HISTORY TELLS THE STORY, OFTEN DIFFERENTLY!

DICK AND JANE AND SPOT AND THE REST OF THE CREW!

SEE THEM RUN!

Today was a WHAM BAM day! We left the hotel at 7:45am and headed out for our tour day. We head first to                                            

                                                             WINDSOR CASTLE

OHHHH I want one too

OHHHH low lovely

The Castle

Changing of the Guard

Becky in Windsor

Town of Windsor

Canola Fields

WE'RE GONNA ROCK ROCK ROCK TILL BROAD DAY LIGHT!

STONEHENGE

Used as a temple

used as a burial ground

used for celebration ceremonies

The crow is famous for living there and guarding the site.

And back to

                                                DICK AND JANE LEARNING TO READ

OXFORD

the way to Bill Clinton's hangout

"I did not inhale"

OXFORD COLLEGES

AND FINALLY HOME FOR OUR FAREWELL DINNER OF FISH AND CHIPS

AND HOME!!!!

LET THE SUNSHINE, LET THE SUNSHINE IN...

"AND PEACE WILL GUIDE THE PLANETS
AND LOVE WILL STEER THE STARS"

Sunday and it's raining lightly; our plan is to go to church just down past Victoria and Albert Museum,  the Oratory of St Philip Neri.

....change of plans....no boat trip to Greenwich (durn, I have always wanted to go to the beginning of time). We would freeze...SOOOOOOO we better go to another show...how about....                                  THE  COMMITMENTS 

The show follows the journey of two members of a frustrated synthesizer band named The Commitments. Songs include Think by Aretha Franklin, (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones, Papa Was A Rolling Stone by The Temptations, Night Train by James Brown, In The Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett, Mustang Sally and Try A Little Tenderness by Otis Redding. 

A film, was released in 1991 and is on Netflix as The Commitments.  The film received the highest rating of any film in Ireland. The sound track is still sought after by fans of The Commitments.

The Poster of the Film

The Sound Track of 

The Commitments

CELEBRATING FREEDOM !!!!!!!

UP, DOWN AND ALL AROUND

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY USA

A grand tour of London today reminds us of all the adventures we have had over the years in this wonderful city..                              

                                                    The good standby's are still present.. 

Harrord's and since we are here why not have High Tea

The Ritz

Marble Arch

Parliament

Across the river from Parliament

St Pauls Cathedral

Tower of London

Piccadilly Square and the masses

Smile Beth, one more shot!!!

Big Ben 

AND the many new colossus's

The Eye

The Waterfront 

The Shard

Are we having fun or not????

Sure makes you thirsty!!!!

We had a terrific time at "Book of Mormon".

We screamed and laughed....it was terrible and it was terrific!!! 

A great topper for a great day!

SUNRISE SUNSET SWIFTLY FLY THE DAYS

WE HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED!!!!

We left Seattle just before sunset and watched the sun set for a few minutes and pop right back up, the sky never getting dark. A hint of the Northern Lights smiling at us....

As we neared Europe we had a glorious sunrise again with the green of the northern lights peeking at us.

The two lovelies are on their way.  We each watched Al Pacino in "Danny Collins" on our individual video screens.  Great movie if you haven't seen it.  Great service from Delta attendants.  The safety video was hilarious.  Made us all sit up and take notice to info we've all seen dozens of times.

  

Ten hours later and we can see the London countryside -- farmland and villages and all neatly in order like a well-planned puzzle.  

Our Limo driver picked us up at Heathrow.  He suggested we might want a beverage for the 45 minute ride into London.  After a bit of discussion around the yes-no decision we learned his real motivation was a cup of coffee for himself.  We added our beverages to the order and easily paid by credit card at the drive thru.

                                     

Elegance and refinement at the Bentley Hotel.  There's no long counter for check in but instead a small desk.  We were both a bit embarrassed to carry McD cups into a place that clearly expected our best behavior.  After a bit of confusion about the reservation we were upgraded to the junior suite you see below.

We are happily -- if very exhaustedly -- ensconced in our suite, preparing our blog and planning our fish and chips dinner from the shop around the corner.  And then finally we will collapse for a catch-up night of sound and restful (we hope) sleep.

FINALLY WE ARE OFF!!!! TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!!

Bags Packed, At the Door, We are Ready

A swift ride to the airport....watching the traffic fleeing Seattle...Quick check in outside...including our boarding passes and document clearance. TSA Pre Check sent us to the front of the line and ZOOM we are in!!!! Airport is packed! Delta has a whole new set up area with numerous helpers to guide us through the system. There is a great new Currency Counter...Great looking! Oh and two darling girls ready to flee the country!

Of course we stopped at Duty Free and as always, Becky spent more dollars than Beth.  We have established quite a few travel traditions during our journeys.  Perhaps Becky could learn from Beth to be more disciplined with her bucks?  Probably not. 

Next stop -- London's Heathrow Airport, and then a limo to our hotel in Kensington Gardens.  Oooh La La.

Four Days and we are OFF!!!!

We Are Still Packing and the Ship is Leaving!

 After all the trips we have planned and executed , here we are days before departure and things are looking a bit ragged. Too much for the luggage, did we really remember what we "Must Have"??? 

Is there room for sticking in a few extras???