveled to a nearby cafe and had a classic ol' Hot Chocolate to wrap up the day. Considering how big the new year was to start I slept home on the 3 hour car ride, but nonetheless it is said that Shakespeare's house was one of my favorite and most memorable moments on the tour

Cheltanham

The exploration seems to be quickly coming to a close with only weeks left until I meet up with the other venturers in London. Whilst the boys begin going back to school, Zoe and I decided to use the time we have left not with Dene Magna but exploring what the UK has to offer. Today Zoe and I had a little trip down to Cheltenham to see how green the grass can really get. Although the trip was twohours long, the high street provided the goods for the day. Throughout the day we both attempted to find our way around the large shopping complex looking for new clothes and gifts.

After shopping Zoe showed me to where, in my opinion, the greenest grass was in Cheltenham. My word Australia's greenest grass couldn't even compare to the pure nature of the green grass. Although it was something taken for granted in the UK, I came from a dry place that I thought green grass was miraculous.

Peter Pan

Why does Peter Pan always fly? Because he Neverlands :D

These were the type of jokes I flooded the family with for the next two hours as they took me to see the Peter Pan live performance.  Once a year towards New Years the local theater performs a well known play for a month to help celebrate. So the Weiss family decided to do something different and watch Peter Pan.

Although it was a really cheesy the highlight of the night was that at the beginning of the performance, the lead actor read out a whole heap of happy birthday messages; and without me knowing, Zoe slipped my name into the bunch saying I had traveled all the way from Queensland. This caught me by surprise with the actor announcing.

"Well here's a funny name for you kids....Koby....Saunter? Woah Wow he traveled all the way from Queensland in Australia Bravo."

We engaged in a brief conversation but the shout out really set the scene for the rest of the night. Kudos to the family for keeping it all under wraps it was a fabulous night.

Oxford

Do you think your the smartest being in the world. Well all of that gets blown out of proportion when you go into oxford. Oxford holds the smartest and the most exclusive colleges in the world. So to be able to feel a little more smarter than what you actually are just from the presence of the college is truly astounding. A true privilege to tour around the biggest colleges ib

Gloucester Cathedral and Shopping

Today according to Zoe was meant to be a "relaxed day strolling in the shops", but the excitement built from this day. It started pretty cruisy as we went in to Gloucester High street for a bit of shopping to kick us off. Doing the usual touristy thing I bought a few packages and souvenirs. But we headed into the Cathedral where surprisingly, that's where all the fun happened.

In the Cathedral it started off looking like a regular one with tainted glass and although is very astonishing, I knew what I was bound to expect at the cathedral, but what I actually saw blew me out of the water.

So we were walking around the Cathedral when suddenly the organ begun to play "Here comes the Bride". Next thing I know a team of professional singers begun to sing along to some of the other songs the organ was playing. in the upper level of the cathedral. It was beautiful. So being the tourist I am, I attempted to video the beautiful voices. This was successful for a good half a song until people came around asking us to leave the main hall, because they needed to set up the cathedral for the wedding.

So we continued to walk around the cathedral when I begun to notice some minor details which I had seen somewhere else. Some Small details of the halls I recognized but I couldn't put my finger on it. Then Zoe put me out of my misery. It was the halls in which some of the scenes from Harry Potter were filmed. I got so excited because I was standing where many of my favorite film characters stood.

Once I found out photos were taken everywhere that I recognized from the films. Certainly a day to remember.

Look Familiar?