Stratford Upon Avon and Warwick Castle

Going from the blog action lately it may seem like we haven't been up to much since the last entry, and that can probably be said for me, but Chris has had heaps going on - namely a trip home to NZ for a mates wedding and to soak up the searing sun of NZ over Christmas and New Year. There was some serious pouting from me about being left behind, but I was mildly appeased when I was taken to the Lion King Musical (absolutely amazing!) and promised jars of marmite when he returned.

Chris here: Just thought I would add a little more on my fantastic trip to NZ. After living in London for nearly 6 months I was a little nervous about going home in case I found it to be quiet and slow. This wasn't the case at all. The place is a paradise and all you kiwi's there right now don't forget that. Surfing, walking in the bush, barbeque's every night and all this is a traffic and crowd free stroll from your front door.

The entire time I was there the weather was unseasonably gorgeous. It rained on my last day but it was still 33 degrees, so no complaints. Special thanks goes out to Mum and Dad, Adam and Tammy and the rest of the crew for all the hospitality and good times.

Julie again: I only had one tantrum regarding his tanned skin upon his return, but basically within a week it was back to pastie white and glowing again so I had the last laugh. As I had become like a caged animal from being left here in the London winter, we booked a day trip to get out of London immediately, the place of choice was Stratford Upon Avon and Warwick Castle.

Amazingly the weather was stunning which made wandering around the town where Shakespeare was born (and ironically died on his birthday some years later) very pleasant indeed! We motored around the obvious tourist sights, birthplace of Shakespeare, burial place of Shakespeare, past every shop and pub named after Shakespeare and even bought a little book of sonnets by the man to complete our experience!

Warwick is only about 25 mins drive from Stratford Upon Avon so off we went with the other eager antipodean tourists to get a glimpse of England's most well preserved and spectacular castle. On the approach to the town you catch sight of 2 things, one being the tower of St Marys Church, the other the castle in all its glory. Upon advice from one of Chris' workmates we headed straight for the church as we heard if you climb to the top of the tower you get a great view of the town and the castle...we weren't disappointed with the view from the top despite the long climb up the narrow and steep tower! Great butt workout though...We must have stayed up the top a total of 2 minutes as we were so excited about getting to the castle for a nosey.

Not coming from a country where castles are abundant or even exist we really didn't know what to expect - oh the grandeur!!! The intricate ceilings, carved furniture, luxurious decor and such evidence of the divide between the rich and poor. It was indeed a beautifully restored castle with magnificent grounds. In summer they have jousting events and outdoor bbqs and if you are really keen (and mighty loaded) you can even get married there. It would have been nice to see some of that action but in all honesty we were just happy to have a sunny day after the rain and gloom of winter in London.

Our day trip out of London made us realise there is a lot to see and do out of London, most of which can be squeezed into a day, so I am sure there will be a few more little jaunts out of the city for us.

Obviously our focus for 2008 is to get away for as many weekends to Europe as our bank accounts will allow, and for longer breaks when we have enough holidays saved up! We have always claimed to be living and working in London so we can travel more and we are both eager to live up to that claim, so be prepared for more little snippets of our holiday get aways and feel free to tell us if we are lagging on our promise!

Next exciting instalment...Lithuania...