March 17th. Hever Castle, Rye and back to Kew

Work week was a blur as usual. We did not even have the time to get out to work from London. Inga had a great time going to London every day. She covered it pretty well, walking to all the key points, and visiting many museums. In the evening our guests had settled down to watch several episodes Shaman2, Russian detective series. At first the acting seemed dismal but as the days progressed we found ourselves turning the screen to the screen that was spewing story of after story complete with the latest slang and tidbits on the realities of life.

One nice break during the week was Georgia and I waking up at 6am and going out on our bikes. It was quiet outside and we enjoyed riding in the park. Later we waited for Costa to open and go everyone fresh croissants and muffins.

We could not decide where to go on Saturday - Stonehenge or Windsor - the de-facto tourist destinations. So instead we went to Hever castle where Anne Boleyn was born. More recently the castle was owned by the Waldorf family.

It is a pretty castle - not really a fortress but more of a manor house. It features a beautiful Italian garden with some 1000 year old statues. Inside the castle even more like a manor - with some modernized looking rooms appearing more like the early 20th century. Just like Leeds, this must have been the luxury in those days,.. and nowadays it is somewhat drab, and uncomfortable looking. Alicia braved the winding staircases.

Our next stop was Rye, surprisingly lovely town set on top of a rock overlooking the sea a few miles away. Most of the winding street seem as they were hundreds of years ago with cobblestone streets, and vines winding around the crooked houses. The guide said it looked like it was "preserved in formaldehyde" and it was true. We climbed up the narrowest ever set of stairs to get to the top of the watch tower. The plaque claimed it was the oldest working tower clock in England. The views were very excellent. Alicia did not join us for the climb but she did do a lot of walking, specially up the steep hill where the town center is located.

We stayed for late lunch and then drove a few miles further South to the sand dunes. There we spent a bit of time wandering around the beach and collecting the shells.

On Sunday we relaxed, Inga did a bit of last minute shopping. It was a warm spring day, 20 degrees Celsius. In the afternoon kids and I took a bus to Kew Garden. We recently got their flier inviting to visit and enjoy magnolias in bloom. And we did. Too early for cherry blossoms but we are planning to go back to see the bluebells.

At night we had dinner @ the Slug. Just like the name suggests. I forgot that we've been there before. Hopefully never again. They seem to offer everything: basic English, Greek, Italian, Indian. But all of it is made from the mixes and cans. We leverage packaged sauces too but at least we don't pre-cook and freeze meat when do it. Yak.

Then we drove Inga to the airport. Very sad. Georgia was crying. Today Alicia is leaving too. It was Isabella's turn to shed some tears. Then, starting with sometime later today, we are guestless for another 2 weeks.