England 2011 vacation...castles, treasure houses and my beloved family!
I am a rare guest in my own journal. I gotta stop saying this, but it still surprises me, when I am about to make a new post and see how long ago the previous one was made.
But down to business. I am 29 now. This is my last year in 20-ties. Hard to believe how fast the years are passing..but if few years ago 25 was my "critical age" like for most women is 40..now I am past that. It really does not matter anymore. I was afraid to age. I would have "sold my soul" for eternal youth hahaha..but now I would love to age together with Rogier, and experience every stage of life. And I hope we will grow old and happy as well as healthy together.
Of course, I wish people would never age..I really wish..and maybe beyond humanity it is possible, but for now I accept the way life is. :)
Well, for this year B-day my folks suggested for us to join them in trip to England. My mom's B-day is on 26th April and mine is on 27th. She wanted me to be born in her own Bday and started so, but I was playing "hard to get" 29 years ago and it took her 17 hours to deliver me. She is a hero. (We rarely see our parents, so it was a nice way to spend some time together. Usually we go for a beach vacation with Rogier. We LOOOOOVE it...sun, warmth, sea...)
My dad gave me a brochure he found about England, which suggested some tour round Devon and Cornwall by car. He wanted to go in his antique Rolls Royce, which I call coffin on wheels...But for him the idea of the prehistoric car in historical Britain was very appealing. Actually everyone drops the jaw when they see his car (which I fail to understand)..but with time I grew Ok witht his car (first i thought it was insane waste of money)..and it IS very comfortable..my dad worked too hard all his life and deserves to spend his moeny the way he wants.
Well, after studying his bruchore I concluded it is quite robish and suggested that I will make an alternative trip proposal and if he likes it, we will use it as our plan. He gave me a go and I set up 2 plannings (as I consider myself quite an expert in British history and cultural heritage)..One for Cornwall and Devon/Wiltshire(Stonehenge, Bath, etc) and another one for Hearth and North of England, where the most awesome castles and land houses are...
Well, after I defended my case during presentation hahaha..(day-to-day overview with hotels and activities), we agreed to go for Heart&North. I was happy as it was something I wanted to do for years. I was dreaming to visit Chatsworth for so long...but it was way to far into the country and I never got around this. I did my best in preparation. researched tons of materials. My other big worry was - Rogier's reaction..how would he react to such a cultural vacation...Perhaps I should stop worrying about it as he was perfectly fine with it and said he is happy to go where I want to go. He has the best personality in the world.
I really prepared well for this trip..counted all distances, so we knew how many km we would drive from point A to point B till point Z. I've put a lot of effort into finding the best possible hotel for the minimum price. Thinking of the way to squizz as many treasure houses of England into program as possible, I created such a planning that would allow us to make mroe or less a round tour with 3 different hotels as middle points duriung that week. Ok, enough of sticking feather up my ass..here is the photo-report about our vacation....
Day 1. Travel to UK through tunnel --> Knole PM (ony Nutional Trust in our Program..for the rest I was keeping "higher" standard of the best treasure houses of England) Unfortunately, it was forbidded to make photos inside almost all houses..
On our way to Blenheim Palace, Woodstock
Day 2.Oxford
Blenheim Grounds. Rogier liked nature around land houses and palaces more than palaces themselves. :)
Oxford University
Day3. On our way to Burghley
Burghley was AWESOME, but we were not allowed to make pictures. I secretly made 2 of the HELL STAIRCASE..it blew my mind..when u stand there and stare at it..it makes very strong impression..like it is about to fall on you..very-well painted
Stamford, near Burghley. All these land houses are enormously expensive to kaap up..Owners cannot afford it anymore, so they have to open it for public to ease maintenance costs, etc.
Cambridge
Chatsworth. Day 4, I think. This one is my absolute favourite...+ They allowed to make pictures inside!
My triumph :))))
Love this picture!
Library is my favourite part of every house.
Damn, it was cool to walk in shoes without heels...I am so used to always wearing heels with a boyfriend of 2 meters...It was such a releaf to just walk in easy shoes..we were covering a lot of ground every day..very exhausting, yet satisfying :)
Day 5? Howard Castle. Very nice outside, btu quite poorly reconstructed inside..I guess owners do not have enough money..
York. Was the most awesome city we visited))) So old. More than 1000 years...we were eating in a tavern there from 16th century..English are quite lacking in good service, but they make really good ribs and duck..I never ate so much ribs and duck as there that week...Loved streets of York..but way too many jewelry shops..
This is me protesting agaisnt Rogier taking my picture..:) But I secretly like when he does..spontaneous pics are the best. It is Leeds by the way..day 6
Again not ready for the picture haha) In the bag I have Karen Millen dress..for my B-day from Rogier. :)
Day 7..Harewood.
Harewood has a very nice bird garden..Warning says "Dont chase the birds!")))
This angry fella melted my heart!
My handsome man :)
Day 8. Hatfiled...It was SO good inside...I hated that they did not allow to make pictures...I bought a guide for every treasure house we went too..to keep these memories. In this house we had a very annoying man in the library who was pressing on the fact that house was forced to be ope to public for tax reaosns and otherwise inability to keep the art and this is the only treasure house of england (from 9) that can sustain itself without the need to be opened to public...Damn this man was annoying, so full of it, so arrogant...he just works there but behaved like he owned the house and does everyone a favour but allowing to be there..Seriously, who are u man?...Just someone who was hired to stand in the room whole day...But the house was stunning...but not as good as Chatsworth.
Below is a mix of pictures that were taken with my mom's camera. Also our B-days in hotel restaurant.
This is how we like to travel..in each other's arms, reading books
This is how my dad likes to travel..driving his coffin on wheels :) Rolly he calls it..from Rolls Royce..
But down to business. I am 29 now. This is my last year in 20-ties. Hard to believe how fast the years are passing..but if few years ago 25 was my "critical age" like for most women is 40..now I am past that. It really does not matter anymore. I was afraid to age. I would have "sold my soul" for eternal youth hahaha..but now I would love to age together with Rogier, and experience every stage of life. And I hope we will grow old and happy as well as healthy together.
Of course, I wish people would never age..I really wish..and maybe beyond humanity it is possible, but for now I accept the way life is. :)
Well, for this year B-day my folks suggested for us to join them in trip to England. My mom's B-day is on 26th April and mine is on 27th. She wanted me to be born in her own Bday and started so, but I was playing "hard to get" 29 years ago and it took her 17 hours to deliver me. She is a hero. (We rarely see our parents, so it was a nice way to spend some time together. Usually we go for a beach vacation with Rogier. We LOOOOOVE it...sun, warmth, sea...)
My dad gave me a brochure he found about England, which suggested some tour round Devon and Cornwall by car. He wanted to go in his antique Rolls Royce, which I call coffin on wheels...But for him the idea of the prehistoric car in historical Britain was very appealing. Actually everyone drops the jaw when they see his car (which I fail to understand)..but with time I grew Ok witht his car (first i thought it was insane waste of money)..and it IS very comfortable..my dad worked too hard all his life and deserves to spend his moeny the way he wants.
Well, after studying his bruchore I concluded it is quite robish and suggested that I will make an alternative trip proposal and if he likes it, we will use it as our plan. He gave me a go and I set up 2 plannings (as I consider myself quite an expert in British history and cultural heritage)..One for Cornwall and Devon/Wiltshire(Stonehenge, Bath, etc) and another one for Hearth and North of England, where the most awesome castles and land houses are...
Well, after I defended my case during presentation hahaha..(day-to-day overview with hotels and activities), we agreed to go for Heart&North. I was happy as it was something I wanted to do for years. I was dreaming to visit Chatsworth for so long...but it was way to far into the country and I never got around this. I did my best in preparation. researched tons of materials. My other big worry was - Rogier's reaction..how would he react to such a cultural vacation...Perhaps I should stop worrying about it as he was perfectly fine with it and said he is happy to go where I want to go. He has the best personality in the world.
I really prepared well for this trip..counted all distances, so we knew how many km we would drive from point A to point B till point Z. I've put a lot of effort into finding the best possible hotel for the minimum price. Thinking of the way to squizz as many treasure houses of England into program as possible, I created such a planning that would allow us to make mroe or less a round tour with 3 different hotels as middle points duriung that week. Ok, enough of sticking feather up my ass..here is the photo-report about our vacation....
Day 1. Travel to UK through tunnel --> Knole PM (ony Nutional Trust in our Program..for the rest I was keeping "higher" standard of the best treasure houses of England) Unfortunately, it was forbidded to make photos inside almost all houses..
On our way to Blenheim Palace, Woodstock
Day 2.Oxford
Blenheim Grounds. Rogier liked nature around land houses and palaces more than palaces themselves. :)
Oxford University
Day3. On our way to Burghley
Burghley was AWESOME, but we were not allowed to make pictures. I secretly made 2 of the HELL STAIRCASE..it blew my mind..when u stand there and stare at it..it makes very strong impression..like it is about to fall on you..very-well painted
Stamford, near Burghley. All these land houses are enormously expensive to kaap up..Owners cannot afford it anymore, so they have to open it for public to ease maintenance costs, etc.
Cambridge
Chatsworth. Day 4, I think. This one is my absolute favourite...+ They allowed to make pictures inside!
My triumph :))))
Love this picture!
Library is my favourite part of every house.
Damn, it was cool to walk in shoes without heels...I am so used to always wearing heels with a boyfriend of 2 meters...It was such a releaf to just walk in easy shoes..we were covering a lot of ground every day..very exhausting, yet satisfying :)
Day 5? Howard Castle. Very nice outside, btu quite poorly reconstructed inside..I guess owners do not have enough money..
York. Was the most awesome city we visited))) So old. More than 1000 years...we were eating in a tavern there from 16th century..English are quite lacking in good service, but they make really good ribs and duck..I never ate so much ribs and duck as there that week...Loved streets of York..but way too many jewelry shops..
This is me protesting agaisnt Rogier taking my picture..:) But I secretly like when he does..spontaneous pics are the best. It is Leeds by the way..day 6
Again not ready for the picture haha) In the bag I have Karen Millen dress..for my B-day from Rogier. :)
Day 7..Harewood.
Harewood has a very nice bird garden..Warning says "Dont chase the birds!")))
This angry fella melted my heart!
My handsome man :)
Day 8. Hatfiled...It was SO good inside...I hated that they did not allow to make pictures...I bought a guide for every treasure house we went too..to keep these memories. In this house we had a very annoying man in the library who was pressing on the fact that house was forced to be ope to public for tax reaosns and otherwise inability to keep the art and this is the only treasure house of england (from 9) that can sustain itself without the need to be opened to public...Damn this man was annoying, so full of it, so arrogant...he just works there but behaved like he owned the house and does everyone a favour but allowing to be there..Seriously, who are u man?...Just someone who was hired to stand in the room whole day...But the house was stunning...but not as good as Chatsworth.
Below is a mix of pictures that were taken with my mom's camera. Also our B-days in hotel restaurant.
This is how we like to travel..in each other's arms, reading books
This is how my dad likes to travel..driving his coffin on wheels :) Rolly he calls it..from Rolls Royce..