Stonehenge, Old Sarum, Salisbury, Oxford and London

This was my tenth trip to London, so I chose some special places to visit. We travelled with Ryanair, spent about 600 pounds per person for 6 days, and visited Stonehenge, Old Sarum, Salisbury, Oxford and London. My daughter and I set off on a Ryanair flight from Ciampino to Gatwick. A smooth flight, the landing a little less so because of the gusts of wind that made the plane shake a lot. From the airport we took a train that in half an hour brought us to Victoria Station. Very fast! At Victoria Station we bought the Travelcard for zones 1 and 2, which cost us 26 pounds and allowed us to get on and off buses, the underground and overground trains all week, as many times as we wanted. On our first day we went to Holland Park, to visit the Kyoto Gardens. From the name you can tell they are Japanese gardens.

The morning was full of sunshine and the gardens are nothing short of wonderful, even in mid-January. Absolutely worth seeing. After the Kyoto Gardens we went back to Piccadilly Circus, and started wandering the streets around Piccadilly Street to look at the beautiful shops there. We found an excellent shop with Italian products, run by a very nice Italian guy called Manuel. The shop is called La Bottega and it's at 20 Ryder Street, and we ate real Italian products, cooked by Italians, spending very little. We were so satisfied that we went back to eat there three more times. In the afternoon we went to visit Temple Church in Inner Temple Lane. This church is very unusual: its layout is inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and it consists of two parts.

The older one, called the Round, was consecrated by the Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1185, while the other, called the Chancel, was added in the 13th century. What astonishes you are the life-size stone effigies of the nine Templar knights placed in the Round. Dan Brown set some scenes of his famous book “The Da Vinci Code” in this temple. At the end of the visit we went shopping at Primark on Marble Arch. As usual we came out laden with bags and with our credit card emptied. The next day, up early and off in a hurry to catch the train at Waterloo Station. Destination: Salisbury and the Stonehenge temple. After an hour's train journey through the green English countryside, we arrive at Salisbury station. Just outside we find a bus that, for the modest sum of 18 pounds, takes us to the temple and then on to Old Sarum.

The bus leaves every hour in winter and every half hour in summer, and the price includes the entrance ticket to the temple and the audio guide. We get on and after barely 20 minutes of travel, we finally spot the Stonehenge temple. The emotion is immense; at last I can set foot in that incredible mystery that is the temple of blue stones. We get off and, after collecting the audio guide, we start the path that goes around the stone circle. The day is freezing, but there is glorious sunshine. I have never seen such a bright day as the one I found at Stonehenge. For an hour we observed the stone circle, the ditch, and listened to the explanations. Yet the questions remain: what is Stonehenge? Why was it built exactly there? And by whom? In short, although the audio guide gives a lot of information, unfortunately nobody is able to offer you the essential ones.

We take the bus again with all those unanswered questions still in our heads, and arrive at Old Sarum. At Old Sarum I had a surprise. Although I had read a book about the history of Sarum, I wasn't expecting such a beautiful and interesting site. I let myself be captivated by the story of this ancient village and wished the discovery would never end. Unfortunately nothing lasts forever, so we had to head back down to the bus stop to return to Salisbury. Our driver was extremely punctual and after 10 minutes we arrived in the centre of Salisbury and got off in Market Square. Frozen to the bone, we took refuge in a very nice pub carved out of one of the oldest houses in Salisbury, and ordered a tea and a nice slice of walnut and carrot cake. We licked our lips. Warmed up and refreshed, we headed to see the magnificent cathedral, where four copies of the Magna Carta are kept.

The visit to the cathedral takes at least two hours, for all the things kept there and to admire its extraordinary architecture. After the visit, by now late afternoon, we took a quick look at the streets of the centre and then headed to the station to catch the train back to London. The next morning, we headed to Paddington Station, from where we took a direct train to Oxford, where my daughter wants to choose her university. The purpose of this trip was precisely to take a look at the city and find out about the college to choose. Just outside the station there's the bus stop, from where we took the bus for the sightseeing tours. The tour lasts an hour and gave us an idea of the city. Then we got off back at the station and from there began our own personal tour.

We visited several colleges and included in our tour also the Alice in Wonderland shop, the botanical garden, and the pub where Lewis Carroll and Edward Rutherfurd used to meet to discuss their books. In the evening, exhausted, we caught the train and returned to London. The next day we stayed in London and devoted our day to Borough Market, where you can taste and buy typical English products, as well as those from other countries around the world. It's the market where the most famous restaurants source their supplies. It's absolutely worth seeing. For lunch we went back to La Bottega, and ate an excellent baked pasta and, to finish, a slice of nonna's cake. What a treat. In the afternoon we went to Oxford Street, like ordinary tourists, though we limited our shopping, having no room left in our suitcases for more purchases.

On the last day we got up with little desire to play tourists, so we treated ourselves to a good breakfast at Caffè Nero and then back to La Bottega for lunch. After lunch we packed our suitcases and headed to Victoria Station to catch the train and go to the airport. The next trip is booked for April.