Can a family ever find happiness in a car after they’ve taken a cruise? Taking my wife and our two children who still live at home on a self-guided land vacation after becoming accustomed to the luxury and ease of cruising did not initially conjure up nostalgia for the good old days.
After an all-night flight from LAX on which I didn't sleep, the only sane thing to do would have been to take a shuttle to a London hotel, so of course we rented a right-hand drive car with a stick shift and headed out on icy roads to tackle roundabouts and other peculiarities of English roads.
Like a flock of turtles, we were off to Windsor to see the queen's weekend home, foregoing breakfast. Queen Elizabeth wasn't supposed to arrive until afternoon, or I'm sure she would have asked us in for tea and crumpets, but we took a tour of the castle, which includes weapons, dolls, china and armor as well as paintings and historically significant furnishings.
After a royal lunch in Windsor (at Burger King, no less), my 14 year-old daughter Amy wanted to see Oxford University, which she and her friend previously decided would be a wonderful place to attend college.
We figured it would be less expensive to visit Oxford on this trip and buy her a sweatshirt.
After swooping through town and seeing various Oxford campuses, we continued on to Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Notice that within 24 hours we had already driven from London then around and around and around and around Maidenhead, visited two major destinations in Windsor Castle and Oxford, and were already on our way to Shakespeare's home.
Can you see why I find cruising so much more relaxing?
We flew into London on Virgin Atlantic, and the airline made it about as painless of an experience as possible for us, with personal entertainment television monitors mounted on the seatbacks in front of us on a smooth flight.
After an all-night flight from LAX on which I didn't sleep, the only sane thing to do would have been to take a shuttle to a London hotel, so of course we rented a right-hand drive car with a stick shift and headed out on icy roads to tackle roundabouts and other peculiarities of English roads.
Without advance reservations, we didn't need to worry about the fact we couldn't find any one particular Bed & Breakfast, but unfortunately, the lack of streetlights and poor signage made it difficult to find most B & Bs.
The ones we did stumble upon were already full, so we stopped into a petrol station in Maidenhead to ask if anyone knew of a nearby hotel.
The proprietor did not, but some teenage rockers picking out snacks looked at me funny, then said there was a Holiday Inn next door.
I walked outside, and sure enough, I had parked not a hundred yards from the back of a Holiday Inn.
The ones we did stumble upon were already full, so we stopped into a petrol station in Maidenhead to ask if anyone knew of a nearby hotel.The proprietor did not, but some teenage rockers picking out snacks looked at me funny, then said there was a Holiday Inn next door.
I walked outside, and sure enough, I had parked not a hundred yards from the back of a Holiday Inn.
It was Saturday, which happens to be the off-night for most of these big hotel chains which cater to business travelers, so we found ourselves snug in a very nice family room for the night at a rate of 95 pounds (about $180).
By the time we found this place, it was close to bed time, so we ate dinner at the hotel's cafe. Here, like most places in England, we found prices in pounds to be about what you'd expect to pay in the U.S. in dollars, although of course it takes about $1.80 to buy a pound, plus charges for currency conversion.
After a good night's sleep, we were still snoozing at 9:30 AM, by which time we planned to have already showered and eaten.
By the time we found this place, it was close to bed time, so we ate dinner at the hotel's cafe. Here, like most places in England, we found prices in pounds to be about what you'd expect to pay in the U.S. in dollars, although of course it takes about $1.80 to buy a pound, plus charges for currency conversion.After a good night's sleep, we were still snoozing at 9:30 AM, by which time we planned to have already showered and eaten.
Like a flock of turtles, we were off to Windsor to see the queen's weekend home, foregoing breakfast. Queen Elizabeth wasn't supposed to arrive until afternoon, or I'm sure she would have asked us in for tea and crumpets, but we took a tour of the castle, which includes weapons, dolls, china and armor as well as paintings and historically significant furnishings. After a royal lunch in Windsor (at Burger King, no less), my 14 year-old daughter Amy wanted to see Oxford University, which she and her friend previously decided would be a wonderful place to attend college.
We figured it would be less expensive to visit Oxford on this trip and buy her a sweatshirt.
After swooping through town and seeing various Oxford campuses, we continued on to Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Notice that within 24 hours we had already driven from London then around and around and around and around Maidenhead, visited two major destinations in Windsor Castle and Oxford, and were already on our way to Shakespeare's home.Can you see why I find cruising so much more relaxing?
