On Memorial Day we met mom and dad Alvernaz at the ferry terminal in Tilbury at the mouth of the Thames just east of London following their journey across the Atlantic on Holland America cruise lines. We spent the day exploring Dover Castle and the famous white cliffs and the extensive network of tunnels dating from the Napoleonic wars. During World War II these fortifications were extended to include an operations center and a complete hospital ward. The tunnels served as the nerve center for 'Operation Dynamo' which coordinated the evacuation and rescue of nearly 340,000 soldiers trapped by the German army on the beaches of Dunkirk early in World War II. If these forces had been killed or captured, World War II may have had a very different outcome.

Dover Castle hovers high on the cliffs and there is also an ancient Roman lighthouse (the Pharos) and equally old church. Dover Castle is well restored to suggest what life may have been like when Henry the VIII visited in 1539.

Over the next few days I escorted Dick and Tressie to sites near our home in 'East Anglia' including Norwich, Thetford, Ely, and Cambridge while Lorna worked. East Anglia once was a more important center of English commerce and culture and so there are a number of castles, abbeys, cathedrals, museums, markets, shops, estates and historical places nearby.

Norwich boasts an impressive Norman castle built as a royal palace 900 years ago. It is now a museum and art gallery. There is an interesting historical display about the Iceni peoples of ancient English history and Queen Boudica who led a revolt against the Roman occupying forces around AD 60. There are also displays of Norwich silver, Lowestoft porcelain, English and modern art. The Twinning Teapot Gallery showcases the world’s largest display of ceramic teapots. We also visited the original Coleman’s Mustard Shop and Museum and wandered around the Norwich Royal Arcade and outdoor market.

The following day we spent in nearby Thetford where the Ancient House Museum. a surviving timber framed house from the early Tudor period (1485-1545) that tells the history of Thetford and some of its more famous citizens including Thomas Paine a radical thinker of revolutionary war fame and an early advocate for our colonial war of independence from Britain.

Our wanderings included a tour of St George's Distillery... The distillery's first release was only 3 years ago. Believe it or not, this is the first truly 'English' whisky in over 100 years! (note: only Irish and Americans distillers use "ey"). The geographic borders defining "England" do not include Scotland and Wales, so Scotch cannot be considered an English whisky. Norfolk fields have been satisfying some of Scotland's needs for barley and malt for many years, but until St George's most of the local crop went exclusively to brewing local ales. Interestingly enough, the Jim Beam brewery in Kentucky furnishes most of the barrels used for aging English whisky. This truly "English" whisky continues to win tasting awards and accolades but is not available in the U.S., so, if you want a taste, you'll have to visit!

Next, we visited Ely. Ely Cathedral is a splendid church dating to the Saxon era of William the Conqueror. Ely was also home to Oliver Cromwell when he was first a member of Parliament. Cromwell is variously viewed as a well-meaning hero or a not-so-heroic military dictator who set himself up as a near-king after leading Parliamentary forces to victory during the English civil war that erupted in 1642. In 1653 he dissolved Parlieament and as “Lord Protector of England” ruled in place of the traditional monarchy. He died of natural causes in 1658 but was unceremoniously exhumed in 1661 to be executed (posthumously) in retribution for the his role in the execution of King Charles I. (For good measure, he was also beheaded). Click here to learn more about this fascinating and tumultuous period of English history.

Lorna joined us in Cambridge at the end of the week for dinner at the Eagle Pub. The Eagle dates to the 1400s, but is best known as the site where Watson and Crick developed their insight into the double helix structure of DNA unlocking the secrets of the genetic code. Evidently, a few ales did not dull their creative genius! The pub ceiling is covered with names of World War II aviators who used cigarette lighters, candles, and lipstick to document their participation in the great war. The walls are decorated with memorabilia from the many U.S. bomber and fighter squadrons stationed in this area to stage raids on Germany.

After dinner we went 'punting on the Cam.' The Cam is a shallow river in Cambridge and a punt is a square-ended boat with a flat bottom and no keel. It is propelled by a guide wielding a wooden pole. The Cam River offers some great views of the various Cambridge college campuses and was a nice way to relax after dinner. When the guide offered, I successfully polled our boat along without falling into the river or straying from the middle of the river channel.

The weekend took us to nearby Sandringham and Walsingham. Sandringham is a royal estate purchased in 1862 by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert for Prince Edward who eventually became King Edward VII. Queen Elizabeth traditionally spends her Christmas holiday here. Most of the year the living quarters, gardens, and grounds are open to tourists. Adjacent royal horse stables and coach houses have been converted to house a collection of coaches, limousines, trophies and other curiosities acquired or used by royalty over the years. The collection includes a 1924 'Silver Ghost' Roll Royce and a 1961 Rolls Royce 'Phantom' among other vintage automobiles, hunting vehicles, and toy cars used by the Royal Family. The Merryweather Fire Engine on display dates from 1939 and saved parts of the estate and local structures from fires during its service life. A display of stuffed trophy animals fills the walls of part of these stable/coach houses. The grounds are also flush with flower gardens, sculptures, ornamental trees, and such...

Walsingham, near Sandringham, is home to the national Roman Catholic shrine to Our Lady and attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year. We briefly toured the 'Slipper Chapel' and other church buildings.

Next it was onto the Netherlands and the 'Floriade' exhibition. Every ten years the Dutch flower industry sponsors this trade fair. About 15-20 nations from around the world also sponsor pavilions. (There was no U.S.A. participation this year.) The first day was rainy, windy and cold. It was decidedly nasty but we managed to see quite a few exhibits. Thankfully, day two was sunny and we were better able to enjoy the flower and garden displays and pavilions.

After two days at Floriade, we departed Venlo for a visit to the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague. The evening before, we learned via their web site that the museum was closed for renovations. Thankfully, we also learned that their most famous paintings were transferred to the Gemeentemuseum for a special exhibition. So, we got to see the famous "Girl With The Pearl Earring" by Vermeer as well as other treasures of the Mauritshuis along with the collections of the Gemeentemuseum... sort of a two for one deal! We then drove to Kinderdijk to see the dozen or so windmills that were once the primary power for pumps to drain this area which is mostly below sea level. A failure of the pumps would result in this area being totally under water in just 2-4 days.

The final day of our visit in Holland was spent in 's-Hertogenbosch (AKA: Den Bosch). We toured St John's Cathedral and central parts of this old city. Unlike many Dutch cities, s-Hertogenbosch did not suffer a lot of damage during World War II and so many old buildings remain intact.

We flew back to the UK and in the final two days drove to Greenwich to tour the observatory and museums. We stayed overnight at a Marriott Hotel in 'Bexleyheath' (east of London). By chance we discovered "Hall Place Gardens." Hall Place includes a topiary garden with bushes shaped into Chess Pieces as well trimmed to resemble the "Queen's Beasts" which we learned include 'The Lion of England', 'The Griffin', 'The Unicorn of Scotland', 'Red Dragon of Wales', 'The White Horse of Hanover', and several others. The Hall Place Gardens pub had an excellent menu including a version of Beef Wellington (one of my personal favorites). To determine how much you know about the Queen's Beasts click here for a fun trivia quiz.

Saturday morning we took the train and tube into London and navigated our way to the Victoria and Albert Museum. This is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects and includes a diverse display of sculptures as well as extensive displays of clothing and jewelry. We walked from the museum to the Albert memorial, through Kensington Gardens and past Kensington Palace which was 'home' for Princess Diana during her marriage to Charles. We were all pretty exhausted by the time we made the trek to the nearest tube station and negotiated several transfers to catch a train back to our car. That evening we drove to Heathrow and said our farewells following a 'lovely' two week visit.