Kent

For the Thanksgiving holiday, we opted to drive to France and take the Chunnel to England.  We made a reservation for the train ahead of time and drove to the port.  When we arrived at the port's gates, a camera scanned our license plate.  The computer terminal at the gate then greeted us and printed out our boarding pass.  We proceeded to drive through the port to the boarding zone where we were guided onto the train.  Below, you can see the train at the bottom of the ramp.

 Here's a picture of what the INSIDE of the train looked like.  Again, guides were present so that our car was positioned properly.  It took approximately 30 minutes for us to travel underneath the Channel and emerge in England.  

Though we'd toyed with the idea of driving to London for a day, we ultimately decided to spend the entire holiday in Kent.  Below is a picture of Hever Castle, most notable for its having been Anne Boleyn's childhood home.  Those with a bent toward superstition believe that the castle is haunted.  No pictures were allowed inside the castle; this was unfortunate as the woodworking was beautiful.  Once inside, there were several exhibits including Anne Boleyn's prayer books, torture devices, and many authentic Tudor period paintings and objects.  

Mom and Aunt G - I know you'll shake your head at this picture!

Photo taken in the inner courtyard. 

After Anne Boleyn's father, Thomas, died, Hever Castle passed into the ownership of Henry VIII.  After annulling his marriage to the Germanic Anne of Cleves, Henry offered the castle to her.  After passing through several families, the castle was eventually purchased and restored by American William Waldorf Astor.  Many of the castle's rooms reflect Astor's tastes, and it was possible to see the garret rooms once occupied by his children.  

While restoring the castle, Astor added Italian-styled gardens.  Luckily, the paths featured handicap accessible ramps!

I never did find my way out of this maze, but Log and Littlest did!

We also visited Churchill's home in the Kentish Weald:  Chartwell.  Churchill once said, "A day away from Chartwell is a day wasted," and I'm inclined to see his reasoning.  The property was magnificent.  Clementine didn't return to Chartwell after her husband's death and requested that the rooms, then modified with fittings to facilitate life for an older gentleman, to be restored to the family period.  Littlest and I hiked up the Weald and found that many trees were decked out with swings!  During our visit, we were able to go into Churchill's painting studio and view hundreds of his works, visit an exhibit commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of his death, and speak with several of the on-site docents.  

J is taken with mature trees and vines; he nearly always comments on them…and photographs them.

One of the docents at Chartwell told us that nearby Ightham Mote (pronounced Item Mote) was well worth a visit.  As it turned out, it was nearly everyone's favorite stop on the trip.  Ightham Mote is a moated, medieval manor house.  As it was close to Christmas, the house's rooms were decorated in a Victorian Christmas style.  Littlest was given a seek and find sheet and spent much of her time trying to spy the listed items.  We spoke at great length with a docent who was able to tell us how the house came to be handed down over hundreds of years.  The house was eventually purchased by an American, Charles Henry Robinson, who sank a lot of money into restorative works.  

The kids thought we should build a doghouse like this one for Argos!