UK Bound

This Sunday we're off for our annual trip to the UK. Since my husband is British and thus my in-laws we try to make it out to the UK at least once a year. This year our trip includes a wedding in Bath as well as some family time.

Our trips usually consist of London and Bath, the fam is in London and Bath being where we were married and where Dom went to University and thus a special place in the UK for us both.

Rarely do we manage anything beyond these two places.

But this time, this time we're off to Liverpool!

The hubs daddy's side of the fam is Liverpudlian and thus a plethora of family members still live in Liverpool and after 2 years of marriage and a fair amount of time spent in the UK I have yet to see Liverpool.

We are also going to make time to do a few things that I have always wanted to do but just have't made time for during our previous trips.

1. The British Museum. Famous museums of the world include the Met, Louvre, Smithsonian, Cairo Museum and The British Museum, yes? I have been to 3 out of 5 and since I've never been to Washington DC to see the Smithsonian it's ok that I haven't been there, but the British Museum is in London, I'm in London every year, I MUST go to the British museum!

2. Kensington Palace - My mother-in-law lives pretty much right next door to the palace, which is where we stay EVERY time we're in London and I have yet to do more than walk through the gardens outside the palace on my way elsewhere. Princess Di lived here when Princes William and Harry were young and it was her official residence up until her death. It is also, according to Wikipedia anyway, the official residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

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3. I need to do some Tudor sightseeing. I've been to the Tower of London several times, LOVE btw, but that's the extent of my Tudorness that I've taken the time to experience. I'm thinking since we're driving to Liverpool and thus have a car I gotta include a Tudor castle or something into the itinerary. I have a few contenders on the list so far.

Hever Castle - This is Anne Boleyn's childhood home and you know how I love me some Anne Boleyn. And bonus...it's only 30 miles outside of London.

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Hampton Court Palace - Henry VIII's longed for son Edward VI was born here, his third wife Jane Seymour died here and Henry's ill-fated fifth wife, Catherine Howard's ghost is said to haunt here. I love haunted anything. Also, it is again super close to London.

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Thornbury Castle - Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII spent a week here soon after they were married. This castle is a hotel and apparently you can stay in the actual room that Henry and Anne stayed in during their visit. COOL. Another bonus for Thornbury is that it is part of the Von Essen Hotels, which "our" hotel Ston Easton (where we were married) is also part of the Von Essen Hotels. This castle is close enough to Bath/Bristol that we can hit it on the way up to Liverpool.

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Berkeley Castle - Another castle that Henry and Anne stayed at during their very brief 3 years of marriage. Also Berkeley Castle was the where Edward II was imprisoned and murdered. Not Tudor in any event, but I like famous murder houses as well as haunted ones! This castle is also on the way from Bath up to Liverpool.

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Assume I've done the other touristy things that you come to mind when you think of England/London, ie. Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly, Stonehenge etc. Anyone have anything fabulous in England that I should include in my itinerary? Some Liverpool Beatles fantasticness maybe?