Castle Rock!

Last few hours in England, we had about two hours on our hands before we had to head to Heathrow and head back stateside, so Andrew and I decided to venture out during the only stretch of wet weather we had in England to explore nearby Arundel Castle.  Despite what you've ever heard about English weather, we had nothing but glorious sunshine for virtually our entire visit.

Truth be told, the mist and light rain added to ambiance of visiting a 12th century castle.

Andrew calls this his "This is my crib" pose.  You'll see it frequently on his travels through the passageways and the keep of the castle.

We'd run, walked and driven past the castle enough times during our stay, and our hotel was practically looking out at the castle atop the hill, so we felt it was time to get inside its walls.

One of many royal poses Andrew would strike inside the halls.

Not quite sure if he was allowed to venture into this stairwell, Andrew approached new entryways with some trepidation.

A Lannister always pays his debts.  Pay up, Andrew.

I kept waiting to hear the falsetto tones of "I Love You More Today Than Yesterday" belting out.  Google it, you'll get the reference.

Quick history aside:
Arundel Castle was built at the end of 11th century by Roger de Montgomery, the Earl of Arundel.  The oldest part of the castle is an artificial mound build in 1068.  The Keep, where we did most of our exploration, was built around 1150.

This guy dates back to 1993.

Here's the parts of the castle they don't let the public get near.

Cool side note: one of the previous occupants of the castle, the Duke of Norfolk, was the uncle of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom were wives of King Henry VIII.

Having flashbacks to so many Game of Thrones episodes at this moment in time.

The view from atop the keep.  On a clear day, you can see the England Channel off in the distance, along with Martin's old Littlehampton stomping grounds.  Not this day though, as the fog and morning mist created an eerie but effective setting for our visit.

From high atop the keep

And again with the spiral staircase

Andrew was so busy scoping out the architecture in the chapel he didn't notice the creepy monk watching him from the corner

King of his Keep

Here he goes again

Arundel Castle is the family home of the Duke of Norfolk.  The Dukedom in this case is in charge of state ceremonials such as the coronation and funeral of the Sovereign.

Not a bad way to wrap up an emotional, but important trip

Can you tell Andrew's fairly jazzed by his surroundings?

The view of the castle's other, private side

Our whirlwind tour over, it was time for some repast in the castle's dining hall.  That consisted of a scrumptious chicken and mushroom pie, and for Andrew, a treat he'd been looking for throughout the trip - scones with clotted cream and tea.

Tea aficionado that he is, Andrew tried the local teas at every turn.  Literally.  Morning, afternoon, night, Andrew was packing away as many cups of tea as pints of local ales.

But really, with a setting like this, can you blame the guy?

An absolutely unforgettable father-son side trip during our UK trip.  We felt as though we immersed ourselves in Martin's homeland to the best of our abilities during our jam-packed, five-day stay.

If you've followed the blog posts this far, thanks for reading.  There's one more to come, a heartfelt thank you to our gracious hosts, and the newest members of the international band of E Streeters.