Switch-a-roo

Thursday morning, MaryAnn and I dropped Brett and Jacob off at the airport for them to return home, turned in the rental car, picked up a smaller rental car, picked up MaryAnn's sister Susie who was in town for a tradeshow and came early to spend some time with us, went back to the hotel and got Margaret, and picked up a quick late breakfast.  THEN we headed out for the day!

We drove out to Leeds Castle in Kent which is one of my favorite castles (I have no idea why, but attribute it to how much fun I had on my England trip with mom when I visited this place last).  Turns out I'm the only person who likes mazes, but Margaret and Susie were willing to go with me.  I still LOVE the grotto that you have to go through to get out of the maze.

 

Heading down in to the spooky grotto...

Goodbye Leeds!

After Leeds, we drove to the southern coast of England to visit Brighton.  We only had time to drive past the Royal Pavilion as it had closed for the day, then spent some time out on the pier.  I even rode this rollercoaster ride that had me spinning so far up in the air!  I may have briefly gotten scared while dangling at the top with just a harness holding me in...  We drove back to our hotel by the airport afterward and dropped Margaret and Susie off, then MaryAnn and I turned the rental car back in.  No more driving on the roads in England this trip!  (As Graham Dunn said, I'm a fantastic driver and he can't believe I don't normally drive there.)

A new friend on the pier.

Friday morning, MaryAnn and I got up early and headed in to Central London to wait in line for Wicked tickets.  We went to our new hotel by the Gloucester Road tube station and Margaret and Susie showed up there with all our luggage.  Susie prefers more laid-back vacations, so I took them on a bus ride to a movie theatre and we watched Divergent.  We pretty much had the place to ourselves and it was nice to slow down a little.  For dinner we got pasties (finally!) on our way to Wicked.  Elphaba had a good voice, but I still miss Kerry Ellis!

Hello nice hotel room! The curtains open up to a BIG bay window.

 

Love that front row!

Dead Man Walking

Brett and I had a particularly early start to the day Monday morning.  We got up to drop Brendon off at the Manchester Airport by 6 a.m., then went back and picked everyone else up at the hotel so we could meet Graham Dunn, Preston England Temple Recorder, at the temple for the start of our Church history tour.  Graham is such a nice man and does a great job!  I always thought he was from Preston because he's always asked to do these tours whenever someone from Church headquarters visits.  Turns out, he researched a lot of information so he would know what he was talking about BECAUSE he was always asked so frequently to help!  My cold hit in full force and I was without a voice and had a cough and congestion.  Fun to experience in the damp that is England...

On the tour, we visited President Hinckley's missionary flat, the River Ribble where the first baptisms took place (8,000-10,000 people came as spectators to watch these baptisms. There must not have been much else going on...  Margaret and I climbed down the banks of the river to where the baptisms were believed to have taken place.  It was a treacherous little climb!), the stage coach stop where the missionaries first alighted (including Heber C. Kimball), the town square where both Kimball and President Hinckley later on preached from the obelisk, and then drove out to the villages of Downham and Chatburn in the Ribble Valley.  Kimball was told not to go to the Ribble Valley because the people were so wicked there.  Within one minute of him preaching, a woman raised her hand and asked if he would baptize her, another person asked the same thing, then another, and another, until pretty much the whole town was baptized.  Of course, all these new members immigrated to the U.S. so the towns are no longer LDS, but there is still such a peaceful spirit there!  Kimball said at one point while there, that he had to remove his hat and shoes because he felt like he was on such holy ground.  We moved on from there to Whalley Abbey to see the ruins there.  So beautiful!

Heading down to the River Ribble in Preston with Margaret.

Plaque in the city park regarding the LDS baptisms.

Margaret and I on the banks of the River Ribble.

With Graham Dunn.

Obelisk at the city square where the missionaries preached.

Old stage coach steps where it is believed those first missionaries arrived.

At the cathedral and cemetery in Downham.

At Whalley Abbey being photobombed by Jacob.

Old Lancashire character who has tended the grounds at Whalley Abbey for over 50 years.

We went out to eat with Graham after all the touring was done at a quaint little place and then bid him farewell as we drove on to Scotland.  Our rooms there had been upgraded and I ended up in my own three room suite.  It. Was. Awesome!  There was a super thick fog that had rolled in as well as a drizzle so it was the typical spooky Scottish ambiance you'd expect.  Not good for a cold though...

Tuesday we toured Edinburgh Castle and then met up with Paul Laird for a tour of some of the lesser-know sites on the Royal Mile.  Paul is a friend of Elder David S. Baxter who is on the Temple Department Executive Committee.  Love those Scottish accents!  I couldn't face the graveyards that night with my cold (plus I've been on the tours many times), so my crew went on the ghost tour that night without me and I called it an early night.

Prisoners of War exhibition at Edinburgh Castle.

Touring with Paul Laird.

Trying to get in to the crypt.

We headed out early again the next morning and I drove us to Alnwick Castle so everyone could see and take pictures of the "Harry Potter Castle" from the outside, and then we had a long drive down to Warwick Castle which we toured.  I LOVED the battlements there even though they are quite a climb.  Had to get some exercise though after spending most of the day in the car!  After Warwick, we went to a pub for dinner (didn't like it), then made it to our hotel close to Heathrow airport.

Alnwick Castle (prounounced Anick).

Warwick Castle (pronounced Warick).

Hanging off the battlements.

Lots of wind on the battlements, but SO pretty!

I sat and waited for people a lot on the trip. Loved the battlements though!

In the Kingmaker exhibition at Warwick Castle.

King Henry VIII and King Richard.

Playing dress up with the supplies at Warwick Castle.

You don't scare me!

I need me a ladies maid!

On the Road Again

I've got several favorite items to eat when in England.  I hit a grocery my first night there and ever since have been enjoying my Mueller's Apple Rice Pudding, Hob Nobs, Chocolate/Caramel Digestives, and Cadbury Eclair Candies.  I wish they sold the rice pudding in Utah!!!

Saturday we headed out early to get to the airport to pick up our car rental and discovered the tube line to the airport was closed that morning for maintenance works!  We had to take some alternate paths and finally made it there two hours later.  Phew!!!  First stop in the car was at Hampton Court Palace on our way out of London.  It ended up being everyone's favorite castle to visit.  MaryAnn was in heaven in those kitchens!  Next up was Stonehenge which has changed a bit since the last time I was there.  The visitors' center and car park are in a different place and you take a little shuttle up to the stones.  We figured it out though and can I just say how much of a life saver GPS is??!  We went to Bath next, but since everything in England except restaurants and pubs close by 5 p.m., nothing was open there.  I was pretty disappointed about missing out on that.  We drove on to Bristol from there to our hotel.  I started to get a cold a bit yesterday and tried to stop it early by taking Vitamin C and Zinc.

Hogwarts...I mean Hampton Court Palace. What's up with the brooms?!!

 

Inside Hampton Court Palace

Outside Hampton Court Palace

Sunday turned out to be Mother's Day in England.  We started the morning out in Bristol taking a river cruise which was such a beautiful spring morning!  Then we went to the Gadfield Elm Chapel which is the first meeting house ever owned by the Church.  Next up was meeting with some sister missionaries in Manchester.  One of the sisters is from the Falks home ward so they had a package for her from her parents.  She LOVED it of course!  Then we drove to the Preston England Temple to have dinner with the president and matron there, President and Sister Murray, and the first counselor and his wife, President and Sister Flinn.  A senior missionary couple came while we were there too, Brother and Sister Telford, and we are friends with the same guy back home, Trent Hadley.  The dinner was a highlight of our whole trip!  President and Sister Murray shared their perspective with me of when they were called to serve at a temple.  I get to see the part leading up to the calls, so it was nice to see it go on from there.

The artist Banksy hit a boat that we got to see on our Bristol cruise

Bristol river Avon cruise

"Knock, and it shall be opened unto you..."

 

Margaret and MaryAnn with the sister missionaries

Dinner with President and Sister Murray and President and Sister Flinn