The Uffington White Horse

One of the things I've always wanted to see the beautiful prehistoric White Horse in the chalk country of England. On our way out of Oxford, we went right past the exit! Of course I said. "Right here! The White Horse!" And we make a quick pit stop to see it.

The horse dates to the "later prehistory," which means either the Iron Age or the late Bronze Age. For thousands of years, people have been carefully removing the grass form the shape, preserving the beautiful outline of the horse. Definitely a must see!

It's impossible to see the full horse from the ground, but the view area where we went offered a gorgeous view of the valley as well as the legs and body of the horse.

Henry enjoyed the run through the pastures to go see the horse. He was on Derek's back, and bounced up and down and up and down as we ran--just like horsies do--to see the White Horse.

To read more, check out wikipedia. 

The Other Place

On our way west, we stopped in Oxford. It was just about half way, so it was a perfect break for Henry (for all of us, really). We headed straight for the Eagle and Child, fondly known as the Bird and Babe, to eat lunch.

The Bird and Babe is a particularly interesting pub, because it's where the "Inklings" used to meet up every Tuesday. The Inklings were an "informal literary discussion group" that included notable people like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Their favorite spot was in the Rabbit Room, and we just happened to find the booth open! Henry almost immediately spilled half a pitcher of water all over the table, poor thing, he was so hungry, all he wanted was the food.

And, oh my, it was delicious. Derek and I both got pies  that were absolutely to die for (mine was chicken and mushroom, and Derek had a cottage pie). Henry of course enjoyed some chips drenched in ketchup and a few bites of my pie.

It was nice sitting and talking about Lewis and Tolkien and reminiscing about all the amazing discussions they would have had in the very spot we ate. They used to bring bits of the books they were working on to read out and get critiques from their friends. Tolkien brought The Lord of the Rings, and Lewis brought bits and pieces from Out of the Silent Planet. Wouldn't it have been wonderful to walk by and hear Tolkien reading about Frodo's adventures? I would love to have been just around the corner, listening to the ideas of the others and what they thought was working and what wasn't.

Oxford is a lot bigger than Cambridge city wise. It's often said that Cambridge is the country college and Oxford is in the city. We definitely noticed how much bigger than Cambridge, and it was quite crowded. Turns out, it was also graduation that day. So we got to see a few people in their robes, which are quite different from the Cambridge robes. Other differences between the two, are that the colleges in Cambridge seem to be much closer together, whereas in Oxford, it takes quite a bit of walking to get from one college to the other. Oh, and another thing--they have a lot more gargoyles in Oxford, which they are quite famous for.

We headed to Christ Church College first, but were very disappointed to find that they were closed. The gardens were beautiful, though, and Henry enjoyed the walk. One fun thing--the bell in Christ Church is named "Old Tom." There was a pub across the street named for the bell, so of course Tom had to have his photo taken by "his pub."

Part of the appeal of meeting up in Oxford was seeing our friends, the Kerrys. Dr. Kerry was one of my mentors at BYU, and he really is the reason we came to Cambridge in the first place. Four years ago, it was Dr. Kerry who encouraged us to participate in PKP, and we fell in love with Cambridge and wanted to return. We are so grateful for his mentorship, and it was wonderful to see their family. (I don't know how we didn't get a picture of us with them! Silly! We do have some with Henry and Seth, though).

When they were in Cambridge this past summer for the most recent PKP, Henry and the Kerry's son, Seth, really got to be friends. Seth is 3, and he loves to chase Henry around and show him all sorts of things. Henry just thinks he is the bees knees. They ran about Oxford together, playing with the rocks and sharing sticks. I was so happy to see them.

The Kerrys met in Oxford while they were both in school, and so they know Oxford very well. Of course Dr. Kerry knows just about everything about Oxford, and he is also considered a bit of a Tolkien expert, and so he took us around the city and told us all about it. He pointed out a lot of sites that were important with the English Reformation as well as Tolkien and Lewis spots--which we really enjoyed.

We met up at the Radcliffe Camera, which is part of the University Library. We popped in to the University Church, were C.S. Lewis preached and many of the English Reformers were tried for heresy.  In part of the University Library, they had doors for each of the academic disciplines. My favorite was, of course, the door to the history section. :) A part of the library is styled to show the seven styles of architecture, with the five orders of classical columns. It was stunning!

Looking at the gate to All Souls College. 

playing with the rocks

Just so happens, that we walked down the very street where I took a photo six years ago. It's the one I sent to Derek for his birthday while he was on his mission, which he kept on his desk. We recreated the photo, and also had a family photo taken in the spot. Wow! Who would have thought we would be back there six years later? :)

There was a spot of graffiti that I just had to capture. Only in Oxford would you see this. :)

We were able to go in to Magdalene College, Lewis' College, where he was a fellow. It was an open day at the college, so we got to go in free! It was absolutely beautiful and so big! The colleges in Oxford are a lot bigger than the ones in Cambridge--which isn't surprising.

We were sad to leave, but we had a few more hours of driving to get to our place in Wells. We had such a wonderful time and I hope that we can go back again and see a few more of the colleges.

Henry posed for this shot. He saw that I had the camera, backed up against the door, and looked away. Of course after he heard the shutter, he wanted to make sure that he looked good.  We should be making money off this kid...

p.s. People in Cambridge refer to Oxford as "the other place" and visa-versa. :)

London with Grandma and Grandma--Take 3

Our last day in London with Grandpa and Grandma was a museum day. First, we took them to the British Museum. Everyone who visits London needs to go there at least once! We had lunch as soon as we arrived, then headed straight for the Rosetta Stone.

I like seeing the Rosetta Stone, but my favorite bit is just beyond that--the Parthenon Gallery! I like to run around in there and look at all the stone carvings. There are also a couple of steps that I like to go up and down and up and down. Grandma and Grandpa liked it because there are benches in there where you can sit and just look. I sat with them so they wouldn't get lonely.

When we were all done looking at the exhibits (we only went to a few) Mummy said I could choose something from the gift shop to take home. She and I found an awesome little bus! It's squishy, so I can squish it with my hands. First thing I did, though, was to drive it on my tray on my buggy. I did that all the way out of the museum. I like to make noises when I drive my cars and buses, it sounds like this "woooo, woo mmmm, mmm"

After the British Museum, we took the Tube to St. Paul's. We didn't go in, just looked around outside and went up and down the stairs. That is always fun. We sat on the benches and had a snack, too. Grapes, cashews, and some water. It was a perfect break. Of course I carried my new bus with me everywhere!

Just around the corner from St. Paul's is the Museum of London--probably my favorite museum in all of London. They have lots of videos to look at, things I can touch, and toys I get to play with. I was so tired though, I fell asleep as soon as we got there. Luckily, I woke up just in time to play with the Underground diorama and with the pretend well (it has things that move on it, that if you touch them they tell you about what it was like to get your water from a well).

After the museum, we took the Tube to Oxford Circus and Mummy and Grandpa ran up and got us a few Ben's Cookies (yay!) We ate dinner at Pret in King's Cross before we took the train home.

It was a really fun day!

--Little Brute--


 

London with Grandpa and Grandma--Take 2

The fun thing about having Grandpa and Grandma here, is that I get to go back to some of my favorite places in London! This time, we went to the Tower of London.

I've already told you about the Tower of London in this post, so I'll just tell you about our trip and what we saw this time.

We took the Tube, of course, to Tower Hill. Mummy and Daddy let me stand all by myself, as long as I didn't lean against the doors.

The Tower was one of the things Grandpa and Grandma really wanted to see, and I don't blame them at all. It is one of my favorite places in London. It was nice and sunny while we were there, and it wasn't too crowded either.

When we arrived, we sat down on a bench by Cradle Tower and ate our lunch. Our favorites: PB&Js, grapes, Pringles, and some chocolate covered digestives. I liked chasing the pigeons about, then coming back and getting a bite or two of my sandwich that Mummy held for me.

We did the Beefeater tour again, so Grandpa and Grandma could enjoy it, but all I wanted to do was run around. One time, I was being really noisy, and our guide (Rob) said that if I wasn't quiet the Tower Ravens would carry me away! I got really quiet after that.

I fell asleep after the Beefeater tour, when we went in to Waterloo Tower to see the Crown Jewels. It was just so nice and dark and quiet in there! But Mummy told me later that Grandpa and Grandma really liked it. It wasn't too crowded in there, either, so they got to look at everything for a good long while.

We were really excited to go to the Tower this time, because there is a special exhibit on for the Centenary of the First World War. In the moat of the Tower, are thousands of beautiful ceramic poppies. For a few months, until 11 November, they are putting a few poppies in each day. Once they reach the final day, there will be 888,246 poppies in the moat; one for each of the British citizens that were killed in the Great War. The exhibit is called "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red."

**Mummy's Note: The poppies were an incredible visual representation of the toll the war took on Great Britain. I was impressed and in awe of the sheer number and the beauty, the tragic beauty, of the poppies surrounding the Tower of London. We were honored to see the poppies and to remember those who gave their lives in the name of freedom

I'm so excited, because Daddy told me that one of those poppies is for us! Mummy and Daddy bought one, and when the exhibition is over they will mail it to us in Utah. I can't wait to see it.

Right after we left the Tower, we went out to see the Tower Bridge and guess what? It opened up for a ship to come through! Mama says it's the first time she's ever seen the Bridge open. I felt so lucky to get to see it.

It was time for dinner at this point, so we stopped at Nando's on our way to Kensington Gardens. It was SO yummy. I loved the chicken and I loved the chips and ketchup. They even brought me a special place mat and some crayons to color on it. I like Nando's--I think we need to eat there again.

We took Grandpa and Grandma to Kensington Gardens to see the park, especially to meet Peter Pan! We fed the birds at the Round Pond. There were so many--they all surrounded me and Mama while we fed them the rest of a PB&J from lunch. she got a little worried when all of the geese started getting really close.

I like going to parks, especially ones where I can just run and run and run. Mama and I played a game where we would run, then jump, and then spin around and around! After a while, we decided we were just too tired to keep playing, and got on the Tube, then the train, back to our home in Cambridge.

It was a great day.

--Little Brute--



 

London With Grandpa & Grandma--Take 1

On our first visit to London with Grandpa and Grandma, we spent the day in Westminster. Of course we had to take them to see Big Ben first, Mama says that is the most important thing for everyone to see! We took the train and then the tube. The Circle Line was closed for engineering works, so we had to change at Baker Street and get on the Jubilee Line. Baker Street is a very confusing station, but it is also one of the oldest. Mama really likes it because it has all the old brick and station signs from the early 20th century.

When we got to Westminster, we came outside and Grandpa couldn't believe how beautiful Big Ben was. Mama said that was one of her favorite moments of the day: watching Grandpa meet Ben. We took a whole bunch of pictures. Like Mama says: you can never have too many pictures of Big Ben. She's right. 

Grandpa seeing Big Ben for the first time!

We went in to Westminster Abbey first thing after that. No pictures inside (remember that from when I took Nana?). I enjoyed seeing it again, and, just like with Nana, it was so nice and quiet that I fell asleep. When we were getting ready to leave, they closed the Abbey from more visitors because they were getting ready for a service. We were so glad, because that meant we got to hear the choir and the organist warming up. It was beautiful! 

After Westminster Abbey, we went down by the Houses of Parliament to have our lunch. PB&Js, grapes, Pringles, and apples--my favorites! I liked being down there, because we sat on a bench and looked out over the Thames while we ate. There were also some pigeons to chase! Grandpa did get in trouble, because he fed one and more and more came. Mama and Daddy got after him for that--so many pigeons! Daddy had to spend the rest of our meal chasing them away so they wouldn't take my sandwich or my crisps away from me. 

After lunch, we went for a walk up Whitehall to the Churchill War Rooms. I had just eaten and woken up from my nap and all I wanted to do was run, run, run! I liked the War rooms, but Mama said I had to be a good boy and stay by her. That was really hard. 

Do you know what the War Rooms are? Well, when Great Britain was at war with Nazi Germany from 1939-1945, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, had some underground offices built for his Cabinet. They ran the war from there! They had bedrooms, offices, and map rooms. When the war was over, they took their personal belongings, locked the doors, and left. Quite a few years later, they "rediscovered" the rooms and turned it in to a museum. They tried to leave everything as they found it, though. They actually found a man's sugar ration in his desk, still in the envelope with his name on it! They put the sugar on his desk for us to see when we went to the museum. That was really cool. 

I liked the museum, but all it was so hard not to just run around everywhere. I was happy when it was time to go, because we went and sat in St. James' Park for a while. I was so excited, because there were a whole bunch of little rocks that I could throw. And then, while I was throwing them at some of the birds, a friend came up to play with me! She helped me through the rocks and we laughed and laughed. I was sad when she had to go. 

We took Grandpa and Grandma to Trafalgar Square to get sandwiches from Pret for dinner, and then we went on the London Eye! On the way there, we walked across one of the foot bridges across the Thames and saw some beautiful views of the Eye and of Big Ben. 

I LOVED the London Eye. I was running around to all the different windows, playing with two girls who were there, and looking at all the lights in London pop up as the sun set. Mama said she might want to take me again when we are in London at the end of September, when there is more light. I hope we get to go!

After the Eye, it was time to go home. We took a few pictures, then we got on the Tube, to Kings' Cross. While we were there, Grandpa wanted to try to go to Hogwarts. I think he's too old, but we tried anyway. It didn't work. But that was ok, because our train was there to take us back home! It was 11 o'clock before I got in bed. But even though it was late, we had so much fun in London. I can't wait to take Grandpa and Grandma again next week!

--Little Brute--

Punting with Grandpa and Grandma

We took Grandpa and Grandma punting their first full day here in Cambridge. The weather was perfect, the river not too crowded, and we all had lots of fun.