A few extra hours of sleep is how it all began today. We did not have to be on the bus until nine o'clock, it was almost like a vacation. Today we went to a the Royal House in Sandringham, which is the winter get away for the royal family. The day started off great with that wonderful few extra hours but then the long part of the day which consist of a two long bus rides. For most of us the bus ride seemed quick. When we arrived we arrived to a massive field of people playing soccer and cricket with their dogs. As usual Martha had to go get our tickets to have free reign all over the country home. We had to walk a little way to the house that was sitting in the middle of a gated area. It was absolutely stunning to see the brick faced house that was built in the late 1800's. Walking through the house was also amazing, to see how the royal family actually lives. What was neat for me was that was that instead of having one person guide us through the house there were guides in every room that knew everything about the place and were really friendly and informative. The tour through the house only consisted of wondering through a small portion of the bottom floor, and we could not take pictures. My favorite room was the last room which was the ball room, the celling was as high as the sky. Then we were let loose to rome around the fields which had a museum, a lake, and lots of ducks.

We were at the country house for a few hours and then we were off early because it was a bit breezy and cold. Our bus driver, David, was kind enough to take us to a town on the ocean side, since we were originally supposed to go to Skegness, it was a marvelous view. David showed us a few sites and then back on the road for the long and gruelling adventure back home; the people in the back decided to have a little nap together. Well Happy Fathers Day to all the dad's out there and good night, morning, afternoon, which ever it is when you read this.

Day in York

The day began with the usual pigeons calling to us in our room; they wake us up as if they were an alarm clock. We met up with our lovely driver Doug who has been an awesome form of transport through the last 6 days. The day started with a class on the bus with Kelly. After the two hour drive, we arrived at our destination the lovely town of York. We grabbed our lunches and headed down to the York Minster Cathedral.

Upon arrival at the cathedral words cannot express the awe and wonder of the largest Gothic cathedral in Europe. As we entered the doors of the church I knew it was going to be a great place to visit. Some of my favorites within the building was the fact that the cherubs were crying as they sat next to the fallen Saints and Bishops. In the Chapter House everyone who entered was in complete amazement by all the stained glass surrounding them. We witnessed a mass while we were there which was inspiring. After exploring there we headed down for the Roman Bathe. We decided to divert or plans when Kelly realized it was more of a pub than a historical site. The group split and got some much needed extra clothing since it is only about 60 degrees here. OK the truth is we got to do a couple of hours of shopping.

On our way back to meet Doug we climbed up on the Wall of York to behold the day and soak it all in. We caught the bus right on time as usual and headed back to Harlaxton, our home away from home. We had a Mexican dinner waiting on us. What I would not do for some pizza, oreos, and my family to be enjoying the richness of the experience with me.

The sun sets on another busy day

The sun sets on another busy day here at Harlaxton where we just spent the day in Cambridge. After an early departure to the train station we got ourselves into Cambridge for the villiage bus tour.

WOW!! is all I can say about it. All the architecture and history (and bicycles) were a lot to take in. We cruised down old cobblestone streets and past statues to get a feel for the atmosphere at the perch of the double-decker bus. On the bus tour, we hopped off at the Fitzwilliam Museum. We got a room by room look at everything from the Egyptian artifacts to the French Impressionist (loved that Monet!!) and beyond.
Kelly gave us mini classes at the galleries, bringing us up to speed on our history time lines. I have to say I liked the Fitzwilliam visit better than the Tate Modern we visited yesterday (it helped too that the weather today was only cool and not rainy). I couldn't get over how impressive it was to see all those artifacts and paintings. The history of it all and how we've been able to put it in a time line through art is just amazing to me. This has to be the best museum I've been in............and it didn't hurt that I got to see it all in Cambridge!




The side view of the Fitzwilliam Museum with the lions guarding the steps

Gate sign for the museum



Here we are at the entry foyer of the Fitzwilliam Museum





Picture of the entry foyer from the top of the staircase


Oh, let's not forget that their are approx. 120,000 people that live in Cambridge and there are almost 35,000 bicycles!!!! This is a "bike park" outside the train station.



The walk back to the train station made me appreciate their way of transportation over here. Not that many people have cars and they walk or ride their bikes everywhere!

We spent the rest of the day walkig the streets and soaking up the atmosphere. We went to King's College and took in whole thing. What an awsome piece of architecture!! This is all of us standing outside the College for a snapshot.

First day in London by Ashley Brown

Woke up early, we wake up early every morning but this morning was the worst despite my going to bed at 8:30pm last night. The train ride from Grantham to King's Cross Station was fun, sort of like Am Track, not at all what I had expected. While we were there it seems as though I may have offended the lady working in the station by saying "thank you" after she checked my ticket and passport; which would be normal American courtesy, however, that may not be the case here. It took about an hour to arrive in London from Grantham, which is about 100 miles.

When we arrived in London, we went on a sight seeing tour, which took up the majority of the day. It was my first experience on a double decker bus and most of our group sat on the top. We had an excellent tour guide that was very informative and friendly. We saw many sights and took a lot of pictures. Unfortunately my camera battery died. What we saw included the place where Paul McCartney met Linda Eastman, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, a pub that Charles Dickens used to drink in, and many others. I learned that that Geoffrey Chaucer is buried at Westminster Abbey, which would be interesting to visit.

Our last stop was the Tate Modern Art Museum, which I personally didn't find too appealing, but I don't like modern art. I don't like it because I don't find the qualities that make it art, however some critics would argue that point. Afterwards we headed back to Grantham, some of us want to a local pub and others came back to the manor.

We had a great day and now we get to have a little bit of rest and start over tomorrow.

A view of the Castle with the Cathedral in the background

One of the Stations of the Cross in the Cathedral

Sharing the day in the Conservatory - Tuesday

Wednesday at Lincolnshire

As I'm sitting here gazing out the window at the front entrance of Harlaxton, I can't help but be reflective of the day we experienced. From our "thrilling" dash to the town of Lincoln, to the moment we arrived back in time for the dinner meal, our day was full of excitement. We began the morning with our tour guide, Kay Lamb, who showed her love of the Lincoln Castle and the history held within its walls. Kay was very colorful in her descriptions of the beginnings of the Castle with King William of Normandy who had conquered England. Lincoln Castle built in 1068 was one of the first royal castles he built to control this new kingdom. This Castle has been used as a court and prison for more than 900 years. Unfortunately, it also served as the "hanging" location for the town of Lincoln. We scaled the stairs to the medieval tower of Cobb Hall which served as a prison, defense tower and public execution site. Kay carefully explained every purpose of the tower especially as being used as the site of hangings. These public executions were often a very anticipated social event for the community - often with 20,000 people observing the hangings. On a more cheerful note she detailed the romantic story of King Edward 1 and Eleanor whose love story surpassed none other. We had our sack lunch on the beautifully manicured lawn and enjoyed the lovely English gardens. We were also able to view an original Magna Carta document. The afternoon was enjoyed with a tour of Lincoln Cathedral built by the 12th century bishop, Saint Hugh. He was noted for protecting Jews and not be afraid to confront Kings Henry II, Richard and John. The Cathedral's stained glass windows were breathtaking. Our guide was very thorough in his explanation of the reason why the Cathedral was such an important part of the lives of pilgrims. After a quick trip to the gift shop, we head back to Harlaxton just in time for the dinner meal - Italian - to our delight. We plan to make it an early night, but since daylight lasts until almost 11:00 p.m., we often find it a little hard to turn in early. Oh well, somehow we always seem to be rested for the next day's travels.

Pictures from the Garden at Belvoir Castle

Our friendly friend from the Belvoir Castle

The Conservatory at Harlaxton

Landscape around Harlaxton