Two things for the bucket

Mark's dream came true today. For 22 years I have heard all about Arundel castle. Now at one point on this trip he had the nerve to say, no, we don't have to go there. If anyone of you know Mark, sometimes he gets all pumped up about something but then declines in the end (best example if that is Allen's, a pub on the Danforth that he always says he wants to go to but never does, even if we're standing RIGHT OUTSIDE!). Anyway, this time I wasn't going to back down. We ran into some traffic and even briefly considered changing plans but in the end we persevered and finally arrived at the castle. The is still the home of the Duke of Norfolk and is rather grand.


There is a very old part still remaining dating back to the 1100's but much was rebuilt in the 1800's. We had a great tour of the keep (lots of treacherous stairs). Then we headed to the more current section and it was glorious. We could tour the bedrooms and they are still used quite often when the family visits. Unfortunately no pictures are allowed inside but you can always check out the website. http://www.arundelcastle.org/_pages/03_visitor_info.htm
Finally we went outside to the church and the gardens. The church has many Dukes and family members buried there in the roman catholic part. The most interesting part is that there is a Protestant church attached. The Catholic part was actually bought back from Henry the VIII by one of the Dukes. There is door that connects the two but it's only been opened six times in the past 400 years. There are also magnificent gardens of course, with all sorts of exotic plants.


Our trip home took us through Brighton, something from MY bucket list!! Ever since I saw quadrophenia back in grade 10 with Roger Daltrey and the Mods and the Rockers, I have dreamed of going to the Brighton shore. It's incredibly beautiful and very Riviera-like.


There are all sorts of amusement rides on one of the piers and these cute little cabins that you buy or rent to store all of your beach stuff. I think I may invest.
At home we enjoyed a true English classic, Pim's with strawberries, cucumber and mint along with lemonade.


Yummy. Currently we are waiting to pick up our thai take out. Still working out plans for tomorrow but whatever it is, I'll be sure to write about it.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone