England - Days 1 & 2 - Downton & Other Delights

Highclere Castle, home to Downton Abbey. I was basically freaking out the whole time we were there. 

You guys. We went to England!! Sometimes it feels like a dream. Were we really even there?? It all went by so quickly and so sometimes it feels like it's not even real. England was AMAZING, and I'm so glad I was able to go with Dave. Our parents took turns watching Lydia while we were gone, and it was so nice to never have to worry about her. She had a great time with grandmas and grandpas, and didn't even care that we were gone. She just had the time of her life playing and getting spoiled. :)

Our flight from JFK to London Heathrow was through Virgin Atlantic, and it was the best airline ever. We flew out on this giant two-story plane. I've never flown on a two-story airplane before! It was so awesome. The seats were bigger and more comfortable than usual, and the food was SO good. I hate airplane food. Like, really, really hate it. But this stuff was awesome. We got two meals each way, and had a drink service 5 different times plus a cute little bottle of water. They handed out menus for us to choose our dinner, and gave us a little nighttime bag (since we were flying a red-eye both ways). The bag had socks, an eye mask, earplugs, a toothbrush and toothpaste. Plus, they had like 80 different movies we could watch and all of them were free. I felt like I was royalty. For all of you frequent flyers, all of this stuff may not seem like a big deal, but it was a big deal to us. We were SOO excited. I think the flight attendants thought we were nuts, because we kept getting these huge grins on our faces every time they would give us something new. It was awesome. 

We LOVE Virgin Atlantic!!

Getting ready for take-off!

Also, the flight out was EMPTY. Seriously! There were TONS of rows completely empty. So after we took off, I went and claimed an entire row to myself. I slept completely horizontal, all the way stretched out. It was so great. I really felt like the Queen herself. :)

After we landed at the airport in London, we went to a little shop in the airport and got a SIM card for Dave's phone. It was kind of expensive, but so worth it. It was cheaper than an international plan with Verizon, and it gave us unlimited data. We ended up using TONS of data because we used Dave's phone as a GPS and we looked up lots of addresses, phone numbers, and opening and closing times. We were able to call different places in the UK as well, which was so helpful. We also FaceTimed with Lydia a few times while we were there too, so all in all, it was definitely worth it. If you are ever traveling to Europe, a SIM card is for sure the way to go.

After we got that all settled, we went to find our rental car. Dave was so nervous about driving in England. And he had every reason to be. It is crazy over there!! First, there's the whole opposite side of the road thing, plus he is blind in one eye, plus there are INFINITY roundabouts, plus England drivers drive SOOO fast, plus the roads are tiny, PLUS the cheapest option (which of course he got) was a stick shift, and so he had to shift with his left hand instead of his right hand. It took us forever to get the car, but once we loaded our stuff in the car, we said a prayer asking to please keep us safe as we attempted to drive around a foreign country, and then we were on our way. Getting out of the airport was crazy. It was like a slam dunk to England driving. There were so many roundabouts we had to go through to get out, and we had to all of a sudden figure out all of the road signs and directions. It was really a miracle we made it out without hitting anyone or anything. Once we got out into the countryside, things calmed down a bit and the driving got easier.

We hit the ground running with sightseeing! We were pretty tired, and feeling kind of funny from jet-lag, but you're only in England once and we weren't about to let that take away any of our fun! Our first stop was Stonehenge. It was SOO cool. A lot of people told us that it wasn't really that cool, but I thought it was so great. It was way awesome to say that I have seen the oldest formation known to man. Older than the pyramids, people!! I think one of the coolest things about Stonehenge is its mysteriousness. How did these rocks that weigh 400 tons (that's right - 400!!) get there?? Some of the stones came all the way from Wales - so how did rocks that weigh that much get transported over 4,000 years ago!? And what were they for? Why did they build them there? What happened at Stonehenge? Historians have ideas, but no one knows for sure. Whatever the reason, it was so neat to see one of the wonders of the ancient world and to wonder at its mysteriousness.

These are a recreation of what the builders of Stonehenge would have lived in. 

Dave trying to move the megalith. It's a bit heavy.

As we were walking around Stonehenge, I told Dave that I was probably the only person there - maybe the only person EVER - that had seen Carhenge AND Stonehenge. We saw Carhenge - a re-creation of Stonehenge - in Nebraska while I was driving to Mount Rushmore with my mom and sister. 

Carhenge. Not quite as impressive as Stonehenge. Haha. Don't mind my pregnant belly. :)

After Stonehenge we drove to Bath. Bath is kind of like a "resort town" in England. Families that live in England will often vacation in Bath. It's named Bath because when England was occupied by the Romans, they discovered a natural hot springs that they thought was divinely prepared to heal them from any infirmities or sickness (more on the Roman baths later). Also, Jane Austen wrote about Bath in every one of her novels and even lived in Bath for a short while. So - it was a must-stop place for us. We stayed in Bath for 2 nights at a Bed and Breakfast and made a few day trips with Bath as our home base.

Bath was beautiful. It was hard to drive around in though, and Dave was grateful when we finally found our B&B so we could park the car and walk everywhere. We met the owner of our cute B&B and chatted with her for awhile. Her name was Sue, and she was the cutest lady ever. She definitely had the gift of gab, which proved a little tricky sometimes when we were in a hurry to get somewhere. But - we figured that was sort of part of the experience. By the time we got settled and were ready to go exploring, it was pretty late in the evening. So we only had time for an hour or so of walking around and dinner, and then we had to call it a night. 

The little alleyway we walked through to get to our B&B. Isn't England cute??

Mailing a letter in their letter boxes. Don't mind the "I haven't really slept at all and haven't showered and am feeling kind of funny from jet-lag" look. :)

The Royal Crescent. Isn't this AWESOME!?? It's just a semi-circular row of Georgian-style houses. 

Jane Austen lived in Bath. Which means she probably walked around the Royal Crescent many, many times. I was kind of freaking out thinking about how I was walking on the same street she might have walked on 200 years ago. 

We ate dinner at Sally Lunn's, which is the oldest house in Bath. They are famous for their Sally Lunn bun, so of course we had to try one. It was okay - nothing too special, but if it's world famous, how can you not try it?? Apparently back when Sally was alive and kicking, they didn't have too many plates or utensils, so she would make a bun that was big enough to be considered the plate, and then pile the rest of the meal on top of the bun. This was called "trencher style". It was fun to eat somewhere where there was so much history and culture. The house/restaurant could only seat 5 tables, all scrunched up next to each other in the same room. We could hear the conversations of everyone around us, which was fun and annoying at the same time. The couple next to us kept asking questions about the "Sally Lunn bun" and they had the funniest little British accents - we were having so much fun just listening to them.

After dinner, we walked around Bath a little bit more, and then called it a night. It was late, and we were SOO tired. We slept like little babies in Sue's awesome house and woke up energized and refreshed for the next day.

Our last sight for the day - Bath Abbey. So pretty.

The next morning, Sue made us a delicious breakfast and we got to eat in her cute little dining room. It was such a little English country cottage, and I felt like I was having a grown up tea party. Apparently people in England don't like to wake up early - at least not in the countryside. We needed to have breakfast eaten and on the road by 8:15, and Sue couldn't believe we would be getting up that early. I think it was earlier than she was used to making breakfast, which I felt kind of bad about, but we had a lot of things to fit in during our trip, so we needed to make sure we didn't waste any time! 

Our first stop of the day was...HIGHCLERE CASTLE!!! I think I was most excited about seeing this - more so than anything else on the trip. I fell in love with Downton Abbey 5 minutes into the first episode, and even though I became a little bitter and disenchanted with how the last seasons have gone, I am still a Downton fan. And, at least for the first three seasons, you would have had a hard time convincing me that the characters in Downton weren't real. They were real people to me, and I worried about them in-between episodes EVERY WEEK for 3 years. They were like part of my family. So to be at the place that they filmed the show was like a dream come true for me. And the coolest part of the whole thing is that the castle is literally the set for the show. They don't do anything to enhance it or change it. So we got to tour the inside of it, and I was FREAKING. OUT. We walked through the house and I kept thinking things like, "That desk is where Lord Grantham writes his letters! This room is where Granny shields her eyes from the chandelier with a fan because she thinks it's going to damage her eyes! That couch is where Mary sits when she is talking with Matthew about Richard Carlisle! This is the bed that Cora eats her breakfast in every morning, and where O'Brien puts on her jewlery! This is the room where Sybill walks in with her new fashioned pants! This is the room where Matthew and Mary are dancing when Lavinia walks in! This staircase I'm walking down is the one that Mary walks down in her wedding dress to marry Matthew!!" Anyway - you get the idea. I was going a bit nuts. We couldn't take any pictures inside, which I was bummed about, but I think I successfully engraved everything into my brain so I wouldn't forget it. Ever. 

While we were touring the castle, we ran into the Countess Canarvon, the lady who LIVES IN HIGHCLERE CASTLE! I have watched a few documentaries on her and her husband, and the castle itself, so to see her in real life and to talk with her was amazing. She had a dog with her that looked identical to Isis, Lord Grantham's dog. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the dog they used for the show! Anyway, she asked us how we were enjoying our visit to England, where were going next, and gave us a few tips on things to see later in our trip. She, as well, was completely incredulous that we had gotten up so early to get there. It was about 10:20 at this point and she said she had barely had time to wake up, put herself together and have a cup of tea. I think I told her that her house was beautiful, and then immediately felt stupid. Of course it's beautiful - it's a CASTLE for heaven's sake! But - at least I can now say that I have met and conversed with a countess! Can anyone else around here say that??

While we were touring the house, there was a little English boy in front of us with the cutest little English accent I've ever heard keep telling his dad, "Daddy, I'm so bored of it!" And his mom finally replied with, "Oh stop it!  You're going to like it!" Dave and I had fun all afternoon re-enacting the scene. How could you be bored of Highclere Castle!? I guess if you are a 9 year old boy, it might be a bit boring. :)

How would you like this for your backyard? Endless rolling hills of green. It was the most amazing, beautiful thing.

There were hundreds of little garden paths that you could wander through. If you think the house is beautiful, you should see the gardens. They are AMAZING!

If you have ever seen Downton Abbey, you will get why this is so funny.

Our cute little Fiat made it all the way to Highclere!

There are no words.

When it was time to leave Highclere (I was so bummed that I couldn't just stay and marvel ALL day), we drove about 45 more minutes to Chawton, to see the Jane Austen house. She lived here for the last 8 years of her life, and it is now a museum dedicated to her. It was like a pilgrimage for me. No joke. I was beyond excited to see her house and to imagine her walking the streets and gardens around her house. She worked on all of her books here - she revised Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility and Northanger Abbey as well as completely wrote Emma, Persuasion and Mansfield Park. It was so amazing for me to walk around in her house and think about how she ate in this dining parlor, and slept in this bedroom, and walked in this garden, etc. She was a truly amazing lady, and I felt so honored to be exploring a part of her history.

I was in heaven!

The sign is hard to read, but it says "Jane Austen lived here from 1809-1817 and hence all her works were sent into the world. Her admirers in this country and in America have united to erect this tablet."

This game was so funny to me. They had a little section of the museum that talked about games that were typical of the time. This is a chutes and ladders type of game that they would use to teach manners and what was appropriate and what wasn't. All of the items shown here are from Jane's books and I was having the time of my life reading all of the do's and don't from Jane Austen's novels. 

They had a part where you could dress up, and of course we dressed up. Dave was quite happy to join me. :)

How could you NOT feel inspiration for your books as you walk through these gardens?? They were so beautiful.  

This is her desk. Her desk! This is where she would write her novels! On this tiny little desk. I couldn't believe I was seeing this in real life. 

I love Jane Austen, if you didn't know. Being there in her house was as close to her as I think I could possibly get, besides reading all of her novels. I was so grateful that we made the time to go there. That part of the countryside was absolutely beautiful, and wandering around her house and her village brought me more happiness than I can describe. 

While we were at her house, one of the ladies who works in the museum convinced us to stop in Winchester on the way back to Bath. Jane is buried in Winchester Cathedral, and the lady said that it would be well worth a stop for any Jane Austen lover. I think I classify as a lover, so we decided to take a little bit of extra time to drive there. It wasn't too far out of the way, and it was definitely worth a stop. The town was ADORABLE. It was so fun for us to get off of the beaten tourist path and explore some cute little English towns. Winchester definitely fit that description. It was fun to see local school kids playing at the park, and riding their bikes all around the streets. It was actually a great day to go to Winchester, because in the main square of the town they were having their annual music box festival. Apparently they have a festival every year, where tons of people get together and bring their music boxes and have a big music box concert. As we were walking up to the Cathedral, we probably passed 9 or 10 different big, wind-up music boxes, each playing their own different songs. It felt so fun to be a part of real English culture for a minute or two. 

We were DYING when we saw this sign. It is a sign for Elderly People crossing. It's not every day you see a sign like that!

The Music Box Festival

The cathedral was beautiful! It was pretty expensive though, and so we only paid for me to go in. We didn't have too much time, so I couldn't explore the rest of the church as much as I would have liked to, but I spent a good amount of time just admiring her grave and the other little memorials for her.

In the top middle window is a picture of St. Augustine, whose abbreviated form is St. Austin. In the scroll underneath his picture are words in Latin that say, "Remember in the Lord Jane Austen who died July 18th, 1817.

The memorial plaque that Jane's nephew erected for her shortly after her death.

The inside of the cathedral

I felt like I did Jane Austen justice today - it was really like a pilgrimage for me to see all of those sights, and I couldn't have been happier. After Winchester, we had a long drive back to Bath, and when we got back, it was cold and rainy. But - we still didn't let that stop us. I learned my lesson from our Italy trip when I was freezing cold in Venice and I packed warmer clothes and lots of rain protection. We got all decked out in our rain gear, ate dinner at a yummy little Italian place, and then hit the town again. We explored the Royal Crescent some more and a few other little sights that the town had to offer.

Is this not the coolest row of houses you've ever seen??

Our cute little B&B owner told us that this is Bath's version of the Ponte Vecchio bridge from Florence, Italy.

You can see the similarities, right?? 

The Ponte Vecchio in the background.

The Bath Abbey bells. So fun!!

I think Day 2 was my favorite day of the trip. I had so much fun seeing Highclere and all of the Jane Austen sights - it was all of my favorite things wrapped up into one day! I went to bed that night a wet, tired, and completely overjoyed girl with thoughts of Matthew Crawley, Mr. Darcy and Jane Austen all swimming around in my head before I fell asleep. :)