Marina and I decided to do something special for my birthday this year. We've been to a nearby "castle" for tea parties before, but all of them were outside. So we went for "High Noon Tea" inside today. We were both looking forward to finally seeing this beautiful place from the inside.
Marina wanted to wear a new pair of white fingerless gloves to the tea, but was disappointed when the white dress she wanted to wear no longer fit her. She tried on her Giselle costume and found it fit well and looked like a fancy party dress, so she decided to wear it. She looked beautiful.
We arrived at the castle a little before tea time. We had a table in the middle of the Great Hall. It was gorgeous. Marina had peppermint tea and we were brought an assortment of sandwiches, muffins, scones and desserts. We immediately dug in. As we ate, Marina kept exclaiming how happy she was to be there. She tried most of the food and found a few things she didn't like. But we both were soon full.
After we finished tea, we went on a tour of the castle. We learned the history of how it was built and the story of the owners. Each room had antique furniture and impressive artwork. Marina especially liked a portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots, who we've been told is one of her ancestors.
After the tour was over, one staff member took Marina on a "secret tour" to a balcony that overlooked the Great Hall. She was very excited by that. Once the tea was over, Marina said, "I want to live here!"
