Blogs from Windsor, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Andy says: So we’re now less than two weeks to go until the trip starts which is scary but amazing at the same time! I’ve spent the last couple of weeks sorting my life out so now most of my stuff is boxed up at my mum’s, the visa’s have been applied for, have now got my money sorted (I’m pretty much a Thai millionaire now) and I finish work this Friday. You would think – oh that’s good he’s given himself a week to get everything sorted before he leaves – well you’d be wrong because I decided to stick in a cheeky trip to Barcelona next week to watch the AC Milan game. Not the best idea in terms of finance or timings but I’ve always wanted to see a match at the Nou ... read more

Andy says: So we're sat on our lunch break doing what I promised myself I wouldn't - planning! When the original decision was made to undertake a trip to Vietnam I was absolutely definitely not going to plan anything other than getting in and getting out of the country with the rest in between all due to be an awesome adventure. Various things have intervened and meant that the scheduled departure date has come forward giving us an additional 3 weeks which we plan to spend in Thailand and this is where my OCD planning gene has gone into overdrive in an attempt to try and see everything in the 22 days we have there. The problem is that the more I read about places the more amazing things I discover that we want to see ... read more

We caught the train to Windsor Castle today. A magnificent castle in top condition and it is huge. Ana and Marija came with us. Had lunch in an English Pub - a hot Sunday Roast with yorkshire pudding - yum. Got some sweets in the sweet shop in Windsor to eat on the way back to London. Back in our flat waiting for Simone to arrive from Heathrow.... read more

Today we had lunch with Theresa’s aunt and uncle in Windsor. Theresa is giving her treasured emu’s egg to her uncle to look after as we are going to be moving around a lot and she did not want to break it. Also went to visit Georges mum for a tearful farewell. The bed and TV were collected today. ... read more

Westminster Abby (no pictures of inside allowed) * ridiculously tall ceilings! stonework is exquisite! *the Chapel of the "Order of the Knights of Bath"- knights who are installed are given a stall/chair with a plaque of their coat of arms attached, head piece and flag hang above. When they die, the plaque stays and the rest is returned to their family. Every four years, new knights are installed *names I recognized in the Dead Poets' Corner- Jane Austen (not actually buried here), William Shakespeare, Geoffry Chauser, Robert Browing, John Masefield, Lewis Caroll, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, George Hangel, Emily Bronte, Dr Johnson *Oliver Cromwell lead civil war against the monarch and became Lord Protector for 5 years (until his death). He was buried in Westminster Abbey, which would be similar to Darwin being buried ... read more

With a break in the rain forecast, we thought it best to make a trip to Legoland while the sun shone. We were up and out nice and early - not much chance of sleeping in with Lego in Little Cocky’s sights! Before too long, we were all happily immersed in the land of the little plastic brick. Cocky and I liked the Lego miniatures the best, of which there were plenty to look at all around the park. The miniature village, featuring landmarks from all over the world was a special highlight. If asked to choose a favourite part, Little Cocky would be hard pressed to name just one thing, but would likely list the train ride and driving school high on his list. Margery had very kindly packed us a picnic lunch, which we ... read more