Where is Brandy?

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Day #4: Taplow to Chester (Northern England)

Well, unfortunately when I woke up on Day 4 it was time to depart from The Cliveden House. When I walked downstairs the door man greeted me, "Why, hello, Miss Alexander". Hah! We had a nice chat for the 15-20 minutes it took for the taxi to arrive. We talked about my name and what names mean, etc, etc. Then the guy who helped during the entire stay (super cute) asked me about the next stops in my journey. Great way to end the stay. Then I took the long journey to Chester!

Departing shot of the Grand Staircase of Cliveden.

And my last picture of the Great Hall....

Then I took the same train back to Paddington and got on the TUBE! I asked at the Information area in Paddington and they told me exactly where to go. I felt so much better being able to get around... The tube was pretty crowded, though. And lugging my 75lb of luggage SUCKED!!!

I took the tube from Paddington to Euston Station where they have a lot more trains going North.

So many trains! But as soon as I bought my ticket, the train boarded in like 5 minutes. Just enough time to buy a Fanta! :)

Since the train ride to Chester was about 3 hours the trains were different. They had folding tray tables like an airplane.

So, I spread out.....Read a book, journaled, took some notes. And my new favorite obsession is FANTA!!!!!! Lol

Then I took a taxi to the Grosvenor Hotel and Spa in Chester, England. Another 5 star :) The bed is sooooo comfy and I love the couch area. I need one in my house now!

The desk on the left is where I am currently posting all the pics :)

I'm right in the center of the shopping area so across the street I went here to find Mom's elephant!! It's super cute, it even says "Mum" on it, lol.

The streets of Chester....looks like Windsor, doesn't it?

The buildings are what make Chester so different...

The City Hall area...

The Forum Shops is like a mall but with not many shops...

Inside the mall was this market, of sorts. I got some Smirnoff Ice to relax with back at the hotel.

More of the buildings...

Good shot! These are called the Two Rows because there are two floors of shopping here. I couldn't find too many shops that I wanted to enter but I don't really have much room in my suitcase either.

The famous Chester clock and the Eastgate. This is taken from the door front of my hotel :)

Found a Disney store! Looked for something UK about any of the characters but couldn't find much.

Finally, I got hungry so I had to explore for a while to get a bite to eat. Everything shuts down so early!! I stopped at the Amphitheater Restaurant and got some salmon.

There was NO ONE inside...only a few other tables.

The outside of the restaurant...

Then the streets were pretty clear about 7-8pm so I took some time to take more pictures of the Clock Tower.

The outside of my hotel.

The hallways are really elegant looking. And that was my journey for the day. Not a WHOLE lot but the train thing was pretty cool. Day #5 is all about exploring Chester! Should post later tonight... My time in England is slipping away........ NO!!!!!!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Day #3: Windsor (Town and Castle)

So I didn't sleep very well but I woke up to the famous...England Fog! This was outside my room...you can hardly see anything down there!

Ello?!? Anyone down there?

I went to eat breakfast in the Terrace Room which is where I ate dinner the night before.

The gardens from yesterday can almost hardly be seen!

Another shot of the Terrace Dining Room

More of the Great Hall where I could get Internet access, since "the routers can't reach all the way" to my room.... Thanks.

So beautiful!

Again....so pretty! And the fireplace runs non-stop.

So, then I took a taxi to Windsor and Windsor Castle. This is where you buy tickets to go into the Castle. They were L16 pounds.

It was soooo foggy but it didn't stop the great experience and grandeur of it all.

Awesome!

Heading towards the State Apartments and Queen Mary's Dollhouse. You couldn't take pictures inside though... :(

On the Great Lawn that was closed..

Now, this is the actual place where Queen Elizabeth and her family reside...but of course you get nowhere near there. This was taken behind a big gate, sticking my camera through lol.

The not-so Gardens and the Rounded Castle

I forget what the correct name is for this. The rounded lookout or something of that sort.

The walls surrounding the castle which was built with many different military strategies included.

You're supposed to be able to see the whole city down below but the fog definitely dispells that.

Got to see a few guards! It was an even day, though, so no changing of the guard :(

I was watching the solider march to and from his location. I have it on video lol. I like when they turn!

The guards...who help with everything and are in charge of keeping the tourists in check. They were very nice and ready to pose with anyone, too.

I'm thinking about putting a crown on my outdoor light on my porch :)

Walking towards St. George's Chapel...

The Chapel as you approach it...

From the entrance...

Trying to get it all in! A lot of royalty and their family are buried here. George the VIII and his wife Jane Seymour (his 8th) are the most pointed out.

Final shots... SO FOGGY you can't even see the rounded tower up there ... and it should be right at the top of the shot in the center.

Oh yea, everyone was taking pictures with this guy. He was hot.....just saying.

Not 10 feet from the castle are all the shops. Got some good souvenirs :)

A shot of the castle and the shops right next to each other!

Queen Victoria protecting her fortress. I think I would have made a pretty bad-ass Queen back in the diz-ay.

My feet started hurting but it was too early for dinner so I stopped at this Starbucks right across the street from the castle and did some journaling and reading. Very nice, relaxing moment.

A splurge....hey, at least the coffee was non-fat! :)

The McDonald's across the street from the Castle! Lol

I couldn't find where I wanted to eat so I roamed the streets after the shops closed at like 4pm. It gets dark so early and I want to know where everyone goes!! The streets were decorated very nicely, though.