Manors and more manors and a castle

The first Sunday we were at church we learned that all people living here need a National Trust pass! Sounded like a National Parks pass in the US, and it is something like that but for historical and natural sites. It pays for the entrances to 200+ sites, including Stonehenge, several castles, manors and many natural sites. So of course we had to check that out and bought a family pass for £133. The first National Trust site we visited is only a 20 minute walk from our house:

This is the Hughenden Manor. It is famous for being the former Prime Minister Disraeli's country home around 1850 and since 2004 it was also discovered that it was used for a secret World War II mission to create maps for the war efforts. So fascinating!






Another national trust manor, the Waddesdon Manor is about a 40 minute drive from our home. Of course we had to go check that out.  It was also my first time driving our new car here in England. A bit more scary for the passengers than it was for me! The streets are so narrow here that many times my options were hit the curb or hit the other car! For me it was a bit of an adrenaline rush, which was actually kind of fun, haha.  So all in all it went pretty well and I only drove on the wrong side of the street once!


So here's the right side of the car: Nice and clean


The left side however, showed definitely some effects of hitting bushes, trees and occasional curbs!!


And here is the Waddesdon manor. It is often used in TV shows and movies, such as the 2021 Cinderella, Downton Abbey, James Bond, Rebecca, the Crown, etc. 





How about having dinner here?!


Also noteworthy is that the Rothshilds, the owners of the manor housed over 100 Jewish children at the manor during World War II, most of them between the ages of 1 month to 5 years of age. 





The Windsor castle is unfortunately not part of the National Trust pass, but well worth the visit. We got there by bus, about 90 minutes from our home. The bus pass cost £20 for a full day for a family of up to 5 people. One thing that impressed me here is how friendly and helpful everyone is, especially when they thought we were looking a bit lost (which we did occasionally!) In fact, one of the bus drivers talked to us three times to make sure we catch the connecting bus and don't miss the last return bus! 

The castle entrance fee was a bit steep, £26.50/adult, but it is valid for one year.  We got to visit that castle with some new friends the girls made at church, some other Americans who's parents moved here for the new High Wycombe Church Headquarter. Here are some outside pictures (no pictures allowed inside): 






Seeing these beautiful sites and learning about the history behind these buildings made us extra excited to be living here for the next years. 


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