Downton Abbey, Arundel Castle and Guildford

Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle

Today was special. I'm a fan of the show Downton Abbey so I've been excited to visit Highclere Castle, which is the castle used in the show. I've been watching Highclere's website and while tickets are soldout, there's a small note that says they give out daily tickets at 10am. So, I made sure I was early, got in line and was lucky enough to get a ticket!

Its such a beautiful castle. They don't allow photos inside so you'll have to trust me that it looks just like the show. Of course the rooms seem a little smaller in real life. I especially enjoyed the main stairs and strangely

I thought the upstairs hallway was very recognizable and fun. I heard they were filming season 5 as recently as this past weekend. I didnt realize that a family still lives in the castle and they stay in a nearby cottage while these kinds of events go on. I didn't see a kitchen or maids quarters, but everything else was there. Its such a nice 'small' castle, it feels manageable to walk around and know where things are.

Arundel Cathedral

After that fun and excitement, I drove about an hour to Arundel Castle. First I stopped in a pub, made some friends and watched some football. Then I walked into what I thought was the castle, but it was actually the cathedral, which was beautiful of course.

Downtown Arundel

Downtown Arundel is great! Lots of bookstores and antiques. The antiques were like nothing I had seen before in antique stores, lots of beautiful furniture ad paintings that just beckon to be owned.

Late afternoon, I drove about an hour to Guildford, found a public parking area and then walked around town. So many great shops in Guildford. I popped into a restaurant and met a guy from Dublin with his family. He told me all these hidden places that I've added to my list to visit.

Apparently I walked around town a little too much because I literally had no idea where I left my car. You can't really fake the emotion of panic, and I began to feel it when I realized my phone was at 18% battery and I had only a few clues to remember where I parked.

I literally ran to where I thought I had parked, but the car wasn't there. So then I tried to re-trace my steps, but they were just too far away and I was on foot as opposed to in the car. I tried one last effort and it didnt work, so I was just about to try plan b and just take a train home when a random guy was right in front of me. I asked if he could help and we had some fun trying to remember my clues and sure enough, he knew where I was parked! Amazing. I made it to the car with 11% battery and made it home quite safely.

added later: Looking back on this post, you better believe I'll be taking more time to help people find cars or keys or anything else they can't find. Its so comforting when people not only help, but truly stop what they're doing and happily take time to help. I have a feeling thats the 'culture' we're all dreaming of.