Diamond Jubilee, Part III: The Grand Finale

Tuesday, we tried our usual trick of waking up at the crack of dawn and arriving early at our destination to beat the crowds.  Our hotel was less than a mile from Leeds Castle, so we thought we had this one in the bag.  Unfortunately, everyone else seemed to have the same idea, including a cruise ship or two that were docked in the area.  When we pulled in to the castle parking lot, 5 minutes before the gates opened, the place was already swarming with people.

We enjoyed a leisurely walk through the extensive grounds, where there are quite a few resident peafowl.

Showing off for the tourists

Malcolm said this one looked like the evil peacock from Kung Fu Panda 2

The castle itself wasn't open yet when we got there, so we looked around the moat.  This was the most traditionally castle-like part of the visit, because much of the castle was remodeled over the years, with the last major renovation in the1920s.

The moat.  This one actually had water in it.

Moat wall

Pretty flowers growing out of the moat wall

We waited in line for nearly an hour to get into the castle, behind two groups of French school kids and a large group of Eastern European adults.  We finally entered through a door "below stairs" where the servants worked.  It was if we had walked through the doors of Downton Abbey, which, incidentally, we have been watching the past couple of weeks.  While we are a bit behind the times on our trendy tv, it's nice to have all the episodes available to us, so we don't have to wait in suspense for the next one.  It's also perfect summer-in-England entertainment.  Here are some pictures of the interior.

Hallway

View from a bedroom window

The Queen's bathroom

The Lumley Horseman, the oldest known English equestrian statue, circa 1580

Library, a la Downton Abbey

Dining room, also reminiscent of Downton

And here's a view from outside.  Very picturesque.

We happened to visit on a day when there was a jousting demonstration on the grounds, which the kids loved.  They also loved the carnival-style snacks-- sausage baguettes and fresh sugared doughnuts.  

From the jousting we went on to the kids' play area, via the lovely manicured gardens. The maze was jammed full of the previously mentioned French school kids, so we skipped it.  

Formal garden

Lovely lupines

Although a falconry demonstration was about to begin, the kids were tired and asking to go home.  We took a boat ride across the pond, hopped on the train-like tram, and climbed in our car just before the skies opened up.  Our timing was just about perfect.  We'll try to make it back to Leeds Castle another time to see the things we missed.

We broke our no-weapon-like-toys rule and let the kids get some foam shields and swords at the jousting match.  I'll leave you with this image of Sir Malcolm and Sir Soren.