Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Krispy Kreme

WOW!  What a week.  Thursday morning we headed to Stonehenge which is only about a 40 minute drive from here.  Stonehenge sits high on the Salisbury plain and as you're driving along, it just pops out in front of you.  It was truly amazing.  I kept saying to John, "I can't believe I'm actually here.  I never thought I would see Stonehenge in my life."  I was in a state of awe all day.  The kids were also fascinated by it.  You can get recorded devices that tell you about the structure as you make your way around.  Jack and Kim were diligent about listening and learning.  Evie wasn't as enthralled and decided to just take it all in without the help of a guide.  It was a cold day but at least it wasn't raining.  Not sure what I was thinking when I headed out the door without my coat.  Luckily my husband is a true gentleman and gave me his coat.  He, unfortunately, froze his butt off.

After leaving Stonehenge, we made our way down to Old Sorham.  The remains of a castle once inhabited by William the Conqueror.  Jack loved this.  Before we knew it he was off storming the castle and exploring the site.  There wasn't much left so it was hard to imagine what stood there so many years ago.  But just being there, you could feel the history surrounding it.  We explored for a while before heading back home to Basingstoke.

We had planned to head to Windsor Castle on Saturday but a migraine for Kim kept us from going that day.  We did make it to the mall, The Oracle, in Reading.  We had lunch at Jamie Oliver's restaurant there and then went off searching for dessert.  We came across a Krispy Kreme!  I couldn't believe it.  I little bit of home right here in England.  I also found a First Communion Dress for Evie.  Now she has something from England to wear on her big day, whenever that may be.

On Sunday, we headed to Windsor.  We almost made it without getting lost till right at the last turn.  There just aren't many signs telling you where things are.  It rained like the dickens so we didn't spend much time outside exploring the grounds.  We did make it to see Queen Mary's dolls house which is magnificent.  It even has power and running water.  We walked through the state apartments, the main dining room and where the fire broke out in 1992.  You're not allowed to take pictures inside, so you'll have to take my word for it, it was beautiful.  Since we were there on a Sunday, St. George's Chapel was not open so we plan to go back to see the chapel (where Henry the viii is buried) and to explore the outside.

I now have the job of finding our next excursion.  The list of possibilities is long and overwhelming but I shall persevere.

We miss you all and hope you are all well.

Cheers!