England

Over a month ago we began our busy and exciting Eurotrip. Sadly, our precious pup Harley could not come. Though he was missed, we made sure to have an excellent time with lots of stories to share with him upon our return.

Note: The Air Transat plane was a comfortable upgrade from some we have flown on in the past. I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely the best one of the trip.

Our first stop took us back to England for Matt’s second and my third time. Cask ales, castles, charming British accents, history and of course, long lost family… what’s not to love? Something always feels like home here. I am not sure if it is the always warm welcome, the comforting level of Stirk crazy, the thankfully familiar language or the delicious dinners but I am glad we chose Shropshire as our first destination.

We managed to squeeze in a rest day before heading out to see the sights! Enjoy!

LUDLOW CASTLE

Ludlow is an 11th century castle ruins with a rich history. It was built by Walter de Lacy, William the Conqueror’s second in command, to secure his newly aquired lands along the border of England and Wales. It was also the principal seat of Richard Mortimer, Duke of York in the 1400s. He went on to lead the Yorkists in the War of the Roses. His son, Edward IV as well as his grandsons, the Princes in the Tower, were all brought up within the walls of Ludlow Castle. Prince Arthur, Henry VIII’s elder brother died here during his honeymoon with future queen, Catharine of Aragon. His heart was buried at Ludlow.

So, yeah… there is your quick history lesson. Today the castle ruins are a wonderful example of man vs. nature. Walking through, I couldn’t help but notice all the beautiful ways in which the plants here are taking back their land. Along with the vegetation, Ludlow Castle also hosts many festivals and educational programs throughout the year. Most notably the Ludlow Food Spring Festival with food, classic cars and lots of CRAFT BEER! How could we have missed it?! Next time…

POWIS CASTLE AND GARDEN

Beginning its life as a medieval fortress in the 1200s, Powis Castle eventually became the home of the Herbert family. Each generation added to the collection creating a very unique accumilation of art and historical items.

There were literally sooooo many things! It reminded me of an episode of hoarders with really interesting, historical and expensive stuff… in a CASTLE! Among my favourite things on our tour was the pietre sure table (#2). Legend be told, a gift from the pope! Because these marble and semi-precious stone tables are so heavy, it is very rare to have the top as well as the stand together like the one at Powis. Though I did not take any photos inside, I did manage to snap some of the gardens and the exterior of the castle.

WIGHTWICK MANOR

Wightwick is an Old English style Victorian Era manor built under the influence of the Art and Crafts Movement in 1887. Though not nearly as old as the first two places, there was still a significant amount of historical architecture, art and artifacts.

A couple of things that stood out to me were the William De Morgan ceramic fireplaces, the woodwork in the grand parlour, and the secret stair from the drawing room to the bedroom. I had to ask to see it! If Lady Mander saw there was company coming she could sneak off to fix herself up and greet them by coming down the grand stairway. So cool!

FAMILY!

Our flight to Europe is booked! No, Harley does not get to come.

We will be starting our Eurotrip in London and it has me reminiscing about the last time we were there in 2013. Being a very small town girl, the country is more my thing… so I never expected to love this city so much! We stayed in a small suite (smaller bathroom) at Studios2Let near Kings Cross Station and using the overwhelming yet efficient underground, got around fairly easily. One time we passed on taking the claustrophobic, cattle car elevator and used the stairs (disregarding the “This staircase has 175 steps, equivalent to 15 floors. Do not use except in an emergency” signs). It was quite the workout!

We only had three days to spend but obviously wanted to see everything. Given our love for biking, we decided to try out a recommended Fat Tire Bike Tour. On the first day we chose to do the Royal London one. It took us by all the hot spots: The Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, The Royal Parks, Big Ben, Kensington Palace and Trafalgar Square. We even got to see the changing of the guard. The weather was beautiful, spring was in the air and the flowers were just beginning to bloom. We loved it so much we decided to do one on our second day as well. (Had to work of all the meat pies and ale somehow.)

Although the weather was a bit gloomier and a little cold, the River Thames Bike Tour was also totally worth it. I thought we had seen it all the day before but this tour took us by The London Eye, Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Shakespeare’s Globe, London Bridge, The Tower of London, Borough Market, The Monument and Leadenhall Market (AKA… DIAGON ALLEY HP Fans!!!) The best part of this one was, however, St. Dunstan in the East. Is was not officially part of the tour, just a place our tour guide happened to love. From the outside you could see the steeple and entrance of a medieval church but when you when through the door it opened up into a beautiful garden with a not so beautiful, yet interesting, story. It was originally built in the 1100s, was damaged in the Great Fire of London, rebuilt and then bombed in the Blitz of the Second World War. An amazing oasis in the middle of a busy city. My only wish is that I could have curled up on a bench with a book for the afternoon. Instead, we spent some time at the stunning V&A Museum. The line to get into the Natural History Museum was a little bit too long but this was definitely an acceptable alternative.

Our evenings were as busy as our days. We did a bit of grocery shopping and cooked a lot of our meals in our studio but did head out to the theatre for two of the three nights. We had the chance to see The Lion King at the grand Lyceum Theatre and Matilda at the smaller, Cambridge Theatre. Both shows were great.

We had an absolutely spectacular time in London. Though we didn’t get into too many places during out short visit, we really did SEE everything. I would definitefly recommend it all, right up until our Eurostar departure to Paris. Dubbed the $600 mistake, it is a story in itself. I am not sure how long we be in London this time around, if at all, but am glad that I have some very great memories.