More Castles!

After spending 4 days in Coventry, we were happy to be retuning to Edinburgh. We loved the flat in Coventry, but it didn't seem to have air conditioning. Even with the windows open, it was rather hot upstairs at night. And, Edinburgh definitely feels like home to us right now! We got packed as much as we could the night before so that we could get an early start. We were able to get out around 8:30 in the morning, and Cole looked up a few castles that we could visit along the way.

After about 2 hours, our first stop was Conisbrough Castle. It was a cute little castle, it didn't look as big as some of the others that we've visited. At first, we couldn't find anyone in the office. And, when the man appeared, he told me that the castle is closed to the public on Thursdays and Fridays. This isn't publicized on the web page, though. So, we had no way of knowing this until we showed up! Cole and I were a little disappointed, but also a little happy to know that we could get back on the road quickly. Katie was rather upset and kept telling me to ask if she could go in. In the end, we were able to spend about 30 minutes running around outside the castle while Cole bought large lollipops and more pop guns for the kids. Claire had been a bit grumpy and this shut her up! (Notice, she's not in any of the pictures for this stop!)

After another 2 hours, we stopped at Tynemouth Priory and Castle. Wow! It's on a rocky headland overlooking the River Tyne that enters into the North Sea. The ruins of the Benedictine priory are right there with the moated castle-towers, gatehouse, and keep. Hence the name Tynemouth Priory and Castle. The coat of arms of the village of Tynemouth includes three crowns since the priory is the burial place for three kings.

This was another large castle with plenty of room for the girls to run around! Since we were right on the water, not only did we have beautiful views, but we also had lots of wind. The girls thought that was loads of fun since Katie's skirt kept billowing out. Once inside the grounds, they ran around and climbed on the ruins. They found an old burial site that had two big stone tombs. The girls, of course, had to climb in them and claim them as their beds! Claire even had to pretend she was asleep.

At the castle, there was a cannon and a large gun. This is always a sure-fire hit with our girls! They had to climb on top and get plenty of pictures taken. And, they all had to stare down the barrel of the big gun. Ugh! With the graveyard on site, we had a hard time keeping track of where the girls were all the time. They kept disappearing behind tombstones. I don't think they ever wanted to leave. But, once they were promised some popsicles, they were ok with the idea. We played at this castle for at least an hour and a half.

When we finally got back, we were pretty happy. It really did feel like we had returned home. The trip back seemed to be much slower than the trip there, but breaking it up with castle visits every 2 hours helped make it more enjoyable! The girls seemed a lot happier and they didn't watch any movies or play with the "pink games" (Nintendo DS lites) at all! Plus, Cindy didn't hit a single curb on the way back. This trip was definitely a success!

London

Cole and I were thinking that we really should take the girls to London since we're so close. And, being in Coventry, we were only 2-2.5 hours away. However, from talking to people, we definitely didn't want to drive there! We went back and forth on whether or not to go. And, it looked like if we went, it would be just me and the girls.

I talked with Katie and asked if she wanted to go to London. She said, "Yes." I told her that it would take at least 2.5 hours to get there, and she said that it would be OK. I talked to her some more and I guess my reservations were apparent, because she turned to Dani and said, "Do you want to go to London." Dani replied, "No." Katie turned back to me and said, "Ok, Mommy. I guess we don't have to go to London." What a sweet little (I mean big!) girl. I talked with her some more throughout the day and she held steadfast to wanting to go. So, we decided to make it happen. And, Cole decided to join us and help out!

Thus our trip to London began! Cole booked a train for us from Warwick to London. It would take a little under 2 hours to get there, and we'd have about 6 hours once we were there. So, off we went! The girls were excited! The train there was packed! So, we sat near each other, but not with each other. Once we got there, the girls were excited to get on a subway to Westminster Station. We got out from under the ground and were met with spectacular views! We could see Big Ben, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, and the Thames River. The sky was blue and there were only a few clouds. It was a gorgeous day!

Katie was excited about the London Eye. So, we headed across the bridge and got tickets. Katie was so excited and kept talking about it. Dani, on the other hand, was telling us that she was not going to get on it. This made Katie a little scared that she wouldn't get to go, but I reassured her that we were all going. Of course, once we got in line, Dani had to go potty! So, we all got out of line and came back a few minutes later.

Katie loved the London Eye, and has since asked several times to go back to London just so she can ride on it again. Claire enjoyed it as well and wound up with Katie sitting on the floor looking out of the glass windows. Dani got on without any problems. At first, she sat on the bench in the middle of our car. Before we were even halfway up, she moved to the edge to look out the glass with her sisters. We enjoyed showing the girls Buckingham Palace where the queen lives. We also pointed out other sites. The girls didn't want to get off when it was time to go. And, they asked if they could ride it again!

After the London Eye, we ate some lunch and had some ice cream. Then, we went to the London Sea Life Aquarium. Cole and I weren't overly impressed, but we do live near SeaWorld! Claire was a little grumpy at first, but once she saw the fish swimming around, she was a happy little girl! They all enjoyed looking at the various fish. Katie and Dani even pet a starfish! They had to wait until a crab was removed from the vicinity of the star fish before they would put their hands in the water, though. But, when the guide picked up the crab and asked if anyone wanted to pet it, Dani did reach out and almost touch it.

Once we were done at the aquarium, it was time to head back to the train station. The girls were excited to go on another subway. And, then we were able to get on a train where we could all sit together around a table. The girls enjoyed reading, eating, and coloring on the way back. They had a fun, full day! I'm glad we decided to take them there. I'm really glad Cole came, because I don't know how we would have done this without him! My only regret is that we weren't able to take the kids to Buckingham Palace to see it up close. But, I'm sure we'll return one day when it won't be so hard to cart all 3 girls around!