The Tower of London

Thursday afternoon we joined a tour to the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels.

No, I was not the tour guide, but as our guide was getting tickets, she asked me to carry the umbrella and move the group to our waiting location. Obviously, I just can't shake that "teacher" look! ;)
The Tower Bridge

The Ravens.
Legend has it that if they fly away the monarchy will fall. So...their wings are clipped. Good thinking, Queenie!

A Beefeater. These guards are the most elite of all the Queen's guards. They are called Beefeaters as they would have to taste the King's beef to make sure it was not poisoned. That's some loyalty for you!

Ross got a turn with the umbrella, too. Scary to think that we were the most responsible looking in the group, isn't it?!

Parliament and Big Ben.

View as we were walking towards the Tower.

A (free) ride on the London Eye

Our week in London package included tickets for the London Eye. We had a break in the clouds and rain on Thursday evening, so we immediately took advantage. We captured some gorgeous views of the city. Above is the dome at St. Paul's Cathedral.
The Thames River

Parliament and Big Ben

A lovely night!

Althorp, The Spencer Family Home (for you, Sharon!)

Taking a train 90 miles north of London, we arrived at Althorp, the Spencer Family Home and the Princess Diana exhibition. It was a quiet, overcast day, and the crowd was very small. Althorp celebrated a 500 year anniversary in 2008 and Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer lives in the home from September until June every year. It is open to visitors during the months of July and August. It is a must for the Princess Diana fan, but it is also an amazing home with such history! If you saw the movie The Duchess, with Keira Knightley,it is the story of Georgiana Spencer, who purchased this home with her husband. It is a beautiful estate and the exhibition highlighting Princess Diana is really lovely. Her wedding gown is on display as well as 28 dresses. When we walked into the room, I mentioned to Ross that this might take awhile...he waited patiently outside - what a guy!! For me, as a Princess Diana fan since the age of 6, it really was amazing to see special items from her childhood, touching home movies, and the clothes, oh the clothes! No pictures allowed, of course, so I put a couple googled images below. The portrait above is her official portrait and hangs in the family home.

The wedding gown. It's as old as me! :)

Saw this dress. In person it is not quite this blue. It is much more pale.

Althorp, the Spencer Family Home

Gardens at Althorp.

The island where Princess Diana is buried.

The monument. It is a serene and quiet place.

After a long "Princessy" day, Ross was glad to get back to London. We headed to the original Hard Rock cafe and as you can see, Ross enjoyed the nachos! I have the best husband! Thank you Ross, for being patient today! (The average visitor is there 2 hours - us - 3 and a half!)

1,000 Years of History at Warwick Castle

We walked up 530 steps on the tiniest spiral staircase you have ever seen to get to the top of Warwick Castle - over 1,000 years old. Used as a fort, and then a stately home, it is now a popular tourist and locals attraction. All sorts of medieval fun is re-created as well as huge Madam Tusseaud's displays throughout the castle depicting both medieval life as well as stately life in the 1800s.

Well worth the 530 steps!

Stratford-on-Avon, Birthplace of a Playwright

Ross and I both agreed, we could have spent a full day in Stratford. It is an adorable town and the birthplace of William Shakespeare. We toured his birthplace and the beautiful surrounding gardens.

The birthplace of William Shakespeare.

Actors performing a scene from The Comedy of Errors.

Fish and Chips in the Cotswolds

After Stratford-on-Avon, we headed to the Cotswolds, famous for the thatched roofs. We had a yummy lunch at the White Hart pub.

Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas - yum!

Delicious!

Oxford - The City of Dreaming Spires

We spent Saturday afternoon in beautiful Oxford - on the student's graduation day! What an experience! We toured Christ Church College - the inspiration for both Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. For me, as both an Elementary Education and an English major, this was a dream day!

Christ Church College. Ross and I joked that it looks like I am jumping up, trying to stick my head in this picture. I really wasn't! :)

The Famous Dining Hall. Inspiration for Hogwarts, Harry Potter's wizardry school. The movie was not actually filmed here, but every detail was re-created on a separate set for the movie. However, you walk in and can just hear the theme song (do, do, do, do , do, do do) and see the floating candles!!

At this point the hair does channel Hermione Granger, yes?

The Dreaming Spires!

The Sighing Bridge. Wardens of the school keep watch up here to catch all those students breaking curfew! It's called the Sighing Bridge as the students sigh (Ugh!) upon being caught!