Spectacular Evening Parade of Marine Bands at Marine Barracks in Washington DC

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Our last day in DC was fantastic!  It was a great way to end our vacation.  It started out with us visiting “Lincoln’s Cottage” — more correctly, his summer home for the Retired and Disabled Soldiers outside of Washington proper.  He lived there seasonally, from June-November while he was President.  It is thought he penned the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation at the Soldiers Home..

Before we departed on our mini bus for the Lincoln Cottage, Annette and Gaby made an early morning visit to the Zoo– the only free zoo left in the US, according to our driver. They seemed to have had a good time.
After our Lincoln tour, we went to the Newseum.  This is a museum dedicated to news, radio and TV communications from the earliest times in US history.  We did the “express” tour because we had 5:30 pm dinner reservations at the historic Old Ebbitt Grill.  You could spend spend several days at the Newseum there is so much to see!!
Dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill was GREAT!  Every President in the last 100 years has eaten there.  It was established in 1856. They are the caterer for Marine 1.  The food is awesome and there were literally lines out the door waiting for a table.  If you ever want to eat there, a reservation is a MUST!  It is just around the corner from the White House.  We started to chat with our exceptionally nice (and very competent waiter) who used to live in Delray  Beach, Fl until last year.  He was made an offer he couldn’t refuse on his construction company and mortgage company. He had taken a creative writing class while in college and his professor made him promise he would do something with his talent one day.  So, he has taken a year off to write a novel.  He has a publisher in Chicago.. He can only write a few hours each day, so he has taken the job at Ebbitt’s Grill while he polishes his story.  He gave us the plot summary and it sounds great!! Can’t wait for him to be published! BUT, upon further discussion, we learned he grew up in Virginia Beach where Bill grew up!  Turns out he knows

several friends of ours from Virginia Beach– including the Standings and the Easton’s!!   His name is John Resh.  Don’t forget that name if you seen it on the book stands!!  How  much fun was that?!!!  There always seems to be some surprise like this every time we take a trip!!  It truly is an amazingly small world– as cliche as that sounds!

BUT, we saved the very best for last!  We had tickets to attend the Evening Parade at Marine Barracks Washington– established in 1801 as the first Marine Barracks.  It is no longer a training camp for Marines, but it is an active post.  The famed Marine Band and the Drum and Bugle Corp are posted here.  They also have The Silent Drill Platoon– a feat they do without commands (all timing)!  It is very impressive!  They have been doing this on July 5 for the last sixty years..the music and precision marching is superb!  After all, this is “The  President’s Own US Marine Band”!  It was a stirring sight to behold– finishing with a lone, highlighted Bugler atop the Barracks playing Taps…
It’s home tomorrow, so the postings will stop until September when we are scheduled to leave for Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) to see the animal migration on the Serengeti…until then, safe journeys for all…..
John Resh —future published author!

Marine Corp Mascot Chesty 13 and Chesty 14. Chesty 13 is retiring in a couple of months and Private Chesty 14 will be assuming the Mascot command position..
Until September…..

Happy Birthday America!!

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What a magnificent day for all Americans!  A day that reminds us once a year what our nation stands for and to remember those who took us here!!

The Fuller family had a wonderful July 4th!  It started this morning with a GREAT parade and we were honored to be in the reviewing stands!! The perfect place to watch the parade from!! We were fortunate there was shade and NO rain!!!  There are lots of parade photos below.. We ALL loved the performing bands, dancers and balloon floats!!!  BUT it was HOT!  Kudos to all the parade performers who endured for our enjoyment!!! 
After the parade, we were taken out to see Mount Vernon, home of George and Martha Washington!  It was the perfect thing to do on this important anniversary of our nation!  It was nice to remember how important Washington was in our nation’s development! 
After a considerable effort to get back to the hotel (all streets around the White House were blocked off), we came back for a brief rest, showers and a fantastic dinner.  The piece de resistance, however, was the fireworks display from the balcony of our hotel!  WOW!  (As Gaby would say)!  What a PERFECT July 4th celebration!!!  More tomorrow!! 

Happy Independence Day!! May we never forget the reason we celebrate this day!!  Thank you to all who made this day possible!

Adjusting our biological time clocks, Hillwood Estate

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Well, the day began a bit damp, but the sun came peeking through in the early afternoon and the bands of showers began to slow down.  We’re hoping for a semi dry July 4th tomorrow. .  And while we are on the topic a VERY HAPPY JULY 4TH to everyone!!!! 

Today we set out to visit the Hillwood Estate and museum — former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post..  She was born in 1887 and was the only child of C.W. Post, founder of Postum Cereal Company which became Post Cereals.  ( think Grape-nuts and Post Toasties and Raisin Bran).  After the death of both her parents, at the age of 27, she became one of the wealthiest women in America.  Her second husband was E.F.  Hutton and their only daughter is Dina Merrill, the actress.  While married to Hutton, the Postum company was  transformed into the General Foods Corporation.  She divorced her second husband and married  US Ambassador Joseph E. Davies who was posted to Russia for 18 months.  During this time frame, Marjorie discovered a life long passion for collecting Russian Imperial art.  While posted in Russia as the wife of the US Ambassador, she began  the nucleus of her Russian collection.  She also collected many fabulous treasures from France.. She divorced her third husband after 20 years and purchased Hillwood Estate in 1955 — a 25 acre estate that became her home and a future museum for her extensive collection of French and Russian art..  At her death in 1973, her estate was opened to the public per her wishes.
There are fabulous treasures in each room of the estate, including two of the 13 Faberge Eggs that exist in the US.  (Photos below). She collected fantastic porcelains, including four 30 piece dessert services that belonged to Catherine The Great.  The table in her dining room was originally designed in 1927 for her dining room at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach.  It was requested in her will that the table with 6 leaves ( takes 6 people to Insert sent a leaf in the table since they each weigh about 400 lbs) be returned to Hillwood after her death.  The table seats more than 30 people with all the leaves in it.  It has a mosaic top of more then 11 different stones.
After our tour of the house and lunch, we went for a tour of Tudor Place — built by George Washington’s , step-granddaughter , Martha Custis. There was a wonderful ice cream social at Tudor  Place that we all enjoyed and Gaby made a Colonial Tri  Corner Hat.  The house itself is not so impressive.  Tomorrow we visit Mount Vernon…–after the July 4th parade.  We’re hoping for a semi-dry day!!  HAPPY 4th!! 
Faberge Egg
The other Faberge Egg.
Clock by Faberge.   
Needle point boat shoes

Her maid brought down each week’s outfits from storage on the third floor to hang in her closet.

Her emerald necklace designed by Cartier.
Portrait of Catherine the Great that Catherine commissioned as a gift.
Magnificent inlaid wooden chest .
Wooden Floor
The movie theater she added to the house where guests were treated to first run movies after dinner.
Chair that belonged to Marie Antoinette that was re-covered in the 1900’s.
Ice cream at Tudor Place
Working on her Tri Corner Hat!
Ta Da!
Early morning walk with mom and Gran!
Scaffolding around the Washington Monument. 
Gaby presents me with a Christmas ornament that is a replica of the Faberge Egg in the Post collection at Hillwood.

Washington DC

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We bid a very fond farewell to Mimi (headed home to Birmingham) and to London!!  But boy did we do it in style!! We flew home upper class on Virgin Atlantic.. Their lounge at Heathrow is phenomenal!! We had Eggs Benedict (delicious) and a variety of other tasty treats, all for free.  There is a billiard table in the lounge and even a small tennis court!  This is the lounge you want to be stuck in if you have a long delay!  You could live in this lounge quite happily for a few days!!!

The plane was equally nice and very empty so we basically had the run of the upper class cabin!  We all proclaimed it our nicest ever flight… We arrived in Washington, retrieved all our luggage and checked in at the fantastic Hays Adams hotel.  We overlook the Washington Monument and the Hotel is located on the Mall.  In fact, Bill and Grant are out walking the city trying to avoid the frequent rain showers that are coming through. The rest of us are headed to bed in varying stages. Annette and Gaby fell first, followed by Duffy and then Trey.  I’ll probably be next followed by Bill and Grant bringing up the rear!  We have a full day of touring tomorrow!!  Not many photos tonight, but enough to give you the flavor of our flight day!  Lots tomorrow!!
The incomparable Frank, Concierge at the Stafford .
Goodby hugs!!!

Night everyone !

:(( Sadly Our Last Day– but British Museum & Westminster Abbey were Grand Finale!

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Well, when something good ends, there’s always something else wonderful waiting to begin!  In this case, London adventures have drawn to a close, but Washington DC awaits with who knows what great things?!  We will GREATLY miss Mimi who is flying home tomorrow to see her family who graciously shared her for this trip!  The rest of the Fuller’s, however, are headed to our nation’s Capitol to celebrate the 4th!

We ended our London adventures on a great weather note at Westminster Abbey and the British Museum.  We all enjoyed our private tour with Deborah Charles– historian extraordinaire!  I’m not sure how she retains all the information, but she constantly amazed me with her knowledge.  AND, she’s not just an expert on British history. When we were at the British Museum I was greatly impressed with her knowledge of the Egyptian history!!
But first, let’s talk Westminster Abbey while I still remember some of the facts! First of all, it is THE most important church in England, and it is a working church!  Actually, every hour that you are there, they ask for a brief moment of silence (hard to get with the hundreds of tourists) as they do prayers over a loudspeaker. The last major event most of you will have seen was the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Kate and William) in 2011.  
The earliest history of the Abbey begins with Benedictine Monks in 960..  But, the importance of the Abbey began with the first Coronation, on Christmas Day, of William the Conqueror in 1066.. It was not until the middle of the 1200’s that the present church building was begun by Henry III.  There are so many famous people buried in the Abbey.. Just to name a few:  Oliver Cromwell, Chaucer, Dickens, Isaac Newton, Rudyard  Kipling, Tennyson, Lord Byron, Farraday, Charles Darwin (actually an ordained minister) and “Bloody Mary” buried  underneath the casket of Elizabeth the First.  One of the only reasons the Abbey still stands and was not destroyed during the reign of Henry the VIIII is because his parents were buried in the Abbey..Henry was determined to destroy all things Catholic….I have only a few photos of the exterior of the Abbey since no photos are allowed to be taken inside.
After the Abbey, Annette and Gaby took off for Princess Diana’s playground where they had a great time as the rest of us went thought the ENORMOUS British Museum– one of those museums you could spend months in and still not have seen everything!  Deborah (our awesome Blue Badge guide) did this amazing speed version (fast track) of the museum where we saw the Rosetta Stone (yes, the original)  and some of the ancient British archeological discoveries, as well as the ancient Egyptian section.  Our fantastic driver, John, picked up Annette and Gaby and then retrieved us from the Museum.  I have to give kudos to what a great driver he is!! London traffic and streets would be a challenge to anyone, but he navigates our bus with ease through the narrow streets ! 
One quick word about the staff at the Stafford Hotel.  They have ALL been wonderful to us starting with “the best Concierge in the world”, the incomparable Frank who made a lot of this trip possible.  Also, a special mention of Luca, who is in charge of the dining room.  He has been extraordinarily nice to our family — and he’s a tennis fan!!! 
To summarize, I asked everyone at dinner this evening what was their favorite part of this trip..  Mimi and I chose Wimbledon followed by the tour through the Cotswolds and the English countryside .  ( Though she added the best thing for her was being with all the family)!  Bill picked our private tour of Parliament.  Mary (Duffy) chose Windsor and Bleinham Castles. (She also loved our boat ride on the Thames.) Trey chose finding his wedding ring, but added Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park and our Faulty Towers dinner.  Gaby chose the Princess Diana playground and the Aquarium.  Annette liked the Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa in the Cotswolds..She also loved the Faulty Towers dinner.  But she agreed with Bill that the tour  of Parliament was awesome.  We enjoyed our private guide there, Michael Skelton!  Grant chose Wimbledon and  (watching the Heat win the Championship at the American Cafe)!  This was closely followed by The Cotswold House in Chipping Campden where we had a fun dinner at a pub across the street, (Noel House).  This was the pub where Gaby had a great time giving out stickers to anyone and everyone in the Pub!  We were all covered!!! He also voted Faulty Towers as a favorite!!
So, as you can see, there was something for everyone on this adventure!! A grand vacation that has created a treasure trove of family memories!! And now, it’s off to celebrate the 4th in Washington!!  

The little boy on the right above sure looks like Harry Potter!

Rosetta Stone. 

Amazing tree discovered on a walk through Hyde Park.

The Shard, Ride on Thames River, Dinner with Kevin and Erika Strom

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Well. Well. Well….it just keeps getting better and better– the trip AND the weather!  Today was the warmest day this year!  It climbed all the way to 78 degrees!  It was MAGNIFICENT !  

We began the day with a bouncy, fun, energetic guide named Henrietta Ferguson (henriettaferguson.com)  — a Blue Badge guide who had been with Trey, Annette and  Gaby while we were at Wimbledon!  She did a GREAT job of filling us in on all the important details of London sightseeing!
We headed for The London Shard which at 1033 feet is the tallest building in Europe.  We went up to the 69th and 72nd floor for amazing views of the city!!!  
After the Shard, Trey went to Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park while the rest of us went shopping in the funky but oh so fun Brick Lane Market!  All the girls did quite well shopping– even Gaby!  
I must digress for a moment to relay something that happened yesterday that I neglected to include in the blog last night.  While touring Bleinham Castle, Trey discovered his wedding ring was gone.  He was not sure exactly when he had it last.  He immediately went back to the men’s room at the Castle but to no avail!  We called the hotel we’d just left to have them search his room…the loss of the ring cast a terrible pall on the day!! He was dreading telling Annette..  Once the tour was done, Trey went back to look in the men’s room one more time.  As he tells it, “he was that guy looking underneath each stall door In the men’s room. In the last stall, next to the hot air hand dryer, he found it!  A louder war hoop had not been heard at that castle for 300 years!  It probably fell off as he had his hands In the the air dryer and then someone kicked it into the last stall.  Trey scared an Indian gentleman with the war hoop.  The explanation of finding the wedding ring that had been lost for two hours didn’t seem to impress the gentleman very much as he fled the men’s room!
One other note I forgot to mention.  We learned the origin of “eavesdrop”!  In the 1600’s, windows were built high off the street, but the eaves of the roof would extend out from the house to try and keep the walls of the house dry.  Neighbors who would stand under the eaves and under the windows  would overhear conversations and were considered “eavesdroppers”!
Now, back to today!  After the Market, we headed for an amazing boat ride on the MONEY PENNY down the River Thames.  Our boat trip included a delicious picnic lunch!  The weather could NOT have been more perfect!  We were so lucky!  After our great cruise, we had been invited to the beautiful penthouse home of wonderful friends, Kevin and Erika Strom.  Kevin is the son of one of my closest friends and he and his wife, Erika, live and work in London.  Our oldest son, Trey, grew up with Kevin and his brother!  There were a lot of stories being retold and good times remembered!!  The dinner was delicious and the company delightful!!
Tomorrow is our last day in London and our last day with Mimi.  She will head back to Birmingham for the 4th festivities with her family while the rest of us head to Washington, D.C.  to celebrate the 4th.

Bleinham Castle and the city of Oxford

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Well, as the British would say, it was a “BRILLIANT” day—Both in terms of touring and weather!! I have to give accolades tonight to our Blue Badge guide, Deborah Charles!  She too is “brilliant”!  She is a bonafide, Blue Badge Guide (highly respected and a designation that takes considerable work to obtain)!  You may find her at: Deoborahcharles.Londonbluebadgeguide.com.  She is more then just a guide– she is a wonderful teacher of all things English!!!  If you ever need a guide in the London area, I highly recommend you contact her!

Sadly, we departed the Luckman Park Hotel and Spa.  There are photos below.  But, we were off to wonderful new adventures and our first stop was Bleinham Castle– ancestral home of Winston Churchill.   The first Duke of Marlborough was John Churchill who fought for the Crown in the Battle of Bleinham against the French.  His army carried the day and he sent word back to Queen Ann that they had won with a written message on a tavern bill he had in his pocket!  As a reward, the Queen gave him a great deal of land on which construction was begun for Bleinham Castle.. The wife of John Churchill, Sarah Jennings, was very good friends with Queen Ann.  Unfortunately, Sarah was quite headstrong and she had a falling out with the Queen after construction had begun on the castle.  This resulted in a loss of funding from the Crown. Sadly, the first Duke had to pay for the continuing construction  of the palace land he had received as a reward for the battle he fought..  The First Duke died in 1722.  His wife, Sarah, lived for another 20 years and continued the construction of this magnificent Castle.  The current Duke is the 11th Duke of Marlborough and at age 86, he continues to live in the Castle today.  He has opened part of the Castle to visitors, weddings, corporate affairs, etc. in order to maintain the largest non royal castle in the country.  
 Winston Churchill was born at the Castlle in 1874.  He arrived a bit early (6 weeks) and was born on the night of a dance in the cloakroom!  There is a wonderful exhibit of Churchill artifacts as well as countless other treasures.  The photos below show what a beautiful place it is.. The gardens are magnificent!!  Churchill proposed to his wife on the grounds of the Castle.  In the 1920’s, Consuelo Vanderbilt was forced into an arranged marriage with the 9th Duke of Marlborough..  After bearing him two male heirs, she left leaving the Duke  a note, “I’ve given you an heir and a spare”!  And she left for America.  She divorced the Duke and remarried an adventurer she met in America.  Because she was a contemporary of Winston Churchill, they remained friends, even after the divorce from the Duke.  
After Bleinham, we head for the university town of Oxford!  Another amazing tale… Oxford was begun in 1249 and consisted originally of three colleges..  By the 1300’s, more colleges were added, including Exeter.  In all, there are 38 colleges today that comprise Oxford University..How you do on your “A” level exams, determines which  college you  will get into at the University.. When you apply, you list your top five college choices, and your entrance to your first choice depends on your exams.  
One of the more interesting Professors who taught mathematics at the College of Christ Church was Charles Dodgson.  you  know him better by his pen name, Lewis Carol, author of Alice in Wonderland. The College of Christ Church has become even more famous in recent times because their dining hall was the inspiration for the dining room for Hogwart’s School,in the Harry Potter Movies.  Those of you who have seen the movie will recognize the room.  The college was used for several of the Hogwort’s movie scenes!  Our walking tour of this historic educational city was phenomenal!   There is such an incredible amount of history here!  
We left Oxford for our two hour drive (by our wonderful driver, John) back to the Stafford Hotel,in London.  We then took a leisurely stroll to Fortnum and Mason department store for a bit of shopping (think amazing teas, confections, wines, candies, etc. all beautifully packaged) and a wonderful dinner in the department store!  Delicious!!!  
I believe some of the younger generation in our group are taking a walk through Hyde Park to take advantage of a free concert with some quite notable performers.  
Tomorrow is a picnic boat trip down the Thames and a visit to the London Shard- the tallest building in Europe.  More tomorrow!!!

Luckman Park Hotel


Lucknam Park

The inspiration for Hogwort’s dining hall.  This is the actual dining hall in Christ Church College.
Interior room in Bleinham .

Oxford 
Where Lewis Carol lived and wrote.

Bath, Lower Slaughter, Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa

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Well, tonight we feel like we’ve officially found a little piece of English country side heaven!  We are staying in the magnificent Hotel Luckman and Spa in the outskirts of Bath..  The hotel was named the “Best” hotel in the UK in  2011 and we would all understand why!  Hopefully I can post more photos tomorrow.  We arrived at 6:00 pm tonight and dinner reservations were for 7:00pm. We had a wonderful dinner!  Trey proclaimed his hamburger the best he’d ever had!  We all LOVED our dinner selections — including Gaby who had her first ever chocolate milkshake!!!  

After dinner, Gaby and Annette went swimming in the gorgeous Spa heated pool!  We’re all sad we only have one night here!  We could have gone horseback riding on the grounds if we were staying longer!
Now, for the earlier part of the day!  We departed Cotswold House and were off to visit two additional charming villages.  In fact, the word “charming” had to be invented to describe these villages!  They come complete with running mill streams and a pond to feed the ducks .  We had quite a bit of liquid sunshine today, but we were lucky that the weather cleared up when we did our walking tour of Bath.
Bath is an ancient city built by the Romans in the 800’s.  They settled on Bath as a leisure site for the Roman soldiers because they discovered the bubbling hot water coming out of the  ground– England’s only hot mineral springs.  They believed it had curative powers, so they excavated the ground and built a large bath ( think pool) with statues of the Goddess Minerva.  But the Emperor of Rome called all his soldiers back in the late 800’s to defend the Empire and within one year, ALL the Roman soldiers left England.  The Saxons cared nothing about the bath and so it fell into disrepair and the pool they’d built became a trash dump.  It was forgotten for many centuries. In 1499, a Monastery was built in Bath– once again because they noticed the hot bubbling water. They too at some point built a Pool and lined it with the recently discovered lead found in the area.  Little did they know that they we’re building their pool directly on top of the one the Romans had built!
  It was during the Georgian period that Bath really became fashionable.  Queen Anne (1692, 1702 & 1703) visited the springs (which by now had become a rather disgusting place) and ordered it to be cleaned up.  Once that happened, London Aristocracy discovered the Bath and soon there was an actual “social,season” to visit. It became the first dating site. Families of means would come stay in Bath for the season with their marriage eligible children.  There would be a stroll through the town where you would “accidentally on purpose”  bump into a family you hoped would accept your  child in marriage..  By the end of the stroll, a young lady should have her dance card completely filled for that evening..  There is a great dance hall still in existence.  In the early 1900’s, Bath once again fell into disfavor as the aristocracy decided that the Sea was more beneficial, and they began to take seaside vacations at places like Brighton or Weymouth.  
The original Roman Bath was accidentally found in 1878 when someone was excavating in the area and discovered the gold head of the Roman Goddess Minerva!  This re-energized the area and it is still a fashionable place to come today.  We actually went into a restaurant next to the original Roman Bath that offers you a glass of the restorative water containing 57 different minerals.  The hot water still bubbles out of the ground today from a mile below the earth’s surface, just as it has been doing for more then 2,000 years!  Almost everyone drank a glass of the curative water– not exactly Dasani!  !It’s a beautiful town as you will see in the photos.  And yes, the flowers are amazingly gorgeous– particularly the peonies!!!  Back to London tomorrow with a visit to Oxford and Bleinham Castle on the way!

A field of Rape Seed from which they make Cannola oil.
The fashionable homes built in Bath’s heyday.

The original Roman Bath that was discovered. 

Drinking the curative mineral water!

Taken from our window!

First milkshake!

We thought we’d taught Grant not to,play with his food.. Guess not!  Meet Manor Mouse!
Enjoying strawberries on the floor of our closet!
The first milkshake was SO good!
Panoramic photo of our room.
Notice Grant is time traveling here and made it into this photo,three times!  
More tomorrow!  Stay tuned!

Another fine day– Warwick Castle, Anne Hathaway’s Home and Shakespeare’s home

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We started out the day with a few clouds, but no rain.  That came later in the day, but fortunately after we’d completed most of our touring..   

We made our first stop of the day at Stratford Upon Avon, the home of William Shakespeare and also the home of his wife , Anne Hathaway.  We saw the house where he was born, his wife’s home and the church where they are buried. 
William Shakespeare married when he was 18 years old to a woman , Anne Hathaway, who was 26  ( a veritable spinster in those days)!  Anne was three months pregnant (against the law in those days) so they were quickly married in 1581.  It is likely that they knew each other growing up and that their families were good friends.  Shakespeare’s father was the Mayor of Stratford and once co-signed on a loan for the Harhaways that would be the equivalent of 4,000 pounds  today.  Clearly the families were close.  
Because Shakespeare’s father would have had to give out the licenses for traveling theater troups to perform, Shakespeare became well acquainted with the traveling actors.  After he married Anne, they had three children in three years– a set of twins and one other daughter. Shakespeare left Stratford for a period of years and went to London.  He hoped to be an actor , but found his talents lay In Writing, not acting.  He became quite wealthy as his plays became a success and he was a part owner in the famed Globe Theater.  He eventually returned to Stratford and built a new home.  He died at the ripe old age of 52 and was buried in  1616 at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford Upon Avon.  His wife Anne is also buried in the church.  His plays were gathered by two of his friends and bound into a folio.  It is only because they did this as a tribute to their good friend that we have a record of his works.  Otherwise, the individual plays would have been scattered everywhere.  
Here are some interesting phrases and origins of words we learned.  But first, I want to mention that the first cause of death for women in the 1400’s was childbirth, BUT the second cause of death was fire.  Women’s war was carried on in the kitchen.  They dressed in long skirts with linen petticoats and were required to keep the fire burning all day!  Unfortunately, some would become human torches!  But, it was the LAW that they must keep the fire going during the daylight hours.  If they let the fire go out , the husband was allowed to beat the wife (daytime hours only so as not to wake the neighbors with her screams) with a stick that had to be smaller than the thickness of his thumb!  It was a matter of life and death for the husband because if he came home wet and cold and there was no fire to get him warm, he might literally catch his “death of cold”!  The word curfew comes from a ceramic covering that was like a large piece of furniture that had to be placed over the fire at night to “dampen the fire”.  The fire was not allowed to burn brightly at night for fear sparks might set the thatched roofs on fire.. So, the “curfew” was placed over the fire at night to keep embers glowing, but not burning brightly. The phrase “bed and board” comes from the fact that a board was placed on trestles as the dining table but after dinner, the board was turned over and laid on the floor as a bed!  To “sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite” comes from the fact that ropes had to constantly be tightened to hold the mattress firmly.   There was a canopy over the beds to keep any insects from falling Into the open mouths of those sleeping!  The phrase “letting your hair down” comes from the coronation of Elizabeth the First who was crowned with her flowing red hair loose and down.  Prior to that, women always kept their hair up.  She made it fashionable to “let your hair down!”  
After touring Anne Hathaway’s and Shakespeare’s homes, and viewing the lovely gardens, we headed for Warwick Castle!  They have done a very good job of recreating scenes in the castle. Madame Tussaud’s did the wax characters that are EXTREMELY lifelike as you will see in the photos!  Warwick Castle was first built by William the Conqueror in 1088.  There proceeded to be a LOT of different owners after that ( about 43).  
We were treated to a falconry show on the grounds of the castle.  We saw an owl fly in for food.  There was a bald eagle who would fly to the top of the castle and then swoop back down for a piece of chicken from the handler.  There was another eagle whose type I do not recall, but he too flies to the top of the castle and then comes back to retrieve his snack of chicken!  It started to mist rather heavily as the afternoon wore on.  It did little to dampen our spirits.  After returning to our lovely hotel in Chipping (means barter in old English ) Campden, we took a break to begin a little packing before heading out to Eight Bells Pub for a delicious dinner!  Gaby again delighted us all by handing out her collection of stickers!  We’ve now learned to “recycle” them!  
Our guide, Debbie is just wonderful. She is very knowledgeable and keeps us all entertained and amazed with her extensive knowledge!  More tomorrow!  We will see more Cotswold Villages in the morning with a trip to Bath in the afternoon where we will see the Roman Baths!  Stay tuned!
Gaby is next to a stone that looks like a large mushroom.  In fact, there used to be a lot of these stones upon which barns were built. The stone mushrooms kept the rats from climbing into the barns!

Anne Hathaway’s home.

Warwick Castle

Wax statue in Warwick 

No explanation required!

Windsor Castle and Chipping Camden in the Cotswolds! ( don’t you love the names?!)

On By Traveling Fullers1 Comment

Another wonderful day has come to an end in the tiny village of Chipping Camden!! We are staying in a charming (they invented that word for this village and hotel)  hotel called Cotswold House.  The day began with a wonderful tour of Windsor Castle.  We saw the regimental band marching and the changing of the Guard.  The Queen’s flag was not flying at the Castle, so she was not here today.  Windsor Castle is really her home, though.  Buckingham Palace is used for state occasions and she is still there quite a bit, but the country castle is the residence of choice!  The weather was gorgeous today.  I think the British would say that summer finally arrived!

Our great guide, Debbie, gave us all the pertinent and interesting facts and things to look at as we toured the Castle. You are not allowed to take photos inside, so we all just have to remember the fantastic rooms and their treasures.  There is a famous Dollhouse presented to Queen Mary (the current Queen’s grandmother) when she was a child.  It is exquisite in every detail — right down to running water from the miniature taps, working electric lights, inlaid wooden desk with drawers that open and a library of miniature leather books that authors like Rudyard Kipling actually wrote a few words in!  It is supposed to be the world’s best doll house and I am a believer!  It is magnificent!  There were also life size porcelain dolls (4 feet tall) that were presented by the French government to the then Princesses Elizabeth ( age 12) and Margaret (age 7).  They came complete with a trunk of real designer clothes !( think real jewelry, embroidered leather gloves, purses, shoes, fur coats and a suitcase with hairbrushes and other vanity supplies).  The dolls even had their own convertible car!!  ( large enough for a four year old child to sit it!!). Quite something!! There are treasures everywhere!  From the magnificent Queen’s guard armory ( think magnificent swords and antique guns) to the state dining room!  There was a disastrous fire at the Castle in Feb. 1992 .  Charles and Phillip handled the reconstruction of the castle which took 5 years.  The Royal Family paid for all the reconstruction. That is one of the reasons the Castle is now open to the public.  Elizabeth opened some parts of the castle for touring to help finance the reconstruction.  It has been beautifully restored.  
We also toured the second most important church, St George’s, (on the grounds of Windsor) where even Henry the VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour are buried.  The current Queen’s parents and her sister are also “resting” at St George’s.  The most important church, (Cathedral) would be Westminster Abbey which will will see later in the week.  After a great tour, we boarded our bus ( how else do you move 9 people (including our guide, one stroller and 15 pieces of luggage?) and headed further into the countryside.  
A word about our hotel.  It is very old and charming looking from the outside, but all the rooms are totally modern– right down to electric window blinds!  Our bed is quite something– we’re not sure what, though !  It is comfy, but we’ve never seen anything like it!  We’re sleeping on plastic pins which move up and down according to the weight distribution.. I’m posting a photo of this unique “mattress”!
  We had a delicious meal across the street at the Noel Hotel Bar where we watched poor Roger Federer lose at Wimbledon..  Of course, unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one who went down today.  Sharipova also lost along with several other players of note. There have been an unusual number of injuries with players slipping and sliding on the grass. We’re grateful we were there the first two days since so many stars are bowing out early!!!  
Gaby entertained the entire pub tonight by passing out stickers to everyone.  The Fuller family had stickers placed on our foreheads ( see photos below) while others were lucky enough to have them put on their hand or shirts!  All were having a good time!!! She was adorable, even if I do say so!  She was “charming” like the village!!  
We’re off tomorrow for further explorations so check back!!!

A good time was had by all!!

PS. I found some photos I took with panoramic view from my iPhone at Windsor and Wimbledon so I’m adding them to this blog!

2nd Day at Wimbledon and the Zoo adventure for Trey, Annette and Gaby

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Each day just gets better and better!! The weather finally turned to and the sun was out for most of the day!  Yeah!!!  The tennis goers were treated to an amazing day of matches on Center Court. We saw Serena Williams win easily, followed by another easy match for Djokovic, ( though Mayer played quite well).  The last  match on Center Court was not so easy for David Ferrer.  His opponent, Martin Alund,  played quite well and actually took the 2nd set.  Ferrer won  in four..  All the matches were excellent and so much fun to watch!  It is SO fast on grass.  TV doesn’t really give you the feel of how fast it really is!!  

Our concierge, Frank, was able to obtain the most amazing seats for us today. Grant and I were on the sidelines of center court about 15 rows up!! Wonderful seats!  Duffy and Mimi and Bill sat In the same section as yesterday, but they were lower down..
We made it for strawberries and cream today — a Wimbledon tradition we didn’t want to miss!  We did a bit more roaming around the extensive grounds. You are SO CLOSE to the matches  on the outer courts!!! It is a really neat experience.
While we were enjoying the grass courts, Trey, Annette and Gaby were off on their own adventure!! The zoo was a big hit with Gaby as was Hampton  Court!  They topped off their evening by meeting good friends from Chicago, Kevin and Erika Strom, for a “beverage”!  Kevin and Erika have graciously invited us for a barbecue at their house when we return later in the week to London!  We’re all packing tonight.  We leave the city tomorrow for a few days in the country — the Cotswolds!  Tomorrow, we visit Windsor Castle in route  to our lovely new hotel in the Cotswolds. Stay tuned for more Fuller Family adventures!!!!

More tomorrow!! Check back!

Wimbledon and the Aquarium

On By Traveling Fullers3 Comments

Today was  a fantastic day for four Fuller’s and a Ritchie at Wimbledon–but a  very bad day for Rafa Nadal.  The weather was cold but but fortunately there was no rain!  While we were at Wimbledon, Trey, Annette and Gaby went for a ride on the London Eye followed by a trip to the Aquarium. They all loved the Aquarium, but Gaby particularly loved the Penguins and was allowed to feed the stingrays and touch a starfish.  A successful day for everyone by all accounts!

We arrived early enough at Wimbledon that I was able to do some damage at the Wimbledon Shop!  Grant and I sat in one section of center Court and Bill, Mary and Mimi has the corresponding seats just across from us.  We all had fantastic seats on the corners of Center Court. There really isn’t a bad seat in that stadium. We had a clear view of the Royal box where we spotted Pippi Middleton with her brother and Condoleezza Rice sitting behind the Duke of Kent.  The rest of the people in the Royal box seemed familiar, but we need the TV commentator labels to tell us who they are!  Actually, our plan is to show the Concierge at our hotel, the incomparable Frank, our photos and ask him to identify them.
Grant recognized the star of the TV series, Glee, (actor who plays  the teacher) sitting right behind us. We saw three good matches.  First match of the day was Roger Federer vs Hanescu. Federer won easily in three sets. That was quickly followed by Maria Sharipova vs Kristina Mladenovic.. Although Sharipova won, remember Kristina’s name.  She is going to be a really good player.  Maria didn’t play particularly well in the first set, but Krstina did. Maria was lucky to pull the first set out!  Both are great looking young women!  Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal is beginning to lose on Court 1!  The last match we saw was Andy Murray.  While Murray won fairly easily in three sets against Benjamin Becker, I didn’t think he looked particularly sharp. I think he needs to step up his game if he hopes to advance!  But the tennis shock of the day was Rafa Nadal losing in three sets–6-7, 6-7, 3-6..
Grant and I did a little walking around the outer courts.  This is a fascinating compound!  So different from the other majors!  It is the only Major where there are no advertisements on Center Court.  Four slightly intoxicated Frenchmen who were sitting next to us kept trying to start the wave.  I finally told them that wasn’t going to work at Wimbledon. They need to come to the US Open!!  They eventually
decided I was right and gave up!  There is a distinctly different atmosphere at this tournament. It is very much the “Gentleman’s Club” with women allowed.  Everyone is very well dressed and well mannered. The people are quite friendly and the staff are all very helpful. This is truly the way tennis should be!  Such a great experience!  Loving every minute of it.  Grant made it out to Murray Mountain, formerly known  as Henman Hill for those old enough to remember Tim Henman!  I am posting photos for the Aquarium tour that Trey, Annette and Gaby did, as well as our Wimbledon photos!  Another day of tennis for us tomorrow and I believe the zoo is on the schedule for Gaby!