A Little Late, but the End of Mom & Dad's Visit...

This is a bit late in posting, but I wanted to do a conclusion to Mom and Dad's visit so we could have a record of all they did while they were here....

Saturday, July 25, 2009

(On top of the overlook with the White Cliffs behind)

(Dover Castle)

(The English Channel and all the ferries to France behind us)

We loaded up the car for a little road trip to Dover. Our intention was to see Dover Castle and tour the tunnels used during WWII. The Castle was closed, but it actually worked out for the best, because we were able to spend more time touring the grounds, which were open. There is an overlook located at the front of the grounds that was used to keep an eye on the sky and sea during the wars. The top of the overlook is now a great place to get a good view of the ferry harbor and the White Cliffs of Dover. The overlook, which is actually underground, is a series of bunkers, a communications system and a room with a full wall of windows that was used to view any enemies coming towards the coast. Keep in mind that we chose this day randomly, having no idea of what events may have been going on in the actual town. As we were standing in the overlook, looking out the same windows used by soldiers many years ago, we heard a rumble, looked up and saw a huge WWII airplane flying at eye level to us. We really couldn't believe our eyes! Come to find out, Dover was hosting their annual Dover 2009 event, which is an airshow showcasing everything from vintage planes to modern coast guard helicopters. Dad was beyond himself and I've never seen him move faster than when he climbed the staircase back to the top of the overlook to get a closer look at the plane and take some photos. We admired the airshow for a while before heading down to do the tunnels tour.

I had already taken the tour a few years back, so I hung out in the little cafe while Mom, Dad, and Edgar learned how they were used during the war for everything from communications, to a hospital, to housing. I think they thoroughly enjoyed the tour and learned alot about the Dunkirk retreat, which was a massive operation to move retreating Allied soldiers from France back to the UK. The operation was expected to save maybe 5,000 soldiers, but wound up saving close to 400,000. Pretty amazing.

It was a long day, but it could not have been more perfect. We all headed back to Richmond with smiles on our faces and just a few aching feet.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Tuesday was their last official day as tourists as they were leaving on Wednesday. We finished it with a bang...Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and a tour through the National Gallery. Unless you get to the Palace 2 hours before the changing begins, you can't expect to get prime views. We thought we had a great outpost, but we wound up not being able to see much of anything happening in the courtyard behind the gates. We at least got to see everyone march in and out and here the band play a few songs.

We headed down the road towards the Texas Embassy for a much deserved lunch of mediocre TexMex. It's pretty good for London, but they would get laughed out of town in Texas.

We then did a quick, whirlwind tour of the National Gallery, where Mom and Dad saw paintings by artists such as Raphael, Van Gough, and Monet. I think they were pleasantly surprised by the art and enjoyed it!

(On the front entrance to the National Gallery with St. Martin in the Fields Church in the background. We had coffee and hot chocolate to fuel us for the ride back home to Richmond.)

Week 20 Bump

Week 19 Bump

London Wetlands Center

Dad really enjoys birdwatching, so I thought a trip to the London Wetlands Center in Barnes would be appropriate. Barnes is just up the road from us and a very easy drive. One look at their website told me everything I needed to know...my three favorite words here in London..."ample free parking". The Wetlands is a manmade resevoir where birds, ducks, and geese of all kinds migrate and hang out during the different seasons. We didn't see as many different types of birds as we wanted, but we saw plenty of ducks! It was a beautiful day outside (no rain) and we had a very relaxing day meandering around the trails and spying on wildlife through our binoculars.

Arundel Castle and Brighton

While Edgar was "straggling" his way through the English countryside (see post below), Mom, Dad and I headed down towards Brighton. On the way there, Dad said, "Hey, look at that castle!" I'm no stranger to castles, so I thought it was probably just another ruined old castle barely worth a look. Was I surprised when I looked over and saw an amazing structure just off the side of the road! The road signs pointed to Arundel Castle, so we took a little detour and wound up staying there for about 4 hours! This castle is still the home of the Duke of Norfolk and his family (including 5 children). Most of it has been restored, but there are still some anciet towers and pieces from the original build in the 11th century. We had a grand time wandering around the place and finding our way up and down very narrow, winding staircases. When you think of the perfect castle with hidden passageways and random hallways you can get lost in, this is the castle for you.





We finally made our way to Brighton and checked in the Queens Hotel on the seafront. The hotel is located in a lovely, old (imagine that), restored building almost directly in front of the famous pier. We had a quick freshen up in our room and then headed to a well known fish and chips place for dinner. I'm not a huge fish and chips fan, but all our visitors just can't wait to have it! I have to say that these fish and chips were really good and not too greasy. I just stuck with a salad and baked potato. After dinner, we strolled along the boardwalk and up and down the pier. It is full of games, people, carnival rides and all things fun food related, like cotton candy and doughnuts. We had a great time and somehow managed our stroll during the 2 hours it didn't rain that evening. Brighton is a well known party town and brides and grooms to be love to go there to celebrate their imminent end of singledom. Once the revelers went back to their rooms to pass out, we had a peaceful night's sleep listening to the rain and the wind blow. Edgar's finish line was exactly 1 mile up the road from the hotel (we didn't even plan that, it was purely coincidental), so Dad and I set off to cheer his team through the finish line and help him hobble back to the car. Mom stayed back at the hotel so just in case we didn't make it back for check out, she could do it for us. Edgar grabbed a quick shower and we got him home as quickly as possible. It was a very fun weekend! Edgar is walking normally again and we are still talking about that castle!

Edgar Walks 60 Miles for Charity!

Last weekend was a busy one for us. Edgar signed up for a charity walk several months ago and this past weekend finally saw the event come and go. The name of the event was TrailWalker 2009. Several thousand walkers trek for 60 miles through trails and paths in the English countryside. But don't let the "countryside" fool you. It's arduous, hilly, muddy, rainy, and most importantly...a VERY, VERY long distance. He walked with 3 other co-workers from BP and had an amazing support crew of 2 people helping along the way. About every 2-3 hours were designated checkpoints where these support crew members would set up a tent and make food, replenish water bottles, etc. This gave the walkers a chance to dry their feet, tend to their blisters, and do some carb loading. The "Stragglers" started and finished as a full team (meaning no one dropped out half way through) in just under 27 hours. That's 27 hours of straight walking....this doesn't include any sort of cozy night in a tent. Needless to say, they were all exhausted, but very proud of themselves. I am so proud of Edgar. His determination and mental strength continually amaze me.

The Stragglers crossing the finish line

The team on the official finisher stand

St. Paul's Cathedral and Greenwich

Friday saw another busy day in the city. Our first stop was St. Paul's Cathedral. You'll probably remember that we tried going there last week, but got there 5 minutes too late to enter. Well, Friday we got in. We wandered around with our audioguides for a good 2 hours and had lunch down in the crypt. You can't take pictures inside, so I don't have anything fun to show. Here's another picture of Mom and Dad outside the Cathedral last weekend.

Edgar left work a few hours early on Friday and met us in Greenwich, which is right by his office. Our goal was to visit the Royal Observatory and stand on the Prime Meridian line. This is the dividing line between the Eastern and Western hemispheres. It is also the beginning of time, so to speak. It is the keeper of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), from which all other time zones are set. The museum there shows a really fun history of clocks and all sorts of navigational tools. It's amazing how anyone ever found their way around before they were perfected!

(Watches synchronized)

(Edgar with Canary Wharf in the background)

(East and West at the same time)
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