Half-Term Breaks and Other Shenanigans

I think it is safe to say that my New Year's Resolution for writing once a month tanked in February since that was the last time I posted. LOL! Oh well, I will just try to catch you up as best as I can. Not too much has happened other than the usual travel log and cool places that we've seen. I hope you enjoy some of our adventures.

Dining with Harry Potter

As many of you know from previous posts, Oxford is a hot spot for lots of Harry Potter scenes because much of the saga was filmed in our home town. Aaron and I were invited to High Table with one of the fellows that we attend church with in the Oxford building. He works at Christ Church which just happens to be the home to the dining hall where Harry Potter ate with his fellow Hogwarts wizards.

This was especially fun! I'm a huge Harry Potter nerd and love all things from the movies and books. I really hope to go to the museum in London one of these days!

High Table is a fun tradition and is by invitation only. The students dress up quite formally and gather below where Harry and his mates would have eaten in the movie. Aaron and I gathered in a separate room with the fellows of Christ Church (dressed in black robes) where we took a windy staircase from the back. This is where "Professor Moody" dashes away during Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. See!!!! I warned you; total nerd!

Here are a few great pics from our night on the town in Oxford:

Christ Church Courtyard

The floating staircases.

Broughton Castle

I don't know if you can technically consider this place a castle or not, think more Pride and Prejudice. It is an exquisite reinforced manor with a moat around it. It has a weathered church just outside the grounds, too. It is known for its beautiful ornate gardens that are easily viewed from the roof. This was the only house we've ever been able to step out onto the roof of which was a total blast for the kids. 

I ventured out on this trek alone since Aaron had to work during their break, so I was more than glad it was such a family-friendly establishment, because my kids were pretty wild! For only having two hands, I was a brave woman to wrangle them out onto the roof. Yes, brave...or stupid! 🙈

Here's an intimate look at Broughton "Castle":

Overlooking the moat.

Interesting ceilings throughout. Every room was different. The orange corridors left something to be desired though.

The Great Hall, every castle's got one!

Broughton Church

View of the inside of the church from the front and the back.

These were the robes worn by the inhabitants of this house during the coronation of
Queen Elizabeth II.

Ashmolean Museum

Next up, we took the kids to the Ashmolean Museum in downtown Oxford. They bring world famous exhibits periodically to this free-entry museum. We were excited to see the Michelangelo exhibit to only find out it had been moved the day before. SHUCKS!

We still enjoyed all the Egyptian collections, especially the mummies! AJ loves the classical movie The Mummy.

Berkeley Castle

Our next stop was Berkeley Castle. This was a fun castle that was only a quick hour, hour and a half north of our house. They had a knight fighting show scheduled and my kids love a good sword fight demonstration. The actors were brilliant, too. They were very entertaining even for us adults and we learned something as well. Swords were meant to be light and easy to swing so that they could wield them quickly and execute moves with intention. Hollywood somewhere along the line developed the notion that a sword is heavy and hard to pick up and move, making the strikes and blows all the more deadly. That isn't accurate at all. If the swords were actually as heavy as glamourised, they would be extremely difficult to fight with and would ensure death to the bloke carrying the heavier weapon. Interesting, huh?

The family has some interesting history tied back to them, too. For instance, Henry Lord Berkeley was 19 when he gained back the possession of the castle from the late King Edward VI in 1553. He had a son that got married to a maiden whose grandfather was friends with William Shakespeare. It is said that "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was written as a gift for the Berkeley wedding.

There are even ties back to America! You probably guessed it from the name. The town the castle resides in is also known as Berkeley. Several settlers from this town landed in Virginia in the early 1600's and Sir William Berkeley was made governor of Virginia during the Restoration. A Berkeley bishop also made it to America in the early 1700's and tried to set up a college. His plans were foiled due to funding, but the University of Berkeley in California adopted his name for their official title years later. Neat huh?

The history goes on and on, but I won't bore you too much.

Outside the Berkeley Chapel

Entrance to Berkeley Castle.

 We also got to enjoy a concert in the great hall featuring a small band of various recorders and other instruments playing baroque music from the time period when the castle was built which is the late 1000's. Can you believe that?!?!? This was Aaron's favourite part of the tour! He could have sat listening to their performance the entire time whilst imagining the type of entertainment, dress, and decor of the era. There is just something about being in a place with a history that makes it all that much more cool.

Roof to the kitchen. 

Dining Facilities

Beautiful state rooms and stairs.

AJ's favourite part of any cathedral or chapel...climbing up to the pulpit.

Taking in the grounds and getting ready for the sword duel.

Downton Abbey

British people are somewhat confused by all the hysteria from Americans about Downton Abbey. They also get a bit irked at our pronunciation of the word "Downton". Most Americans that I have come into contact with pronounce it "downtown" including my sweet husband. It is in fact pronounced /downᐧtun/. Don't get me started on how the English language is pronounced in England. LOL! I found out really quick that I speak American, not English. 😂

Anyway, Highclere Castle is the destination where much of Downton Abbey was filmed. Surprise! Surprise! Photography is not allowed on the premises as much of the inside is staged for the filming of the TV series with poster sized portraits of the show in action. I did, however, get lots of nice shots of the outside from the gardens. I guess you will just have to come visit us and see it for yourselves. It's PURDY! Ha!

Front Door

A typical English morning.

Lunch at Highclere

Royal Wedding

I'm sure there isn't a person on the planet that wasn't aware that Prince Harry was tying the knot with actress and fellow American, Megan Markle. They've been tabloid news for what feels like a year! Special celebrations have been brewing throughout the land in preparation for the big ceremony in Windsor. The kids got to wear a special outfit, partake of a special lunch, while decorations were hung throughout the towns. 

Paisley couldn't wait to watch the Royal procession as it revealed a real life princess. I swear she is half Brit. We indulged her wishes a little and picked up a few extra keepsakes and treats to celebrate this royal matrimony. It was a mother-daughter date on our couch with short bread and sparkling punch using our new embroidered tea towels and mugs. 

Bristol Revealed 

When Aaron and I get a bit of cabin fever, we just pull up google maps and pick a place we haven't been and start researching what's near by. We were supposed to go to Portsmouth, but the weather turned yucky and the beach didn't sound like a destination we wanted to go see. Bristol was the next best thing. 

We discovered an amazing manor relatively close, an impressive zoo, aquarium, cathedral, and an enormous ship that changed the course of sea travel as we know it, the SS Great Britain. Check 'em out!

Bristol Cathedral

Side view of Bristol Cathedral

The slide came out the other end. Uh, what?!

Two farmers doing what they love.

AJ's "mighty eagle" pose.

S.S. Great Britain

Adding a propeller to this ship changed the course of ship building for the rest of history.

Bath

We went to visit Bath for my birthday last year during one of the craziest gatherings of people I have ever seen. Yes, the Bath Christmas Market, where 1,000's of people swarm the streets to buy from shops and vendors. It was definitely not our cup of tea and we missed out on much of the sights due to congestion. We were just waiting for an opportunity to go back and boy am I glad we did. We got to see the inside of Bath Abbey and tour the Roman Baths, from which the town earned its name.

The Abbey was neat; I've seen lots of cool churches and cathedrals to boot. The Baths, on the other hand, were A-MAZ-ING! They date back to ancient times and are still a living font. Water continues to circulate through from its original source and flows outward just like it used to when used for its purpose. The imagery is set up well using projections and audio tours. You walk right in step with the ancient Romans. It. Is. Cool. 

I still can't get over the fact that loads of people came to the same fountain of water to take a bath whether it was self-replenishing or not. BARF! Thank goodness I was born in the decade I was; I wouldn't have made it back then!

Bath Abbey as seen from the Roman baths.

The living font.

And now...the Abbey...

Fun Fact: I FaceTimed my mom from here to show her what I was doing for the day. 

Always remember to look up. These cathedrals have the neatest ceilings. They are all so different and yet equally remarkable.

This was a particularly interesting piece of artwork. There are hundreds of butterflies hanging from the ceiling. Each one is completely different and unique to the one next to it. The reason they chose the butterfly was because of its migration patterns. This piece is to help us remember the beauty of the individual and not of the masses. It is to remind us that we are an ever moving culture with migrating pieces.

Bath is known for its architectural giants and unique designs. Here are a few more things we walked around to see:

 

Pulteney Bridge

The Circus

The kids and me at the Circus.

The Royal Crescent

Family Business

That pretty much sums up our travels and expeditions. A few exciting developments have happened on the home front. The kids earned their yellow belts in karate and are progressing nicely. AJ has actually taken a huge leap forward and will be testing for his next grade in July. Paisley is still working on a few more details and will most likely be coming up to a yellow-orange next school year. 

Paisley has been a good mentor and example for AJ during much of his training, but as he has blossomed, he is needing Paisley less and less. 

It's no wonder I am asked almost weekly if these two are twins!

Paisley turned 6 in mid-June and had a joyous party with several of her classmates. I also took her out to dinner for a mommy-daughter date night. She chose a lovely Italian restaurant downtown. I took the opportunity to take some pictures featuring the beautiful museum in our village and my cheeky little monkey. I can't believe she is 6. Where did the time fly? 

She had to call AJ on her Peppa Pig phone to see what he was up to while we were eating. He was watching a movie. 😂

The best part about our date was that Paisley asked me if we could go to the park afterwards to "move our bodies because we had been sitting for quite a while". Later, she confided in me that she just didn't want the night to end so she was just trying to come up with something for us to do. 

I love that she wants to spend time with me. These days are short. I hope to enjoy them to the fullest. 

What's Next?

The kids are only a month away from finishing their second year in school. I can't believe we are closing out our second year and about to embark on our "last time list". 

Aaron's brother and sister-in-law are headed here in a month, and we have some big plans for when they are here. I can't wait to share it all with you. 

Xx,

~K