Storming the Castle

We arrived safely at London Heathrow airport. Our flight had pockets of severe turbulence which caused some excitement on the plane. Other than that, it was an easy 9 hour flight across the Atlantic.

We saw Samuel L Jackson at baggage claim (Ben's first celebrity spotting). Alexia and her hubby quickly found us which was a relief as we had no idea of where to go to find them.
After dropping off our luggage at our cute holiday home, we ventured off to Hever Castle.

The gardens are vast and beautiful. I can only imagine how beautiful and fragrant it must be when all the flowers are blooming. Parts of the garden have an Italian appearance overlooking a lake. The fountain there very much reminded me of something you'd find in Rome. Also in the garden are a couple of mazes. Being that it seems to rain endlessly here, we were all quite muddy.

This was the childhood home of Anne Boelyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. Much of the castle is from the 16th century. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the castle. :(
For a while, Ben and I were so exhausted, we took a nap sitting up on a bench in front of the castle. I was too tired to care about being embarrassed. Perhaps tourists took pictures of the crazy Americans. Maybe we'll find a picture of ourselves online.

After storming the Hever Castle, we found a place to get fish & chips. Yummy!

Then we went home and crashed. Ben and I were exhausted.

Number of pictures taken today:  228