A FEW MORE...MAKING 8!

WISH YOU WERE HERE...POSTCARDS

AND THAT WOULD MAKE...10

MORE SCETCHES

SCETCHES

The One, The Only Buckingham Palace

I can’t believe this is really the last day in London…and on this great adventure. I’m excited to be home with my family again, but definitely sad this adventure will only be a distant memory.
We started out touring Buckingham Palace, which only opens to the public, August-September! I have to say this is what I was most excited about London…ah and it was spectacular. Every thing the finest and most gorgeous, most elaborate…just magnificent. From the grand ball room, to the exquisite dress collection of the queen, to the stretching dinning room. Everything was to the highest caliber. Again, using a guided tour we traveled though room after room, just in awe! This is the real deal. I loved the slightly understated décor, compared with baroque throw-up that is all over all these estates, this was a nice mix of attention to detail, without the godliness! We ended our tour with some goodies-tea with the queen in her garden! Best chocolate tart of my life! The gardens were beautiful too, very natural..with willows dripping into the graceful pond. This would be the last tour, and although they are not to be missed, I was glad to have the rest of the day to enjoy London…at a slower pace!
We then headed into a really great hip restaurant…ASK..italian food that was amazing! One of the top 3 meals! Then Whit and I headed to Wicked. I can tell you how much fun it is to have broadways to go to! They really need that in Logan! It was as amazing as the first time…the scene Defying Gravity gets me every time…chills up and down the spine. We had fantastic seats, so I could see her fly in all her glory!

Something has changed within me Something is not the same I'm through with playing by the rules Of someone else's game Too late for second-guessing Too late to go back to sleep It's time to trust my instincts Close my eyes and leap It's time to try Defying gravity I think I'll try Defying gravity And you can't pull me down...

I'm through accepting limits 'Cuz someone says they're so Some things I cannot change But 'till I try, I'll never know Too long I've been afraid of Losing love - I guess I have lost Well, if that's love It comes at much too high a cost I'd sooner buy Defying gravity Kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity And you can't pull me down...

After we headed to a little restaurant and had a last taste of fish and chips and now with an all night packing job ahead of me! I say goodbye! What an amazing journey this has been. I’m so grateful to my family…my parents for all they did to help me get here, for undying support, love and excitement. This really was a life changing experience.

Bow to the Queen of Slime, the Queen of Filth, the Queen of Putrescence. Boo. Boo. Rubbish. Filth. Slime. Muck. Boo. Boo. Boo.

Haddon Hall!-this quote really doesn’t describe Haddon Hall, but this scene from Princess Bride was filmed their in the courtyard. This was actually one of my very favorite spots, the building was boarded up for hundreds of years then reopened completely untouched by time and gotty boarough style! Very medieval and gothic it was fantastic to see the wear on the building, like a stone that was so worn down from traders to the Hall, and pew seat worn by ancient bums. In the big hall, where a scene from Pride and Prejudice was filmed, there was a huge table that underneath still showed the wear from the knives used to eat the food. The kitchen was amazing too, one spot, where the stone was 3-4 inches thick; it was worn right though from cutting!
The Garden’s of Haddon Hall were beautiful to, moss covered stone framing rain covered vines and plants. The view looked over the exquisite country side with green covered hills and archers and archers of forests!
Next to the Chatsworth House which was the most massive and elaborate we’ve seen yet. Starting first with the gardens where a fountain scaled the hill, where you could walk up in the freezing water…yeah, had to do it! The gardens were natural and felt like walking though the mountains, but in England, everything is that much more green and lush. Their were huge structures of rock piles, covered with moss and vines. I shouldn’t call these garden’s because it’s more like a national park, than a garden! One of my favorites was the maze garden with tall cut shrubs, we didn’t get too lost! Then down the hill to the iconic Pride and Prejudice reflecting pond with the giant spouting fountain with the golden stone of the House behind. Then we headed inside for a look at the massive rooms, so gorgeous! My favorite was the entry hall, with fabulous stairs leading in 3 or 4 different directions and all the top floors looking down! Beautiful painting and woodwork! There was a fantastic style about it to, a mix of classic design with contemporary touches, put in place by the current family. They also had an exhibit of how house was dressed for filming and some of the pieces used in the film. You then exited into a gallery full of Romanesque statuaries, just like Miss Bennett looked though! It really was stunning! I picked up some apple juice, made from apples grown on site…they had summer and winter…naturally I had to try both! As we headed back, we passes the beautiful country side and I envied those who spent their days enjoying this landscape! After getting home, we headed back to Piccadilly Circus do find a few souvenirs…last time being able to really hit the shops here in London…cause I’m off to Scotland for 3 days!

The Queen and I

To allow for some much needed sleeping in time, we opted out of the Bath excursion and go to Winsor Castle, home of the Queen herself! Winsor is a great little town, topping the English country side, most the surrounding area is dedicated to tourism and unique shopping. The castle was originally a fortress and later converted into a palace for her majesty...well be for her, but anyway. So with Prince Charles reverberating in our ears, we circled the turret in the middle, and around where the original moat floated is a beautiful garden of Maple and flowers. The castle overlooks a gorgeous green valley lush with trees and vines growing everywhere! We entered the castle where their was a doll house, given to the queen as a gift. It’s complete with a tiny set of crown jewels, vacuum, and chandeliers. They also had a set of dolls with beautiful clothes and accessories, some replicating the Queens wardrobe. Next, we entered a room with fabulous displays of armor, swords, and guns in a sun burst pattern. Next into the grand entry, done in champagne and golds with vibrant deep wine pink. It was stunning and as grand as you would expect a palace to be. Then a grand hall with wood beamed ceilings with coat of arms on the ceilings, some of which were white-out, which meant that they were traitors to the crown. This section of the building had been in a fire and was rebuilt so it had fresh look, but restored as close as possible. Next were beautiful ball rooms, sitting rooms and solons, all adorned with exquisite textiles and furnishings. Giant murals of the royal family adorning the walls, which I loved to see people that I had really heard of in History, I’ve always found the Royal family fascinating and to see Queen Elizabeth in her coronation gown, alongside, Queen Mary, Queen Victoria, etc. See family portraits which included a young Prince Charles, so fantastic. The whole experience was amazing, this would be what I consider my first castle and it was magnificent.
Back to London…and off to Hyde Park for Peter Pan…I was really excited, with some choose your own gummies we headed into the large white tent, our seat were behind a bit so we moved into the middle more. Most of the set was images projected on the side of the tent, so when they would fly it looked like they were soaring over London. The images reminded me of CAD Max stuff! It was hilarious! Peter Pan and Hook were good, but the tinker bell was this random Russian 4’ nothing skater chick…weird. My favorite was the costume for the Crocodile, controlled by two men inside, the scales were made from wooden coat hangers and sheets of torn fabric. All in all, not my favorite play, after seeing the magnificent broadway, this play lacked the music! It was cute though with kids in the audience when they said ring your bells, and they all did. Behind me was a cute little boy that reminded me of my nephew Thayne, trying to be all cool, but still not wanting to be responsible for killing a fairy-saying in his adorable English accent, I believe in fairies! Oh my cute! After it was off to Piccadilly Circus which is the Time Square of London, the neon billboards on the side of the buildings, massive amounts of people! We headed to meet some friends at Planet Hollywood…had some grub…not favorite! But the restaurant was really cool, super sleek and modern. Accents of silver chrome and bold neons, really set the excitement! A quick run to the tube, we were afraid it might close, which I didn’t know Metros closed and off to bed after another fun filled day here in England!