Cirencester, White Horse Hill, and Oxford

The rest of the week of our Spring Break we did a lot of resting and relaxing. We did a few little outings, one afternoon we went to Cirencester for a few hours. They have a Roman museum that Lily would like. Gemma and I did some wandering and shopping. We found some cute shops and Gemma had to get a Colin the Caterpillar backpack. 

Meagan told me about these little chocolate swiss cake rolls sold at Marks and Spencers. She said they are very common for children's birthday cakes. We had never heard of them and once we saw them in person they were too cute to pass by. The backpack came with some Colin Gummy treats as well. 

 

We met up after the museum and had a little afternoon delight at a cafe. We wandered a few more shops and found a book store so the girls could stock up on reading materials. They read two books each on the trip!

One afternoon we went up to the White Horse Hill to take a long walk and see the famous sight. 

From where you start at the parking lot the horse is very far away and you can hardly see it. Once up close you can see the outline but it is best viewed from far away to see the whole horse. It was a windy blustery day but the rain held off mostly. 

One day we had made plans to go to Oxford to tour the very famous library at Oxford, the Bodleian. We drove to the park and ride and then rode the double decker bus into the city. 

Oxford is so great with all it's old rich history and also modern bustling city. 

We planned to go early to also pop into the Natural History Museum. 

The museum has free entrance so we didn't feel like we had to see every little thing. There is so much to take in you could spend all day. 

It was a bit crowded for Spring break but we enjoyed it. 

We found this little row of cottages that were so very tiny. You couldn't have even gotten in the front door without crouching down bent halfway to get in!!

We also spent a good amount of time in the huge Waterstone's book store. It goes on and on an on! There were at least five levels of books. 

Then it was our turn to go tour the Bodleian. It is one of the oldest libraries in Europe and has over 13 million items in its collection and is 400 years old. They now have a huge warehouse off site to help house all their items. 

The tours are very hard to get as they only take a very limited number of people and only a couple days a week. It was very impressive and our guide was so knowledgeable. You have to be a student at Oxford to use the library.

The building itself was so interesting and so full of stories and history. Many films have been shot at the location, including Harry Potter!

We were inspired to visit based on the end of the new Willy Wonka movie. They actually filmed outside this building which is next to the Bodleian and is not even part of the library but the building where they have graduation! 

The last day of our trip Lily wanted to return to Oxford to explore the Ashmolean Museum. They have a large art and archaeology collection and ancient Egyptian exhibit. 

We were able to wander and explore and she saw all the exhibits she was interested in. A trip to Egypt is high on the priority list. Although so are a lot of other places so that makes it hard to narrow down. 

We had a wander through the Oxford covered market and had a bite for lunch and a little coffee and cake. We did some last minute returns and shopping and then it was time to head home. 

It was a really early rise to get to the airport for our 10 am flight home. Luckily it all went smooth and went by quickly enough. Everyone was back to work and school the next day. No more time for resting!

Hampton Court Palace with the Cheeks

We were so lucky to be able to meet up with Meagan and her family for a day trip. We figured out what area was about half way between our homes and looked for things to do in the area.

We discovered Hampton Court Palace was exactly half way. It is the former home of King Henry VIII. You can visit the palace and extensive gardens and learn all about the former Kings and Queens that lived here. 

They have a children's play garden as well which was a huge hit with the four kids. 

It was so great to get to see my friend again. We go four years between visits and then get to see each other twice in four months!!!

The kids didn't get to see each other when they visited in January so we were happy to all get a chance to visit. They remember each other and it is always so fun how they click and enjoy each other again.

There is a maze at the gardens which we were excited to do. It was apparently the "oldest" maze in the country. It was definitely not the hardest though. It took about 10 minutes to complete. 

They had actors wandering the grounds pretending to be various characters that would have been found at the castle back in the time of Henry VIII. It was a fun way to learn more about the time period. They also had an Easter event where you search for Lindt bunny statues in order to earn a small chocolate bunny. 

Once inside the palace we explored. It was magnificent. These were the apartments of William III.

We wandered and explored until our stomachs were empty. We had packed a picnic lunch and found a courtyard to sit and enjoy it. 

Then we explored the Henry VIII apartments. His history is so rich and scandalous! He had six wives and many of them did not survive the marriage, the famous rhyme is "Divorced, beheaded and died, Divorced, beheaded survived." Not great odds for a union.

Gemma and Kobe took a turn being King and Queen. Lucky for them nobody was beheaded.

A portrait of good old Henry. He was a very large man who was said to love to eat lots and lots of meat and was not very healthy. He didn't sound like he was very happy either and I'm certain neither were the wives. 

The buildings and courtyards are so expansive. They have been used in many movies and shows including the recent Netflix show Bridgerton. 

The gardens are all so lovely with all the Spring blooms. 

The kids had enough of buildings and history and wanted to head back to the play garden. They had gotten warmed up and friendly and played together for another hour. 

They certainly had a great time and we pretty much closed the place down! They didn't want to leave the play area. Of course all the fresh air and activity meant it was a great nap on the hour and a half drive home.