Crossing the Channel...

Then we went to England, to see the Cheapside Hoard, and on the way, we wanted to visit St Paul's cathedral in London - did you know they want £16 per person to go into the church?  In my mind, that's outrageous.  In Italy, every single church is free to enter.  Admittedly the Sistine Chapel costs to enter, but that's part of the larger Museum complex and isn't generally open to the public, but the biggest church in the world, St Peters Basilica, is free.  Also, I think £16 is a bucketload of money - about $30/head at today's rates... to go into a church.  

We opted not to go in, but I did take a free picture.  That was plenty!

I might just add at this time that I also went into the Marble Arch branch of Marks and Spencer, and went nuts buying their excellent t-shirts.  I love M&S.  Are you listening?  Offers of sponsorship (or free bras, or free t-shirts), gratefully received...

On the Saturday, we went to Brighton for the 100th birthday of somebody who would have been my grandmother-in-law, if things had turned out differently in the 1980's - but I won't post any of those pictures because they're all family and friends of the birthday girl - just take my word for it that lots of fun was had by all - including much admiration of the birthday card from Mr Golightly's friend Betty, who was in residence in Windsor at the time... 

But because we spent so much time driving round the countryside with Gretchen the Whacked-out SatNav on the day after the party, we had zero time to wander round the countryside or the town - except for the frenzied panicked driving up and down the streets of Windsor looking for the hotel's parking lot - and so there's no photos.  None.  Not even the free ones.