The last day of England

I awoke on my last day to see Cordelia once again peering around the door hoping that her guest were awake so she could play. Rupert had gone back to school int he morning so it was just Olivia, Cordelia, Elizabeth and I at home. We all got dressed and then went down for breakfast. Elizabeth was cooking eggs...so I had a real English Breakfast, with eggs and bacon..in England, so yummy.


After breakfast Elizabeth had to go out and do some shopping. So Olivia and I were entertained by Cordelia. She took us on a Assault course(climbing over the swing set), a bike ride, a swing on the rope swing and we helped do some more of Rupert's train Puzzle.


After having a wonderful time being a child again, Elizabeth came home and it was time for lunch. Ted came over form his office for lunch and we sat out in the sun and talked.

The phone then range and it was Rupert ringing for school to say goodbye. Apparently he had been a bit upset that he had to go to school in the morning and couldn't say goodbye. It was so sweet of him to call, so I had a little chat to Rupert thanked him for his call and then had to get my suit case so we could go and catch our plane.

A huge hug was given and received form Ted, Elizabeth and Cordelia. It was sad to wave good bye to them all....I had had such a wonderful time staying with them and had really felt at home.


Elizabeth drove us to the airport, after many a hug goodbye to my god mother I had to go through customs and bored the plane.


The plane ride home went really fast (I always find the way back is faster than the way there)
Olivia and I then steeped back on Swiss soil. Olivia's boyfriend had come to the airport so he could come back on the train with us.

The train ride was 3 hours, and while Olivia and her Boyfriend where talking I had time to sit and think...and while I was looking out he window I suddenly felt homesick....and not just for my family at home, but for Elizabeth,Ted, Olivia D-T, Rupert and Cordelia. They had all made me feel so at home, and I had had such a wonderful time.n So when I was sitting on that train knowing I was going back to speaking German , Knowing that I was going to have to work so hard at being able to be understood.....I suddenly missed the familiarity and the closeness I have with my family and my god mother and her family.

Until my German is better it is really hard to form a close relationship with people when I can not properly communicate. Being in England was so nice to be able to become close to people so quickly.....and I missed it.


However I have now been back in Switzerland for a good few days and I am actually enjoying learning German again and the challenges that come with it. i feel that my brain has enjoyed it's break and is now ready to learn a lot more.

Switzerland is now extremely green, the landscape has changed as all the trees and flowers are flourishing in the extremely unusually warm weather we having. I have been back at school for a day and have slipped back into school life with out a problem.

So all good in the land of Chocolate, and I had a wonderful time in England

England day 3

I awoke at 9am on the third day of our stay in England. I put on nice clothes as today we were going to London. I had my breakfast and then at about 10:30 we drove to the train station so that we could catch the train to London. The reason we waited until after 10, was so that we missed the morning rush and could purchase discounted tickets.

The train trip to London was not dissimilar to the ones I am now accustomed to in Switzerland, the train was the same style and the computerised voice told you what stops were coming up. However the difference with eh English train was that they still had Guards or train officers who travel all day on the train, stamp your ticket and are fully equipped in first aid if necessary. We all had our tickets stamped and then sat back to enjoy the scenery. As we approached London I was amazed to see all of the houses packed so close together in long lines, the streets looked so dark and grey as if no sun would ever touch them, it reminded me of yet another movie, Billy Elliot and the streets that he lived in, with the people crammed in like sardines. Such a stark contrast to the English country side we had driven through the other day.

The first Landmark I could see form the train was the London eye standing tall above the city, we then pulled din to the station and hopped of the train. We bought tickets for a open top double Decker bus tour and then went to find our bus.



We hopped aboard our bus and off we drove. We passed many white tall buildings and Hotels, we passed through countless streets with regal looking buildings and English flags flying high. There where clocks coming off buildings, old buildings, new architecturally designed buildings and tremendous old churches. We passed St Paul`s Cathedral and the monument to the London fires.














We drove over the Tower Bridge



And then arrived at our first stop for the day `The Tower of London` Had our photo taken with a Gaurd and then went to enter the building.






This building just makes you shudder as you think of what it must have been like for all of the Kings Queens and other ill fated people who where rowed to The tower of London to be banished form the world in this cold isolated building.






However our tour of this tower could have been nothing like this experience as it was rather exciting to see Coats of armour, model horses and old weapons




Yet the biggest attraction had to be the Crown Jewels. The crown Jewels will never cease to amaze me when they are on Television, and to see them in real life is something else. The rocks that are on these crowns are out of this world and the intricate designs of the crowns is magic. The doors to get in and out of this secure vault is almost an attraction in itself as they are so thick and dominating that if they such on you you would never live to tell the story.
These jewels are guarded by the best of the English guards and one would be arrested if one took a photo of the jewel let alone tied to steal them. So lets just say my camera stayed safely in my bag through out his whole regal experience.


After the tower of London it was back on our bus for a view of the Thames, a the Waterloo bridge, Trafalgar square,A Kings Monument, Piccadilly Circus, and the marble arches.















Once we reached the monument of the Victory of England against Napoleon, and the war memorial for the Australian soldiers we hopped of our bus for a spot of shopping.







After shopping, and going into the ever so important tourist shops to buy badges and patches for my Rotary blazer it was back on the bus to go and Visit Buckingham Place. On the way we passed the Ritz hotel where one could have afternoon tea for the small price of 55 pounds…or 127 dollars. We also passed the Phantom of the Operas home and the West End.

We even passed a few special British specialities such as the famous back cabs or in our case a purple and a pink one as well. The famous red items, the post boxes and Phone boxes. We also didn’t miss out on seeing a Pub with a real English name ‘the Bag a nails` and the famous Underground station. Also every famous manopy street you can think of ...I have driven over.

After our English experiences we arrived at the biggest attraction of them all her majesties Buckingham palace. Here we saw the `bobbies` with their hats and Olivia and I had a photos out side this famous residence.

Once we had snapped away at the royal palace it was time to get back on the bus and head back to the train station, passing on our was Westminster Abby and Big Ben.

With weary eyes and legs we boarded the train and rode it safely home after a big London day.

England Day 2

I awoke at 8am on the second day of our stay. Cordeleia came into the room to see her guests and ended up sitting on my bed having a chat, just like my sisters and I used to when we had guests. We all got dressed and then went down stairs for our breakfast.

After breakfast we all piled into the car and off we drove to Hampton Court our destination for the day. King Henry the 8th was the most famous owner of Hampton Court, as he did make a name of himself by having 6 wives, and he was Hampton Courts first Royal owner.

We took a scenic route to Hampton Curt and arrived at the entrance. The Gates to Hampton court where my first view of an entrance to a Royal Palace.



We bought our tickets and then headed off to explore the castle. The walk to the castle gave one an amazing view of the front of this massive building.


On the way we passed a real English lap post. It was so funny to see a Lamp post like this as I have only ever seen them in Mary Poppins, when the Old ladies are holding on to them so they don’t get blown away in the wind, it is so strange to think all of these things actually exist in real life.






Once inside the castle, after crossing the now grass moat, we received our audio head set tour guides. These guides where fabulous as we where able to walk around the caste at our own pace and listen to the History of each room.

The first place we visited was the Tudor Kitchens. These Kitchens fed around 8hundred People in King Henry’s , with the most elaborate and expensive dishes that money could buy. To feed so many people the kitchens where a fully run business operation. With clerks to account for the amount of food eaten, huge fridges (well passage ways that were kept cool) to store the meant, huge ovens and spits to cook the royal meets and heaps of pots bubbling away with special treats.






Now this wouldn’t have been a royal meal if it was not accompanied by wine…and to have enough wine to quench he thirst of 800people you have to have one big wine cellar. This wine cellar was the biggest I have ever seen; however back in King Henry’s time wine for 800people came in barrels not bottles.



Next we went to explore King Henry's dwellings. Sadly I could not take any photos of in here, so you will just have to imagine a room with tapestries hanging from the walls dating back to the17 hundreds., paintings looking at you with stern eyes, and rooms filled with Deer horns.


After visiting the Kitchen and Henry’s rooms we had worked up a bit of hunger our selves. So it was off to the car to collect our Pick nick, and then off in to the back garden to eat it.





After our feast fit for a king we went back in to the place to go and see the dwellings of another King who had lived in Hampton Court, King William the 3rd . After seeing fabulous rooms fit for a king, we went to the next monarchs dwelling at Hampton court King George the 2nd.

The rooms in Hampton Court where not allowed to be photographed but as in any royal building it pays to look up. The ceiling can be a piece or art in itself.




The fountains can also be amazing and I thought at Fountain court deserved a picture.


The chimneys also need a mention as ever single chimney was different, and let me tell you in a place this big there were eat least 200 chimneys all different and all hand made.




Once we finished looking around the palace we went and took some photos of the girls dressed up in period clothes who give tours in the place.






Once we left the place the tour was far form over, we still had to looked at the Gardens.
These gardens were the most beautiful I have ever seen.









my favourite was the purple looking garden, and the shaded walking path so that the queens didn’t get to hot from the sun.






I also saw the Guinness world records longest grape vine.




After Visiting the Place we all hopped back in the car and went to see Olivia D-T is Boarding school and to drop off some things she had forgotten to take with her when she went back to school.


As we drove to Olivia’s school we saw Windsor castle just sitting there in the distance…so I had to take a photo.



When we drove into Olivia d-T’s school O could tell it was something special. And I was right, this school was the most beautiful school I have ever seen, the grounds were pristine, the building was and Old Monastery and as such had the most wonderful little windows you have ever seen.




We Visited Olivia as she finished study and was going to Dinner. Our meeting was brief but it was great to see her again. She even showed us her dormitory quickly, it was a lovely room and it looked like a great school to be at.



We said goodbye to Olivia and went home. That night My God mothers Husband Ted had some Old friends of his come and stay, Stephen and Mary. Ted had met Stephen when he was a young boy in Africa and Stephen was a Priest was travelled around in a carriage that he hooked on to passing trains. They were a lovely couple and a lot of fun and it was great to meet them. After a wonderful dinner Cordelia gave us a Cello recital that was just fabulous and then it was time for bed after a wonderful day.