England: part two

{Read part one here}

We departed for the Lake District on June 1st. It was a rainy day, perfect for a bus ride. While in the Lake District, we stayed at Boarbank Hall, a guest house/nursing home run by the cutest bunch of nuns. They were wonderful hosts! Our first official day in the area was spent hiking through the country...in the rain.

^Saw this on our hike-I could get used to this view.

^Sheep!!!

Most of the kids decided to climb the mountainside, and a few of the adults stopped for a break. I was part of the six--four kids and two adults--who stayed on the path. We had most of the food anyway ;)

^The chosen few ;)

^ Me talking, and MC pretending to understand what I was saying... ;)

The next day, we were off to London! We saw all the cheesy sights...Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, London Eye...the list goes on. Big Ben was definitely my favorite!

^Of course it was rainy...

We visited the Tower of London, saw the crown jewels and the armory...and St. Thomas Moore's cell...which is super secret and off limits...but we got a special tour. Can you say once in a lifetime?

^Tired after the Tower

 ^The group in front of Buckingham Palace

Our last day was spent in Canterbury. We saw a beautiful church, shopped a bit, toured the Canterbury Cathedral, and had a legitimate Italian meal. It was a wonderful ending to an amazing trip... :)

^The children had made a bouquet for Mary. So precious.

^The stained glass windows were crazy gorgeous

This is me the morning that we left: 

^Tired and ready to go home, but happy and fulfilled nonetheless!

Despite being incredibly tired, the plane ride home was infinitely easier than the one to London. We landed in Canada and made our connecting flight with ease. When we crossed the border back to the United States, my heart filled with relief-I could finally text without worrying about going over my limit! :D 

My family picked me up at the same place we met before the trip, and I'm pretty sure I didn't shut up the whole way home, haha. 

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my crazy adventure to the UK-I can't wait to go again! I'm coming for ya, Oxford! 

xoxo, 

Kate

England: part one

I've been back in The States for over a week, and now that I'm sufficiently un-jetlagged, I'd like to share my favorite parts of the trip with you :)

^ready for adventure (can you tell I'm nervous?)

^Waiting to leave for Windsor!

We were gone for 12 days, which at the time seemed like forever. Now it feels a bit like a dream, and I can't believe it flew by so quick!

^Waiting in the Windsor airport, my passport and boarding passes, and the view from my seat

First stop was Windsor, Canada. We left Windsor for Toronto, then Toronto to London. Basically, it was a long day of travel!

Our first day was the worst, with the time change (we lost six hours!) and being in a new environment. Once we adjusted to the time zone, falling asleep at night was a piece of cake, but it was still hard to wake up at 7 am everyday!

^Our first night-dinner at Brown's in Oxford

Our "home away from home" in England was the adorable town of Oxford. I loved how it was quaint, but still busy because of all the Universities. The buildings were beautiful and the people were friendly. We saw many of the colleges, shops, and cafes in Oxford. We were very busy, and though it was tiring, I enjoyed walking everywhere.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the walks from dinner back to the bed & breakfast each night.  The air was cool, the streets were quiet, and some of the funniest stories from the trip came from those strolls. It's the simple things that mean the most :) During that first week we went to Blenheim Palace, Stratford Upon-Avon, and Glastonbury Abbey, among other places. We also got to meet with Walter Hooper, assistant to the late (and great) C.S. Lewis. Lewis is one of my favorite authors, hands down, so it was an honor to meet the one who walked and talked with him in his last months of life. I will admit to tearing up while Mr. Hooper was talking to us ;)

 ^The whole group after our meeting with Walter Hooper

^The group in front of Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford Upon-Avon

^ The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey

We had one whole week in Oxford, but it didn't feel like enough--I could have stayed there forever! But alas, it was time to move on to the Lake District, and then to London. But that's for next time ;)

^Afternoon tea at Browns, our last night in Oxford

Stay tuned!
xoxo,
Kate