Family Reunion in England - the final days

We flew from Dublin to Heathrow, and were happy to see the driver with our name at the gate as we exited.  He took us to his car and drove us to Burghfield, all the while "sharing" his ultra conservative views.  I kept my mouth shut!  I was just happy to get the ride for a reasonable price, 55 pounds including parking at Heathrow.  Others we spoke to who used a cab paid almost 200 pounds for the same ride!  We got checked in to our B&B, the Red Kite Inn, and walked the short distance to Lena and Andrew's home, site of the reunion.  Oh My Goodness!  This place was fabulous.  Upon entering the gate we walked down a path and saw their Alpacas.

The first sight of the house was breathtaking.  The home, Culverlands, is over 300 years old and they have restored it beautifully.  

After getting settled at the house, we watched the kids swim and Max, their Mastiff, took a dip too!

Getting setup for the party was tiring!

But soon, the party was in full gear.  There was fabulous food, fun memories, and great company!

The next day we didn't know what time to show up and didn't realize we were to be there at 1... so Bill and I walked down the lane to a pub for lunch.  

Then party day 2.  After dinner we took a walk around the property.  They had to cut down this large tree last year, but the stump was incredible!

The festivities continued, ending in an AMAZING fireworks display!

On Sunday we took a cruise down the river Thames to a pub for dinner to round out our wonderful visit.

There were houseboats all up and down the river.

And some other homes...

Hosting a reunion can tire a guy out and Andrew took a break.

We went through several locks along the way.

Max was happy that we were home!

We had a fabulous time!  Lena and Andrew were fabulous hosts and we had a great visit with family old and new!  A perfect end to a lovely vacation.

Day 8 - Guinness Storehouse and Brazen Head Pub

After breakfast where we said more goodbyes to some friends leaving today we walked into town to catch the HOHO (hop on hop off) bus.  Our first destination - the Guinness Storehouse for a tour.  We had a voucher for this as part of our CIE tour, as well as a voucher for the HOHO bus.  Honestly, I didn't hold high hopes for the Guinness tour, but it was really well done!  There are a series of self guided tour stops leading to the final stop, the Gravity Bar where you are given a pint of Guinness for your ticket and can enjoy while taking in views of all of Dublin.  I was really into this tour for the views... but had a wonderful time!  One of the first things you see, embedded in the floor, is the lease for the property which is for 9000 years!

A wall of water, an important ingredient!

A monument to Alfred Guinness

Next we learned how to properly taste a Guinness.  The room was very white and had steam coming up from 4 pillars, each emitting a different aroma that we should detect in the brew when tasting.

Next to the tasting room where we were told how to stand and how to taste our sample.

Next, I tasted - and it wasn't half bad!

 I took this next picture simply to catch the refracted light shooting across the brain picture...

In the gravity bar, we got our Guinness which had to sit for 2 minutes to be properly poured. 

The views were amazing!!

Next on to the Brazen Head Pub for lunch - the oldest pub in Ireland!

So we say farewell to Ireland.  Many of our tour guides or folks we have met in hotels start their conversation with "you are very welcome here..." and indeed the Irish have been among the best hosts we have ever visited!  The countryside is beautiful, and the cities charming.  We have now adjusted to seeing folks drive on the left side of the road, to the first floor of hotels being floor zero, and to the time change.  Sadly, it's time to leave her and move on to England tomorrow where we start our next adventure - the family reunion!