To London, to London....

... to visit the Queen. Well, not really, but wouldn't that have been nice?!

We left on August 1, flying to London and getting a rental car at Heathrow and then driving to Windsor Castle for our first stop. Looking back now, we both wish we hadn't planned anything for the first day there. Our flight from Austin was delayed for over three hours, landing us in London in the middle of the afternoon instead of ten o'clock that morning. After the delay and the flight, and then two hours getting through customs and then coping with the inefficient staff of the Hertz Company at Heathrow, we were both very tired... but off we went, following the itinerary my husband had meticulously planned. (By the way, no apologies offered here to Hertz... they had clueless and careless staff there, none of whom were British.)

Along with my husband and I, thousands of tourists from all over the world were also at Windsor Castle that day. The tour groups were huge, and the pace within Windsor was extremely slow. By the time my husband and I got half-way through the Castle, we knew we had to call it a day before we fell asleep on our feet. (And wouldn't that have been a ghastly surprise for the Queen?)

The town of Windsor was quaint and cute and storybook-ish, and I wish we'd had more time to walk around the town itself. (And we would have, had it not been for the delay at the Austin airport, and then the delay with the lines at Customs at Heathrow.) What surprised me most about Windsor Castle was that it was right in the midst of the village, not off in the hills as I had always pictured it. All those lush green lawns and tree-filled woods are at the back of Windsor Castle. When you park your car and walk towards the Castle itself, you have a fine view of the streets and shops within the town.

We ate dinner at The Duchess of Cambridge Pub in the village of Windsor... delicious food in a vintage pub (mostly every little thing throughout England is vintage).  We drove to the village of Andover to the B&B home that my husband had arranged.... lovely home over 400 years old with beautifully tended gardens. We were there for just one night, but a week's stay would have been too short with those gracious hosts. By the time our heads hit the pillow, we were totally exhausted and slept for ten hours.

A traditional English breakfast consists of scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, baked beans and meat (either sausage or bacon). Croissants are offered everywhere, as well as scones, with a variety of jams and preserves.  My favorite breakfast there is the fluffy scrambled eggs with grilled tomatoes and mushrooms. I like baked beans, but not for breakfast, and I don't eat meat. A pot of tea, of course, is a must-have. I've said this before, and I will swear by it--- the English cannot make a bad pot of tea.

Back to the rental car, by the way.... it was culture-shock for my husband when he got behind the wheel of that Audi.  The steering wheel is on the right side of the car and one must drive on the left side of the road. Before we left for the trip, my husband had watched YouTube videos of driving along roads in the UK, to familiarize himself with the driving methods there. The videos were helpful to a point, but nothing can prepare you for the mostly narrow and winding country roads there until you get behind the wheel.  As for me, I didn't drive the rental car, but acted as co-pilot, watching the left side of the road and telling my husband that he was "Too close! Too close!" when the wheels of the car got too near to the curb on the left side of those roads. Thankfully, the British motorists are gracious and tolerant of the tourists driving cars in their country without having had English-style driving experience.