Royal Ascot

Ladies Day...  The Ascot horse races are the premier social event of the season and Ladies Day is the biggest day of all. In addition to Her Majesty the Queen, this year's attendees included Miranda and myself. We had a great time being hoity toity and saying things like Dahhhhling, shall we have another Pimm's? using fake accents!

The English Countryside...

Dartmoor National Park

This park is located in the far southwest corner of England. It's really remote and a four-wheel-drive comes in handy. There are little villages scattered throughout the park and a breed of wild horses lives there that isn't found anywhere else in the world.

Why the British are so pale...

This is Mom and me on the beach in March. It was cold, drizzly and overcast... a very typical day in Britain!

This is not a joke...

When I said that the Dartmoor National Park has some remote, undeveloped roads, I wasn't kidding. This road passes through someone's farm, so they kindly ask for some change in return. :)

Quintessentially British...

The High Street...

In Britain, they call Main Street the High Street. This is a shot of Windsor's High Street. This view is representative of the High Street in every British village and London borough I have seen.

The Unexplained...

Stonehenge

No, it wasn't actually knocked down by Clark Griswold. (That was just a movie!) Stonehenge was built in several stages beginning around 3000 BC,. And although no one is quite sure what it was used for, we know the circle of the stones are connected to the sun and the passing of the seasons. The prehistoric builders responsible for it's construction clearly had a very sophisticated knowledge of math and astronomy.

Geography made easy: England is in Britain which part of the UK

You should know... London is the capital of England, and Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. (This is very confusing to outsiders.) Basically, England is a country within Great Britain. Great Britain is comprised of England, Scotland, and Wales. The United Kingdom is England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland -- which is not to be confused with Ireland. So the official name of the UK is: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Got it?

Scenic Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Marlow is a beautiful little village in the county of Buckinghamshire (which is just west of London). Marlow sits on the river Thames. I almost rented a flat there on the High Street until I found out that it was 500 years old. Creepy!

Here is my oldest brother, Hal, in the back garden of the King's Head pub in Marlow when he came to see me in August 1999...

... and here I am standing in front of the pub.

Castles and Cathedrals...

Canterbury Tales...

Mom and Dad came over for a couple weeks in March. One weekend we drove over to tour Leeds Castle and then went to Canterbury to see the Cathedral.

Leeds Castle

King Henry VIII used to live here. (You know, the one with all the wives.)

Dad and me at Leeds Castle.

Salisbury Cathedral

This is Salisbury Cathedral. It was founded in 1220 when the old hilltop Roman built fortress of Old Sarum was abandoned. The bulk of the construction was completed over the course of 38 years, with a late addition of a spire which was completed in 1310. (Nice when the "new addition" is 700 years old.)