So...In one week we went to Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. In one day we woke up in Scotland, drove along the west coast to Wales, and went to sleep in England. We saw some amazing parts of those three countries as we did it!
We loved seeing the rolling hills and staying in manor estates that had forests and gardens to explore. It made us miss our garden so much. Just as we did in Scotland, we would stop in random places on the drive to get some good photos. It is fun to see all of them, but also makes me realize that they still do not live up to the actual experience.
Every where we went people were gearing up for the coronation in just a few days. Although I am not sure Lady Hiva love Kind Charles like we did his mother, it was still fun to be there and feel the excitement in the air.
It was fun to head into Wales. We stopped in Mold, Wales and saw a beautiful chapel set on a hill overlooking the old towne part of the city.
One of our favorite parts of the drive was exploring the countryside just over the border of England from Scotland and seeing the ruins of Hadrian's wall. It was such a perfect experience. It was fun to learn about the history of the wall and how it shaped the two countries and the landscape up to today
The best jam, scones and clotted cream! The two Muggles loved the HUGE hot chocolate. Lady Hiva had ordered one for herself, I told her she better order two because they would drink it. Before it was over they had ordered two more so we ended up having four of them! I would say it was a hit!
I loved these trees. They were so majestic.
These two were running in the grass non-stop they whole time.
We saw an old abbey, Lanercost Priory. They have ruins of it and have restored parts of it to be a functioning church again. It, too, played a large part in the history of the region as it was in a strategic location.
The last time we were in England it was Lucky Dragon's first birthday. We bought him a wooden sword and a dragon from York Castle. That sword (and the dragon) have traveled with us wherever we have gone. When Koala Bear saw that they had swords at the museum of Hadrian's wall, she wanted one! But she opted to get the one that was a few inches longer than her brother's--haha.
The museum at Birdoswald--where an old Roman fort used to be--was so well done. It was interactive and informational. The kids loved all the hands-on activities. We could build a wall from Legos, we could construct our own stone arch and learn the physics of a 'keystone' and a pulley system, we did a hunt for a spy in the ruins to learn about each part of the area. It was so much fun! For the entire family.
Lady Hiva really started to love English breakfast--baked beans, sausage, eggs, and potatoes.
Each manor house we stayed at was fun and unique in its own way. Every day we would go outside and just walk. We explored the trails and the gardens until it was time to leave.
We had to laugh that this sign basically said to not dress like an American! HAHA
The Kirby Muxloe Castle was cool! It still had a moat around it!
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment