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Published: April 6th 2011
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10 April 2004 Saturday. Leaving Dover, we stopped in Canterbury to visit the cathedral, but it was closed for services, and now they were charging 4 ½ pounds to get in.
We drove to Basingstoke, where Tamara and Rosanna had friends who used to attend their elementary school in Falls Church, and checked into the Travel Inn at 5:50 pm. Their friends soon arrived and we followed them to their parents’ home in Old Basing. The girls then left with their friends to go clubbing. Will and I were invited to stay for dinner, so while the mom prepared supper, Will played with their dog, and the dad took me to the local pub, The Old Mill. The place was crawling with Cromwell’s English Civil War re-enactors all in their Cavalier and Roundhead costumes. We joined them for a pint or two, having a lively conversation; and explaining why I was there. Dinner was delicious and we had a pleasant evening together. Will and I returned to our hotel at 11 pm. I understand that the girls made it back to their friend’s home about 1 am.
11 April 2004 Easter Sunday. I woke up about 8:30 am, but
didn’t wake Will. I wanted to attend the Easter service at St. Mary’s, a centuries old stone church in Old Basing. The Anglican service was very much like our own at the Falls Church, which was built by George Washington and George Mason in the 18th century. I got back to the hotel at 11:30 and roused the kids. We ate lunch at McD’s and then returned to Tamara’s friend’s home at 1 pm; in time to chat before walking to the Civil War re-enactment which went from 2 - 4 pm.
The battle opened with cannons roaring, followed by the troops advancing, with flags flying, from both sides. They were armed with muskets and pikes, and there was a great clashing as they met. We were very privileged to have been here for this interesting spectacle. We returned to our hotel, and Will and I swam at the local recreation center for an hour or so. We returned to the friends home at 7 pm for his birthday party. We partook in another delicious dinner with great conversation. We had planned to move on the next day, but the girls wanted to stay another day. I gave them
until 1 pm on Monday.
12 April 2004 Monday. Will and I went to the mall, and coincidentally met the girls and their friends there. We continued our separate ways and met at their friends home at the scheduled hour…hugs and kisses all around as we said our goodbyes.
We drove to Stourhead to visit the gardens, but it was overcast and the flowers were not in bloom so we didn't spend much time thre and continued north to Bath. I wanted to stop to visit Robin and Rhona may colleague and friends from NATO days, but the kids were exhausted, and didn’t even want to walk around the town, much less see the Roman Baths or see anyone. They all voted to drive immediately to the Travel Inn at Chippenham.
We ate immediately upon arrival at 4:30 pm, and then Tamara and Will went to bed. Rosanna was the only one willing to go with me the few miles to Castle Combe, one of the most scenic villages in England, where the original Dr. Doolittle with Rex Harrison was filmed. We walked around the small village and returned to the hotel to sleep.
13 April
2004 Tuesday. We drove to Avebury and walked among the stone pillars arranged in a circle that are from the same period as Stonehenge. It was only us and sheep; much preferable to Stonehenge.
We drove to Windsor Castle and Eton College, where the kids bought shirts with the Eton seal. We returned our rental car at noon, and took the shuttle to Heathrow. We shopped in the Terminal 4 mall and had sandwiches for lunch before boarding the 3:30 pm flight. With strong headwinds we arrived late, but were happy to be home. Linda was right. She would never have survived the trip.
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