Canada Day at Herstmonceux Castle

To celebrate our big beautiful country, all Canadians (and whoever else wanted to celebrate Canada) were invited to a barbecue at Queen's University Herstmonceux Castle.  This is a moated castle built in the 15th century, about an hour train ride from London, and is surrounded by fields and forests to explore.  We had a tour of the castle, a feast of hot dogs, burgers, and poutine, and a live band to finish off the night.  If only there had been fireworks, it would have been perfect!

 

The Royal Ascot Races

This past Tuesday was the first day of the Royal Ascot Races.  Sara and I put on our dresses, pinned our fascinators in our hair, and took the train to Ascot to spend the day in the sun bidding on horses.  It was a wonderful experience to remember that felt truly british.  We even got to wave at the Queen!

The Royal Borough of Greenwich

Comfortable shoes and a taste for maritime history is mandatory when visiting Greenwich.  The Royal Navy College, Cutty Sark, the Queen's House, the Maritime Museum, the Greenwich Market, and the Royal Observatory are only a few of the sights to visit on this side of the Thames.  On a Friday morning I took supposedly the "fastest boat on the Thames", the Thames clipper, from the Tower of London to Greenwich.  Cutty Sark was there to greet me in all her shining glory.  Cutty Sark was one of the fastest british ships used in the tea trade, built in 1869.  I then wandered over to the Royal Navy College, and spent a good chunk of time admiring the architecture and the landscaping.  Next was the Greenwich Market (loved it!), and then the Queen's House for a quick brush up on royal history and an art exhibit.  After spending the whole day in Greenwich, I had only covered half of what I wanted to see.  So I came back the next day with Sara; I still didn't see it all.  Yet another place I will have to go back to another day...