These past few days we've been on-the-go. Saturday, Mike, the kids, and I went to London and toured it via a red double-decker bus. I highly recommend this to tour the city as we got great commentary to learn about the city and landmarks and we could hop-off and hop-on at any stop we wished. My favorite thing to see was Big Ben, which is actually neither the clock, nor the tower, but the large bell inside. Buckingham Palace was less "grandiose" than I expected...it is actually sitting on 42 acres, but appears to be so close to the road...I suppose I expect all Palaces to be on lush, green property, set back far from any traffic. The busiest thing we saw was Picadilly Circus. And I had a twinge of homesickness when we zoomed pass the American Embassy, which the guide mentioned is the only American Embassy on rented property. Seeing the American flag fly high above made me smile :) On Sunday we visited Hampton Court Palace, which was one of Henry VIII's favorite palaces. The funny thing Henry VIII seized it from Thomas Wolsey once Thomas fell from Henry's favor. Paintings of Henry's beloved son and much-desired heir-to-the-throne, Prince Edward, his parents, King Henry VII and Elizabeth, and his grandmother hung in his state apartments. This Palace really felt like an real, old castle. The wine cellar was replicated with faux wine barrels, stored in a naturally climate-controlled environemtn. Once down in the cellar you could feel the cool castle air and smell the cool dirt beneath the flooring - it was almost a little scary to the kids! The Tudor kitchens were interesting, too--they had faux food out that looked extremely real, one room was the butcher room where red meat layed around waiting for the butcher to chop it smaller. Another vast room held many herbs (real) perfect for smelling and getting a taste for what the real thing tasted like. A real wood fire was burning and large cast iron skewers made for cooking large amounts of meat were ready to cook (for real!) The kitchens were massive and were made to feed the 600 people of the court allowed to eat twice daily.
Here's a video from youtube if you are interested in seeing more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIIPQnQgFqI&feature=channel Today the kids and I hit up LegoLand Windsor (Lego-themed themepark) for a day of fun in the sun, roller-coaster riding, and even some Lego shopping. The entrance is built atop a large hill so you get a grand view of Windsor, Heathrow, and London in the distance. My favorite part was Miniland, which is Europe and the USA recreated in millions of little Legos. No pictures here as I didn't want to haul my camera along for this day of fun! We have been so busy these last few days that I think I may need a vacation from vacation :)
No comments:
Post a Comment