Scotland Tour: Fort William

Last weekend we took a short break to Scotland.  Our first stop was Fort William, which was about 7 hours north of us.  Some of the draw to this area is the scenic West Coast Railway, made famous in the 2nd Harry Potter Movie.  We also wanted to see the beautiful scenery that Scotland has to offer. 

So on our first full day in Scotland we did some more driving to see a few sites.  Our first castle was the Eilean Donan Castle, which may seem familiar because it has been in lots of movies since the mid 1900s, most recently "Made of Honor" in 2008.  The castle was very picturesque, out on it's own peninsula, with a bagpiper playing out front. 

This castle has its origin in the 13th century, but was destroyed in the early 1700s and wasn't rebuilt until the early 1900s.  It is a relatively small, romantic castle, and the first one that I've been in that feels like a real home.  We explored the castle and then enjoyed the scenery outside.

On our way to see Loch Ness, we stopped on the side of the road to see a local war monument and spotted some Highland cows.

For those of you who don't know, "Loch" means lake, so there are many Lochs in Scotland.  I found that this area of Scotland reminded me a lot of the Adirondack lakes surrounded by mountains.  It didn't take long for us to get to Loch Ness, a very large and deep lake.  We pulled over and went to the Loch Ness Centre, which does a nice job of sharing all the monster stories, the hoaxes, and all the investigations that have been done to explain the sitings.  It's pretty amazing the amount of science that has been done in the loch to understand what lives there and what doesn't.  Unfortunately, we had no sitings of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster while we were there.

Althorp

For my last outing with the American wives before the Summer Holiday, we went to Althorp, the family home of Princess Diana.  The home is currently lived in and run by Earl Spencer, Diana's brother and his family.  We found the home to be very nice, and the tributes to Diana were breathtaking.  There were some beautiful displays including items from her childhood, her most well known dresses, her wedding gown, and one of the most moving displays...the condolence books that were sent to the family from around the world.

After seeing the house and enjoying lunch together, we made our way to Diana's memorial.  What I didn't realize is that Diana's resting place is on an island in the middle of a pond on the estate.

The visit to Althorp was a very special one, I'm so glad I was able to make the visit.

The Cotswolds

A few weeks ago we took a day trip to the Cotswolds to see what it was like and visit "Shakespeare Country."  We found Stratford Upon Avon, where the birthplace of Shakespeare.  We walked around the streets and soaked up the atmosphere.  Had a nice lunch outside and took a walk along the Avon river.  

A nice Olympic display on one of the roundabouts.

 The kids pose in front of Shakespeare's birthplace.

After some fun shopping in Stratford, we drove to a neighboring town called Chipping Campden.  We just walked around this quaint town and enjoyed its simple beauty.  It's one of those towns that seems like it would be so lovely to grow old in.  What I remember most is the smell of roses in the air.

Happy Birthday Alexa!

 Last Wednesday we celebrated Alexa's birthday. Our baby girl is 6 years old! Alexa insisted on having a water themed party, despite the fact that it's been so cold and rainy here in England lately. So we went ahead and planned a "Splish Splash" party and hoped for good weather. And.....we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day! It wasn't hot, but it was in the mid 60s and sunny. Alexa had 4 girls come over and they played on a slip 'n slide, the trampoline, had fun with water balloons, bubbles, and wet sponges all afternoon. All the girls had a wonderful time...especially when they figured out that they could make foam with the bubble solution, water and sponges and decided to cover the trampoline with foamy soap!

Olympic Torch Relay

We were so excited tonight to see the Olympic Torch pass through Derby.  One of our friends has a house that was right on the route for the relay.  We shared a wonderful meal with friends and then watched the torch go by in front of her house in a festive community atmosphere.  This was a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Getting ready for the torch to come!

Some really excited girls!

 The torch arrives....goes by so quick!

 Darley Abbey Park

The kids got to pose with one of the torch bearers.  A really special moment.

Pictures from the "Follow the Light" parade that followed the torch out of the park and back to the Derby City Center.

Diamond Jubilee

In early June, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth celebrated Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, that's 60 years as Queen.  It was a really special weekend with lots of festivities that we were able to watch on TV.  The country was alive with royal spirit and patriotism.  It's been really nice seeing all the Union Jack flags everywhere.  Our street had a "street party" which was a great opportunity for us to socialize with our neighbors, who usually stay to themselves. 

We spent our morning making Union Jack Cupcakes to share.

The girls had the most fun painting faces at the party.  They even painted the faces of most adults at the party.  So funny how our little american girls painted the UK flag on everyone's faces!

 Great job Alexa!

Haddon Hall

On one of our Tuesday outings, the American ladies visited Haddon Hall.  It happened to be a lovely day...sunny, mid 60s, very comfortable and pleasant.  Haddon Hall is near the town of Bakewell about an hour north of where we live.  The interesting thing is that Haddon Hall has been the location for many, many films.  Here's the description from their website:

Described by Simon Jenkins in “1000 Best Houses” as “the most romantic house to survive from the middle ages”. Set in the heart of the beautiful Peak District National Park, parts of the house date from the 12th Century, sitting like a jewel in its Elizabethan terraced gardens, and overlooking the River Wye.

Film-makers flock to Haddon Hall to use it as a location. The house and grounds have played host to no less than three versions of “Jane Eyre”. Screen credits also include "Elizabeth”, "Pride & Prejudice” and “The Other Boleyn Girl”. This year marks the silver jubilee of “The Princess Bride”, the cult classic movie in which Haddon Hall became Humperdinck’s Castle.

Haddon has its own romantic tale - that of Dorothy Vernon’s elopement with John Manners. Little wonder Haddon Hall is recognised as one of the most romantic houses in Britain.

The view from the courtyard.

The spectacular view over the garden wall!

Inside the gardens.