Alas, finally out of London

We recently ventured out on our first family vacation here in England. It was a lot of fun to get away from the city and see a little bit of the English country-side. We saw a lot of interesting places, rich in history and mythology. I am a little biased with how much I enjoyed myself, because I didn't have to, 1. drive on the uncomfortable side of the road, and 2. spend the whole time viewing things from a pram, car seat or baby carrier (although at times, it looked quite nice and warm). Brett and Maya had fun as well...but needless to say, Maya was more than ready for a large floor to crawl around on, and Brett very happily welcomed public transportation back into our lives.

Here are some highlights of the things we saw...

1. 1st stop...Glastonbury. So cool! We hiked to the "Tor" (Maya was such a trooper in the cold) and walked around the Abbey remains, where we stopped to see where King Arthur and Guinevere's tombs were said to have once been. Maya enjoyed some geese and ducks and talked the whole time.

Our hike up to the Tor. She finally liked the Ergo! I couldn't get enough pictures of Brett and Maya with the picturesque background.

It was windy and so cold, her nose and cheeks turned red.

Remains of the Abbey. The original location of what was believed to be the first Christian church in all of Europe.

-Drove to Wells, England. It turned out to be quite difficult navigating, especially in the dark, but we made it. Brett was seriously GOOD at driving despite the narrow, winding roads, the vast number of roundabouts, and road signs that confused us more the longer we tried to decipher them.

2. Wells Cathedral=stunning! So quiet and peaceful in a small little English town with beautiful landscape surrounding it. We soaked in the architecture and history for a while, drooling over the intricate details and beauty, then grabbed dinner before leaving Wells.

Wells Cathedral

-We stayed the first night in a place called Clevedon, which is right on the coast. Our room even had a view of the sea!

The Clevedon Pier

Maya enjoying the view from our room

3. Bath, England. Bath was a beautiful city. It obtained its name from the Roman Baths. It was interesting to learn how important bathing was to the Romans. They traveled from all over Europe to bathe in the hot spring in Bath. Possibly due to the influence of the Romans, Bath has continued to have a rich architectural heritage. An example of which is the beautiful Bath Abbey.

Views of the city Bath

The Bath Abbey

The Roman Baths-

As you can see, Maya hung out in a back-pack the museum provided because we couldn't take the pram inside.

-We stayed the second night outside of Bristol at a Holiday Inn, and enjoyed a relaxing breakfast and swim.

4. Avebury, England. The Avebury Ring, which encircles the village of Avebury, is a stone monument older than the famous Stonehenge. It was incredible how large these stones were (up to 40 tons) and to think about how the people living 5,000 years ago would be able to create the structure. The origin and purpose of the Avebury Ring remains a mystery, but like Stonehenge, scholars believe that the structure was built for worship.

-We quickly realized just how tricky it was to rent a car and drive here in England. It is not just about being on the other side of the road. We found ourselves stuck on Motorways, passing where we wanted to exit, trying to maneuver on the tiniest roads barely wide enough for one car and lost in a sea of roundabouts. I navigated for most of the trip and must say I became quite good at it by the end. We also came to the harsh reality that it is not as easy traveling with a little one in the back seat. She is only one little body, but so much work.

We're glad we were able to go, and came home just in time..right before the massive snowfall (only massive by London standards). There were about 4 inches on the ground and it was beautiful. We are enjoying the break from school and being able to spend more time together. We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas holiday!