There were a few places outside of London that we had hoped to see during our time here. Stonehenge was top of the list and Bath was another.
After Christmas we made our way to this ancient city to see the fabled baths for ourselves.
In terms of history, this place in southwest England has quietly had bubbling warm hot springs flowing for as long as anyone can remember.
These springs were discovered and became the focal point of settlers, progressively building larger and more impressive structures to take advantage of this natural phenomenon.
The Romans, with their strong interest in bathing for cleanliness and health, were thrilled to encounter this place nearly directly west of their stronghold in Londinium.
The Romans called this place Aquae Sulis and built beautiful buildings there, likely starting around 2000 years ago.
The official site for the Roman Baths can be found here and gives some nice details about it:
http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/walkthrough
We found a nice place to stay in Wick, about 30 minutes from Bath and made the sunny drive into town.
Our main goal was to see the Roman Baths but would be happy to see the famous Royal Crescent.
When we hit the intense traffic which brought Bath to a standstill, we were just happy to finally find parking.
Our parking spot was fortuitous in the fact it was right near a gigantic playground! We spent some time there where the boys found new and exciting things to do.
A crazy teeter totter that would move up and down and use the momentum of one person to speed the rotation of the other, here you can see Sammy the recipient of his older brother's momentum:
Please note the giant blue angled rock wall in the background, Sammy had an insatiable desire to climb that which resulted in some challenges for me and for him but we both survived.
Here was the longest slide we'd seen to date:
There also was another giant zip line that Joey and Sammy raced down.
After that excellent playground break we made the walk to the Roman Baths.
They were pretty popular as a destination and it took a bit to make it through the line. Once we did, we walked out to the main terrace which has a beautiful view of Bath Abbey behind it and the great pool lazily waving below it.
The Abbey itself has an interesting history and is reputed to be the site for the coronation of the first English king, King Edgar, in 973 AD.
The Abbey's history page has good information here:
http://www.bathabbey.org/history
Here's a better close up of the Abbey itself:
Those jade green waters were pretty mesmerizing and we moved through the upper level to get closer to them. Before we did, we saw a different green: Seahawks green (and blue)! There were two folks there wearing Seahawks hats. I had to talk with them and they were very uninterested in anything we had to say. On that sad note, we moved forward through the Baths to see pieces of the ancient stones that decorated this popular temple.
Lanna and I took a selfie before leaving the platform. She is clutching the audio guide with great enthusiasm, nearly strangling me.
There were a lot of great models and history which was challenging to enjoy with the kids (which is par for the course).
We perused these things and progressed lower into the Baths, seeing the ancient temple stones and where some of the water comes in.
At the lower level we were able to touch the water (strictly illegal but done by at least 80% of the people there) and found it to be pleasantly warm.
We also had a chance to meet people in period dress and acting in character. They attempted to befriend Joey but he was dubious about this whole thing.
From there we went back inside to see the ancient stonework where the original temple to Minerva existed and the flagstones that ancient Romans walked.
Night fell while we explored the inside. The baths had a distinctive look in the night.
We also saw the Sacred Spring from where nearly all the waters spring.
After the Sacred Spring we saw a few more ancient areas before the end of the walkthrough.
Before leaving, they offered a chance to taste the spa mineral water, boasting 43 minerals. All of us but Sammy did not finish it given the metallic mineral seasoning. Sammy had seconds.
The walk back to the car went quickly in the chilly dusk. We drove out in a traffic free night and apparently just missed the Royal Crescent by about a block.
The day after Christmas we found out Charles Spencer, the earl of Althorp, hosts an annual hunt for the people of Church Brampton.
This was exciting news as Alisa and I (let alone the kids) have never seen anything like a British Hunt. Sure, we've seen representations on Downton Abbey but that's the closest we've ever been.
So we got on our trusty Wellies, some warm clothes, and drove over to the fields where The Hunt was to be.
We knew we were getting closer when the usually empty and verdant English fields were dotted with horseback riders in the distinctive tan pants, blazers, and conical black hat. Parking was a challenge as both cars and horses were becoming thick near the field entrance.
Walking down the muddy dirt road, we often had to stand aside for the riders happily trotting past us. Joey and Sammy eagerly looked around for more horses. Lanna, who is becoming quite a talker, made happy exclamations whenever she saw a horse.
The fields opened up before us, filled with happy people milling about peppered with riders of all ages.
Seeing so many horses made Sammy very happy.
Alisa's cousins were filling us in about The Hunt and told us the people in the blue blazers were the main riding body (the field) and those in the red blazers were the hunt masters.
We were awaiting the hunt masters. They were also in charge of the hounds. Our hosts told us when we saw the pack of hounds, then we knew the hunt would start soon.
And then we saw them!
The hounds seemed to be everywhere, coming by us, sniffing, and allowing us to scratch their ears. They were very eager and frenetic.
The boys enjoyed the chance to meet the hounds.
It was very pleasant as the hounds darted past us and mingled with the crowd.
Soon the hunt master arrived and they lifted the brass bugle to their lips, summoning the hounds.
From there, they gave some pretty little speeches while people circulated around with glasses of port and mince pies.
When the speeches were over, the riders all assembled behind the hounds and they trotted a few laps around the field and through the woods.
Once they had gone and silence replaced the baying of the hounds and the thunder of hooves, we enjoyed a nice walk in the English countryside.
It was a shame when we returned to the farmhouse that Carson and Mrs. Hughes was not there to greet us or provide any refreshments from Mrs. Padmore.
My cousin Mike Borkan and his wife Cathinka, along with their son Jon, had been wonderful hosts to us several times since our arrival in London. Months before we even left the states, they offered to host us for a Danish Christmas at their home in Northampton (Cathinka is of Danish heritage). We joyfully accepted! After packing up ALL of our belongings from our London apartment (which actually took less time than expected), we drove out to Northampton on December 24th. Traffic was light, and although we had left a little late on a drizzly morning, we arrived in plenty of time to go to church. The service was held in the small church associated with Holdenby house, which is called All Saints Church.
We enjoyed a relatively short service, including candles which the kids found fascinating. And the church was not as cold as I thought it would be (we had been warned by the cousins). After the service, we went into Holdenby House for a short reception complete with orange juice and mince pies. Holdenby House was originally built by Sir Christopher Hatton as the largest home in Elizabethan England. It was enormous and bankrupted him! In later years, people tore down most of the house. Apparently, the mansion that remains was the original kitchens.
http://www.holdenby.com/house-history.php
(the blue blur is Joey running around after church)
After church, we returned to the Borkan's house where the kids had an early meal and then went to bed before the official Christmas dinner. That dinner included the two Clyne adults, the Borkan adults, the Borkan children (Nicki and Jon), as well as Cathinka's parents who had driven down from where they currently live in Scotland. Dinner started with a tasty rice pudding and continued on to a delicious goose and was supposed to finish with a Christmas pudding (which is set on fire) but we were all too full to eat it! We had goose twice in Europe and loved it- it will be on our list of things to cook in 2016.
After dinner, we proceeded into the "bakery" of the house for presents. Cathinka carefully lit real candles on the Christmas tree, and we entered the room full of the tree's magical glow. We all (and especially the Borkan kids) enjoyed opening many presents, and we enjoyed the warmth of the family (and the tree!)
Our kids opened presents from their cousins and us over the next few days, and they got to see the candlelit tree on Christmas day. They thoroughly enjoyed playing with their cousins and even tried a few new foods (Lanna loved the goose, Sammy loved the rice pudding).
We thoroughly enjoyed spending more time with our cousins who live in England, as well as meeting Cathinka's parents. Here are a few photos of the kids with Nicki and Jon, as well as Lanna showing how exhausted the kids were after long days of playing and how comfortable the beds were!
