dan & jill: Jolly Ol' England

Well my very own Knight-in-Shining-Armor, Sir Daniel Blankenship, has just won the husband of the century award. He pulled off the ultimate surprise for me and I'm still in shock. In planning for our return trip home to the States, Dan told me we'd be stopping in London but that I wasn't allowed to be involved in any of the planning and I wouldn't know how long we'd be staying there. I love a good surprise so I had no problems with that!

As the day of our flight approached, I was thinking a day in London to hit the major sights and then we'd be off again and on our way to Seattle. Well, we arrived at Heathrow Airport and took the Underground train to London's Victoria Station. So far, my suspicion seemed right on track. Then we boarded yet another train and this one ended at East Grinstead, which I'd never heard of. I had no idea where we were headed at this point. This is where it gets interesting.

Outside the train station, a man was waiting to drive us to our destination. I was curious, to say the least. The car made its way through the lush, green English countryside (on the wrong side of the road) while the driver chatted with us in his fancy accent until we pulled up to a winding driveway that led to...[insert drumroll here please]...the Ashdown Park Hotel which is a castle!!! And by castle, I mean a CASTLE! A genuine, real-life, incredibly gorgeous castle! I had the hardest time fighting back tears as the car pulled up to the front covered entryway, which Jackson instantly dubbed a tunnel.

We were met with a flurry of butlers and doormen and my mind was still whirling as we followed a Daddy Warbucks look-alike through a long series of hallways and staircases to our ridiculously gorgeous suite, complete with a bathtub with jets. Heavenly! Here are some photos so you can see for yourself what we were walking into:

We had delicious afternoon tea (and milk for Jackson) at an outside table, overlooking the Ashdown's extensive grounds. A hot air balloon passed by in the distance. As dusk drew nearer, a herd of deer was spotted on the lawn.

When we had first talked about stopping through London, I had told Dan I'd like to tour the city on one of those double-decker buses. Well, I got my wish. We took the train back into London for a day trip and boarded the Big Bus Tour bus for a fabulous top floor view of all that London had to offer.

Jackson was pretty stoked about the breezy, carseat-free ride. That is, when he wasn't adding to the Jackson-Asleep-In-Famous-Places photo collection.

We hopped off the bus for a quiet stroll through the beautiful Green Park on our way to Buckingham Palace.

Jackson wasn't a huge fan of Buckingham Palace.

And of course we left the bus for a lunch of authentic fish & chips and British brews in the dimly-lit, rustic cellar tavern of The Dickens Inn, thanks to the recommendation of our taxi driver earlier that day.

Here are some more London photos:

All together, we spent 4 days and 3 nights at the Ashdown. Day 3 was a day of countryside quiet, complete with a hike through the Ashdown Forest. It was a gorgeous day to get lost in the woods (somewhat literally)!