Day Three - Southwest of London Part One

I had to start with the picture of the sunrise before the tale of getting to it! And, no, that picture has not been altered in any way, it is purely the way nature and some ancient peoples of the British Isles intended. But, now to the tale...  most of our driving for this trip was Google mapped out a month ago followed up by tracking everything in a map book. So, the drive to Stonehenge from our room was listed as taking an hour and twenty minutes. So, promptly at 5:15am we were getting into the car and hitting the road. About 20 minutes into the drive, Denise pulled up the map on her phone. When she gasped, I was worried. From that point, her directions said it was still an hour and a half. This was not a good thing. We had booked the Stonehenge Stone Circle Access Pass as one of our first (and most important) activities and you HAD to be there by 6:45am, so we were looking to be almost half an hour short of time. Where was that tailwind from our flight?? Thankfully, there was almost no traffic heading that direction from London (except the one slow lorry we were stuck behind for 5 miles) and the speed limits on the M roads are more of a guideline than an actual rule... and Margaret has now experienced what 90 miles per hour feels like. At 6:45am we pulled into the parking area and we were extremely thankful that they held the bus for a minute to let us run to it.

And just let me say...worth every penny and every moment of stressful driving. In a group of 30 people, we were allowed full access to Stonehenge. We could walk amongst the stones, experience the stones and enjoy the stones up close and personal. It may just look like a bunch of rocks, but the magnificence is beyond that. For some perspective, here is Margaret standing amongst the stones. Of course, it was quite cold, but that didn't stop us from standing and taking it all in for about an hour before we had to take the shuttle bus back to the parking area. Once there (after a few minutes in the shop) we headed back to Amesbury for some much needed breakfast.

I know this was a short post, but since Denise and I were both awake at 5am this morning, I had a few minutes and just wanted to share some of the Stonehenge pictures! Salisbury Cathedral, Titchfield Abbey, and Portchester Castle will be coming soon.

Day Two in London

Our second day of this adventure began quite early. Everyone was awake well before any alarms went off, which meant we were set to start our day's activities. Knowing that the Tower of London would not be open until 10am, we took our leisurely time getting there. Sadly, the weather was quite uncooperative. Very grey with rain off and on and at times quite heavy. We dodged the drops to get some light breakfast before taking the tube to London Bridge station so that we could walk our way across Tower Bridge (I know, bridge confusion is difficult, but the fancy one is NOT London Bridge). Anyway, even with a little digital work, it is tough to get any contrast between grey stones and grey skies.

Once across the bridge we headed to the Tower of London. Still early, but some time in queue is always a good thing, right? Denise went to visit a few Shawn the Sheep statues (more on those later) and eventually at 10am we headed in. Still dodging raindrops and a few downpours, we got in quickly to see the crown jewels. Sorry no pictures there - it is not allowed. But the display was very well done and we went through the main line twice plus a third time to read the descriptions of everything. They have moving walkways so you can't just stand and gawk. I think this is something that perhaps the Smithsonian might want to look at doing...
We then visited a few of the different towers and enjoyed the tales of prisoners and residents and some very nice reproductions. Of particular note to us was the WWI display which had some very nice photos of soldiers who had been stationed at the Tower and died in the war. We also enjoyed meeting with a couple of re-enactors who were portraying Sir Walter Raleigh (imprisoned for going against the king and after earning his freedom with a promise of El Dorado, ended up back out of the king's favor) and Anne Boleyn (getting ready for her wedding and excited about her pregnancy - a young boy, of course....).


Following the Tower, we caught the Thames Clipper commuter boat service back across (and up) the river to Bankside, right next to the Millenium Bridge and one of our top destinations, Shakespeare's Globe. While this isn't the original (burnt down) or the replacement (burnt down) or even in the right location (3 blocks away from a sad little plaque on a wall), it IS really amazing. Recreated quite faithfully and beautifully, the outdoor theatre is quite the spectacle. We were lucky enough to be there as final rehearsals were going on for a performance by local college drama students of scenes from numerous Shakespeare plays. No photos were allowed during the rehearsal, but it was quite good after they finished we got some pictures. Denise's panoramic shot of the stage and theatre takes the cake.

Upon departing the Globe, it was time to get some food (finally) as it was going on 2pm. We headed to the Mad Hatter (a Fuller's Pub) just a block away from the Globe. Margaret's first fish and chips of the visit, my first ever smoked fish pie, and Denise's long awaited Sunday Roast were all really enjoyable - as was the impromptu game of Jenga. And there might have been a couple of pints enjoyed by Denise and I as well (more on that later as well). Since it was late afternoon, we needed to pick up our luggage and head for the Tube back to Heathrow to get our rental car for the rest of the trip. Much to our dismay, the rain had finally decided to really get things going at this point and the 6 blocks back to the hotel were in a complete and utter downpour with strong winds. We all ended up quite soaked as we walked across Westminster Bridge back to the Tube station to say farewell to London.

Luckily once we had our bags, the rain did let up a bit as you can see at left. The ride back to Heathrow was uneventful, but quite crowded and I got to stand the whole way with each of the girls standing with me for some time. Back at Heathrow, we caught the bus to our rental car - an Ibiza (somewhere between a Ford Fiesta and Honda Civic) which had obviously had a horrible factory life as the drive controls were all backwards and on the wrong side of the car. Luckily, I am somewhat flexible and adapted to the situation quickly. Now, if I could just get the darn people here to drive on the right side of the road. We drove to our hotel for the night and after arrival, wished we had gotten there sooner (and in better weather) as the hotel and grounds were beautiful. As it was, we did a quick walk around followed by some late dinner and then to bed.

We had to get to sleep at least a little early as the morning of day 3 is going to start very early. See you soon.

Day One in London - Part 2

After completing our tour of Westminster Abbey, we walked to Buckingham Palace. Along the way, we stopped at St. James's Park, which despite the chill and wind was still quite nice.










At Buckingham Palace, we walked around the front and watched the guards for a bit. I found particular joy in some of the details.

And also the fact that the daffodils (a little sad from the weather) were in bloom.














We then started our walk up to the National Museum. Along the way we stopped and enjoyed the sights small and large. We included a short walk up Crown Passage, which looked to Margaret like something from Harry Potter (there's going to be a lot of that on this trip, methinks).

Once we arrived at the National Museum it was quickly to the Impressionists and the Pointillists. Both are favorites of the girls. Sadly, there is currently some kind of strike going on so the majority of the museum was closed - we did get to see Monet, Degas, Cezanne, Seurat, Renoir, and Van Gogh, so the girls were still quite happy. The view from the steps is quite nice as Nelson points his way down toward Parliament.

After the museum, we headed back toward the Thames with a stop off at the Red Lion Pub for a couple of drinks. Then we visited the Queen's Walk right in front of and next to our hotel where Margaret and I enjoyed some fish and chips and Denise had a steak pie. We know the shop was a chain, but the employees were really delightful. We did a bit more walking along the river, but were quite tired by this point so it was about time to head back to the room. A wonderful first day in London complete.

Day One in London - Part 1

Hello from the UK (I can't really say sunny, because, well....that hasn't happened too much). I know I am behind by a couple of days with the blog, but I will do my best to get caught up these next few days and share all our adventures with you.

Away we go - ready for our flight at BWI.

We were quite ready to be rather sad when our flight was delayed about 45 minutes. But some mysterious force (also known as a tail wind) got us to arrive at Heathrow still almost 25 minutes early. Upon arrival, our trip through border control and customs was quick and easy. We headed down to the tube, with Oyster Cards in hand and started the ride into London. Along the way, we had an extensive tour of Acton Town. Here it is. 

Perhaps there was a little jet lag going on already. Rumor has it that there is more to town than the Tube station where we transferred from the Picadilly Line to the District Line, but we didn't get to see any proof. And, in case you need some good entertainment some time, ask Margaret to sing her Picadilly song.

Once we arrived at Westminster Station, Margaret got her first real glimpse of the UK (by the way, that's our hotel in the background).

As you can likely tell from the picture, it was pretty grey out - quite windy and only about 50 degrees. A few light showers would pass through later, but most of the day was just chilly and a little dark. First stop was the hotel, where we checked in and to our great joy, our room was ready. 

Yes, at 9:30am, we were in our room with a little time to relax before we head out for touring. The view from the room was pretty darn nice - the London Eye and Waterloo Bridge!

At 11am, with a little more energy, it was time to head out. First stop was Elizabeth Tower for quite a few pictures. You likely are more familiar with this site via the name of its famous bell, Big Ben. About this time, the first 'issue' of the week really became apparent. Somehow, when packing, I grabbed the wrong Nikon digital SLR. Yes, I have two, and yes, the one I have with me is very nice. But, not as nice as the new one that is sitting at home on the counter. The reason it became an 'issue' is the lack of a wide angle lens. Which means, not quite all of the things we see make it into the picture. But, the picture still is worth a good 850 words.

From there, we headed to Westminster Abbey, where we saw the most dreaded thing you can see while travelling - a huge line. Much to our surprise (twice in one day already), the line moved very quickly and we got inside within 20 minutes. No pictures are allowed inside, so no details there. Margaret did complete the kids activity booklet (scavenger hunt) and Denise and I did the full audio tour. In addition to all the amazing things in terms of decor and architecture, Denise was particularly reverent in the Poet's Corner and I was in awe of the composers tombs.

It is about time for us to get some sleep, so I will complete Day 1 when I have time. Thanks for traveling along with us.

Almost There!

Today is the day that we leave for the UK. Plans are all in place (or close to it) and there are just a couple of additions as we have figured things out for the last two days...so, here are those plans.

Day 8 will start with us waking up at Melville Castle and driving a little bit north to Lochleven Castle. It is on an island, so we will take a ferry (motorboat) out to the castle itself to see where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned for a short while. Then we will start the drive north and stop off at Dunnottar Castle on the North Sea coast. This is one I remember from my youth and was a 'must-do' for us. We will then continue to head north because we will be going to the Aberdeen v Partick Thistle football (yes, soccer for the heathen) match. After the match we'll grab some dinner in Aberdeen and then head back south to our hotel in Glenrothes.

Easter Sunday is Day 9 and we will spend most of the day in Stirling at the castle and in the town. We will also get to visit with some friends of the family from back in 1982 when we were in Aberdeen. There are some interesting activities at Stirling Castle for the holiday and we are really looking forward to them. Later in the afternoon we will head back to Glenrothes with a stop in Dollar to visit Castle Campbell, and (depending on the time) possibly a little hiking around the castle area.

We are all quite excited to be on our way. See you in the UK!

What to do, what to do?

So, what exactly do we hope to do each day, you might ask? Not to get into the gritty details and specifics, but we are trying to get a taste of a LOT of different things. Neither Margaret nor Denise have ever been to the UK (OK, Denise went through Heathrow once, but didn't leave the airport) so our thinking is to do as many things as possible and hope that someday we can afford to come back and do more. A number of people have suggested that with only 10 days we just focus on one area, but we are of the mind that if we focus on just one area we will spend quite a long time wishing we had visited more places. We are well aware that we are missing a lot of things - each time we look at ideas for each day and figure out plans we are forced to choose things not to do and that is tough!

Day 1 and 2 will be spent in London hitting mainly the big tourist sites - Big Ben and Parliament, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Globe Theatre, National Museum, and maybe some more. We plan to walk a portion of the Queen's Walk along the Thames and also boat down the Thames from the London Eye to the Tower.

Day 3 is highlighted by our Stone Circle Access Tour at Stonehenge. Granted it is at 6:30am, so that will be a tough morning, but to get the chance to walk right up to the stones is worth it! The rest of day 3 is going to be south of London (and a little west) in Salisbury and then across the south coast to Brighton before an early evening just south of London.

Day 4 involves driving east from the London area to Canterbury where we hope to have our own Tales to tell. We will then go about as far east as possible to the Dover area for cliffs, castles, and secret tunnels.

On Day 5 we start to head north with visits to Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Kenilworth. Quite a bit of driving in the morning to get to that area, but then the afternoon will be spent walking in the footsteps of bards and barons. The evening will have another long drive as we head north to York.

We wake up on Day 6 for a morning at York Minster and then continue our travels northward to the Edinburgh area. Margaret in particular is looking forward to this day as we will be stopping at Alnwick Castle, where many Harry Potter scenes were filmed. After a couple more stops along the drive, we all are excited about our next two nights in a real castle.

Day 7 is our Edinburgh day. After a morning (and early afternoon) exploring the big sites of Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, we will get back into the Harry Potter mode with a Potter Trail walking tour of Old Town Edinburgh.

Our plans for Day 8 and 9 are not fully formed yet, but should feature a drive north to Dunnottar Castle and the fishing village of Stonehaven (maybe even all the way north to Aberdeen to visit the haunts of 10 year old Brian) and a full Easter Sunday in Stirling.

And that's about it! With just 3 weeks to go we are getting quite excited and trying to get a lot of ducks into the right rows.

Where to Stay?

So, we are on a somewhat tight budget with this trip, and our initial hotel inquiries from a broker came in at over $3000 for the 9 nights. We did some online research and came up what we think are a good mix of fancy, British, and cheap places to stay for under $1500 total. Generally we are only in each place for one night, but a couple are for two. Each time we do a particularly fancy place, we cancel it out with a particularly less fancy place.

Take a look and see what you think!

Marriott London County Hall

Oakley Court, Windsor

Castle Lodge Guest House, Horley

Crescent Guest House, York

Melville Castle, Edinburgh (yes, it really is a castle)

...and finally the Holiday Inn, Glenrothes

OK, so maybe that last shot isn't of the hotel. I figure you all know what a Holiday Inn looks like, so I went with the most interesting picture I have found from Glenrothes. Maybe we will be able to find the Thirsty Hippos (Glenrothes has an odd public art tradition and the Giant Hands almost beat out the hippos for the picture here).

Basic Trip Overview

So, the Frazier family is headed to the UK for Spring Break 2015. We decided the best way to share our adventures was a blog, so here we are. Over the next 4 weeks, as we get prepared for the trip, I'll share our plans - first in general, then as we get things figured out, in more specifics.

The basics are this - we are flying from BWI to London overnight 3/27-3/28. We are spending a couple of days in London, then southwest England for a day and southeast England for a day. We will then head north for a day near Coventry and then a day in York. The final 3 days will be in Edinburgh and around the Scottish East Coast. It's pretty ambitious and for sure we are not seeing 'everything' in any of our destinations. Since we don't get a lot of chances to travel afar, we want to get as many different experiences as we can in the short time we are there.

If you have followed us on other adventures...it has been quite a long time since we did a big family trip like this anywhere except Disney World. Should prove interesting.