UK August -October 2013- Tea Time and a Defunct Theme Park

Our journey from Hay-on-Wye to Blackpool took us through the beautiful English countryside. We didn't have any specific stops planned along the way, which left us open to discovery. This was one of the best drives during our road trip.

Instead of a full lunch, we pulled off in Northwich and had afternoon tea at Davenports Tea Room.

Davenports Tea Room was an amazing find. The tea room is broken up into three sections and it is themed after the works of local author, Lewis Carroll.

We arrived without reservations and we were lucky get a table. Davenports is very popular! We were seated on a love seat tucked into a corner in the front room. The spot offered a great vantage point for people and food watching. We sat right next to the case of cakes and desserts. This was a tease, as everything looked so scrumptious. Instead of a traditional table, our food was served on a rolling cart.

Dan ordered a Victoria Sponge Cake and I had a scone with our House Blend Tea.

As an American, Davenports Tea Room is exactly how I pictured a proper English tea experience. I didn't spend my UK trip trying different afternoon teas to make a comparison, so I'm not sure where Davenports actually falls on the spectrum. In any case, it was a fabulous experience that I highly recommend.

On the way out, we noticed a pretty garden and classic cars in a garage. Davenports Tea Room has character.

Sometimes, there are road signs that compel you to take a detour. We saw a sign that read "Camelot" and without hesitation, we drove about thirty miles off the highway to check it out.

Until we spotted what looked like a roller coaster peeking through the thick forrest, we hoped, but didn't know, that Camelot was a theme park.

Sadly, Camelot was our Walley World moment.

It wasn't just closed for the season, it had been closed for a long time.

We walked around the parking lot and tried to catch glimpses of the park through the gates.

The hotel associated with Camelot is still open and was hosting a big wedding reception.

They even have a Medieval Times type of show.

The best thing at Camelot = DUCKS!!!

Near Camelot, we found Heskin Hall, a farmers market and craft center.

Heskin Hall is a great place for craft and antique lovers. They have several large rooms with stalls of local vendors selling handmade goods. We picked up locally produced potato chips and lemonade for a snack. The rose lemonade was delicious.

Heskin Hall wins points for having cows that greeted us on the drive way.

UK August-October 2013- The London Eye

There are some tourist trap experiences that you just have to do. It seems like every time I host a first time visitor to Los Angeles, their two must-do's are Hollywood Blvd and Venice Beach. It's useless to try to convince them that those two landmarks are really not the best of what So. Cal has to offer. It's a lesson that every visitor must learn for themselves.

The London Eye is a beautiful tourist trap. Certainly, it's better than Hollywood Blvd and Venice Beach combined, but it's still not something that would be in my top-ten London must-dos.

I feel like we experienced The London Eye the '"right way". We went early on the first morning of our trip, when the city was virtually unexplored. The best thing about The London Eye is the amazing views that it affords of the city. We lucked out and visited on a clear day with blue skies. It was ideal.

The tickets are pricy and not really a good value for the experience. Dan's parents arranged our tickets in advance and they did a smart thing by getting us Fast Track Tickets. The FT Tickets allowed us to skip a majority of the line and walk through a separate entrance. This was a huge time saver on a busy day. Judging by the queue, The London Eye is an attraction that every tourist hits!

Save time, pick Fast Track tickets for The London Eye

Our ticket package also included a viewing guide.

Here's the thing about the Viewing Guide...it's more for a souvenier than it is for practical usage while on The London Eye. It's detailed, but it's also cumbersome when you pull it out and try to use it. The carriages of The London Eye are crowded and it's just not worth fiddling with a giant map. Also, the carriages are all equipped with computers that have the same information as the viewing guide. I felt like this was an extra that they tacked on to the upgraded ticket price, that really didn't add to the value.

What was the ticket price?

Just shy of thirty pounds per adult for the Fast Track Tickets. The tickets also included a 4-D Cinema experience. The term "Cinema Experience" is a debatable one. Like the viewing guide, this was an unnecessary extra thrown in to justify the expensive admission.

The film is a complete gimmick and super cheesy, showing a family visiting The London Eye. About a week after we visited The London Eye, we went to Blackpool and had another "4-D Cinema Experience" that was roughly the same film, but replaced with Blackpool landmarks. It led us to wonder how many other videos the company has made for tourist traps all over the UK.

Even though you paid for it as part of your ticket package, I highly recommend skipping the film. It's not worth your time.

Price aside, there are reasons that you should check out The London Eye. The views are magnificent and it will give you approximately thirty minutes of incredible photo opportunities. The London Eye itself is a marvel. I've never seen anything quite like it and it's hard to imagine that it was originally supposed to be a temporary structure. It's beautiful.

Check out the official attraction website for updated visitors information.

The London Eye- Official Site

UK August-October 2013 - London Gluttony R.S. Hispaniola

Just a few hours after we arrived in London, Dan's parents took us out to dinner on the R.S. Hispaniola, a boat docked on the Thames River. My jet lag and travel exhaustion melted away as we walked from the Strand Palace Hotel to the R.S. Hispaniola and I soaked in my first sights of London.

The boat has two decks and as the bottom deck was closed off for a private event, we sat on the top. One of the biggest reasons that you should dine on the R.S. Hispaniola, is the unparalleled views of London. We were directly across from the London Eye.

The menu was filled with a variety of options and with my mind on London overload, I found it hard to decide.

I finally settled on the Goat Cheese and Walnut salad for a starter with the Risotto Primavera for my main. Dan's mom also had the same starter and main.

Dan started with the Scallops on Asparagus and had the Welsh Lamb Chops for his main. Dan's father also had the lamb, but had the pigeon for his starter.

Dinner was delicious and we ended with some equally amazing desserts. I was curious about the Traditional Summer Pudding, so Dan ordered it for me to try, while I stuck with the safe bet of the Icebox Chocolate Parfait. The Traditional Summer Pudding is a mix summer berries cooked in their own sauces with bread to hold it together. It was okay, but I'm glad that I ordered the parfait! Dan's parents had a cobbler and a lemon based cream dessert.

Here is a shot of our group at dinner. A big thank you to Dan's parents for starting off our UK trip in style!

A few more pictures of the boat.

If you're looking for a special place for a meal in London, I highly recommend the R.S. Hispaniola. Stay tuned as I have many more UK restaurant reviews coming soon, including the best pub meal ever!