Sunday June 26

The flight was very smooth and it arrived early which was lovely. The sleeping didn't go so well. I got about 4 hours and Dave got a bit more than that. When we landed in Heathrow we were both quite tired. Going through the the border check took some time as two large planes had just arrived from the US. Had we used our Canadian passports, we could have gone to the almost non existent line. We got our luggage and then needed to find the car rental place. Turns out it was offsite so we boarded a van to get there.

We're both struggling to stay awake at this point. Once we got to the car rental office, we had to wait. What a busy place! Getting a car in Amsterdam is SO much easier. When we finally got up to the desk, we're having a hard time thinking straight. We're used to handing over the paperwork and getting the keys. This time the guy was working hard to upgrade the car. His first suggestion was a BMW which would only cost us 500 pounds (almost $700). That was an easy no. Then came option #2  - also an easy no. Number 3 was harder. He talked very quickly, kept talking about the cost of gas (since we were planning on doing so much driving), etc. etc. Dave was pretty much lost at this point and I was trying very hard to keep up. We ended up with a Peugeot station wagon. Dave loves it because it has a lot of power. This is not a good thing based on his history of speeding tickets when we travel.

We spent a few minutes getting used to the car: steering wheel on the right, shifter on the driver's left side, and everything that normally has a button or a knob was on the "computer screen". Dave was a bit nervous as to how the driving would go but he did great. It really helped that we headed out of London and didn't have to deal with city traffic.

The plan was to head to The Carpenter's Arms - where we were going to spend the first night but Dave spotted a sign that tells us Windsor Castle is just "over there". I just wanted to have a nap. So our sightseeing began within 30 minutes of leaving the car place. Talk about hitting the road running! We're got to the  cute little town of Windsor, found a place to park, and headed out.

Words can't describe Windsor Castle. It's many, many buildings spread over a huge area. More like a village really. We purchased tickets, went through security, and began the audio tour. All of the areas we were allowed into are still used by the queen. (She was at the castle as indicated by the flag onto off of the highest tower.) The history was amazing. Kings and queens from the 11 century on have lived in the castle. There were many interesting details I wanted to remember to note here but my brain was too tired to remember much.

We were in one hall that seats 160 guests for dinner. There's a mini throne for the queen to sit in. The table is set using a ruler. Everything must to exactly "right" as it reflects on the queen if it isn't. That takes perfectionism to a whole new level.

On the way out, the Evensong service was about to begin in St George's Chapel (the chapel of the most honorable and noble order of the garter). This was an opportunity we didn't want to miss. The church is very old (no date but I'll find it at some point) and ornate. We sat along the sides of the sanctuary on a bench that was divided into separate spots with delicately carved dark wood.  A choir began to sing in a different part of the chapel. It turns out is was an all male choir even though there were high soprano voice. These belonged to very young boys, about Deegan and Jon's age (7 or 8) . It was a very traditional service but we very able to sing a bit and we joined together in the Apostles'Creed so we felt a part of it. No pictures could be taken inside but there's one I really wish I could have taken. At one point the priest, in his colorful robes, was standing with his back to us facing the altar (unlike anything we'd picture as an altar). It was so beautiful.

We left the castle and tried to find a map - which are rare of hen's teeth. No success. We drove to Newbury which was about 30 minutes away. Dave's very comfortable driving already. Our first lodging was The Carpenter's Inn. It was built in the  1800s. It has short doors, crooked walls, and steep stairs. It's perfect! We wanted just a little something to eat so Dave went to the pub and got us something to eat.

We were trying to stay up as late as we could so we watched some TV? We made it to about 10 pm (5 pm US time). Our bed was super  comfy. We were asleep in seconds.

One thing I learned today:

One new thing I experienced today:  "Classic pub chip butty" is two pieces of white bread, one buttered, with French fries inside. Quite bland. Wouldn't get it again.

Most powerful moment of the day: As we were leaving St George's chapel there was a huge marble stone in the floor which said "In this vault lay the remains of Jane Seymour Quuen of King Henry VIII 1537, King Henry VIII 1547, King Charles 1648 and the infant child of Queen Anne."  Being the history buff I am, that was great!

One pleasurable experience: England has some interesting names for their channels. My favorite is "Dave". No kidding. That's that name of the channel. Didn't check out the content. Maybe tomorrow.