Chatsworth House (aka Pemberly in the 2005 Pride & Prejudice movie!!) | Bakewell, England

On day 10 we visited Chatsworth House (which was Mr. Darcy's house in the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice), toured the house, gardens, and took our first taxi ride in the UK. 

Oh Chatsworth. This may sound cliche, but Chatsworth really does take your breath away when you first see it. Riding through the wooded estate grounds, then turning a corner, and there it sits on a hill surrounded by rolling green hills and grazing sheep. It's magnificent. Apparently others thought so as well because Chatsworth has appeared on film in Pride & Prejudice (the 2005 version), The Duchess, Death Comes to Pemberley, etc. etc. 

Changing of the Guard, Green Park, St. James' Park, Royal Mews, & Phantom of the Opera in the West End | London, England

On day 9 we watched the changing of the guard, visited Green Park, St. James' Park, the Royal Mews, explored the shops in the West End, and watched Phantom of the Opera.

Day 9 was a day of royal activities that began with the changing of the guard. Unless you want to stand outside of the palace at least an hour before the changing of the guard begins, you will not get a good viewing spot. You just won't. It was so crowded!!! It was like rivalry college football game crowded. 

Jane Austen Centre, the Royal Crescent, Fashion Museum, & the Roman Baths Museum | Bath, England

On day 8 we visited Bath and explored the Jane Austen Centre, The Circus, The Crescent, the Fashion Museum, and the Roman Baths.

I love Bath!!!! If you are lover of all things Jane Austen, archicture (especially Georgian buildings), pretty English towns, fashion, and you find yourself in England, you MUST visit Bath. 95% of the town's architecture is in the Georgian style so it appears to be frozen in time...which is a pretty cool experience. Bath is spectacular and I wish we had spent more time there. However, we made the most of the time we had and visited a ton of sights!

Eagle & Child Pub, St. Mary's Tower, Christ Church College Gardens, & Addison's Walk | Oxford, England

On day 7 we visited Oxford and saw the Eagle & Child Pub, St. Mary's Tower, WWII Memorial Gardens, Christ Church College Gardens, Alice in Wonderland, Magdalen College, and Addison's Walk.

Our Oxford trip was the beginning of the day trips that we needed help buying our train tickets. Therefore, to get cheaper rates we had to arrive and leave the towns later than we originally planned. Even though the train times were not ideal, our day trips were some of my favorite days in England. 

Apparently people like to bike in Oxford

Church in Sheppard's Bush, London Walks' Shakespeare & Dickens Tour, and the Train Ticket Fiasco | London, England

On Day 6 we went to church, went on a London Walks' tour, and learned about the British train ticket system.

We went to church at an Acts 29 church in Shepherd's Bush. To forewarn you, it took us an hour to reach the church, so if you visit that church be prepared for a long tube ride and walk. The message was good, the pastor had a Scottish accent (so fun!), and he said "one Samuel" instead of "first Samuel". 

After church we had a quick lunch and then went on the London Walks Shakespeare and Dickens tour. It was so good! It was interesting to see places that Charles Dickens references in his works and to understand where William Shakespeare lived and how his surroundings may have influenced his writings. 

Portobello Market,Courtauld Gallery, Covent Garden, & Neal's Yard | London, England

Day 5 we explored Portobello Road Market, Courtauld Gallery, Covent Garden, and Neal's Yard. On our way to the Portobello Road Market we found the best tacky souvenir shop! These shops are all over London and it looks like the Union Jack exploded everywhere. This particular shop had really good prices on most of their items and we found mugs from the royal wedding with pictures of Will and Kate for 99p! Definitely worth a look if you are in the area. 

Tacky London Souviner Shop

Tate Britain, Harrods, British Library, & the Tate Modern | London, England

On day 4 it was threatening to rain all day so we visited the Tate Britain, Harrods, British Library, and the Tate Modern.

The Tate Britain has a ton of works and ephemera from J.M.W. Turner. However, they were mainly his works with figures (at least those were the pieces on view when we visited), not the dramatic landscapes and seascapes I was hoping to see. Those Turner paintings are on view at the National Gallery. Nonetheless, Tate Britain has some incredible paintings by John Singer Sargent as well as literary/romance/Pre-Raphaelite works. Those pieces were installed in the salon style so some of them were difficult to see well.

Boat Tour, Dover Castle, & Saying Hello to France | Dover, England

On day 3 we visited Dover and went on a boat tour of the White Cliffs and visited Dover Castle with its World War II tunnels. Dover is located on the southern coast of England. It has gorgeous white cliffs and you can see France across the English Channel on a clear day. 

The Dover locals are funny. When we got off the train we asked a train worker when the last train left (so we wouldn't get stranded), but he wouldn't tell us the time. Instead he said something along the lines of, "Oh you won't miss it. There's nothing to see here at night. There's not a whole lot to see during the day." I guess everyone feels that way about their home town, but I thought Dover was fantastic.