Venturing Out

This past weekend was our first time venturing out to see what England has to offer.  Doug rented a car for the weekend…first time he’s driven in over a month!  He did a great job driving on the opposite side of the road.  Me, on the other hand, couldn’t even remember which side of the car to get in on!  Needless to say, I didn’t get behind the wheel.  I’m sure the people of England thank me.

We started our adventure on Saturday morning by navigating our way through the gorgeous Cotswolds, also known as “The Heart of England”.  It’s an area about 20 minutes from our apartment made up of rolling green hills and charming little villages with old stone buildings and rose gardens.  I’m pretty sure this is where puzzle pictures come from.  We found a great little riverside pub in a town called Lechlade-on-Thames.  It had everything we needed…good food, beer, and an outdoor seating area for Kate, complete with “duckies” and boats to entertain her. 

From there, we were off to Cotswold Wildlife Park.  Based on Kate’s love of dogs, birds, and kitty cats, we knew she would love all the animals.  It was not your typical zoo where the animals were displayed in cages or enclosures, but rather a huge open-air space where the animals roamed more freely.  They were still contained in fenced areas, but it looked much more natural.  She particularly liked the giraffes, birds (or “brrs” as she calls them!), and flowers (“ooohs”). It was a bit chilly, but a beautiful afternoon otherwise. 

Next on the agenda was roaming the countryside.  We came across several little towns – Bibury and Burford were definitely places we’ll go back to explore – and Cirencester, often called the capital of the Cotswolds.  After a great day, we headed home for a good night’s sleep. 

Sunday was equally as nice.  After getting up, we went to Stonehenge (about 40 minutes away).  It’s absolutely baffling to see these gigantic rocks (123 of them to be exact) so precisely stacked and formed, knowing that it was done roughly 5,000 years ago.  Archaeologists aren’t exactly sure what the purpose was for building it – Roman temple?  Some kind of calendar?  Aliens? – there are all kinds of theories, but no one knows for sure.  Either way, it’s pretty incredible.

We hopped back in the car and checked out a town called Salisbury.  It was here that we found a place almost as spectacular as Stonehenge.  Cupcake Heaven…a quaint little bakery that specialized in all flavors of cupcakes.  We left with a box of four – Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Hazelnut, Coffee Walnut, and Double Chocolate.  Mmmm…my life is complete. 

We decided to take the road less traveled back towards Oxford and stumbled upon Highclere Castle where the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon currently live.  During the summer months, the castle is opened to the public for tours.  While we arrived too late to get inside, but we did stroll the grounds.  All the tourists had cleared out and we felt right at home.  Almost. 

Kate did awesome…she definitely seems to have the adventurous spirit of her daddy!  Watching her soak in every little ounce of what she sees is amazing to watch.  It truly reinforces how great of an experience this is for our family.  It also reminds me that we need to watch what we say because she will inevitably repeat it!  Our next adventure will be at the end of the month for Kate’s 1^st birthday.  Right now, we’re looking at spending the weekend in Scotland.  I can’t wait!