Leeds Castle

We had one last day to do something British together, so we went to Leeds Castle, a gorgeous castle east of London we've never visited before. We're so glad we didn't leave without seeing it! We were without Gavin, which was fun and relaxing. 

The castle and surroundings were breathtaking, especially with autumn foliage all around.

We also enjoyed a fun hedge maze, which we even managed to solve. Ok, Jacob solved it. I'm rubbish at that sort of thing.

Leeds Castle was teeming with gorgeous black swans.

I took a few photos of the interiors. The below room was used for Camp David Accord meetings in the 70s.

And the library was really lovely.

We'll miss England so much. We leave on Wednesday... :(

Kentwell Hall

We had another fun outing with Becky and Hazel, this time to Kentwell Hall, a beautiful mansion house not far from us.

a big thanks to Becky for taking some cute shots of us!

 One fascinating feature of the gardens were these person-shaped bushes at the back of the house. Quirky, fun, cute.

 There was some burning going on near the gardens, and it really affected our lungs and visibility at times (it was the only bad thing about the day). You can see it really well in the below photos where Gavin is demonstrating perfect yoga positions.

eating a nectarine (attempting it in one single bite, it seems)

Apples are in season, and the apples at Kentwell were beautiful and plentiful!

 It was a gorgeous day with gorgeous scenery and wonderful company! We didn't actually tour the house because we didn't have time before naps, but the gardens kept us busy and happy.

 As usual, Hazel and Gavin were extremely cute together.

 The peafowl were cute at first, but then there was an incident I'm a little ashamed to relate. I should have been a better parent and shielded my child from it, but instead I took pictures. (Go ahead and judge me.) This peacock actually stole Gavin's snack right out of his hands! The groundskeeper said that so many people feed them, they come looking for food and aren't as scared of us as they should be.

Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey)

On our way home from Cornwall (and Plymouth) we needed a place to stop and stretch our legs and give Gavin a break from being in the car. So we stopped at Downton Abbey! Actually it's Highclere Castle, the residence of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, and the filming location for Downton Abbey.

We didn't dare take Gavin inside, and Jacob has never seen an episode of the show, so they enjoyed the gardens while I toured the castle.

Photography isn't allowed inside, but the rooms were beautiful. They had informational signs in some of the bedrooms telling which Downton Abbey character's room we were in, which was cool.

I loved visiting Highclere, and I'm extra-excited for the new Downton Abbey season to start this month!

Somerleyton Hall

Today Gavin and I went with our friends Hazel and Becky to a stately home called Somerleyton Hall. I came across a blog that lists the top 11 stately homes in England, and I was shocked at how few I had been to (4), especially considering that one was so nearby. Now I've been to 5 of the houses on that list. :) 

The weather was PERFECTION, and the kids enjoyed each other's company playing on the grounds. (They're adorable together.)

The house is still lived in by Lord and Lady Somerleyton and their family, so the tour doesn't cover the parts they stay in. But the staff was very accommodating and gave us a private (expedited) tour because the kiddos were nearing nap-time. We really appreciated that.

beautiful flowers to go with beautiful weather

So much to love about this picture: the piece of hair in the air; the thumb halo; the facial expression (with mouth full of grapes); the "I love Dad" shirt; etc :)

They made us wear these little blue booties to tour the house. 

Enigmas and codes--Bletchley Park

Yesterday we visited Bletchley Park, the home of Allied code-breaking during WWII. At the peak of its activity, Bletchley Park code-breakers were intercepting 4,000 messages per day, and Churchill later said it was thanks to the operations here that we won the war.

workers fixing the enigma-breaking "bombe" machine

We saw some enigma machines and code-breaking machines and period stuff. Most of the mansion is now offices, but we got to see the still-authentic parts. Overall we thought it was interesting but could have been presented a little better. Maybe they were trying to be enigmatic...

There's a cute little post office at Bletchley Park.

Stained glass ceiling in one of the rooms.

Gavin definitely enjoyed playing on the grounds of Bletchley, including monster chess. 

I thought this wartime poster was clever.

Lake District

We've wanted to visit the Lake District since we got to England, and we're glad we finally did. The scenery was unbelievable, and the weather was especially nice. It was great to be there with Melissa and Mike too. 

We visited the Wordsworth birthplace while we were there, and that was interesting and fun.

A huge highlight was hearing Melissa play the harpsichord--incredible!

We had a picnic at Buttermere, which was breathtakingly beautiful. We shared the field with sheep and enjoyed the gorgeous views. Gavin stole my sandwich and has crazy hair because of sunscreen we applied to his head.

Hampton Court Palace

Saturday we visited Hampton Court Palace in the greater London area (on the Thames River), and it was beautiful. It was the main residence of Henry VIII, so lots of craziness with his spousal situations happened there. It also features additions by William and Mary and other monarchs but hasn't been occupied since George II. It was first opened to the public under Queen Victoria. The above photo shows the fountain that flowed with wine during Henry VIII's time.

The palace features the last medieval great hall built for the monarchy (below). I don't think I got a great photo of the incredible ceiling. The stained glass is beautiful too.

Hampton Court is also famous as the site where the King James translation of the Bible was commissioned in 1604. We saw a first edition of the King James Version in the chapel there.

Also pictured: the fountain courtyard (x2); the throne; Jacob and Gavin in the maze; the astronomical clock; and the impressive staircase mural by Antonio Verrio.

And one last photo of us being silly. :)