For Harry Potter Fans

It wasn't long after we arrived in the United Kingdom, that we realized that this area would be one of our favorite spots of our road trip. Part of our enchantment with the UK was the hospitality that we received. The English people are joyful, and they scoop those around them up in their happiness. One of our first interactions with an Englishman was at a little strawberry stand heading away from Stonehenge. The farmer, who spoke quickly, in a heavy English accent, told me about his berrys and throughout the conversation he referred to me as "love". It was clear that this was the way that he spoke to everyone. I got back into the car and the first question from the back was, "Did he call you 'love'?!" Many of our conversations throughout the next few days were peppered with"loves" from the English, which was so endearing.     

After spending an early morning at Stonehenge, we headed to Bath to visit, of course, the Roman baths. We all wore headsets as we wandered the site that served social, spiritual and cleansing purposes in ancient times. The thermal pools were discovered by the Celts. Rain water soaks into the ground, and at 8,000 feet below the surface, it is heated by geothermal energy. It is heated up to 204 degrees and under pressure, bubbles to the surface through fissures in the limestone, creating a warm pool of water. Because the day was cool, we especially could understand why those living in this area would appreciate a warm bath.  

In addition to the audio guide, there were "Romans" in costume describing life at the baths during the Roman Empire. We learned that a wealthy Roman woman would spend much of her time at the bath with her servant. She had her hair piled high by her maid, which was the fashionable custom, and then would spend the remaining portion of the day at lunch, eating such delicacies as stuffed mice.

While in Bath we found the most fun bakery serving Cornish pasties. Other than Ezra, who is not the most adventurous eater, we all loved this English treat. We agreed that the best way to describe our lunch was a chicken pot pie, or beef pot pie in a pocket. While it has been difficult, with six children, to focus much on the culinary aspect of the countries visited, I have tried to have the children at least sample some of the well known foods of the region. After finding this spot, I was was happy to check off this traditional food from my mental list.

While heading up to London, we stopped at the little village of Lacock. Again, a great recommendation from our friends, Dave and Christen Harding. This town was absolutely charming, with flower boxes in the windows, tea gardens and stone roadways. 

However, it's biggest draw is the Abbey, and I am sure that it's popularity has sky rocketed since the filming of Harry Potter which took place within it's walls. The abbey's cloisters and side rooms were used as the classrooms at Hogwarts School in the first two movies. Since my three oldest have read the books multiple times and love the movies, this was a fun stop for us.

The Abbey was interesting to tour from a historical perspective as well. It was built in the 1200s and was used as a nunnery. In asking what the difference is between a church and an Abbey, we were told that an Abbey is a church that is either very large, as in Westminster Abbey, or very wealthy, as is the case with this small abbey. 

In the 1800s Lacock Abbey was a private residence. We visited rooms that were full of Victorian Era furniture. One room included period toys with which the kids enjoyed playing. 

The front window of the abbey was also the first image to be created on a negative for photographic film. The photo was taken by William Talbot, who invented the process of making permanent images from negatives using a camera. (Before this a picture could be taken, but it was not permanent and would have had to been traced by hand to retain it.) Talbot, whose family owned Lacock Abbey, took the photo from the inside of the abbey in 1835. 

After a long day, we made our way to London, enjoying the English countryside as we went.