On August 4th,
Mom and Carl arrived
in the UK for their summer holiday in Europe. Arriving in London, they were soon joined by Carl's son Mark and his friend Alvin, who were going to join them in their swing through Continental Europe.
That evening, we all went to the Hungry Horse pub outside Windsor. The Hungry Horse is known for it's 17 inch platters of pretty ordinary food. The outdoor gardens are pretty however, with a play park for the kids to play in - so it was a winner.
Click here for snaps from the hungry horse
On their first full day, Kathy took Mom,
Carl and the boys into London, where Mom & Carl took one of the double decker bus
tours around London. They saw all the sites and were able to conserve a
little energy as they were still a little lagged from the flight. Unbelievably it was
confirmed that Carl did NOT fall asleep on the bus tour which was a 50 to 1
longshot as quoted in the morning line by the London bookies. A dark day indeed for London's gambling community.
I joined the family in London that night where we had dinner at our favourite London eatery, Sticky Fingers. This restaurant is owned by one of the Rolling Stones and is a shrine to the band. They have good food, Stones music on the music system, and is steps away from Kensington Palace. Later we rode around the London's City Centre before ending the day safe at our flat in Ascot.
On Thursday of that week, Kathy took Mom
& Carl down the road to the beautiful city of Windsor, for a tour of the Queen's
weekend residence, Windsor Castle. The weather was spectacular and Mom had a good
time, escpecially when she visited St. George's Chapel in the heart of the
Castle. She bought a few Christmas ornaments, so if you are favored with them
at Christmas, you know you are in her inner circle. If not, tough.
Finally, On Friday, we again went down to London, this time with Mom, Carl, Mark and Alvin. We spent most of the day at The Tower Of London on the Thames River. Mom's favourite was the incredible Jewel House where the Crown Jewels are on display.
On Saturday they were off to Paris on the
first leg of their Continental Holiday. Following Paris they go to several cities in
Germany, 
including a Rhein River cruise.
click here for pictures from their trip to the continent
On August 19, they fly back to the UK for travel the next day back home to Sarasota and undoubtably a few days to recover from their trip.
Anyone who has ever traveled with Carl will appreciate the next picture.
He has many qualities but speed ain't one of them!!!!!
