Jayne's Trip To The UK

Soooo sorry it has taken us so long to up-date our Blog, but Jayne's Mum was very very sick and both of us had to return to Canada, Tim for a couple of weeks and Jayne for over a month to help Mum with her recovery. Mum is on the mend with good and not so good days,  but we are now both back and settling into a  German routine.

Enjoy my update from the trip I took to the UK

As Tim was going to Moscow on business, I decided to take a train trip to the UK. Some of you know, both my parents are from England and as I have a number of relatives living there that I hadn’t seen in a while I thought it would be a great opportunity to catch up.

It was a 9 hour train ride on three different trains.  I travelled on the DBahn (Germany's train) through Germany and Belgium.  Then in Brussels, I went through a border control check and boarded the Eurostar which took me through France, through the 'Chunnel’ and on into England where I got off at Ebbsfleet International Station in Kent (one stop before London) where I was met by my half-brother Tony.

The Eurostar

Tony and Suzanne

Tony and Jayne

After spending the first night with Tony and Suzanne in Offam, Kent (southeast of London), I headed over to my Cousin Jennie’s place in Holyport, Berkshire, thanks to Tony’s wonderful and reliable Ford Fiesta.

My 'wheels' while I was in England

I was a bit nervous at first, driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road, but I only received one honk and one rude gesture along the way.

Jennie and I toured Windsor Castle, had tea in Windsor, and walked around Eton College.   We also had a chance to tour the 2012 Olympic Rowing site, located about 2 miles from Jennie and Malcolm’s home.

Windsor Castle



Windsor Castle at sunset



Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the Official Residence of Her Majesty Queen II. Its rich history spans almost 1000 years. The Castle covers an area of about 5 hectares (13 acres) and contains

St George's Chapel which is one of the most beautiful buildings in England and is the burial place of 10 monarchs.

And now, a little history lesson......Over a period of nearly 1,000 years it has been inhabited continuously, and altered and refurbished by successive monarchs. Some were great builders, strengthening the Castle against uprising and rebellion; others, living in more peaceful times, created a palatial Royal residence.

William the Conqueror chose the site, high above the river Thames and on the edge of a Saxon hunting ground. It was a day's march from the Tower of London and intended to guard the western approaches to the capital.

It has endured alot over the past 1,000 years, including a major fire in 1992 which took five years and US $60 million to restore.

The Queen spends most of her weekends at Windsor Castle.

Private Grounds of Windsor Castle

Gardens of Windsor Castle



My cousin Jennie at Windsor Castle



The gargoyles of Windsor Castle

St George's Chapel



Typical English Post Box!!





Market Cross House 1718 AD - Windsor



I then drove up to Cheltenham, Gloucestershire to meet up with my other cousin Charlie, at his office (he is the proprietor of his father’s business – Apperley Honing).  I engaged in window shopping in Montpellier (‘the’ shopping district in Cheltenham) while waiting for Charlie.

Typical Architecture of Montpellier in Cheltenham - gorgeous!

At the end of the business day I followed Charlie to his home in Worcester (he only lost me once) where he is living with his wonderful new (May 2011) bride Michelle.  After a night out on the town, we were joined, the next day, by my cousin Annie and John (who came down from Newark, Nottinghamshire) at the Worcester rugby pitch where we watched the Worcester Warriors trample the Italian Banca Monte Crociati club 57-10!

My cousin Charlie and his wife Michelle

My cousin Annie and her husband John

After the rugby game, we headed up to the social club ‘for a few’ and I got to meet (wow!) one of the players that had been talked about throughout the match, mainly because he stood out above everyone else.  Craig Gillies has no hair, no front teeth and stands 6’ 8”!!!  He is taaaaaaallllll!

Worcester Warriors

Craig Gillies

                                                        

I arrived back in Kent at Tony and Suzanne’s, and spent a number of days visiting the sites, and was also treated to a lovely day with Suzanne’s parents driving through the Kent countryside down to Eastbourne (where my Dad went to school and my Mum spent some time during the war).

Near Beachy Head, Eastbourne on the south coast of England

I spent a day with Tony touring Rochester Castle, a walk around Rochester and a drive in Tony’s 1948 Ford West Anglia (sorry Tony, I don’t remember the year, so I made it up.  I know it is old though). 

Ruins of Rochester Castle

Rochester Castle

Tony inside Rochester Castle

One more little history lesson (I promise).....Rochester Castle sits majestically alongside the river Medway in Kent, and was one of the first castles in England to be built entirely from stone in the 11th century by Gundolf, Bishop of Rochester (who was also responsible for the construction of the Tower of London).

The castle has come under attack many times (13th century, in 1264)  After the attack in 1264 it took another 100 years before the damage from this attack was repaired. In between this period the castle fell into disrepair and was subject to the elements of the countries weather. Major reconstruction took place during the reign of Edward III and by 1400 Rochester was, once again, a fully functional castle.  By the 17th century, the castle had once again become neglected. The keep had been ruined by fire and the locals had begun robbing Rochester of its Kentish stone for their own building projects. In 1870, the City of Rochester took out a lease on the castle grounds turning them into a public park.

View of Rochester Cathedral, England's second oldest Cathedral founded in 604 AD by Bishop Justus

House over 500 years old, Rochester - leaning terribly into the laneway.

The day ended indulging in a wonderful Indian 'take away' dinner, with my nephews Bobby and Paul and their mother Gill.

Paul, Tony, Jayne and Bobby

Gill and Paul

My last day was spent with Suzanne shopping and lunching in Maidstone, Kent and a dinner out with Tony and Suzanne’s friends Sue, Wendy and Peter.  We went to a wonderful old pub- The Angel, where we enjoyed a lovely dinner sitting in a converted horse stall.

Dinner in a 'horse stall!'

My train trip home was a bit of a milk run, I had to change trains five times - Ebbsfleet to Brussels, Brussels to Cologne (Koln), Koln to Main, Main to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Nurnberg, then finally Nurnberg to Erlangen - home, safe and sound, where I walked home from the train station.  I left at 11:00 am and got home at 10:30 pm.  Tiring but well worth it.

I found it quite astonishing that I could arrive and depart in England without taking a plane! What a wonderful thing to be able to do and so easy on top of it.

I had such a great time!  I will definitely do it again.  Next time with Tim.

We promise to be more vigilent keeping you all up to date on our adventures.  Next scheduled stop is a week in Venice at the end of March.  Stay Tuned!