A lot of the houses and castles we visited had 'bee meadows' like this. So simple and so beautiful.
Our England trip is almost over and as we were recapping our favorite, and not-so-favorite, moments over a nice glass of cider, we realized that our pace picked up dramatically towards the end of the trip. Castles were starting to blur into one big ruined heap and I was having trouble keeping all the names straight or in the case of Bolsover Castle, keeping a straight face while saying the name.
So I'll try not to overwhelm you but a lot has happened in the last week. You've been warned.
Cute little country house. Only about 48 rooms too many for our needs.Now THAT'S a library.The duke of Devonshire obviously never had to worry about folding his buggy to fit onto a bus.The stairway (which was/is obviously for servants' and tourists' use) was decorated with empty frames. Not sure if they were afraid to put pictures up in that area or just had too many frames lying around.BabyPaw on the war path. Running a fever, diaper rash from hell and teething. Do not approach under any circumstances. Will bite.Some of the modern artwork was a bit, hm, suggestive.The ducks obviously knew that tourists = food. They even stuck their beaks into the bottom of the stroller just to check if we were hiding any sandwiches or croissants there.This is her "ecstatic" face. (Seriously though, she loved it.)These piglets had been born just that morning, a few hours before we saw them. Mom was snoring like a trucker, obviously exhausted, while the little ones were clambering and squealing, trying to get to the best teat.
After Chatsworth there was Bolsover Castle which just for the name alone was worth the visit. But the castle itself is great too. :)
Altogether now: BOLSOVER! (Also, look at the size of that tree!)Luis looking very small and very content. (This isn't actually in Bolsover now that I think about it... See what I mean about all the places running together?!)SmallPaw in heaven since her favorite thing in the whole wide world right now is making plays. There are productions going on at least 5 times a day and we've had to start branching out from the regular "Cinderella" and "Rapunzel" stories. Now there's "Cinderella moves to London", "Rapunzel's birthday party" and "Snow-white bakes a cake". Any suggestions for further princess stories are welcome.Okay fine so it's not just SmallPaw who enjoys dressing up.Trying to keep a straight face (it seemed to be more appropriate for the attire).Princess SmallPaw will see you now.Little Prince Charming got himself a princess for each arm.Totally fearless that kid. (Thank god he came out again by himself. Neither one of us would have gone in to find him.)This was actually at a National Trust property in Eyam. SmallPaw kicked croquet butt.Watching deer in the rain. (Note the one standing on its hind legs to get at the tree branches!)
Our last few days we spent in Henley-on-Arden (not the famous rowing town), mostly to visit Stratford-upon-Avon for all things Shakespeare. It's a very pretty little town and there are quite a few interesting things preserved from Shakespeare's life such as his birth house and one of the first folios of his complete works. The rest of it is all a bit "pulled along by the hair" as you'd say in German. Paintings that might depict someone possibly related to the bard in some obscure way, furniture which would probably have looked somewhat similar to his, a shopping list from a maid that might or might not have been seen by the great author... (One of these is made up.) Still, it was enjoyable.
Alright everyone, point to the camera! (Ahem, EVERYONE BabyPaw...)Sure, NOW he's pointing...Apparently these trundle beds is what they would have had. Parents sleep on top, kids under five get a little 'trundle' pulled out on the side where they sleep. In lieu of a mattress they had ropes and sacks with wool and horsehair and interestingly enough, that's apparently where the expression "Good night, sleep tight" comes from since the ropes had to be tightened every few days to remain comfortable. No word on "don't let the bedbugs bite".Eat your heart out IKEA. Now that's a baby chair worth having in your dining room!William sure did have a way with words...A bit of interpretive dance for the swans.The church where the bard is buried. We didn't cough up the money to see it, instead took a lovely stroll through the cemetery around it and sat by the river.It really is too pretty.Come on, put your back into it people! This boat's not gonna row itself!The other big attraction in the area, besides Stratford, is Warwick Castle which is very nicely preserved but has also been purchased by the Tussaud group (of Madame Tussaud fame) and since turned into a mediaeval Disneyland. Vastly overpriced but we still had an enjoyable day. And SmallPaw and I got some good exercise in climbing all those stairs!
Phew, okay if you read this far - congratulations! (And remember that there are comments to the pictures when you mouse over them, if you'd like to read a bit more about each photo.) We should really take some time and re-do the layout of this blog. But there are never enough hours in the day... Oh well, we'll get there. For now, we have packing to do - on Tuesday we fly to Hong Kong! does a little happy dance
