June 18 - Last Day of Coach Tour

On our way back to London we made one final stop at Blenheim Palace - another huge, over-the-top place that I can’t imagine living in! This one was owned by the Churchill family - Winston Churchill didn’t live there (his father was a younger son and didn’t inherit it) but he was born there because his mother went into premature labor while visiting. We did learn the difference between a castle and a palace - a castle was fortified and built for protection, while palaces are built to show off wealth and position. These people apparently had lots to show off!

This was just the center section - there were huge wings on each side too!

Beautiful gardens

Then it was time to say goodbye to our friends on the coach tour and get ready to fly to Dublin tomorrow. We stayed overnight in the same hotel in London, but this time we had a great view from our window.