Canterbury, Dover, and Windsor with Katrina and Michiko

We took a weekend trip into Canterbury with my grandma and Katrina. Andrew had to go on a business trip to Orlando, so he missed out a bit, which was a bummer. But we had a nice time, (despite Hana getting a tick from the hotel room bed, yuck!) There were all sorts of parades going through the streets on Saturday. Hana wasn't too sure about this one.
Here is the entrance to the cathedral precincts.
And a little cafe where we had lunch.
Michiko, Hana, Lane, and Sam at Canterbury cathedral.
I really wanted to go to Canterbury - no only for Chaucer, but also for the cathedral. There was going to be a choir performance in the cathedral that night, and we were lucky to catch them rehearsing while we took our tour. I don't know, but I'd have to say it gave the Tabernacle a pretty good run for its money.

Katrina in the cloister at Canterbury Cathedral.
At the White Cliffs of Dover.

Grandma with the ferrys to France in the background.
Katrina with Dover Castle in the distance.

All Hana has wanted to do since we came to England (besides see the Eiffel Tower) was to go to a castle. I thought we would stop by Dover Castle on our way back from Canterbury, since I have an English Heritage pass and could get us all in for free. There are guided tours there and a tram to take you around the grounds so my grandma wouldn't have to walk up and down hill.

When we got to the gates, we found that parking at the castle was closed because there was an event on. So we had to drive down to the bottom of the valley and park outside the castle gate, then climb 200 stairs back up to the castle compound. When we finally made it up to the ticket booth (carrying Lane in her stroller the whole way), we learned that the tram was also out of service. So we had to walk to the top of the castle mount to the keep. When we got to the keep, we found out that the guided tour was at the Secret Wartime Tunnels, at the bottom of the castle grounds by the cliffs. So we headed back down another hill to the tour.

We finally found where the tour started, and found out that the first part of the tour was climbing a steep ramp back to the upper levels of the tunnels, where the military hospital was housed during WWII. Once inside the secret wartime tunnels, the "re-enactment" began, including a booming soundtrack of machine gun fire, anti-aircraft cannon, soldiers having their legs amputated, flickering lights, and re-created smells. Hana hates loud noises and the dark, and did I mention that my grandma survived the bombing of Nagasaki? We managed to get through the tour without anyone losing their mind, and then found out that the restaurant was back up the hill. We stopped there for a nice lunch and a rest before we headed back up to the keep.

By the way, there was a severe wind warning for the Dover area. After Lane got blown off her feet a few times, and my grandma asked me whether I thought it would be windy much longer, we made it to the very, very top of the castle grounds. Just as we reached the keep entrance, the tour guide made her way out through the gale-force winds to tell us that she was very sorry, but the castle keep would be closed due to unsafe wind conditions. This is where Hana starts sobbing uncontrollably because we had promised her she could see inside the castle, and where my grandma finally made us all find a sheltered place by the keep wall so we could sit down and take a break. Eventually, we made it back down the hill, to the bottom of the 200 steps, and through the valley to the car.
The next day, we decided we give another shot at visiting a castle. We went over to Windsor, which is just 15 minutes away, to see the changing of the guard and to tour Windsor Castle. Hana liked the parade and flutes the best. I enjoyed King George's Chapel. Everyone in the State Apartments enjoyed it when I took Lane screaming back outside.
The Changing of the Guard, just before the Old Guard marches out of the castle grounds.
Hana and Katrina, with the Queen's private residence in the background. We actually had a very nice time at Windsor. Had a lovely lunch and some of the best ice cream in England.

Weekend in York

We spent this past weekend up in York, staying with Andrew's Aunt Judy. It's about a 4-hour drive (which is relatively short by US standards), so we've tried to go up as often as we can. We'll be stopping through again on our way back from Scotland in a few weeks. Hana, Judy, Lane, Andrew, and Hannah in Judy's garden.
Walking through Flaxton village.

We had a lovely time with Judy and Hannah. On Friday night, we had a big barbeque with all of the family: Ken and Sue; Mark, Gemma and Bethany; Sam, Paul and Jacob; Judy, Hannah and Bruce; and Andrew, Samantha, Hana and Lane.
Bethany, Lane and Hana, with Jacob peeking out in the background.
Judy, Paul and Andrew watching over the barbeque.
Mark with his helicopter.
Mark and Andrew.

On Saturday, Judy took us to Castle Howard. We toured the grounds and gardens, and walked through the house (doing our best to keep Lane from destroying anything antique). Afterwards, we had a little picnic back at the car, and then popped by Hannah's new house to see how her renovations were coming.
Lane, Judy, and Hana by the Atlas Fountain at Castle Howard.

Gardens at Castle Howard. They were beautiful, but they just made me realize how much work I have to do on the yard when we get back!
Andrew and the girls on the swing.
In the gardens at Castle Howard.

On Sunday, before heading back south, we stopped by to have dinner with Aunt Mary and Uncle Ralph. Since it was Father's Day, all of their kids dropped in as well, so we got to meet several of Andrew's cousins: Sandy, Pamela, and Mandy and their families.
Ralph, Mary (who is Brian's sister), Hana, Andrew, and Lane.

Camping at the Cotswolds

Before we come back to the States, we've planned a 12-day camping trip up through Scotland. Since the girls have never been camping before, and the equipment we sent over here is somewhat questionable, we thought we'd better take a trial run before we get caught up on the Scottish Highlands with our kilts down, so to speak. So we decided to take a quick weekend trip to the Cotswolds, which are about an hour and a half away.Here's the view of the campground at sunset.
And here's our setup. We were the first people at the site, so we spread out as much as possible. Andrew brought the tent and air mattresses over in a suitcase on one of his business trips before we moved here. We picked up the folding table at Costco in Reading - a fine example of American cultural colonialism at its best. You can even get hot dogs and chicken bakes there.

Here is Hana playing in the field with the soccer/football my mom bought for her (hahahahahahahah). Actually, we found it in the backyard when we moved in. Hana loves trying out the fancy footwork Andrew's taught her, although we did have to set up some "Rules of Football" - you can quiz her on them if you like. 1. Don't use your hands. 2. There is no crying in football. 3. Falling down is fun.
Here they are tucked into their matching princess beds.
On Friday, after setting up the tent, we took a quick trip into Oxford.
This is us posing in front of the Bodleian Library. Andrew kept Lane in the quad chasing pigeons, while Hana and I managed about 15 minutes in the free exhibition before she started clamoring for a snack. Still, I got to see some great illuminated manuscripts.
Here is Andrew and the 1.5-pound trout he caught with a fly rod on a river (read trout farm) in the Cotswolds. We managed to catch enough trout for dinner. Hana even helped clean them.
On the river at Andrew's favorite Cotswold village, Bibury.

Finally, a picture of Lane without her pacifier, and without her running away from the camera. If you look closely, you can see where she chipped her front tooth on the steps up Clifford's Tower in York.
William Morris called Bibury the loveliest village in all of England.
Me and the girls sitting in front of someone's cottage.

Andrew and the girls at Bourton-on-the-Water. We stopped here for lunch and a walk along the stream.
So here is what we learned from our test trip - we need more blankets (I froze the first night), a better air mattress pump, and a kitchen knife on the off chance we catch any more fish. And when you camp with 2 and 4-year-olds, everybody heads to bed at 8:30, but nobody goes to sleep until 11.