Clarence Hotel Windsor

... and less commercial than other towns, but plenty of people in this country know how to do the polished brass and hanging basket thing so well I'm always getting out the camera and never doing it justice.

And the castle--what can I say? Magnificent. Gigantic. Old. Staffed by more people in navy blue suits with red lapels, the uniform of the Royal Staff That Interacts With Tourists. Polite but vigilant, and firm if ...

As the sun started to peak through the curtains, I woke up to glorious day in England. And as clear blue skies don't come around too often in these parts, I had to make the most of it and explore something new. So I got up & got myself ready for a day of exploring. I headed to Waterloo Station & checked the times of some trains out of town. The first to depart somewhere interesting was a train to Windsor. So Windsor it was...in search of a prince. Or at least to find a castle ...

... it was a McClub of sorts!) It had so much more food than our McDonalds at home. Lots of big huge breakfast muffins, porridge, brownies, and they have a European Monopoly game going on. It was packed in there too. We walked around the town a bit more before settling in at the Ha Ha Bar & Grill. We each had a glass of wine (which mine got me drunk-it was a Merlot from Chile) and split a plate of Camembert ...

... for me will remain as the one place I never intended to visit but am so glad that I did not miss. It's definitely a must see to any traveller coming to England. On the way out of the town of Windsor we drove past the equestrian and horse track that houses the royal weekend festivals once a year as well. We obviously didn't stop but got a good view from the bus and some fun facts and history on it. 2 hour bus ride later...

... rates!!! From here I headed up some little street, no idea where I was going, but asked these really nice policemen where to go to Buckingham Palace, and they were nice enough not to shoot me for asking a question, hehehe, they even offered to give me the directions in Italian, but I told them I would prefer them in Finnish, ha Lauree... So here I headed up Birdcage Walk to Buckingham Palace, when I got there I must admit I was a ...

... open until 8:30 since it was Friday. We made a stop at the cafe so Mom and Darin could get drinks. Mom ate her leftover ribs from lunch (yes, she was lugging around a bag of leftovers) and Darin had a chocolate mousse. Then we headed up to the Egyptian section to look at mummies. Some of the artifacts were over 5,000 years old! Unbelievable that they still exist. There was also a special exhibit on American printmaking from ...

... olive oil/balsamic vinegar/basil - beautiful in their simplicity!), salads, cakes, cookies, crepes ... I'm always repulsed by the price of things in London once I do the conversions in my head, but I simply couldn't resist getting some food. I wandered around until it was time to return to the apartment. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get enough cash from the ATM to pay for it (there's usually a daily limit), but it worked ...

... rolling hard-sided suitcase. It has an extending handle for when I roll it. BA handlers managed to pull that handle loose, even though they shouldn't have been grabbing that handle at all, especially since it was fully retracted. Oh well. I got the epoxy, went back to the room and glued my suitcase back together. It seems to be holding well. In addition, I later stopped at a Boots the Chemist shop and bought a luggage strap for added support. The rest of ...

... euro-fashionable way. But, enough of the dribble there's plenty more of that to come as I relate my tangential tales of triumph & tragedy in my travels from Holland to England. Here goes.... *Opening Credits roll with Mary-Tyler-Mooresque vinniets of me: gazing out a train window, dragging my luggage up a hill, Swing dancing in the street, making a toast, posing for a photo with my new friends, scouring a map, pointing at a menu to order food, touring historical ...

... photos and video. Drove on further to Avebury and the stone circles that surround the town. Lots of hippies, druids and unemployed people sitting around made the town feel a bit weird. As the site was so spread out you could walk amongst the stones. Drove onto the M4 heading towards Heathrow, stopping at a service centre for lunch which was more like a small shopping centre ...