The title is a great description to our day, and here's a sneak peek at what's to come in this blog.
Before I delve into today's gallivanting adventures, I'd like to share yesterday's trip to Basildon Park, which is located very near Reading, just west of London.
This stately mansion was built in 1771 by a man named Francis Sykes who had made his fortune in the East India Company. It was constructed of the Bath Stone that is so familiar to this area of England. Over time, it passed through various owners, was a convalescent home during World War I, a training center for the 101st Airborne, and POW camp for German soldiers during World War II.
All of this activity resulted in the house nearing the state of ruin.
In 1952, the house and grounds were purchased by Lord and Lady Iliffe, who were determined to bring the house back to its original glory. So, most of the content was purchased by Lady Iliffe, who was a big proponent of estate sales, and we learned that she could be quite the bargain hunter.
Her financial prowess was directly responsible for the unique and stately interior that exists today.
The house stands on a vast estate, and in order to reach it, one passes through this gate on the edge of the property and walks along a path through a wooded area before actually glimpsing it at a distance.
Trees were just beginning to bud and flowers were starting to bloom, giving us a peek of what the grounds will be featuring in the weeks ahead.
Some statues still stood the test of time
while others were victims of World War II target practice.
Apparently some found it a game to shoot off the heads and arms of some of these once stately figures. But they stand as a reminder of the spoils of war.
There are several trails on the estate, and we chose to walk the "pheasant trail."
But to be quite honest, we didn't even hear one, much less than see a pheasant.
But the walk was well worth the effort when capturing the sun shining on the front facade.
Inside, the entrance hall had been restored to its former glory, complete with gold gilding to recreate an Adam era interior.
The dining room gleamed with magnificence
The china adorning the tables was original to the house, having been found at an estate sale in Denmark by a member of the National Trust.
Lady Eliff purchased an entire bedroom suite, complete with curtains and valences for £100.
and the tour guide was excited to show us a second bed that she purchased for a mere £10. This woman could be near and dear to my heart!
The Iliffe family used this house as their primary residence, blending the old with some of the modern.
And there was even a 1950 style kitchen in the bottom of the house, complete with items that would have been used during that time period when the house was purchased by the Iliffe's.
From here, we headed into London, checked into our hotel, which was directly across from London's Kings Cross Station, and met up with Marty's entertaining Irish cousins. As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, it was all quite a bit of fun and certainly an evening that we will cherish for many years yet to come.
And today, after a great night's sleep despite being in close proximity of the station, we headed into London to take a ride on the famous "Eye".
We saw St. Paul's Cathedral at a distance
and Buckingham Palace as well
and I spied some beautiful gardens directly below.
We were lucky that the day proved to be beautiful once more, so that we could really enjoy the view from the top.
From here we headed to the British Museum, which is, in itself, quite a grand structure.
And, as you can see, the interior is quite vast as well.
Probably the most famous item in this museum is the Rosetta Stone, preserved under glass, which makes it virtually impossible to photograph properly.
Also, since it is such a popular item, it's kind of hard to get around all of the people who are desperately trying to take a photo of the stone, but who seem to be clueless that the glass and lighting surrounding it, definitely compromise the outcome.
So, guess what? No photo of it here, even though it is famous!
But, for all of the hype over the stone, there certainly are myriads of other items of what I would consider equal worth.
Around the corner from the stone was the likeness of King Ramesses II, which stood at the entrance of the hypostyle hall.
a Palm leaf column of Ramessess II, dating back to 1279 BC. Now, how amazing is that?
A statue of Amenhotep III
And this King list which, being a genealogist, really captured my attention
The ovals list the kings of the past, so Ramesses is listed on the far right, with the preceding kings in order working to the left. Kind of like a family tree. But, let's face it....this is really far back in time!
In the Ancient Greece section, the Nereid Monument stands, with much of it still intact.
As I mentioned earlier, this museum is huge, and to be quite frank, one could probably spend a week in this place and never see everything. But let me post a few pictures of some of the more modern contents:
Handcrafted French Huguenot Silver crafted in London in 1685.
Pair of ivory and silver gilt cups, carved in 1711.
An earthenware wine flask painted with a bust of Charles II in 1668
And a 17th century replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
By this point, we decided to call it quits, and we began the trek back to the underground to get back to the station. We retrieved our luggage from the hotel, and went to Kings Cross Station to wait for Suzie to arrive.
Then, we hopped on the train to begin our weekend adventure in Edinburgh.
Just look at those smiling faces!
And here we are nearly at our destination.
Our train arrived at Waverly Station at 9:21 pm. We transferred to Haymarket, and walked a little less than half a mile to reach our B&B hotel.
The room is awesome! And, here is the night view from the very large windows:
Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
