Day 1 in England - Warwick Castle

 Warwick castle is a little less than a 2-hour train ride outside of London. I've been here a few times. I like to take new people here as it is a great medieval castle to visit. I have not every taken the train out here.

Normally this is a place visited on the way to other places outside of London once a rental car has been picked up. But the train station is not a far walk to the castle. The way the city is designed it's very easy to pass by the castle without realizing it. But once you reach it, you can't imagine how you would have missed it.

Anyway, it's a great place to take some amazing photos of the castle. We got there right when it opened which helped cut down on the crazy large tourist crowds. There was also a fun event for little ones, where they can follow a path to a serious of adventures involving dragons. It looks pretty cute and fun, but we chose not to participate.

The castle has some amazing views if you are willing to climb the steps to the top. Such a pretty part of the world surrounding by so much green.

 It was a bit chilly in the sun, so we went over to the peacock garden where they had some cakes and coffees for purchase. I got a pretty fantastic pomegranate tea, and he enjoyed some coffee. I could drink the tea for a good 45 minutes because it was so hot. But once it was drinkable it was fantastic.

We stayed and watched their birds of prey show, which they have dramatized quite a bit since I was last there 5 years ago. 

It's still really neat to watch as they have these amazing eagles, hawks, and even vultures that fly closely over the crowd's head. I did get wacked in the head by the wing of a condor flying around. Not everyone can say that. 

Once we explored all the castle we wanted, we did something I've always wanted to do and saw the local cathedral, St. Mary's. It's quite beautiful on the inside, and the Earl of Warwick is also buried there. Along with a little plaque stating the George Washington used to worship there. Who knew?

We wandered through the rest of the small town, taking our time to look at the shops as we waited for our train to take us back to London. We had a long wait. 

We got back to the train station, and thanks to technology found an Italian restaurant that was a short walk. They had one table left in the chilly outside, but it was totally worth it. Amazing, really authentic, fantastic Italian food that I just can't find where I live. It was an amazingly full and fun day.

Total Miles walked for the day was around 11. We were tired. 

13 Arriving in London

I've been itching to get out of the country for a long time now. My partner in crime has never been overseas, so he got to choose the first stop of international adventures. His choice was London.

I love London. I've been many times, it feels like home to me, and it's never a bad idea to sneak away for a week. Especially since where we live has direct flights to London Heathrow Airport. It makes the decision much easier.

Overnight international flights are always rough, but we made it in one piece with not much to speak of. Other than the reminder that airplane food never sits well in my stomach. We arrived, got our luggage and through customs far quicker than I ever remember it being. That part was great. 

The downside was that we did not get a stamp in our passports. I guess that is done away in most places these days. I find that so disappointing. What is the point of having a passport book with all those pages if you no longer get any stamps to fill it up with? That part was a bummer.

Despite that hiccup, we ended up taking a cab to our hotel instead of dealing with the tube. Yes, it's always more expensive to get a cab from the airport, but the convenience was worth it. 

We stayed at a lovely place called the Fox and Goose Hotel. It is even part of a pub which came in very handy. As soon as we dropped off our luggage in the room we went straight to the pub for some much-needed real food. It was only 1pm, but it felt about 8pm for us. Jetlag is a killer.

Lunch was wonderful. Some classic fish and chips, and a standard burger with chips. It was all so very good. And very convenient to not have to go far. They had a decent menu selection, and we thankfully open for lunch. We were the only ones there and enjoyed our lunch in the beautiful garden area on a picnic table. The sun was out, but there was a wonderful fall breeze. It was rather heavenly.

To avoid falling asleep we walked the 5 minutes to the tube station and went to Piccadilly Circus so he could take in the madness of busy London.

 It also didn't hurt that my French pastry shop Lau durée also has a place in this area amongst the very expensive shops. We treated ourselves to some fantastic macarons, then walked around the area for a while. Eventually we made our way back to the hotel for a good night sleep and an early start the next day.

Ashville North Carolina and the Vanderbilts

 I wanted to branch out and do something new while we were in Tennessee. I found some beautiful gardens online that said they were only a few hours away in North Carolina. We took the drive out there to see what this place was like. What I did not know was that the gardens were located on the Vanderbilt estate they built looking out at the smoky mountains.

Of course if I'm involved in site seeing ideas I will always go for a castle. This was just a happy accident that we happened to land at a castle. Call it a mansion, call it a castle, it's incredibly over the top and oozing of wealth. And the grounds were lovely. It is quite a place to visit.

In the basement they have a bowling ally, pool, work out room, plus all the rooms for the servants, kitchens, and inner workings of the palace. Along with a few other giant entertaining rooms. To be so filthy rich and have more money than you know what to do with. 

Dollywood Flower Show

 A trip to Tennessee is not complete without a stop at Dollywood. I can't exactly say why I love going to Dollywood, but I do. I think because it's a happy place, and I like being around happy places these days.

We were there during their annual spring flower show and it was pretty amazing. I have no idea how much work goes into these amazing flower sculptures, but they are magnificent. Just another reason why you should go to Dollywood.

Tennessee

 In May we did another quick trip over to Tennessee and the Smokey Mountains. We go there often, because it's so beautiful. And it is the closest place within driving distance to a place that has actual mountains and waterfalls and nature. 

We stopped in at a few of our usual haunts and enjoyed the gorgeous spring weather. It rained most of the time while we were there, but then again that's why it's so green. This trip we did finally get to see a black bear, and 3 of her cubs. Not something you usually get to see, but it was fun to watch them in the field in the rain.

We celebrated our find by getting some ice cream. Any excuse for an ice cream.