On The Road to Abbey Road
/I feel like our London adventure has come full circle. The first day we arrived, my friend Fred gave us a quick tour of the St. John's Wood district and the famous Abbey Road site and studio.
Read MoreOn The Road and Up The Shard!
/Our morning started with a quick trip on the Tube to London's newest landmark, The Shard (think Willis Tower). This modern marvel opened in February of 2013 and is Europe's tallest building!
Read MoreOn The Road to (inside) Buckingham Palace
/With the organized tour portion of our British trip behind us, today's pace was a little less hectic. I had booked a tour inside the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace, which luckily for us, are only open between late July and September when the Queen is on holiday!
Read MoreOn The Road to Leeds Castle
/
IMG_6151
IMG_6152
All was quiet as we pulled out of Brighton and made our way north toward Kent County - destination, Leeds Castle.
We made a quick stop along the way at the delightful town of Turnbridge Wells, a Georgian village where many of the shops began as residences in the 1600s!
IMG_6155
IMG_0457
IMG_0461
IMG_0459
IMG_6153
Time for a quick latte and off to the magnificent Leeds Castle! Known as "the loveliest castle in the world," there is 1000 years of history here!
IMG_0477
IMG_0476
IMG_0479
IMG_0488
Leeds Castle was originally the site of a mannor of the Royal Saxon Family around the 9th century. It was used during the Medieval and Tudor periods by a variety of Royalty; in 1519 King Henry VIII transformed the castle with much new building for his first wife Catherine of Aragon.
IMG_0481
IMG_0484
IMG_0493
IMG_0490
IMG_0491
IMG_0487
In 1552 Leeds Castle was granted to Sir Anthony St Leger, of Ulcombe near Leeds, for a yearly rental of £10, for his services to Henry VIII during the uprising in Ireland. It remained in private ownership for over 400 years.
IMG_0497
IMG_0507
IMG_0495
IMG_0503
IMG_0508
IMG_0499
Since 1974 the Castle has been owned by the Leeds Castle Foundation, a private charitable trust. It is a working castle, kept as a living house, with bedrooms that regularly accommodate guests at weddings, conferences and banquets. It even hosted the G8 Environment Ministers' Meeting in 1998. With 500 acres of formal gardens and beautiful parkland, Leeds Castle is open to the public; in the last thirty years over 10 million people have visited the castle.
IMG_6156
IMG_6162
IMG_0467
IMG_6160
IMG_0462
IMG_6177
Make that over 10-million and ONE!
IMG_0513
The guided portion of our fabulous adventure ended on a high note as we left Leeds Castle, and made our way back to London. We bid farewell to our delightful guide Nici - but Sara and I now have several days on our OWN to explore all facets of London!
IMG_0525
IMG_6182
IMG_0530
From the Beatles to Buckingham and everything in between, the journey continues!
IMG_0536_2
IMG_0533
On The Road to Stonehenge, Salisbury and Brighton
/It was a short night's sleep, but a sound one after an incredibly busy day on Thursday!
Read More
Why the unfinished title? Let me explain. During my last day on the air, before retiring from ABC 7 Chicago, I gave a message of gratitude to our viewers. The last thing I said was a quote from a friend. “Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten.” That is the reason for the …