March 17 - Our 30th Anniversary!
We woke up today at about 8:30 and had coffee with Shelly. We packed up our things for a two night stay at Hever Castle. Mark walked to ASDA and picked up a few things for the trip (crackers, cheese..) Shelly put together a to-go cold box and gave us a bottle of red wine. She even let me take a full bottle of Woodford Reserve bourbon to sip on a bit.
Took Uber to Hever Castle about noon. Our driver was Tahir. It took just over an hour.
We had requested a specific room from the online photographs on the web site. It turns out we have the Tulip room, which is the honeymoon suite. It is in the Astor Wing, at the end of one of the hallways. It is a beautiful Tudor style room with magnificent wooden details throughout the room. I also like all of the old style hardware on the doors and windows.
We checked in with reception about 13:00. Our room was not quite ready so they kept our bags and we went out to explore the grounds and the castle. We stopped and had a quick bite to eat and hot tea at the Moat Restaurant on the grounds.
After we ate we walked over to see the castle and the yew maze. On the way to and around the castle there is a topiary garden which has beautiful large plants. We did the maze first. It is a small maze but it is fun. In the middle of the maze I asked Pat to marry me again. She said yes! :-)
Then we walked over and did a self-guided tour of the castle. Tomorrow and Tuesday the castle and shops are closed to the public, but we will get a private tour of the castle at 10:30. We toured the castle on our own. It looks small from the outside but there are a lot of rooms and a lot to see in the castle.
When we got back to our room a storm came through and it was actually sleeting for a little while. We opened some of the windows, which open sideways at an angle using the old style hardware, and watched the sleet.
Mark had arranged for champagne and red roses and custom fancy to be in the room when we arrived, and even a card from him snuck in and surprised me! The fudge is a gourmet fudge mixology selection from Fudge Kitchen. There are 9 selections, such has Brandy Alexander and Irish Cream.
After we rested for a while we went for a short walk in the gardens before it got dark. The swans, ducks and pheasants were all out. They come up close because they are used to getting fed. You can buy duck and fish food when the shops are open.
The Astor wing is beautiful. There is a lounge they call the music room, which has plush chairs and a working fireplace. Pat and I played a game of chess across from the fireplace. She won...
There is also a billiards room with a huge 12 ft x 8 ft snooker table. We read the rules online how to play and we played a game, after waiting for another couple to finish their game. Pat won the snooker game too... :-)
The bathtub is so long pat can lay in it and her head and feet do not touch the ends. She took a long bath. The shower is amazing too and is a little modern for the actual age of the wing but super nice nevertheless.
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