England Part 2

In our last episode we visited Stonehenge, Dartmoor, and Tintagel. These sites draw big crowds in the summer months but not as much in October giving us the feeling that we had the country to ourselves. We had really settled in to this tranquil tourism which made the hustle and bustle of Bath a bit disappointing. Bath is a gorgeous city built on top of a Roman settlement and some natural hot springs and made mostly of 1700s homogeneous looking buildings of golden "Bath " stone.  It is popular with international and domestic tourists alike making it a bit of a party town. It is also really expensive; The only reasonable housing deal I could find was a private room in the YMCA with a bathroom down the hall. It felt like being in college again only with kids (not something I recommend). It was fine really but I wouldn't have wanted to stay there for more than one night. They did have laundry facilities which I was grateful for as Klaus' car seat still smelled like vomit. After settling in at the Y, we enjoyed Cornish pasties for dinner and then took a walk around town, darting around several tourists who were already obviously drunk.
 The Klaus alarm clock got us all up too early for the YMCA's free breakfast. So we decided to pack everything up and take it to the car which was stowed in a nearby mall's underground parking garage (parking is also really expensive).  Since we wanted to do it in one trip, everyone had to carry something. Even Klaus had to hold his lovie, a stuffed tiger we call Hobbes.
 

After breakfast we toured the Roman Baths, an amazing bath/temple complex that was uncovered in the center of town in the 1700s. The hot spring that inspired the the bath's location still bubbles up and fills the pools that the Romans dug. The audio tour was free and wonderfully informative but unfortunately the kids only let us listen to a fourth of it.
 After the Roman Baths we tagged along on on one of the free walking tours put on by The Mayor's Corps of Honorary Guides. Our tour guide, Andrew, was very entertaining and had a superb delivery. He made us like Bath inspite of our initial bad impression.
  After a picnic lunch outside the Bath Abbey we raced back to the car, both to get our tired lads off to their nap but also to avoid an impending storm. We made it into the car before the skys opened up but we were still pelted with Klaus' tears as we proved to be too late for him. To comfort him I shuffled through the bags in the back seat to retrieve Hobbes. It did not take long to discover that Hobbes was not there. As I began to think back about it I realized that I didn't remember seeing him in Klaus' hands when we packed the car early that morning. Which meant that he must have dropped it on the walk to the car. I don't know who was more upset, Klaus or me- As a child I once lost my cherished "blanky" in a grocery store so losing a lovie is a very traumatic thought for me. At the same time I also realized the Klaus was missing a shoe. I wanted Kurt to turn the car around but between the crowds and the rain there was no way we were going to find either Hobbes or the shoe. Plus we needed to get going so that the boys could nap in the car. So we left bath one shoe and one tiger lighter.
  Our next destination was Oxford for the boys first college visit...Just kidding. Kurt and I are huge fans of
Inspector Morse and Inspector Lewis, two mystery series set in Oxford. While the murders in the show are grisly the setting is beautiful and we wanted to see it for ourselves. We stayed at a great B&B called Park House, where the inn keeper Kathryn dug out a huge bag of trains for the boys to play with. They loved her instantly. The only problem was that there was no wifi and I was still holding on to some hope that we could find Hobbes or at least order a replacement. The thought of it made me really anxious the entire time we were in Oxford.

  After reading about it in our guide book and seeing it in Inspector Lewis, I really wanted to go punting in Oxford. Even though it was raining Kurt and the boys graciously complied. A 'punt' in this case is not the football move but rather a type of flat bottomed canal boat that is pushed along using a long metal poll (think Venice). We arrive at the boat house just as the men running it had decided not to open that day because of the rain. With my best pitiful tourist performance and my cute child props I convinced them to rent us a punt. We explored the canal for only about an hour as it was pretty hard work for Kurt and also we were hoping to make it to another free walking tour.
 

Klaus picking out his seat in the
 Balliol dining hall

  We missed the walking tour but it was probably for the best. I'm not sure the kids would have put up with another one. So instead we walked around Balliol College (Oxford is made up of 38 autonomous colleges) founded in 1263 making it the oldest college in the University. Not many of the buildings admitted tourists but I recognized a few of the quads from Inspector Lewis. Leif and Klaus were unimpressed. That's ok- international tuition is 50 grand.
 For lunch we went to an Itsu, a chain of restaurants serving fresh healthy Asian inspired food- totally awesome! Then the boys and I took a nap at the B&B while Kurt walked around more of Oxford. We met up for dinner at a pub called the Eagle and Child which boasts Tolkien and C.S. Lewis as former patrons.
 

  In the morning we bid farewell to Kathryn and then drove 10 miles to Blenheim Palace, the country home of the Duke of Marlborough. Imagine a mini (although not too mini) Versailles. The Palace was impressive even at the breeze-through pace at which I saw it; Leif and Klaus were not willing to suffer another tour so Kurt and I took turns walking through the grand salons, dining rooms, and library. Luckily for the childed- tourist, the palace also offered a play garden complete with maze and giant chess set and a fun train/tram that took you there. Our two weary little travelers perked up in this more child-friendly environment and we had a grand time there before driving an hour to Warwick.
 

Warwick, is home to Warwick Castle where Edward II's lover Piers Gaveston was imprisoned and executed in 1312. Despite its dubious history it is now a rather fun amusement park. There are no rides or anything but parts of the castle are set up with walk-through displays and several live shows. We saw the great hall and state rooms which provided a lovely view of the river Avon as it passes very near the castle's base. We also walked through the "Kingmaker" exhibit where very life-like wax figures prepare for a battle in tableau. The "Secrets and Scandals" exhibit was similarly set up. Leif was a bit wary of the wax figures but I think he enjoyed seeing all the different rooms. After touring the castle a bit we headed out to the grounds to see a real trebuchet launch. Warwick boasts a life-size wooden wheel trebuchet that, as impressive as it seems to us today, must have been terrifyingly impressive at its inception. I am in love with the past but it is seeing things like this that make me happy that I live in the age that I do. Life sucked back then.We were also really impressed the birds of prey show. The castle has a collection of trained falcons, eagles, and buzzards. The falconer assured us that all of the birds were bread in captivity so we could watch their amazing swoops and dives without feeling too guilty. We ended our day with a walk along the castle walls and then walked back to the car enjoying some tea and scones along the way. How wonderfully British!

 I'm not sure when I will get around to writing part three of out trip. Kurt and I are participating in NaNoWriMo (national novel writing month) and it is sucking up all of my spare time.