And no. That's not a pregnancy update title up there. I can't believe it has been almost 4 months since I last posted. Well, yes I can. It's been a whirlwind, and here we are almost done with the fall '14 semester! I really do want to keep this blog updated for you friends and family, who feel so far away, yet who are always very near in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers.
Our summer days at home were spent much like as described in the previous post, but we did budget for a small vacation away right before the grind of school was upon us again. We are fortunate to be only an hour away from Bratislava, Slovakia, where the cheap airline Ryan Air flies in and out. I had snagged a good deal for a trip to London (August 7-18), and we have a few friends in England, so made it happen! It was so so good to see familiar faces and be back in an English-speaking country again - really felt almost like home. Or, New York. ;)
We trained to Bratislava and were so thrilled to meet up with a classmate of ours from Ave and her two sweet daughters. Maria is a native Slovakian and kindly hosted us at her parents' who she happened to be visiting that month. She gave us a quick tour around Bratislava's old town.
The kids had fun switching strollers.
Early morning goodbye at the airport bus stop.
And we were off! Super happy to have Auntie Elizabeth join us on this adventure.
Someone promptly relaxed.
5 minutes out of the airport in Stansted, England, our rental car began to smoke. 2 minutes later, this English guardian angel pulled over and asked if we needed a cell phone. He spent almost three hours on the side of the road with us, waiting for the tow truck, letting us sit in his car, and gave Michael biscuits. Simply the sweetest man with a great sense of service and humor. And Michael held his hand while our car was loaded.
Ahh, it was frustrating with 5 hours lost - cars are really such trouble; we've come to quite enjoy public transportation! Anyway, we made it safely an hour north of London to Mildenhall where family who was in our Texas homeschooling group way back in the day, lives. They graciously hosted us for a few nights even though they were in the midst of a trying sickness, and we are so thankful. What a joy it was to relax with American friends and catch up on all the years past.
Here is their house with our shiny rental car.
Kim is a wonderful, wise mama and still so good with babes!
The beautiful Fry family, missing the 3 eldest boys!
A day in Cambridge dodging the rain.
The delicious Chelsea buns.
King's College and Chapel - loved the Marian artwork in here.
Michael enjoyed watching the punting boats out on the college "backs".
Afternoon in Norwich where we met up with our classmate from Ave Maria, Lorna, who showed us around her hometown a bit.
It was fun to meet her younger sister, Rebecca, who was a great help with the boys!
We ended the day with Mass at the Catholic Cathedral.
Out to the coast and the English Channel! Here we are exploring part of the Dover Cliffs.
Dominic was practicing his standing skills back then.
The most loving auntie in the world.
One day we visited 14th century Bodiam Castle on our way to Hastings. This castle was built by Sir Edward Daylngrigge, knight of Edward III, to defend the area from French invasion during the Hundred Years' War. Michael had fun chasing the ducks that live in the moat.
What a great place to explore!
Making use of the very good audio guides at the Hastings Abbey and Battlefield historical site.
Wow. We read so much about the events that took place on this field way back then on October 14, 1066.
Remains of the monks' dormitory at Battle Abbey. William of Normandy vowed to found an abbey at the site of the battle.
These stones mark the spot where King Harold died. William had the high altar of the abbey church placed at this spot.
The abbey church was massive, but was destroyed during the Protestant Reformation.
The monks' living quarters were quite well preserved; here are Papa and Michael walking through the dining hall.
Auntie Elizabeth kindly watched the boys one morning while Andrew and I went out for a hike along the Dover Cliffs. We dodged rain the whole way, but that did not take away from the beauty of the lush green vegetation, the English Channel, and these white cliffs that rise starkly out from it.
You can see Dover Port in the background. We were very tempted to cross to France for a day trip - next time.
Afternoon at Dover Castle - a very well done preservation and exhibit of the 1160's site. We also took the "Secret Wartime Tunnels" tour, which was very well done and relates the story of the Operation Dynamo rescue from Dunkirk, with real footage. So nice to be exposed to two entirely different periods of history in one famous place.
The rooms were set up to recreate the atmosphere of that time period. There was even a king walking around greeting the visitors to his castle.
My king abdicated his throne.
Afternoon in Canterbury! We loved this town - so much character - you can practically see Geoffrey Chaucer's characters running down the alleys.
Canterbury Cathedral.
Of course, Michael is always thrilled to find something unique with wheels.
Lots of England's royals and clerics are buried here, Catholic and Protestant alike.
Mom, this is for you. The tomb of the "Black Prince" Edward Plantagenet. I remember how often you spoke of him in history reading.
So impious, Elizabeth.
A very old fresco.
And the main purpose for our visit - to pray at the spot where St. Thomas Becket, bishop of Canterbury, was martyred by Henry XIII's soldiers.
Fresco depicting St. Thomas' death.
St. Thomas was first buried here in the main nave, but later his shrine was destroyed. A candle still burns here for this Catholic bishop in this now Anglican, cathedral.
We continued to our next point, the church where the head of St. Thomas Moore is buried. On the way, we passed the home of his daughter, Margaret.
There was a funeral just ending at St. Dunstan's Church.
St. Thomas Moore, pray for us!
The remainder of the trip was spent in London with our dear friends, the Sewell family. They are the most gracious hosts and have lovely children - we enjoyed our conversations very much. We didn't get a family picture with them - so bummed! During the daytime, we poked around the streets of London, but didn't go in much, because London is packed with tourists in the summer, and the lines were long.
Westminster Abbey.
Hmmm, someone's Auntie has been 'round.
Westminster Cathedral.
Marble Arch.
Buckingham Palace.
A sunny afternoon along the Thames.
St. Paul's Cathedral.
The Tower of London, which was showcasing a touching display of 888,246 ceramic poppies to commemorate the Brits that gave their life during WW I.
Michael is still determined to "hold" a pigeon one day.
Enjoying Kensington Gardens.
That face - he was shy here because he was having such a good time.
The youngest Sewell boy, Benjamin was so good with Michael. Here he was trying to help Michael steer a car on the Wii.
Riding the Tube every day...
and enjoying coffee and a muffin every day.
The last day in London, we took Michael to the Transport Museum, and boy, did he love it! It was very informative for us adults too, providing the development and history of the London transportation system. Lots of fun trains, cable cars and buses to explore.
What a lovely summer trip. Hope to visit England again before our time in Europe is over!
