5/19 - The long travel day

4:30 comes really early - ugh. But that's the way it is - so we are up, showered, packed and ready to go when the cab arrives. It is really quick to the airport - because we're in Terminal 4 - so we're there in no time, and walking up to the United check in kiosks. We're directed to the security check, which mercifully is simple -they run my passport and give me a sticker. Phew. Then we head back to the kiosk - where the very helpful guy wants to know if we had green cards, and that was why the security check. Um, no, but who knows!

We get our boarding passes (thank Mr. United telephone center guy who gave us Economy Plus seats after I called to ask about the security thing), dump our bags and go in search of somewhere to sit for oh - 2 hours - until our flight. We can waste two hours just as easily as anyone can - and before we know it we're on board. There is no one in Economy Plus - so once the doors close - we jump over to the 3 seats in the middle and have tons of room for our flight back West.

Fortunately uneventful - just long - we end up watching Monuments Men (pretty good) and reading and blogging across the Atlantic. Food isn't bad - alcohol isn't free (thanks US airlines) - but soon enough we're on the ground in Newark no worse for wear.

Now we have about 3 hours of layover - and of course we zip right through immigration, the bags are right there and we're back through security in a flash. Geez - when we need to waste time where are the long lines?

After a particularly expensive (and bad - lousy wine and the wrong beer for Ed) drink, we go back to the boarding area to wait for our flight figuring we've spent enough money and we've got a long drive ahead of us when we land in Ft. Lauderdale.

The flight is 1/2 hour late taking off, but they somehow make up all of that and we land on time. Bags are fast, taxi to the hotel fast - we're on the road at a little past 6. We need to make it to Daytona tonight - where we've booked a room - so we're pretty happy everything went so smoothly on this last leg.

The drive is long - and with the construction in the dark, pretty intense, but we make it to the hotel a little before 10. Not too bad. The Ale House next door is open, so we grab snacks there - $5 apps - that works! Then we head back to the hotel and collapse in the bed. No setting the alarm in the morning - when we get up - we get up - then we'll hit the road for our now short drive home.

5/18 Windsor Castle

We start our day a little later today - because we must move to the airport hotel today for our early, early morning flight on the 19th. And since Windsor Castle is close to the airport, we decide to take our bags to the hotel first, then head to the Castle. It's about an hour to the hotel, but we're able to check in early and stow our bags in the room. Then we head to Windsor.

Roger had mentioned that parking would be an issue - and sure enough - it's tough. I had no idea the castle was right in the middle of the town - we drove by the back entrance…

….and the gardens on this end gave me the impression that it was situated similarly to Blenheim Palace. Not so. We need to park in town, and it is crazy jam packed. Plus the Royal Horse Show is going on, so it is doubly busy. We end up finding parking in an ancillary lot, that is actually quite close to the city center. We have a little bit of an issue paying for parking, because none of us have a lot of coins. But there is a number to call to pay by phone, which Roger uses and hopefully that will keep us safe from a parking fine and/or boot.

We navigate the cobblestones and parking area to the main road, where we navigate the crowds, past a cool old telephone booth repainted with Princess Kate on it…

and right up to the castle. The flag is flying, which means the Queen is in residence. Neat!

We pass the crooked pub - which looks like it will tilt and fall over any day now - then move on to the castle.

Once again we buy our day passes, but can convert them to annual passes, which gives us access to a bunch of other museums as well. Nice feature!

Inside there is a great photo of the castle with the town nestled around it - vast is the only word I can use!

Grabbing our audio guides we begin our tour, up the lane…

Then on around what was once the moat, but has now been converted into a garden-like park.

On the lane leading to the State Apartments, we get a nice shot across the Thames to Eton - where we will end up later for lunch, and then it is on to the apartments tour. We begin queuing up for the doll's house, but the line is way too long and way too slow. We decide to tour the apartments first, then come back and if the line is not long, do the doll house later.

Before the apartments though, we take the tour of the Treasures from the Royal Archives, which is phenomenal. All these ancient records and papers and hand embroidered playbills (yeah, embroidered on a pillow sham - odd - but totally interesting). The handwriting is incredible - teeny tiny and so precise. The four of us spend a lot of time perusing each and every document, astonished at the detail, age and preservation.

Once we've had our fill of the archives, we move on to the apartments which we are not allowed to photograph - thus a boring text recital of our tour. The apartments are immense - of course - with coats of arms and armor in one hall, an enormous dining table for Royal dinners in another and tapestries, artwork and history all around. There are displays on the different Royal Orders of Knights, including the Order of the Garter. A hall with all the coats of arms, including blank shields for disgraced knights. The King's ceremonial bedchambers where he would go in the morning to be "ceremonially" awoken. The drawing rooms, the dressing rooms, St. George's hall…an amazing collection of Royal living space. Thoroughly enjoyable.

As we left the apartments , we can peek through a gate where we can see into the private area behind the State Apartments - where there are cars waiting for some dignitaries - we are sure.

Then it is onto to St. George's chapel, which is unfortunately closed for services all day today. We get some nice outdoor shots…

…and one with me and the guard! And then head into town in search of a lunch spot.

It's still crazy in town, so we head toward Eton, across the Thames

and find a lovely spot right on the water called Cote Brasserie. Great setting, and excellent food. We each share a charcuterie platter (bad photo - sorry!), Roger and Natalie also share steak tartare (no picture, sorry again!), then for mains I have goat's cheese and roasted vegetable salad, Ed has haddock and Roger and Natalie each have the 1/2 chicken special.

It's a lovely couple of hours spent chatting, eating and relaxing after our Castle tour. And all too soon it is time to go. Natalie stops to feed the swans,

then we are back in the car and on our way to the hotel.  We are sad that our time together is over. It's been a wonderful two days and we wish we could stay longer. We say goodbye at the hotel with promises to plan another get together soon.

We hang out at the hotel for a bit, grab a quick snack and drink downstairs in the garden of the restaurant, then head to bed so we can get up at the crack of dawn to hopefully check in (I'm a a problem again - I can't get a boarding pass because the online system is telling me that I need to go through a document security check at the airport….oh geez….I'm having flash backs to the Cat Stevens issue of years ago) and start our really, really, really long travel day home.

5/17 - Blenheim Palace

The weather is stupendous! Mid- to high 60's and not a cloud in the sky. It is perfect sightseeing weather - well - just perfect weather period. Roger and Natalie arrive at the appointed time and we are off to Blenheim, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, and one of England's largest houses. The 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough still reside here, which is amazing in and of itself that a private entity - family - actually owns this enormous place.

We park easily (actually in shade) and approach the gates for photos. Purchasing our tickets, we then can convert them into an annual pass at no extra charge - which we do and have very cool passes with our pictures on them now. With passes in hand, we walk through the entrance gate into the massive courtyard.

This is quite a site - you have to continually remind yourself that this is not a Royal Palace - but owned by individuals. Wild.

Inside, we opt to take the interactive tour before going through the state rooms. This tour is a wonderful "untold" story history of the palace, how it was conceived, built and the families who made the Palace their home. The visuals are wonderful - using mannequins facing a mirror - with a video playing in the "mirror" to seem like we are watching a real person. The story is great - how the first Duchess watched over the construction like a hawk, what happened, went wrong, successive Dukes and their proclivities (such as the mad scientist Duke) and a wonderful overview of past through present day life in the Palace.

Next we tour the state rooms which are enormous and beautifully appointed. Huge dining halls, tapestries on the walls and the most fabulous library - definitely my most favorite room.

Then of course there is also the too big to be believed organ at the end of the library - its bigger than most Cathedral organs. Wow!

Finally we walk through the chapel - where you can have weddings and ceremonies…

….then out through the formal gardens.

It's a lovely day, and we are thoroughly enjoying our tour.

Done with the Palace, we head out in search of a little snack and beverage. A bit down the road in Begbroke, we find the Royal Sun - a lovely old pub dating back from the 17th Century. It's a wonderful respite with excellent wine, of course beer, and a wide selection of cider for Natalie. We're bad and share some packages of crisps (potato chips) along with our drinks, while we enjoy the timbered beam atmosphere of the traditional pub.

On the way back to Reading, we take the scenic route through Henley on the Thames, where they have the annual regatta, past George Harrison's mansion (well, his widow's now), along the river and through little lanes and roads with trees that form tunnels above us. It's a lovely drive - and a beautiful day to be sharing with our friends.

After a longer than usual ride back - because everyone else is also enjoying the beautiful day - we are running about 1/2 an hour behind. Roger drops us at the hotel to freshen up, then will come back to pick us up in an hour for dinner.

Dinner is a 4 course fabulous event that Natalie whips up seemingly effortlessly. Garlic butter shrimp with side salad to start, followed by a mushroom soup that is light and smooth all at once, then roasted Duck a l'orange with fresh vegetables and a delectable gravy scented with orange for the main.

Superb. Dessert is a spread of fabulous fruits and local cheeses that finish off the meal in high style. It is a thoroughly enjoyable day topped off with a wonderful evening and superb meal!