Day 13 - The Real Downton Abbey: Highclere Castle

We got up and had a lovely breakfast at Frensham, and then we were off to see if we could get tickets for Highclere Castle. We phoned ahead and the lady I spoke to said that if we were there before 11:00 AM there was a good chance that we could purchase walk on tickets.  With that we flew in our car down the highway to get there.  It was about ten to eleven when we reached Highclere and me yelling "stop the car!"  I hopped out and literally ran to the ticket booth to purchase two tickets while Chelsea parked the Lingon Berry - and we GOT THEM!!  We were so excited to be there as it was a dream come true for us every since watching Downton Abbey. Especially so for Chelsea as she'd always wanted to visit it as it was the home of Lord Carnarvon who discovered King Tut.

The castle is truly spectacular in a setting of tall, Lebanon Cedars and exquisite gardens.  We joined a gaggle of women (all gushing about being there like us) to view the hall, drawing room, dining room, library, and the bedrooms.  So many scenes from Downton Abbey came to mind - the staircase Mary Crawley walks down in her wedding gown, the drawing room with it's vaulted ceiling where the family would gather at Christmas to decorate the tree, or even the servants staircase where Thomas and Miss O'Brien would be plotting their little schemes. 

The one thing that surprised us was the scale of the place. On TV it looks quite palacial, but in real life it's still large, but cosier than expected. We stopped at the Restaurant for a quick tea/coffee, sandwich, and scones and sat outside so that we could soak up the atmosphere.  Then we headed off to the Gift Shop to find some souvenirs.  I swear that every tourist in England was in there - one sweet old thing was in such a tizzy because she couldn't find a fridge magnet that I thought she'd have a coronary. 

Since all the crowds were either in the house or the Gift shop we decided to pop downstairs to the Egyptian Exhibit.  It was the 5th Earl of Canarvon and Howard Carter that discovered the tomb of King Tut back in 1923.  A lot of incredible artifacts were sent back to England and Highclere.  Most of the large items we saw where reproductions as the real items were donated to museums in Egypt and England. There were gold chairs, faïence bowls, and even a real sarcophagus with a female mummy inside.  The best was a recreation of the moment when Canarvon and Carter broke through the stone wall to reveal the treasures buried with King Tut.  Canarvon asked Carter - "Do you see anything?" and Carter replied with "Yes, wonderous things".  Through peep holes you get a glimpse of the golden treasures that they were about to uncover.  

After the Egyptian Exhibit, we went outside to see the gardens.  The estate is massive - it's actually a working farm, so you can see for miles in any direction.  The gardens have been created over generations, and today they are so beautiful with their varied themes.  We first saw the Monks Garden with it's medicinal herbs and plants.  There were also four arbours created from Cedar trees that were very impressive to walk through. We then carried on to the Secret Garden with it's beautiful roses, delphiniums, and other flowers I had no idea what they were. 

It was time to leave, but I was so happy that we had a chance to see an estate like this.  Again, many thanks for my wonderful daughter and her Indy 500 driving skills in getting us here!  We made our way to Bath via the M4 Highway - a 3 lane highway where there's no apparent speed limit but "go faster".  We got to Bath and made our way to the car rental place. 

What a place Bath is!  It dates back to Roman times with narrow streets and row houses built in the shapes of crescents. We had a Vendor at the Miniature Fair warn us about the driving conditions, but we didn't realize till this moment how right he was.  It's crazy how tight the streets are, and then they go and park, or even double park to create even more mayhem. Really miss my Baker Crescent and Brentwood streets.  

After many wrong turns and trying to double back to get to the correct street, we found the rental car place in an industrial park.  So bizarre!  We got a cab back to the Hotel and ran into rush hour at 3:45 PM in the afternoon.  The cab driver said he didn't know what was causing the jam, but ended taking us on a scenic route in order to bypass it.  There are some amazing houses, but everything here looks to be from the Georgian era or older.  No wonder Bath is a World Heritage site. 

Finally made it to the Best Western Bath Abbey Hotel.  It's wonderfully situated in the heart of the historical district and it's so quaint with an outdoor plaza in front of it with tables and umbrellas.  We checked in and our room is the best yet.  It's on top of the hotel on the 4th floor, and from our window we can see the Abbey, the River Avon, Pulteney Bridge, and Bath's famous hills.  

Tonight we went for a curry at the Rajpoot Indian Restaurant.  We had naan bread, papadoms, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Pasanda, and Lemon Rice.  Wonderful - the restaurant was down below the street level and decorated in rich purples with Indian lanterns spreading their star patterns onto the ceiling.  Warming plates lit with candles kept our food warm while we dined.  

We left the restaurant and returned to the Hotel.  We'll be in Bath for three days and then it's time to return to Gatwick and make the journey home.  It's been an incredible holiday so far and we're so looking to enjoying Bath.