Our last blog entry for the trip!

Well here it is folks - our last blog of the trip.

Kara: We had planned to spend our last day in the UK out at Oxford but as we told you
yesterday we altered the plan a bit and so instead we headed out to Windsor so we could get back a bit earlier in the day and get packed and ready for our flights home tomorrow.

We headed off to the train station, got our tickets at the little self-serve machines, and got right on the train that departed about five minutes later. Unlike yesterday where we would have had to go up to another underground/train station, this train left right from our station which was most convenient. The train ride was pleasant enough and took only about 45 minutes.

We arrived at Windsor/Eton Riverside station. We walked a few short blocks to the main visitor entrance of Windsor Castle. All I can really say about the Castle is - WOW! What an amazing and impressive place. Pictures do nothing to expose the incredible size and sprawl of the castle. Its setting up on a hill only adds to the grandeur as you approach this place.

Gayle: I had visited Windsor Castle on my previous visit to England and was glad to make a return visit. My memory had downplayed the size, but I was immediately reminded of why I like it so. It was curious to see the rooms that had been destroyed/damaged by the fire, as all of the trims and paints were so much brighter than the other rooms. In the renovation they included a new octagonal room that now connects the public state apartments with the actual residence. Of course the residence was roped off from us. :(

For the first day ever on this trip, it was sprinkling rain. Although not a good combination when visiting Windsor, I was glad Kara had to finally experience a typical weather day here.

Because of the precipitation, the changing of the guard was not held, but instead a smaller ceremony. This included the "Castle band" and they were shockingly good. Add to that they were playing fairly contemporary music, it was quite enjoyable.

Kara: We toured both the state apartments and Queen Mary's dollhouse - both were quite impressive. We also went through St. George's church which was the site of Charles and Camilla's wedding a few years ago. It was a beautiful church. Small in comparison to St. Paul's or Westminster but still beautiful.

It was time to leave the castle and we decided to grab lunch before heading back to London on our return train. We had passed a pub on our way in that I was interested in having lunch in. Gayle wasn't so sure about the idea, but they had fish and chips on the menu so she said it would be okay. So we proceeded into the Horse and Groom for lunch of Shepherd's Pie for me and Fish and Chips for Gayle. We took a bit of ribbing from the bar-keep for not adding a pint of ale to our meals, but neither of us is much for beer. We knew we'd be having a different kind of pint a bit later in the day.

Gayle: Oh yeh, the Dollhouse. It's a precise replica of then-Queen Mary's home, and we mean precise. Artists were commissioned to paint miniatures of the painting, and it was complete with working electricity and running water!

We tranported back to London without incident, but Kara was having an ice cream craving. So a stop at the mini-mart was required.

Kara: We found this 24 hour mini mart that's really one long shelf in the middle with a freezer at the back and a cooler down the other side. Not much of a store, but they've had everything we've needed or wanted in the way of snacks, water, etc. I was in serious need of ice cream and two weeks of ads for Ben and Jerrys, which must be quite big here, had nearly done me in, so we both grabbed a pint of Ben and Jerrys Half Baked, which is a luscious combo of vanilla and chocolate ice cream with brownie and unbaked chocolate chip cookie dough. We should have grabbed a pint to share but we didn't. One of us ate her pint dry the other gave up half-way in. We'll leave you to figure out which was which.

For the evening we grabbed food from the local eateries behind the hotel and are spending the evening packing, posting, and getting ready to head out tomorrow. While we're both looking forward to being home, seeing family and friends (and our kitties) and sleeping in our own beds, it's been a great trip. We've walked more than 75 miles, seen some of the most famous sites in London and Paris, had a few restful days of vacation time, and just spent a lot of time hanging out and laughing. We hope you've enjoyed taking this journey with us - we promise not to bore you too much with our photos when we return.

Gayle: So we are hoping for an uneventful flight to Cleveland & then on to Indy tomorrow. It has been a good trip, and I'm certain I could not travel with anyone this long, other than Kara. Yet, I think this trip may have been a day or two too long. We just went, went, went and didn't really take anytime to rest, which caught up with us. Each day in London we did less and less. On my part, I'm definitely more tired now than before the trip even started; this is not a good thing. It will take some time to get back on Eastern time, so bare with us.

Oh - & I can virtually guarantee one thing. Part of our conversation on the plane home will be... planning our next trip! Stay tuned!