Sweet Ben even got a chance at watching on an iPad...he was so happy!
We rented a car, then stopped at McDonald's on our way to the hotel. It was the cutest, most English McDonald's I've ever seen:
Our hotel room with all the beds squashed in :)
The next morning we started our drive to Ledbury via the Cotswolds and anything else that struck our fancy. We saw a sign for Blenheim Palace and stopped off to gape at it's external grandeur without paying to go in. It's Winston Churchill's home and it's the only building in Britain to be called a palace that is not a royal residence.
In the grounds, they were having a circus, which apparently is amazing, but it was too early in the morning and sold out for the day for us to attend. It was so cool to see all the old fashioned circus trucks lined up.
Soon after pulling out of the grounds Ruby announced that she had thrown up the copious amounts of scrambled eggs she had inhaled at breakfast. Nice. So we pulled off into a neighborhood to clean up and two sweet residents came to offer their help. One lady gave us a bunch of clorox-type wipes and the other guy gave us this whole roll of multi-purpose towels! We were so blessed by their generosity.
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We kept up on our trip and enjoyed the stunning English scenery. We didn't have an extra change of clothes for Ruby, so every time we saw a charity shop, I jumped out to run in and see if they had anything that would fit her. Thankfully, I finally found a little outfit for 1.50! Yay! She was happy to not have to wear her nightgown all day.
Our first stop was at Stoke-on-the-Wold. A really sweet town with a cool church and graveyard.
Next we stopped at Burton-on-the-Water for lunch.
While there we stopped at a model train exhibition. No pictures were allowed, but it was so cool. There were 3 large sets of trains set up into towns with construction and a fair and comings and goings. It was amazing. Two of the sets had buttons that we could push that would change the signals, make noises, or make the trains go. Benji especially loved it and shouted "choo choo!" the whole time. He's really gotten into trains recently thanks to our friend Colton. Here are the kids at the train shop oogling the Thomas section :)
We made our way down tiny one-track roads to the Gadfield Elm Chapel to do some Carter family history. Rob's ancestor, William Carter was one of the first people in the area of Ledbury to be baptized by Wilford Woodruff and join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Much to his family's dismay, he headed to America and joined the pioneers going to the Salt Lake Valley. There, he was the first man to plow a field in Salt Lake. We talked to the missionaries and learned about the history of the chapel. There was a really neat Spirit there and we enjoyed learning about Carter ancestors and what the early Church members were like there.
The chapel was originally built by the United Bretheren, a Christian congregation, who were nearly all converted to the Church and it was given to the church. Many leaders preached there including Wilford Woodruff and Brigham Young and many people were baptized, but most of those new members soon moved to Utah and the chapel fell into disrepair for 150 years until it was bought by some local members and restored and eventually given to the Church to be custodians of it. It is the oldest Mormon chapel in the world still standing.
On our way to Ledbury, these 3 rogue sheep ran in our way. It was so funny, they were baaaa-ing like crazy.
In Ledbury, the town market building
The missionaries had told us about this tiny little museum in Ledbury that had a little display on William Carter. The town was very proud that one of their own had made it to America and had been the first to plow a field in Salt Lake Valley.
The plaque in the museum
The church where William was christened and some Carter ancestors are buried. We tried to find the grave markers of any Carters but the stones were too worn to read. It was so neat to wander through the yard though.
I thought this one looked like some zombies were about to stick their fingers out of on their way to the surface :)
Next we headed to Hill Farm, where William and many others were baptized in Benbow's Pond.
After a loooong day of sightseeing we headed to the hotel. We had a lovely room overlooking the golf course with a little bench outside where Rob and I sat under a towel to keep dry from the drizzle-y day and Skyped with our realtor who was giving us a tour of a house that we offered on (and didn't get). The view from our seat was lovely though!
The next morning we drove to Oxford and went to church then we spent the afternoon exploring the city.
A peek at Oxford Castle
This was the coolest Pizza Express where we ate our lunch. It was set in the castle walls in the old prison area. I just love the history that greets you everywhere in England!
We went to a local museum and saw an original Stradivarius, then left because we were in a hurry.
Like in Cambridge, you can visit the colleges there. We saw Balliol College. It was so beautiful!
This is the cafeteria...just like at Hogwarts! :)
I love this gargoyle reading a book, I think it was outside Balliol's library.
There were funny statues all around one of the buildings, all with different expressions.
Funny Rue...
The Radcliffe Camera
There were lots of huge doors like this one with a smaller hidden door in them for people to use.
For the first leg of the train ride home we were supposed to have reserved seating in carriage F, but when the train arrived there were only 4 carriages, A, B, C and D. And it was packed so we got to enjoy the journey in the luggage compartment. Hey at least we had a place to sit. Train fail.
It was a fantastic trip! We are sure going to miss these adventures!
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