A Very British Weekend

I took a break from travelling after Norway for about six weeks, but still had some fun events in London!  This was Proms in the Park. 

"Proms" is a concert series over the summer in London, hosted by the BBC.  There are classical concerts every day (sometimes twice a day) and they are all broadcast on the BBC.  Or you can get tickets to go in person.  The last concert of the series is on a Saturday in September and is outdoors in Hyde Park.  It is a huge festival that goes on from 3-11pm and includes a variety of entertainment.  Here we are at our picnic spot - you can get an idea of the crowd behind us!

The headlining act was Earth Wind and Fire.  They were great live and the only disappointing thing was that their set was fairly short, about 30-40 minutes. 

The whole event is very patriotic and ends with the BBC Orchestra playing the classic British songs - God Save the Queen, Rule Brittania, Land of Hope and Glory (we know it as Pomp & Circumstance).  All the British people know the words to these songs and sing along - with enthusiasm!  We did our part by waving flags and singing along what we knew.  Well, Laura and I did - Dan and Mike know the words.  Although Mike was boycotting singing as he is Scottish and the vote for Scottish independence was only a few days after this.  I digress.  Rule Brittania!

The very next day was a little trip to visit Highclere Castle - aka Downton Abbey! 

I bought the tickets for this WAY back in February of last year.  It is so popular and they are only open for visitors on limited dates.  Isn't it beautiful on the outside?  All I needed was a yellow lab to walk next to me. 

We did get to tour inside the house and see several of the rooms they use for the show filming.  But unfortunately no photos were allowed.  We enjoyed walking around the grounds and had a nice tea before heading back to the station.  Amy and Alison selfie, just to prove we went!