Stonehenge and Bath

Well, since we still don't have any real idea of when or where we are moving we decided to make the most of our weekend and go to yet another place on our checklist, Stonehenge and Bath. We seemed to spend more time in the car than we did site-seeing, but it was still an awesome day out.

We stopped in Stonehenge first and it was awesome. It really is awe-inspiring to see such massive stonework and to wonder how in the world they did it. And to see how it is all laid out, the math and science that went into the structure is mind-blowing. To imagine that with such rudimentary tools--compared to what we have today--they were able to build (and on such a large magnitude) a structure that is 1) a perfectly geometric: a perfect circle and a perfect rectangle, perfectly overlaid, and 2) perfectly aligned with the sunrise and sunset during the summer and winter solstice. It really is amazing. We are so grateful we had the time and the means to get to see it before our time here was truly up.

Setting out on the path that goes around Stonehenge. Got our maps and our audio tour guides already to go :) Won't lie, we were disappointed that we couldn't walk among the stones.

But still, it was awesome.

Brody, Emeryss, Daeglan, Mac

Some of my favorite shots from the day.

Brody, Mac, Jere-Miah, Geoff and Emeryss.

Daeglan is there too, but he didn't want to be in the picture, so he's hidden behind Geoff.

Jere-Miah and Brody snapped a ton of their own pictures with their DSi's.

Geoff, Mac and Emeryss.

Geoff had just run his hands thru Mac's hair and made it a little fro...

Mac, as you can see, is not too happy about it.

Emeryss is studiously listening to her audio guide.

Another of my favorite shots of the day.

It was really difficult to get any without people in them.

Emeryss and her new favorite thing: the audio tour guide.

The flat stone laying on the ground is referred to as the Slaughter Stone. In medieval times, people thought that it was cursed because it turns red when it gets wet. They deduced that it must have been a sacrificial alter and that the blood of the victims sacrificed there was what made it turn red. Actually, it is full of iron just like the standing stones you can see behind it. Those stones would also turn red when it rains if they were laid down like this one.

This is the heel stone and it points the way for travelers coming from a distance. It can be seen from across the field, where there is a hill top that visitors would come up over anciently.

The travelers could then follow the heel stone until they could see Stonehenge.

One last shot with no people... well, mostly. I think there is one or two,

but you have to search for them, they don't just stand out.

We had a few people tell us not to waste our time and money going to Stonehenge. Can you believe it? That people would say this mysterious and ancient wonder of the world is for the birds?

Well, I guess they do have a point here. There were birds everywhere! Apparently, the stones are covered in over 90 different varieties of lichen and the birds just love it. Here are a few shots I got of the birds that love Stonehenge as much as we do.

After departing from Stonehenge, we took another gorgeous drive a little further Northwest to Bath. The drive made me long for Wales. It was the same sort of hill and valley landscape that we love so well. The windy roads weren't as scary as in Wales though, we weren't as high up. But it was the same sort of breath-taking experience, coming around a bend and into a new and completely different world. We knew that Bath had a strong Roman history, but we weren't expecting what we found there. It's like driving into Italy. The entire layout of the town is totally Roman. Unfortunately, my camera died shortly after arriving in Bath, so I only got two pictures of our time there :( Guess I'll have to go back again sometime!

The Roman Bath Museum. One of the few natural hot springs in the UK, this was once a large spa/resort in Roman times with several baths, an exercise area and a temple for the Goddess of the Sacred Spring, Minerva. My kids love learning about the Romans, and they were very into this, though they were put out when they discovered they couldn't actually get in the water.

The view down the street from the balcony at the Roman Bath Museum. All of Bath looks like this. The archways and columns and that fabulous white stone carved with such intricate details. It's no wonder it's been a major tourist spot for the last two thousand years.

I'm so in the mood to read some Jane Austen now! We even got to see the Pump Room. The Pump Room that was the social hot spot for many years during Austen's time and plays such a role in a few of her novels.

We love the UK and feel very blessed to have had this opportunity to live here. Wish it would never end.

p.s. I'm really going to miss the green and gray of England. I think it's beautiful.

Snowdonia National Forest, Wales

One of the places we were determined to go to before leaving the UK was Wales. And we finally made it there--thanks to some tips from our friends. We stayed in Snowdonia National Forest at a Royal Navy Charity cottage. The Royal military has a few such charities that we know of. They are cottages or old barracks that they now use for their military and their families to use for R&R. Fortunately for us, they are generous enough to let their allies use it too. This trip was also extra fun because we were able to go with our great friends, the Butikofer's.

Wales is literally breath-taking. On the drive, we came around a bend in the road and suddenly we were in mountains. I'm sort of embarrassed to admit, the beauty of it actually brought tears to my eyes. I'm not sure what it is, but, for Geoff and I both, something in this country speaks to us on a deep level. The drive was gorgeous, if a little alarming. Tiny roads with no shoulder is one thing when you are driving around daily in a flat farming community, but it's another thing entirely when you are driving on winding mountain roads with sheer drop-offs a few feet away. The landscape is simply majestic. The mountains are lush and green, dappled with purple heather and dotted with rocks and sheep. Picturesque is not a sufficient word.

Here is the view from the cottage:

See what I mean?

So, of course, as soon as we had arrived, unloaded the cars and had a bite to eat, we raced out the door to climb the mountain behind the cottage. It was a bit of a challenge. The kids took right to it and were little mountain lions, which lead to my heart trying to burst out of my chest. Seriously. I just had to shut my eyes. Watching their every step was too terrifying. I keep seeing them dropping right off the mountain. And, Geoff's achilles obviously protested the climb, but he didn't let that stop him. Also Jere-Miah was very apprehensive, but he persevered and we are so proud of the giant steps he took that day. We climbed most of the way up all together, then Jere-Miah and I stopped and took a seat and enjoyed the view, while Geoff and the other kids adventured the rest of the way up. We headed back to the cottage, had homemade pizza, hot showers and enjoyed the lounge with hot chocolate and a fire before bunking down for the night. A great first day there. :)

Our kids with the Butikofer kids waiting for the adults to catch up so they could climb!

Geoff and Jere-Miah starting up the path.

Looking up. We're climbing up there?

The view from the top... well, almost the top. That's our cottage down there. Jere-Miah was such a stud. He worked so hard to get up that mountain and though it was very difficult, he never gave up... Geoff wouldn't let him anyways, even if he had wanted to :)

Day 2 in Wales we decided to just do more exploring. There are plenty of castles and manor houses and gardens to visit everywhere in the UK, but we wanted to see Wales as God created it. We went to Fairy Glen, a magical rock-climbing, hiking experience. It's part of the Conwy river and has a few literary associations. One such is in Geoff's favorite book series by Terry Brooks, the Shannara series. Legend says that the fairy come from the crevice in the rocks where the river comes through. And in the world of Shannara, the first Knight of the Word is called and endowed with power by the Lady of the Word as she descends from the mists of the falls at Fairy Glen. You can see why we had to go! And it was everything we'd dreamed it would be. You can definitely see why people associate it with magic.

Emeryss and M. Butikofer taking turns sitting on 'the throne'

at the beginning of the Fairy Glen path. It is, as you can probably tell, actually the old chimney of house that once stood there. It did make a pretty great seat though :)

Brody in heaven, completely enjoying the serenity of the river.

Geoff and J. Butikofer rock climbing to get a better view of the river...

and their mini-me's, Brody and M. Butikofer, following after.

Geoff. Finally catching his first glimpse of the Fairy Glen.

Geoff, Emeryss, Mac and Daeglan exploring the rocks and giving me a heart attack.

Brody, Master of the Universe, triumphant at Fairy Glen.

Yes, that there is the Fairy Glen. *sigh* I really want to go back!

After working up our appetites at Fairy Glen we went to the nearby village of Betws-y-Coed and had lunch. It's a bit of a touristy village, but it was fun to walk through and look in all the shops. There was also a great old church there, that I can't for the life of me remember the name of... anyway, the kids and I had a look around inside. It had beautiful stained glass windows, but unfortunately, I was low on memory space on my camera, so I didn't get pictures. They also had candles out to light--for 20p each--and a sign that posted why they lighted candles. It was actually really cool, though, again, I can't remember exactly what it said. Jere-Miah really liked it though, so I gave him 20p and he lite a candle and said a prayer. Very memorable moment.

We then headed to Swallow Falls, named so because their appearance resembles the tails of swallows. They don't quite compare to my favorite place, Mesa Falls in Idaho, but they were worth seeing, and a real treat for the kids, who have no memory of ever seeing a real waterfall before and Jere-Miah, who actually hadn't ever seen a waterfall.

Daeglan contemplating life on the stairs down to Swallow Falls.

The Marrott's--Geoff, Miranda, Jere-Miah, Emeryss, Mac, Brody and Daeglan--at the Falls.

Swallow Falls.

As you can imagine, when Day 3 came we were sad to say goodbye to Wales. And can you blame us when we were waking up to this every morning?

But, alas, it was time to start the trek home, but we decided, since we were so close we had to make a pit stop on the coast and get a glimpse of the Irish Sea first. Our stop was brief, especially since it started hailing just 2 minutes after we parked the cars and got out, but it was well spent and memorable. Just as we were heading back to the cars, a little family that had been crabbing on the pier was letting their crabs loose and we got to stop and enjoy their spoils. There were crabs everywhere! The kids loved it. Then it started to rain hard again and we sprinted to the cars and made our way home. We love you, Wales. Someday, we'll be back!

The Irish Sea.... or rather a bay area of the Irish Sea.

Jere-Miah in crabby heaven.

Mac and Daeglan (holding the crab) trying to hold them without getting pinched.

Picture of the day: Geoff's lunch!

Sherwood Forest... our Band of Merry Men.

At the beginning of the summer our family was put in for an EFMP (exceptional family member program) move back to the States. It's been a two month process and we still don't know exactly where we are going or when, but that we will be leaving beloved England before the end of September. Since we knew our time was short, we've been making the most of it and traveling!

The second weekend in August we took the kids camping in Sherwood Forest and we able to attend the annual Robin Hood Festival there. We arrived in at the Sherwood Holiday Park on Friday afternoon and the campsite was fabulous. Clean, quite, family friendly and very peaceful. Camping in the UK is definitely different from camping in the USA--the UK has a no campfire rule due to the overabundance of peat moss--but it is just as wonderful. Here's a few pictures of our campsite set-up.

We were a bit nervous about sleeping 7 of us in one tent, but it worked out great. We had fun playing with a frisbee on the open lawn, especially at night... someone super cool bought the kids a lighted frisbee for the trip. Yes, I won major cool points for that one! We also brought a few coloring books and some card games. The camping was such a nice escape from the busyness of every-day living. So great to be unplugged.

We spent all day Saturday, exploring the world of Robin Hood at the annual Robin Hood Festival in the Sherwood Forest. The festival was awesome. Characters in costume were all over the forest and were very interactive. We got to talk to them about daily life in Sherwood, we were able to hear lots of live music and see a fire thrower.

One of the first things we did after arriving at the festival was go to the open theater for a retelling of Robin Hood and His Band of Merry Men. This was an audience participation performance and Mac and Daeglan were picked from the audience to play two of the Sheriff of Nottingham's men at arms. They took well to the role, but got reprimanded a few times for trying to fight Robin Hood (or their fellow men at arms) when it was time for fighting yet. Daeglan had a short speaking part, which he stuttered through. Daeglan is awesome though, it simply doesn't phase him. He has all the confidence in the world and we hope that never changes.

Daeglan delivering his lines. Which, if I remember correctly, were something to the effect of "Let's get Robin Hood and all his Merry Men!"

Mac fighting Robin Hood. Look at that natural fighters stance!

After that show, we went to the jousting field for a bird of prey demonstration. Brody is obsessed with falconry and is begging for his own bird of prey. You can imagine his delight when the kids were invited out onto the field to be a part of the demonstration. Here's a picture of all the kids. *Note Brody is the one standing in the middle of the field. They were supposed to be pretending to be mice and be listening for the owl to fly over, then stoop down when they heard it. Brody claims everyone else was cheat and they were watching for it. He was amazed that even with his heightened sense of hearing, even he could not hear the owl coming.

After lunch we got to watch the jousting show in which Robin Hood and the Merry Men went up against the Sheriff of Nottingham and the evil Guy of Gisbourne. It was fun, if a bit cheesy. The horses were really the stars of the show. They were magnificent beasts.

On the right, Robin Hood. On the left, Will Scarlet.

We then went on a walk around the forest. Nestled in among all the amazing old trees were little camps of mediaeval peasants and tradesmen. The boys particularly enjoyed the armory. It's always the favorite. What I find amazing is how heavy the weapons and armor are and to think of men actually fighting battles in all that gear. Geoff isn't as in awe about it... maybe that's because he is used to wearing 70+ pounds of gear to work.

Brody. "Man this sucker is heavy. And I can't breath in here!"

Daeglan. "Am I supposed to be able to see?"

Mac.

As usual he didn't have much to say about it, but his face says it all :)

Jere-Miah with a mace. "This is my kind of weapon."

The last thing we got to do at the festival was archery lessons. We each got a little bit of instruction and were able to shoot five arrows each. By far one of the funnest things we have ever done as a family. So much fun, in fact, that we are hoping to buy some real practice bows and make this a family hobby when we get back Stateside.

Jere-Miah with an English longbow.

Mac

Emeryss.

She half-giggled the whole time, but she secretly really loved it

and was trying really hard to be just as good at it as the boys.

Daeglan

Brody. He soaked up every bit of instruction.

Archery is another passion for him. Basically, this trip was Brody's wishes come true!

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend and our little band of Merry Men was sad to head home. But we are so happy to have these memories to treasure for years to come.