From London to Oxford - via the Tower, the Globe and Hampton Court

A sleepless night at the airport and a teary farewell saw Anthony head back to Melbourne, to start packing his bags and start planning to join me in Oxford.

Yes, I'm moving - I've taken a job providing energy efficiency/greenhouse gas reduction advice to industry. And it's based in Oxford.

I'm a little relieved to be leaving London behind. Despite all the kindnesses of Sarah, Mark, Julia and Alex, I'm not ready to live in a city of 20 million people where the water tastes like poop (with good reason!).

Moving means I had just a week to see as much as possible of the stuff I haven't yet... May I suggest that no-one should try to climb St Paul's Cathedral (500+ steps) and the Great Fire Monument (280-soemthing steps) in one day. Because then, when one tries to tour the Tower of London the next day, one's legs are stuffed.

However, the Tower of London is, in my opinion, the most spectacular of England's historic sites, and so giving up was not an option. Nothing has brought history to life quite like this. Not so much a single tower as a collection of 35 of them (I think), linked by walls and living quarters, this massive ediface had somewhat humble beginnings when William the Conqueror built a single square keep of 4 floors, entered by an earth ramp/staircase from the second floor (the ground floor having no doors). It stands still in the centre of the castle, known now as the White Tower, housing the Royal Armouries.

The walls and towers surrounding it are the stuff of legend. Here stands Traitor's Gate, where a young Elizabeth I was brought (in the Cate Blanchett movie version, at least), to answer to her sister, Queen Mary. Here the tower where Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned (twice), and the young princes, Edward V of England and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury, aged 12 and 10, reputedly held and later buried - perhaps at the behest of their uncle Richard of Gloucester (who thereby became Richard III). There the green where Anne Boelyn was beheaded.

Perhaps most spectacular though are the Beefeaters - those guards who, despite their jolly demeanour, represent the pinnacle of British military service. I asked one what it takes to join his brethren: "a minimum of 22 years of military service with an exceptional service record, attaining at least the rank of Sergeant-Major, just to apply. Applicants are then examined for ability to entertain the public and lead tour groups, as well as secure Her Majesty's most famous royal property". Hmmm, not in my lifetime, then...

Hampton Court Palace was a whole different visual feast. This sprawling masterpiece was started by Cardinal Wolsey, chief advisor to Henry VIII, and like so much of Wolsey's work, taken over by Henry when the good cardinal fell from favour after refusing to divorce the King from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Little remains from Big Henry's time, although his Great Hall - which even with seating for 500, was too small to feed all his staff at one sitting - and nearby reception rooms have been recently restored. The Chapel Royal is larger than many village churches and the kitchens have to be seen to be believed. Yes, I bought another recipe book.

Last but not least on my list was a tour of 'Shakespeare's Globe', a reconstruction of the original from surviving fragments and texts, located "probably not far" from where Will Shakespeare's primary playhouse once stood. The new Globe is the first building in London, since the fire of 1666, to be allowed a thatched roof. Almost totally privately funded, its forecourt is littered with the names of prominent actors who, led by Sam Wanamaker, couldn't believe that London had nothing to honour one of its most famous literary periods.

This day, our tour included a sneak peek at the cast of Titus Andronicus in rehearsal - happily, we arrived just AFTER they finished the scene where the chief nemesis is fed her children, baked in a pie (I had nightmares after seeing Anthony Hopkins in the title role). To be allowed to watch the final scenes being choreographed, changed and totally subverted with silliness on the part of actors at the end of a long day, was something special.

By the time I came to pack my bags for Oxford, I was knackered, but happy.
The purely 'holiday' part of my trip is over - but what an amazing 3 months it's been. I've seen sights and sounds, laughed and cried, learned and forgotten more history than I ever saw in school. I've met no-one new in London (it's just not that friendly a place!), but the friends I have caught up with here have made me so welcome.

My next journey is on my own and into a great unknown- but I'm no less excited about what it holds...