The Canterbury Tales

Canterbury is only 45 minutes away from Leeds Castle, making it a must see both based on proximity and historical significance. The village has an outer stone wall and within the walls are cute shops, restaurants and bistros, and of course the famous Canterbury Cathedral. Walking into the cathedral takes your breath away. It is hard to comprehend such architecture could have been constructed hundreds of years ago. Outside of the cathedral there is still the hustle and bustle of the town square, much as it would have been back in the day. A trip to Canterbury is something not to be missed, whether it is for sightseeing or shopping.  

Tea Time

No trip to England is complete without a traditional afternoon tea. Duncan, the castle butler, presented us with a delightful spread of tea sandwiches, cookies, and scones with clotted cream and homemade jam. Whether it was the ambiance of the castle library or drinking tea served by a butler, I am not sure, but the tea tastes so much better in England. However, it also has a downside, and that is caffeine. On this particular evening we couldn’t quite figure out why we were talking a thousand miles a minute and couldn’t fall asleep. Note to self: One cup is grand, two is good, three is a crowd. During our gala, our guests will have the opportunity to take part in an afternoon tea, and Duncan will be around the entire week to handle all of our special requests, including after dinner cordials and late night snacks.

The Butler, Duncan

Mary Kay and Emily enjoying the fabulous spread

The Muellers Arrival to Maidstone

The Castle Library

The Muellers officially arrived today into London Heathrow and were escorted by Mike from Spot Travel to Leeds Castle. They were just as amazed by the parkland landscape, the cobblestone paths and of course the castle itself-offering so much history. Upon arrival we took a tour and had a lovely lunch in the Library. We walked the grounds and viewed the rooms at the bed and breakfast, which was formally a stable house. For dinner we headed into Bearsted for a traditional English Pub experience and to revisit our friends at Dirty Habit. We cannot wait to share the ambiance and experience of this English Pub with all of our guests.

True British Ladies

'The Dirty Habit'

The Muellers (and Morgan & Laura) ready for the pub experience

Mind the Gap and Making Sense of Pence

We rested for a short while last night at the Stable Courtyard B&B on the the grounds of the castle. The bed and breakfast is cute, comfortable and quaint and offered great views of the castle gardens and maze. The view will be unbelievable in August when all of the flowers are in bloom.

The Stable Courtyard B&B and a Peacock "Errol Flynn"

We had to take bacon sandwiches to go since we had to catch the 7:35 a.m. train from Bearsted into London. Morgan and I weren't sure what exactly a bacon sandwich was, but we asked if it had egg on it (I envisioned a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit from McDonald's and thought about how delicious this might taste on an early morning). "Runny egg on a bacon sandwich?????" was the response we received. Now it may not sound as funny reading it, but if you read it again with a British accent you get the picture. They did concede to our request, and we have a lovely breakfast aboard the morning train.

Our meeting this morning was with Mike, who is the Hospitality Director for the London Olympics.  He showed us the layout for the Olympic Park and where the private hospitality for our group will be at the stadium. It is hard to imagine that 10,400 Olympic Athletes will be making their way to London to compete in only a few months.The stadium is on an island between three rivers crossed by more than five bridges. Shaped like a lotus flower, this is the venue for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and the Olympic and Paralympic Athletic Games. It is the focal venue of the park. We were able to sneak a peek from the John Lewis department store to see the structure. By August, this area will be completely transformed into an arena that will hold 80,000 fans. 

After our meeting, we headed to see the sights of London for a clearer understanding of where the major landmarks reside. The Tower Bridge was hard to miss. Opened in 1894, this was the "London Bridge" that was not sold to America. It was originally the only crossing of the River Thames. Just a short distance away, we also saw Big Ben and Parliament. We stopped by The Roux at Parliament to check it out as a possible venue for our group dinner in the city. With its close proximity to the major landmarks, we decided this was a must for the London Gala.

At every rail station the intercoms announce, "mind the gap". We have noticed in the U.K they use the word "mind" instead of "watch", but what we realized is there really is a gap of about five inches in between the train and the platform. And, minding it was something we should probably do. This is another term that will be added to our list of translations. And now for the top 5 list of riding the train/underground guidelines.

1. Do NOT under any circumstances ride backwards. You will end up having a bellyache or a case of the spins like we did

2. Keep your ticket handy - There are train personnel who walk through the train to check tickets, and you don't want to get the boot. The ticket is also pertinent for exiting the station, as you will have to swipe it to get out.

3.  Keep your pence - We learned that the restroom in the station requires 30 pence to enter. It is always smart to keep some pence handy for just such a situation.

4.  When in doubt board the train - A couple of times we weren't sure if we were waiting for the right train, and then by the time we realized it, we had missed it. You must also press the open button to get in and out of the train; the doors do not always open automatically.

5. Again, MIND THE GAP

Experiencing the Underground & Olympic Venues

This morning began with a lovely English breakfast at Fairfax Hall on the castle grounds. We were surprised to learn that this includes a "runny" egg, fry bread, bacon, sausage, a tomato, and a mushroom. After a good night's sleep in the Maidens Tower, and prepared for a full day of experiencing London's public transportation infrastructure. Our driver took us to Ebbsfleet Station where we caught the Southeastern Highspeed Rail, and there is a reason why it is called the "highspeed rail". In only 20 minutes time we arrived at Stratford International from Ebbsfleet. We stepped out of the train and immediately were in awe at the sight of the Olympic Park. While still in the process of being built, the stadium and surround were amazing. I also had the opportunity to view my first bobbies, which were equally as exciting as the Olympic Stadium. The city of London is making all of the preparations for the big games. The stadium itself, which will feature all of the athletics events, is still in the process of being built, but seeing how convenient the Olympic Park will be to get to from Leeds Castle made us all the more excited to have our group here in August. We then went down to the underground and jumped on the Jubliee line to get to North Greenwich or "The O2" where all of the gymnastic events will be taking place. Click Here to View a Video Clip.

 
After viewing the the Olympic venues we were on to see some of the finer things, such as Harrods in Knightsbridge. What an amazing store that occupies a total of five acres. Harrods offers 330 departments and over one-million square feet of retail shopping and dining options, including food hall. Did you know that there are 11,500 light bulbs that illuminate their building at night? As one of the worlds most prestigious stores, this is one place we will not miss during our gala.