Wicked

Kent and I had our first real date day in London on October 23rd. We took the tube down in the morning after putting the kids on the bus. We intended to go to Westminster Abbey, but it was closed early. So, plan B was the Winston Churchill Wartime Tunnels museum. It was really amazing--they built these command centers under a building near 10 Downing Street. From there, Churchill could command the war and (they hoped) be safe from bombings. Although they reinforced the building, there was no way to be sure that the building would withstand a direct hit from one of the air raids. When the war ended, they just turned out the lights and went home, so most things are preserved exactly as they were at the end of the war. We saw the tiny closet where Churchill could speak on the phone to Roosevelt and Truman, and the map rooms where they tracked troops and battles. There was also a magnificent museum to Churchill's life in general, where you could really get a sense of the whole man and the experiences that shaped his views and also changed them.

After the museum, we walked through St. James Park to Buckingham Palace and then on down Buckingham Palace Gate toward the theater. We stopped for dinner at Bumbles--so fabulous! And then headed over to the Apollo Victoria to see Wicked. We had never seen it before, or even heard much of the music, but now, I am obsessed. The production was outstanding--especially Elpheba had an amazing voice. I have been listening to and singing the soundtrack nonstop, substituting words as appropriate: Now, I am folding laundry...now I'm scrubbing toilets, etc. Makes my life seem much more glamorous when set to music!

And they all lived happily in a little Crooked House...

On the day before they left, Megan and Peter and I went to Bury St. Edmunds to see the Abbey Ruins and the Cathedral (and also to do some shopping for yummy British treats to bring home!) After Bury, we drove on to Lavenham, one of the best-preserved Shakespearean era villages around. It was really lovely. The houses were colorful, timbered, and as you can see, crooked. This is now a gallery with handmade goods from local artisans. There were antique shops and tea houses and pubs, all in mismatched colors and tilty timbers. I loved it! We were so sad to bid Megan and Peter goodbye and can't wait till they come back!

Blenheim Palace

This palace is billed as "England's answer to Versailles," and it truly is magnificent. The land and seed money for the building of Blenheim was a gift from Queen Anne to the First Duke of Marlborough for his victory at the Battle of Blenheim (during the War of Spanish Succession in what is now Austria) in 1704. Winston Churchill was born here on November 30, 1874 as his parents attended a party. He spent much of his childhood here and it was here at the Temple of Diana that he became engaged to Clementine. Kent and I recreate the scene:) The house and grounds are enormous. It was another glorious day, and the kids enjoyed taking the train down to the yew maze and the playground. There was also a butterfly house and lots of puzzles and a giant chess board on the grounds. All good things must come to an end, however, and it was time to head home. We were so glad Megan and Peter were with us! It made it extra fun for us all.

Avebury

If Stonehenge is compact, Avebury is sprawling. It is another stone circle over a mile circumference, in fact, they just built the village right in the middle of it. Some of the stones were massive, and some had been worn down. The great fun of this was walking right up and touching; although the kids were disappointed to see the sign asking them not to climb on them. Madeleine was more interested in the sheep that grazed in the fields all around the stones. (Boots or something you can hose off would have been good...tip for next time.)

Who needs a Bath?

We then drove west on towards Bath. As Madeleine, Bronwyn, and Colin tried to find their place in the world on a huge ground map in front of the Abbey, we checked out the Roman Baths and the Abbey.

We took a walking tour of the city led by a lifelong resident, who was informative and patient during the brief but intense rain shower. We walked past the Avon River (different from the one running through Stratford), viewed some gorgeous Georgian homes, past the Assembly Hall, into the Circus and in front of the Royal Crescent.

Our tourguide also loved Jane Austen, and was happy to point out places in the city which Austen mentioned in Persuasion and Northanger Abbey.

We recharged on pasties and pastries and were off to our last stop of the day.

Stonehenge

After what seemed like a very brief night's sleep, we were off on the next adventure: Stonehenge. We drove through what must have been the world's narrowest and curviest roads (nary a lane divider in sight) until we rounded a bend and saw it:

We got some audioguides and walked around and around it (unfortunately at a pretty good distance--after years of renting hammers and chisels for sightseers, they wised up and roped it off). It is much more compact than I had envisioned. The stones themselves are mammoth, of course, but it actually takes up less square footage than I had imagined. The most fun was seeing all the little details like the hip-bone-like joiners of each lintel (the cross pieces at the top), and then trying to imagine how these people put this together over 4,000 years ago, and most intriguing of all: WHY????

To Be or Not to Be?

Next stop...Stratford-upon-Avon Apparently, Avon was the Saxon word for river, so there are like 4 Avon Rivers in this general area, and Stratford is the London suburb where the Olympics are going to be in 2012, but this is the place we were looking for today. We took a photo in front of Shakespeare's house and everyone got to impersonate Will in the face board. The house was in a nice pedestrian mall with shops and cafes. We then walked down the river to the Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway are buried. On our way out of town, we drove by her cottage, which was closed for the evening, but we got a lovely view of the outside! Stratford-upon-Avon is at the upper edge of the Cotswolds, so we drove through this gorgeous country side as night was falling. We stopped for dinner in Chipping Camden, eating at the Lygon Arms Hotel. Very yummy pub food. While we are on the food subject--I'm not sure why British food has such a bad rap. We have found most of the restaurants to be very good, with a couple being downright outstanding. There is a favorite local place, Jude's Ferry, which has the most wonderful food. I, whose motto is "nothing from the sea," have even partaken of the famous fish and chips. And they were actually pretty good, greasy, but good. And the scones, and crumpets, and digestives...don't even get me started. Seriously, I can't stop.

Kingmakers

Saturday, October 10 We set off on our first big adventure--2 nights at RAF Fairford. On our way there, we stopped first at Warwick Castle. This place has seen lots of action: William I (the Conquerer) ordered the first castle built in the spot in 1068. There has been an Earl of Warwick here ever since 1088, supervising the trial of Joan of Arc in 1431, imprisoning Kings and being visited by Kings and Queens, and most famously, being the home of Richard Neville--Earl of Warwick and "Kingmaker." He was a big player in the Wars of the Roses, when the houses of Lancaster and York were fighting for the right to the throne. He supported both Edward IV and Henry VI at different times helping them each reign in turn, earning the title Kingmaker before being killed in battle. This was an impressive castle, with lots of walls and towers to walk and climb, providing incredible views of the surrounding countryside. We even got to go down in to the "gaol" and see the cage, hole, and chains were prisoners were kept in almost total darkness, etching days and epitaphs into the walls to mark their time there. We also saw a falconry display, which was amazing. Did you know that falconers were considered the social equal of the King and that their birds were the only animals allowed in church? Of course, this is all per the falconer, but he seemed reliable! Warwick is also the sight of the largest working siege engines--the trebuchet, which we got to see fired. After some time on the playground, we were off to our next stop.

Tower of London

On Thursday, Oct 8, we took the kids out of school for our first major London Adventure. We parked at the Epping station (about an hour from our house) and took the tube downtown. We had purchased tickets on the Big Bus tour, which was supposed to be a "hop-on hop-off" guided tour around London. We got on at St. Paul's Cathedral and rode across the London Bridge over the Thames and then crossed again at the Tower Bridge. We got off at the Tower of London so we could do that tour with Megan and Peter. The Tower is a huge complex of buildings, as you can see behind the kids in the picture. We got a tour from a Yeoman Guard (aka Beefeater). He was very entertaining and informative--showing us the Traitor's Gate, the Bloody Tower, the Tower green where two of Henry's wives were beheaded and the Church of St. Peter in Chains where said Henry's ill-fated wives are buried. We then got to go in and see the Crown Jewels. THAT was pretty astonishing--and well-guarded. We walked the tower walls and pretended to guard some prisoners (see Colin's pic--is that an adorable torturer or what?) and went into the oldest part of the tower to see an exhibit about Henry VIII and his changing battle dress and armaments. After the tour, we hopped a river cruise down the Thames, which took us past some incredible views from the water--I especially enjoyed seeing the buildings of Parliament from the water (almost like looking at a Monet). We walked (further than we intended) past Westminster Abbey, and down Victoria Street, as we looked for a bus stop. We finally found the bus again about three stops from the end of its last run...not our finest hour, but we made the best of it--found some yummy dinner at our new out-and-about favorite restaurant, ASK. All in all a great day--and again the Meldrum weather charm held true--perfect day!

First Visitors

October 6, 2009 Megan and Peter arrive! I went to pick them up at Gatwick Airport, and then we headed over to Leeds Castle, which is only about 30 minutes from the airport.

It was a bit of a rainy day, but it added to the ambiance of the castle, which was mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086 as a Saxon manor.

It was the private property of six of England's medieval queens and was used by Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. It was bought by an American heiress in 1926, who redecorated it extensively and lived in it until her death in 1974. The castle itself is beautiful and in a stunning setting; the grounds are also incredible.

Thetford Forest

September 26, 2009 We got a couple families together (Listellos, Snows and Carpenters) and went out to the Thetford Forest where there are awesome bike trails, a high wire course, and lots of play equipment and walking paths. It was a great day for the kids to take turns on the zip line, scale the net like monkeys, and be outside in some beautiful fall weather.

After the forest, we headed over to Grime's Graves, which is a field full of over 400 shafts, pits, quarries, and filled holes. It was not until 1870 that they were discovered to be flint mines, dug into the ground over 5,000 years ago. We got to go

down one of the shafts to explore what the Neolithic people were able to dig with nothing but antler horns. These mines provided the material for tools, and then in the 19th century for much of the musket flint used in the Napoleonic Wars. The kids enjoyed wearing the hard hats and treated us all to their best Village People impression.

The White Cliffs of Dover

September 12, 2009 A beautiful Saturday and Kent is not on call! So, we took the two and a half hour drive to Dover. Not a bad drive, and as you come up over one last rolling hill, and suddenly the English Channel is right ahead of you. The white cliffs truly are white and amazing to see. The castle itself is fairly extensive, with a Roman lighthouse (2nd century) and Saxon church (c. 1000 AD) inside the first set of walls, which you can see in the picture we took from on top of the castle tower. The kids loved rolling down the hill next to the church, and standing on the edge of cliff looking down over the channel (although it was a little windy). English Heritage just finished a massive renovation of the Great Tower, which was built between 1182 and 1188 for the court of King Henry II. It was decorated and furnished true to the period, and there were reenactors--Madeleine and Colin are here knighted by the King, and Bronwyn gets a lesson in swordplay from the knight, Sir George.

Since the chalk cliffs give such a perfect vantage point for protecting the

coast, there has been a defense here. William the Conquerer built a castle here in 1066 after the Battle of Hastings, likely building on a prior Iron Age fort. We walked part of the Battlement Wall, where you can see the anti-aircraft guns and cannons. There are tunnels all throughout the cliffs as well. We went through the Renaissance tunnels before we went the biggie: The Secret Wartime Tunnels of WWII.

These tunnels were expanded from 18th century ones that were used as barracks at the outbreak of WWII. We took a tour of the extensive tunnels--miles and miles through three different layers, which housed hospital facilities, radio operators, map rooms, and planning rooms for Admiral Ramsey and his staff to carry out the Dunkirk evacuation and track all ships and planes in the Channel. After exploring Dover, we drove about 25 minutes or so to Canterbury, where we got some dinner, walked the center of town and admired the cathedral.