The Mad Indian
This morning Viking kicked us off the Viking Sea. We were sad to go and thought they should have kept us longer but they would not change their minds. After another hearty breakfast, we were tendered to the Greenwich Pier where we collected our luggage and waited for our ride. That was the easy part.
Before I go into the transportation, you must know that we have a travel rule against visiting emergency rooms on our trips. Ric came close to breaking that rule when he sprained his ankle while trying to find a restroom. It is a little swollen and bruised, but we think he will live and our rule will not be broken.
Now about our transportation to Heathrow Airport where we planned to pick up a rental car. Bill arranged a driver to pick us up, and when he arrived, he was not in a good mood. He called Bill to tell us where he was (maybe 50-yards from where Bill was standing) and was impatient because Bill told him several times he did not understand what he was saying. He was not happy and somewhat rude because of how the car service scheduled his morning in a way that was impossible to do. Only a block from our pickup, another vehicle was blocking the road on a narrow street. He then got in a profane argument telling the other driver in abusive language what he thought.
Once we got going on the hour long drive to Heathrow, our driver drove like a madman - worse than the worse NY taxicab driver you can imagine! Speeding, cutting in and out of lanes, and tailgating. We all held on for our lives and were afraid to say anything. We were very grateful to make it to the car rental place in one piece, and the car service is definitely going to hear from us. He should be fired!
Our next driver was much better, as Bill took over the wheel of our rental car and started down the road. It is a bit of a challenge driving on the 'other' side of the road. Our first stop was Blenheim Palace, but we were getting hungry and places to eat were not easy to find. Eventually, we got lucky. Karen spotted something and said turn left and Bill cooperated and we stumbled on a real gem, 'The Royal Sun - A 17th Century Inn'.
The pub staff was very nice and brought Bill some ice cream with a candle for his birthday. The food was fantastic. See pictures of classic pub food below - fish and chips, steak and guiness pie, and bangers and mash below.
So now that our tummys were satisfied we went to the palace only to find they were having an event and we feared that it would be too crowded, so we decided to wait until tomorrow.
Not far away, we found our bed and breakfast, The Rookwood Farmhouse, and settled in to rest and let Ric ice his ankle.
We spent some enjoyable time strolling through the large English garden and amazing vegetable garden.
Located in the country side, this place is very peaceful. We're in the annex building with 2-bedrooms and private bathrooms. Downstairs is a large living room with 3 couches, table and chairs, and a fireplace we won't be using because it's 80 degrees.
Before I go into the transportation, you must know that we have a travel rule against visiting emergency rooms on our trips. Ric came close to breaking that rule when he sprained his ankle while trying to find a restroom. It is a little swollen and bruised, but we think he will live and our rule will not be broken.
Now about our transportation to Heathrow Airport where we planned to pick up a rental car. Bill arranged a driver to pick us up, and when he arrived, he was not in a good mood. He called Bill to tell us where he was (maybe 50-yards from where Bill was standing) and was impatient because Bill told him several times he did not understand what he was saying. He was not happy and somewhat rude because of how the car service scheduled his morning in a way that was impossible to do. Only a block from our pickup, another vehicle was blocking the road on a narrow street. He then got in a profane argument telling the other driver in abusive language what he thought.
Once we got going on the hour long drive to Heathrow, our driver drove like a madman - worse than the worse NY taxicab driver you can imagine! Speeding, cutting in and out of lanes, and tailgating. We all held on for our lives and were afraid to say anything. We were very grateful to make it to the car rental place in one piece, and the car service is definitely going to hear from us. He should be fired!
Our next driver was much better, as Bill took over the wheel of our rental car and started down the road. It is a bit of a challenge driving on the 'other' side of the road. Our first stop was Blenheim Palace, but we were getting hungry and places to eat were not easy to find. Eventually, we got lucky. Karen spotted something and said turn left and Bill cooperated and we stumbled on a real gem, 'The Royal Sun - A 17th Century Inn'.
The pub staff was very nice and brought Bill some ice cream with a candle for his birthday. The food was fantastic. See pictures of classic pub food below - fish and chips, steak and guiness pie, and bangers and mash below.
So now that our tummys were satisfied we went to the palace only to find they were having an event and we feared that it would be too crowded, so we decided to wait until tomorrow.
Not far away, we found our bed and breakfast, The Rookwood Farmhouse, and settled in to rest and let Ric ice his ankle.
The grounds here are so beautiful and they have 5 friendly dogs.
We spent some enjoyable time strolling through the large English garden and amazing vegetable garden.
Located in the country side, this place is very peaceful. We're in the annex building with 2-bedrooms and private bathrooms. Downstairs is a large living room with 3 couches, table and chairs, and a fireplace we won't be using because it's 80 degrees.
Relaxing in our living room while Ric keeps ice on his ankle.
Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes
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