Allie's Visit: England Days

Besides our awesome trip to Copenhagen, we three absolutely loved having "Aunt Allie" visit Cambridge for a little over a week. She was a total pro at jet lag recovery, even coming from the west coast of the US! She and Charlotte napped in the afternoon after her arrival, then we showed her where we used to live and went to a playground in St Neots for a bit. Other activities for the week included visiting Cambridge, where we punted and ate lunch at the Fort St George pub, visited the Magic and Sculpture Gardens at Burghley Hall, harvested lavender at Hitchin farms, had tea under the trees of the Grantchester Orchard, and visited London (using the Hop On Hop Off bus). We stayed busy and had such a great time. And in between events we got lots of sisterly catch up time to chat. So wonderful. Love you Allie, thanks for coming to visit us!!

Playing in the splash areas of the Magic Gardens at Burghley House

Wet kid! with me and Allie observing from a safe dry spot.

Being silly in the car with Aunt Allie while stuck in traffic, returning from Burghley House

Lavender at Hitchin!

It was HOT (hottest day of the year, around 90 degrees) so we opted for shorts... no bee stings!

Charlotte and Aunt Allie on the top of the double-decker Hop On Hop Off bus in London. It was a really hot day too!

View from the Hop On Hop Off bus

Sisters take Copenhagen!

We were all so excited to have my sister Allison come visit us in July!! She was here for about a week, and we had a good time exploring around Cambridgeshire and also down to London for a day. The highlight of her trip (for me) was getting to take a sisters' trip to Copenhagen, Denmark for two days while she was here. Paul kindly took care of Charlotte while we left for about 44 hours or so :) 

We headed to Luton airport early one morning, as our flight was around 8 am. This was my first experience flying in and out of Luton -- it's fairly close to us (as compared to Heathrow and Gatwick), but I have to say I wasn't overly impressed. It felt like it needed some significant updating. It didn't help that the off-site parking place we used (Paige parking) was kind of far from the airport, and upon our return it took a LONG time to get back to our car as we had to wait forever for the shuttle to arrive, and then had to wait some more until the shuttle bus was full to make the return bus trip to the parking spot. I'd use a different company next time (writing this here mostly to remind myself in the future!). 

After a little bit of stress standing in a long line at the airport to check in, we made it through security and to our flight in plenty of time. We had an uneventful flight to Copenhagen, and then took the train easily in to the city center. We walked to our hotel (the long way around!) and they kindly allowed us to leave our backpacks there even though it was before check-in time. We found our way to a popular lunch spot, Cafe Dyrehaven, in nearby Vesterbro (the up-and-coming hipster area) and enjoyed our first taste of Danish food! They don't have diet Coke in Denmark, but "frittz-kola" was an excellent substitute. I also had my most Danish food of the weekend -- "smorrebrod." It's an open-faced sandwich on dense bread (usually rye) with lots of toppings! I believe mine had potatoes and onion crisps and something else I can't quite recall. It was great! 

Smorrebrod with Frittz-Kola

After lunch, we rented bikes from Baisikeli, a spot near our hotel in Vesterbro for the afternoon. In those few hours, we accomplished a lot! We took our bikes across a bridge to Christianshavn, another area of the city. We visited the Vor Frelsers Kirke, famous for it's twirly spire. We didn't actually go in the church itself, but waited in line to ascend the 400 steps to the stop of the spire! Once we got started up the steps, it was clear why they limit the number of people entering at any one time. There are steep ladder-like steps almost all the way up, and then the outer steps are somewhat nerve-wracking in the wind so people move slowly. The views from the top were outstanding! Luckily neither of us is terrified of heights, but we did see a few people emerge onto the lower terrace of the spire, turn rather pale, and immediately attempt to go back inside and down the steps. A few others were bravely clinging to the wall of the spire as they went up a few steps. We made it to the very top, which is barely wide enough for one adult. We had great views over the city! Luckily/unluckily, we missed hearing the bell carillon ring while we were there -- apparently it is very loud inside the spire, with a warning light present to let people know when it's about to start, presumably so they don't fall off a ladder in surprise.

Allie climbing the spire of Vor Frelsers Kirke

Views over Copenhagen

Warning for the church bells!

Outside shot of Vor Frelsers Kirke spire

After leaving the church, we headed to the unusual neighborhood of Christiania. It was formerly a military installation, which was dismantled and then locals entered in the 1970s and "squatted" there. It's been a hotbed of controversy ever since, but open to tourists and a popular spot to walk through. We did walk through, but it wasn't the most comfortable place to be and we weren't there long. There were lots of stalls of people selling "soft" drugs and paraphernalia, but no real hawking of wares being done.

Allie at the gates to Christiania

After leaving Christiania, we biked over to Nyhavn. Although the name translates as "New Harbor," it is a canal dug in the 17th century. It was originally a cargo ship unloading area, and known as a rather gritty area until the 1960s. Now it's home to lots of restaurants, beautifully repainted townhomes (including the one-time home of Hans Christian Anderson), and some old wooden ships. Quite touristy but enjoyable!

Nyhavn

Selfie at Nyhavn

We started heading back towards our hotel on our bikes, and luckily caught sight of some people using the in-ground sidewalk trampolines on the waterfront just south of Nyhavn. We had a blast jumping around and didn't have much competition for them! I had heard of them prior to visiting Copenhagen, but it was such a fun surprise to stumble across them.

View of Papiroen (Paper Island) across the waterfront from Nyhavn

We biked back through the city, past Tivoli Gardens, and returned our bicycles to the rental shop. We then walked back to our hotel and got into our room. We had grand plans to grab dinner and then try to visit Tivoli Gardens at night, as we had heard of a cool fountain display that is done just before Tivoli closes. However, we ended up relaxing a bit at the hotel first, then spending a nice long time at dinner and decided to visit Tivoli the next day.

Our dinner was amazing -- a very small Italian/Mediterranean place called Trattoria Aperitivo. We didn't have reservations, but sat outside in the courtyard. The waitress was so sweet and brought us blankets in case we got cold, and gave us fantastic service for the entire night. It was a very elegant buffet style dinner, which was even better than the reviews had said. I'd highly recommend it!

View from our hotel -- that's a swimming area built right into the waterway! We didn't have our suits.

The next morning, we enjoyed the breakfast offered by the hotel, then took the train further into the city and walked down to the waterfront to take a boat tour of the city. We were super impressed by our tour guide, who easily spoke both English and French (no Danish people were on our tour) and even sang a French folk tune as we went under a bridge at the end. The French tourist group ate. it. up. There were a few people in the tourist group who were making the guide nervous as they wouldn't sit down as we approached the very low bridges -- but everyone escaped with their heads.

Views from the boat tour

Going under one of the low bridges

Old ferry terminal for Sweden (no longer in use due to the bridge now in place). The building is now used for cafes and boutiques.

Houseboat in Christianshavn

Christianshavn

After the boat tour, we walked to the Amalienborg Palace and walked through the main square there before heading back toward Amaliehavn (along the waterfront). The guards at the Palace reminded me of certain other guards at a certain other palace a little closer to home :)

Frederiks Kirke as seen from the Amalienborg Square

Then we walked back across the bridge to visit Paper Island (Papiroen), which is an old shipping container warehouse now converted into food stalls! It was amazing! There were so many choices it was really hard to decide -- but we ended up getting some falafel, fries, and shared a beer. We got there before it got really crowded, so we were able to get a seat inside (nice since it was drizzly outside at the time). The boat tour guide told us that Paper Island may be put to a different use in 2017, but I don't know for sure if that is true. For now -- it's definitely worth a visit.

Inside Paper Island's food hall

After leaving Paper Island, we walked down the Stroget, which is a long pedestrian shopping district. It was starting to rain in earnest at that point, so we ducked into a couple of shops along the way. We finally got to Tivoli Gardens, which is the second oldest amusement park in the world. It was really a sweet place, with lots of rides packed into a pretty small area. We rode a roller coaster and did the tall "drop ride" -- my favorite!! There are still lots of gardens in the area, and we enjoyed a tasty ice cream cone after riding. We noted that although most of Copenhagen is very English-friendly, almost none of the signage in Tivoli was written in anything but Danish. We had to ask what all the ice cream flavors were :) It seemed to indicate that Tivoli is still very much for the Danish people, despite being a tourist draw.

The "drop ride" -- so fun and screamy!

Looking across Tivoli from our "ice cream bench"

From Tivoli, we realized we still had plenty of time before our 10 pm flight! So we ended up taking the train up toward the Kastellet, an old star-shaped fort north of the center of town. It's most famous for being the home of the statue of the Little Mermaid, written by Hans Christian Anderson. We ended up getting a bit turned around and walked way further than we had to in order to find the statue. It was mobbed with tourists as usual, but we managed to get a couple of pictures before heading back.

The Little Mermaid, with the new power plant/ski jump behind it (across the river, and yes, really, that's what they plan to use it for!)

After our trek, we wanted to relax, so we headed to a cafe in Vesterbro for a nice long cup of coffee and to put our feet up before taking the train back to the airport. It was a nice, relaxing way to finish a day when we walked over 32,000 steps (per my FitBit). Our trip back was long but uneventful, and we made it home just before 2 am. What a great city, and so much fun to see with my sister!

Oxburgh Hall (July 2016)

In early July, we took a day trip to Oxburgh Hall (pronounced "ox-burrah," similar to Edinburgh) as a day out. It's about an hour from here in Norfolk, and a National Trust site. It was built in the 1400s and although it looks like a moated castle, it has always been a family home. It was originally built in the shape of a U, but a fourth wall was built in the 1800s. It's situated in some beautiful gardens, with its own chapel, and meadows beyond.

I had seen online before we left that it was "National Meadow Day" (or something like that), so upon arrival we initially headed away from the house and toward one of the site's meadows. They had set up a station in the meadow with lots of animal-exploring devices. Charlotte was REALLY into using the magnifying glass and bug jar, and we carried a butterfly net around with us (but didn't meet with much success). We checked out lots of slugs, snails, and some dragonflies. She really enjoyed it, and it was awesome to see her little toddler scientist brain at work.

Heading to the meadows!

View of the house from the meadow path

Loving this "clubhouse" (as Charlotte called it)

Found an eggshell!

Looking at a meadow find

After making a lap through the meadow, we headed back to the house and crossed the moat to enter the main courtyard. There were some beautiful flowers in the courtyard, and then we headed into the house itself. The National Trust tries to find ways to keep kids interested and entertained, and we were thrilled to find an "I Spy" activity (laminated cards on a metal ring) that we could borrow as we walked through the house. For each room, there was a card to correspond with one or two items for kids to search for, like a clock on a mantel. She was really into it! And Paul and I definitely appreciated how it allowed us to actually look around each room ourselves while she was occupied.

The best part of the house was the priest's hole. Because it was a Catholic house, there was a special hiding spot for the priest to hide when anti-Catholics came through the area. I believe we have seen one of these holes at another house (or at least heard of them), but this house was unique in that it allows you to crawl into it (if you dare and think you will fit!). It was a small opening to slide through, but large enough to stand up in once you were inside. Charlotte especially liked it and didn't really want to leave.

Summer roses

View of the house across the moat

Running around the gardens

Late medieval architecture

After exploring the gardens and the chapel, we headed to the little cafe just outside the gatehouse to enjoy a lunch. We were lucky that the tables were under large umbrellas, as the skies opened up twice while we ate. It felt very English summer-y, eating packaged cafe sandwiches at garden tables as rain showers passed through. A nice day out, especially since Charlotte seemed to really enjoy each part of the day!

View from our table (can't really see the raindrops)

Bath, England (July 2016)

In July, we took a day trip to the city of Bath! Bath is west of London, and is famous for the Roman baths that were built there in 60 AD. There is an interesting mix of very old architecture and Georgian era buildings, as it became a very popular spot for the upper classes in the 1800s. The biggest attraction is the restored Roman baths in the center of town.

We left home early in the morning to make the 2.5 hour drive. It was a windy drive to find the Park & Ride, but it was definitely worth not having to drive into the narrow streets of Bath. We headed into town on the bus, and went straight to the Roman Baths when they opened. There was a very short line to enter, and we were happy for our early arrival later when we saw that the line extended around the block in the afternoon. There were a few Davidson students in line with us, which made me happy to see! 

The baths were really neat to see. I loved seeing the spot where the famous hot springs come out of the earth, the various spa rooms, and of course the large pool in the middle.  We didn't read many of the signs about the artifacts found in the area, with a toddler in tow, but seeing the building was the highlight anyway.

After we walked through the baths, we went out to the town square to meet up with the large, free tour that is put on by a group called the Mayor of Bath's Corps of Honorary Guides. They run at certain times, but only one on tour on Saturdays. It looked like there was going to be a huge group, but 6 guides split the group up for smaller, more personal tours. We ended up having a group of 15-20, and although the tour is advertised as being 1.5 hours long, it was a little over 2 when it was finished. We walked through most of the center of town, then down to the Royal Crescent, a long row of Georgian homes built for socialites in the heyday of Bath. The tour then ended up back near the main square.

Charlotte at the Royal Crescent

Bath Abbey

After the long walk, we were hungry! We ordered sandwiches from a little restaurant, and waited outside for awhile while they prepped it to-go. We then went to a local park near the river to eat. You have to pay a few pounds to get into the park, but it was definitely worth it to be in a less crowded area, away from the crowds of other tourists. We ate and enjoyed the flowers in the park, then headed to visit the Abbey briefly.

Floral display celebrating the Queen's 90th birthday in the riverside park

After walking around the Abbey, we decided to call it a day and headed back to the Park & Ride on the bus, and then drove home. A nice day out exploring a new city!