The Baker Blog: England Days 6-10

Church and Pizza at the Park

This was Shawn's mother's day gift from James. He found this boot in the hedges and cut the top off of it, found Maggie's paints, and dug up a small plant from the yard for her.

This is the school at which Shawn's family attends church.

During naps Shawn and I headed to the grocery store and found some fun things. They had about 15 types of potato and so many sausages. They also have funny names for things, which I enjoyed reading. But we only got half way through the store because it closed at 4:30, so we got what we needed in a frantic rush before they kicked us out.

This is the front of Shawn's house and their garage.

A better picture of their house.

This is the back of the house.

Evan and Alex learned to scoot while they were visiting.

Robert recommended getting pizzas for dinner and heading to a park. So that's what we did.

After dinner we headed out for a walk. There were mounds of dirt, badger holes, you really needed to watch where you walked.

It was like walking in someones cow pasture, but without the cow pies.

Beautiful time of day as well.

The kids played on this play set for a while. I thought it was so neat that they used a giant dead tree as part of the play set. They also challenged the kids, which I thought was neat. There was also a sign that read "Memory making may lead to dirty and tired children who can be easily restored with soap, water and sleep."

We decided to walk to another part of the park, and had another field to walk through.

We found another great play set to play on. Clara found some warm hugs as well.

Evan found a girl just about Eliza's age to play with. I think he was missing his sister.

Evan enjoyed Uncle Robert pushing him with his cousins on this swing.

We headed home after the park and enjoyed some sticky toffee pudding, which was wonderful! We also had a apple crumble pie with pumpkin seeds on it, which was also very good.

Evan really enjoyed his.

London Day 2

Heading to London on the train. Evan is enjoying the views.

This is a picture from us actually leaving the Shard, but I figured it helps you understand what building we went into for the views we had in the pictures below.

From the top of the Shard, Floor 73, Tower Bridge.

Tower of London

We went on such a clear day you could see for miles

It's open air, but it's opened up about 15 feet up, so no chance of falling out but you do get a nice breeze.

The kids loved watching the trains and cars going by below. The trains looked like worms on the track.

We made it!

Maggie pointing out a boat I think

Group photo

The boys got really hungry, so they decided to eat the PB&J's we packed for them while taking in the views.

The Shard floor make up.

After leaving the Shard, and finding a bathroom for Alex because he had to pee after we left an 9available public restroom in the Shard, we got lunch and ate it at a lovely Thames River park. We saw 4 cranes in the distance, all different colors (Green, Blue, White and Red).

After lunch we headed over to the Tower Bridge for a tour.

This is how it used to work, stage 1 was the furnaces, stage 2 generates steam which leads to, 3 Hydraulic pumps that move the 4 accumulators which lifts and lower the bridge in stage 5.

These are the steam generators

After taking the tour under Tower Bridge, we headed up to the walking bridges above the bridge itself. They were kind enough to put a glass floor on the walking bridges. While the kids loved this feature Shawn and I did not.

A view from the second tower back to the first with the walking bridges connecting them.

The view up the Thames river from the bridge.

On the second walking bridge you can see they have a mirrored ceiling, which makes it more fun not to look down.

James and Alex didn't seem to mind the views from above.

After leaving the Tower Bridge, we walked past the Tower of London. It's so strange to see things that were built in 1078! When I look at it I just think it is a set from Hollywood, but it's not, it's actually almost 1000 years old!

Trying to find our bus route to the train station.

Alex asked for his ticket to ride the bus, so I gave it to him. Directly after Evan asked for one and I said "Evan you ride for free" and he turns to me and says in an angry confused voice "I'm not Free I'm Four!!". Shawn had a receipt that looked like a ticket which she gave him, and he was so elated he had to show everyone.

Alex really enjoyed riding on the top of the double decker bus. With the roads being so narrow, and the bus moving around from side to side so much it's amazing the buses don't collide more or bump each other.

James and Alex moved up to the attic with the girls because James was getting bitten by something in his room.

Bible Study and Hadleigh Castle

On one morning we went to a church just a bit away and watched babies and toddlers for moms that have bible study. The boys loved playing in the little gym area that was at the church.

Here are some of the Wade children watching their little people. I got to hang out with two babies, which was nice.

After naps we headed to Hadleigh castle which was made in 1370? by Edward the III. However, after a few owners one decided to take it apart and sell off the pieces.

And this is what remains.

The views from this castle again were amazing, and of course the train track that ran right by was also special.

Super bright sun

Aunt Shawn was kind enough, and crazy enough, to let the boys use her camera to take some pictures.

They really enjoyed it

Sadly not much is left of this castle, but it makes for a really neat place to visit. Not to mention it just beautiful to look out from.

Evan enjoying his meal of Cincinnati Chili. I'm glad I brought a bib.

After dinner Shawn and I returned to the Sainsbury to continue our shopping trip that got cut short. She showed me how small their milk containers come in, and also her favorite cereal.

I stocked up on Battenburgs for myself and others.

East Anglian Railway Museum and St Peter on the Wall

My mornings usually consisted of writing in my journal about our adventures the day before, and eating my crumpets while drinking my tea or coffee.

We headed to a train museum for the beginning of our day. This is the outside of it.

You could go into all kind of train cars that had been restored. This is a first class train car.

Second Class

and the lowly coach seats taken by the boys. :)

They had a beautiful dining car that you could buy a meal and eat in.

You could also tour the 'garages' where they are actively working to restore other cars.

We even got to see Thomas and Percy while we were there, but they were off duty so they didn't have their faces on.

It was a train yard, so you could operate the switches on the tracks.

The kids really enjoyed playing on everything.

Aren't they a bunch of cute kids!

James took over the drivers seat for the double decker bus. This young lady is giving him her ticket.

It had a lovely interior decor

Pretty neat they just let you go into everything.

This museum still functions as a train stop you just enter from a different way.

They also have another building you can go into to operate a bunch of switches. The kids went through them all a few times.

After the rail museum we headed over to a playground under an aqueduct that is still used. The trains that travel on it actually go to the train museum we visited.

We had a nice lunch and played a bit.

And James remembered there was a "Pillbox" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillbox_(military))near by, so we walked over to it to explore it.

This is where they would have mounted a large weapon to defend against the invading German army.

Here is a rather fun teeter totter that Maggie and Alex were enjoying.

After a bit of a drive we ended up in the middle of no where and on our way to St. Peter on the wall. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapel_of_St_Peter-on-the-Wall

Built on the walls of a Roman fort Othona in 654 AD, and still holds services today. This is a view of us walking from the car.

This is the view looking back at the car. You had to walk about a mile from the car park to get to see the building.

Such helpful older cousins giving rides to people with short legs all the time.

And here it is. You can see there is a circle on the wall, that is where they took out the wall to put barn doors on when it was used for a barn for a while, but it was turned back into a church after that.

The inside.

Looking back at the door.

After looking at St. Peter we decided to walk down to the beach.

Which was made of tons and tons and tons of sea shells. (in the distance is St. Peter)

You can see when the tide goes out it digs these trenches and there is just tons of sea shells in there.

Alex was laughing about how full his pockets were getting with sea shells.

We had a contest of who could find the biggest shell, James won.

Evan found one with a hole in it.

There was a bench halfway up the walking path that we stopped at to do some shell sorting.

Evan passed out hard on the way home. He didn't even wake up until I had him almost in the house.

Alex made his own holder for his glasses and camera. Using the cup holder and my glasses case.

We ate out for our last evening with the Wades at Toby Cavery

I got to try a Yorkshire Pudding (a puffed up bread) and some common English side dishes. It was yummy.

After dinner we stopped at the train bridge we heard so much about and watched a few trains go by. I think that is one thing the boys will miss the most, watching trains.

Coming Home

James and Evan didn't feel well the morning we had to leave, so James and Clayton stayed home instead of coming to the airport. Saying our good byes and giving hugs.