I visited England as a guest of Alabama Power in November 2000.   After an 8 hour overnight flight, we started the tour at Greenwitch, England- home of Greenwitch Mean Time and stood precisely on the  Greenwitch Meridian.  The next day included sightseeing of London including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, which houses the Crown Jewels, and St. Paul's Cathedral.  I had always heard about watching "the changing of the guard" at Buckingham Palace, and was as excited as a small child to be able to actually witness it in person.   That evening, I had my first ride in the "Tube" (subway) and walked several miles around town.  I never did get used to looking to the right before crossing the street, and almost became a hood ornament for one of those funny looking British cabs!

The Next day, it was off to the beautiful English countryside and a visit to Stonehenge, the mysterious circle of huge stone columns said to be 2000 years old.  Afterward, we headed for Bath, England, one of the prettiest cities we visited.  Bath was the site of the Baths created by the Romans hundreds of years ago when they occupied England.

The Following day, I visited Stratford-Upon-Avon, the home of William Shakespeare and Warwick Castle.  Fascinating!  (See Photos)

One night, while "raising a pint to the Queen" an innkeeper explained where the phrase "upper crust" came from.   It seems that in England hundreds of years ago, when the bread was cooked the head of the household got the first cut, or upper crust.  So it evolved that the head of the household became known as "upper crust" and from there it evolved to its present day meaning.  Just a bit of trivia!

I had a marvelous time in England and look forward to my next opportunity to visit!