My hat's off to you and you should be congratulated (154Cong.Rec.H5782)

I'm not really one for major sporting events or overly formal dress, but when you have the chance to participate in a 300-year-old tradition, you suck it up and strap on some heels and headwear. Many people spend hundreds and even thousands of pounds on hats that measure up to the dress code, but I opted for embellishing one I got for a steal from a charity shop in Rochester. In part, this was out of a philosophical objection to dropping a lot of cash on something I will never wear again, but it was also a way to make me feel slightly better about shelling out so much for tickets to the Royal Ascot Races.

My friends and I boarded a train in London with many other race-goers and shared some champagne during the short ride to Ascot. There, we disembarked and climbed the chute up to the racecourse (left). I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't a mammoth stadium-like structure. If not for all the horse statues (and fascinators), I might've thought I was at the Super Bowl (right).

Right outside the main entrance to the grandstand is the Parade Ring, where the royal family are escorted in on coaches. We were close enough to get full view of Prince Charles (top left) and the Queen (top right) and even a glance of Camilla Parker Bowles before the monarchs and other high muckety-mucks inspected the horses that would be competing that day (bottom).

I sprang for the more expensive tickets giving full access to the Royal Enclosure, which is pretty much like the concession area of any sporting venue but with posher offerings (left). However, you can't take food and beverages to the observation area, so I had to near-chug my Victoria Cup Julep, so I wouldn't miss the first race. I thought I would at least be able to keep hold of my cool mug (right). We thought it was a souvenir, considering the cost of the cocktail, but we were wrong. Not only did I have to leave the cup inside the enclosure, but I didn't get to take it home at all.

You can't eat or drink in the stands, but you are allowed to place bets pretty much anywhere; you can't walk five feet without bumping into a bookmaker. I was too overwhelmed with human watching to research the equestrian side of things, so I didn't bet (left). But I enjoyed rooting for the picks made by my friends, some of whom had a score alongside the Queen with a win by Dartmouth in the Hardwicke Stakes. After all the races are over, the party is prolonged outside in the pavilion, where musicians in the Bandstand lead the crowd in a sing-a-long. Despite the lyrics on the screen, I had to stifle myself from belting the words of "My Country Tis of Thee" to the melody of the UK national anthem, "God Save the Queen" (right).

A few weeks later, I didn't have to get nearly as dressed up when I visited the home of another owner of former Ascot winners, the Earl of Carnarvon. You  might recognize his manor, Highclere Castle, from the opening credits of Downton Abbey (left). For a portion of the year, the family opens up the house and grounds for tours (right), where fans can see, among other televised settings, the Stanhope bedroom, where character Kemal Pamuk slept -- before he died. I particularly appreciated the copy of The Stud by Jackie Collins prominently placed on a cabinet in the room.

Indeed, the current residents seem to have a good sense of humor about their place in popular culture and their station in life. Hanging on the wall was a framed cover of the Private Eye edition about "Downturn Abbey," and resting on a nightstand was a Tatler magazine next to a book called The Revolt of the Elites. But the castle features some true historical treasures, including Van Dyck's equestrian portrait of Charles I in the dining room, Napoleon's desk and chair in the library, and green silk and a chandelier donated by Alfred Rothschild in the drawing room. (Sorry, no photographs allowed inside.) Equally impressive as the interior of the estate is the exterior, including the Wood of Goodwill (top), and the Walled (bottom left) and Monks' gardens (bottom right).

On such a beautiful day, I brought a picnic to enjoy in the lawn next to the Wild Flower Meadow (left). Before I departed, I took one final saunter up to Jackdaws Castle, a grade-1 temple possibly built in the 18th century by Lord Pembroke (right). In a twist fit for TV, the Earl of Carnarvon was in line to inherit the lord's long-standing fortune until the current Earl of Pembroke produced an heir in 2012.

I think it is a story right out of Charles Dickens (148Cong.Rec.S11699)

It wouldn't be right to have TJ's family cross an entire ocean and not show them at least one quaint English village. Due to its location and attractions, we chose Rochester, which has a cute pedestrian high street accessible just steps from the train station (top left). The city is perhaps most well-known as the place where Charles Dickens grew up and died, which has contributed to some cheeky pitches to visitors (top right). A museum to the writer was once housed in the 17th-century Guildhall, but that attraction has since been eclipsed by the theme park Dickens World. Many buildings in the city became the basis of settings in Dickens' works, including Restoration House, which was the model for Miss Havisham's house in Great Expectations (bottom). 

The Six Poor Travellers' House was the inspiration for the short story "The Seven Poor Travellers" after Dickens visited there in 1854 (top left). Dickens inserted himself into The Canterbury Tales-like cast of the work, describing interactions among the characters in the garden (top right) and around the dining table (bottom left). In reality, the building actually operated as an almshouse with spartan bedrooms on offer as cheap accommodation for travelers (bottom right).

The almshouse was started with funds from the will of Richard Watts (top left), who is buried in a place of honor in Rochester Cathedral (top right). The cathedral, the second-oldest in England behind Canterbury Cathedral, is a mix of Gothic (bottom left) and Norman (bottom right) architecture.

 

Up the hill from the cathedral is another Norman-era structure, Rochester Castle (top left). The fortress was built in the 12th century to guard the River Medway crossing (top right). Even a catalpa tree between the cathedral and castle has historical significance (bottom). Dating back to the 19th century, the tree, also known as an American Indian bean tree, is thought to be the oldest of its type in England.

Along the other side of the castle sits one of the oldest pubs in England: The Coopers Arms, arguably the oldest pub in Kent (top left). The title is contestable because, although the building was constructed in the 12th century, it didn't become a pub until the 16th century (top right). We hopped forward a few centuries when we crossed into the more modern side of the high street and stopped at The Flippin' Frog for some craft beer and cider (bottom).

Refueled, we set sail for Chatham Historic Dockyard, which was opened in 1547 during the Tudor era to build ships for the Spanish Armada and was closed in 1984 shortly after it was used as a base to construct nuclear submarines during the Cold War (top left). Many famous ships, including the HMS Victory, were built in Chatham, and some still remain docked on the grounds, including the HMS Gannet (top right). After our day of stepping back in time, we caught the train to get back in time for our dinner reservations at The Brown Dog (bottom), where I put a point on the marine theme by ordering a whole baked sole as my main dish.