Ye Olde Motherland

Well, it's the moment I know at least one of you has been waiting for...(insert drum roll here)...I'm attempting the first installment of my report on our trip to Europe! Now, if you've ever read any of my posts, you'll know that I feel compelled to include as many pictures as possible (for better or worse). Bearing this in mind, I know (read: hope & pray) you'll have patience with me as I tackle this recap one amazing destination at a time so as not to burn out your mouse scrolling through a mega-long, but mediocre summary.
On June 12th embarked on our European adventure. Our trip happened to coincide with the World Cup, which proved pretty interesting each of the places we went. It started when we were at JFK Airport on our way to Manchester when England & the USA tied. The captain even announced before his "we've now reached 30,000 feet" schpeel that it was a victory for the US and for those from England it was like "kissing your sister". Too true, too true. As you can see, more than a few people took interest in the game - Buddy included.

On the way home from the airport, we stopped in Buxton, a quaint little town with a bit reputation for housing a fountain whose water is said to have healing powers. We laughed when Uncle Gary told us, but as we were leaving, people were arriving with trailers of empty jugs to be filled at the fountain. So Buddy took that to mean he should take advantage. And take advantage he did.

It took us some time to find our way out of Buxton. Any idea why?

We were based in England at my Uncle Gary's house in Nottingham. THE Nottingham, you may be wondering. As in Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham, Nottingham? That's right! We entertained the idea of committing some petty crime in hopes of meeting said Sheriff, but thought better of it and saw the Russell Crowe film instead. along with the movie exhibit at Nottingham Castle.

Buddy seemed to be quite comfortable perched upon the throne just outside the castle. Based on this picture, had he been born a Royal, he could have proven to be quite the tyrant. Lucky for England, he's a Yank.

Next to the castle was the self-professed oldest inn in England - Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem Inn. Not sure if they've updated and installed indoor plumbing, so we opted to stay with Uncle Gary.

Then it was off to Sherwood Forest, where the magic happened. And the lines between legend and history become quite blurred upon seeing all of the "factual" evidence of Robin Hood's adventures - the meeting place of he and his band of merry men, multiple plaques commemorating everything from his first breath to his last arrow. Jury's still out, Mr. Hood.
I did catch a brief glimpse of what seemed to be 'Robin Hood & Little John walking through the forest, laughin' back and forth at what the other one had to say'...or it might just be Buddy & my Uncle Gary.

In case you thought Robin Hood lore was all Nottingham had to offer, think again! A 2 minute walk from my uncle's house stands Wollaton Hall, a sprawling estate once owned by dignitaries turned Natural Science Museum. So, we took a scenic stroll down the driveway (emphasis on the scenic)...

...and learned all about natural science in a structure that looked like this. We British have style, no?

Speaking of Britons, Gary took us on a Family History Tour, driving us past my Grandma's childhood home and the house he happened to be born in (the plaque must have been moved temporarily for cleaning). I certainly hope none of these houses were broken into recently, as we looked more-than-suspicious leaning out the car window and snapping shots of each! They used to meet in a house across the street, but when enough members joined, a church was built on the street they named "Saints Way". How appropriate!

We visited the graves of my great-grandparents and my grandad which was really special. After said special moment, Brandon turned to the left and saw that my great-grandparents are buried alongside the Snape Family. Eerie.

While we're on the subject of family (moving on from Harry Potter) I was fortunate enough to get to visit with my Grandma whom I haven't seen in the flesh since I was six years old. At 80, she's still as spry as ever and is an absolute riot. She had a friend knit sweet little jumpers and booties (I'll never stop smiling at that word) for her first great-grandchild. I teared up - not uncommon these days, but the gesture meant a lot, especially since they look a lot like the outfits I wore in days of old.

I was thrilled to see that Grandma still has her bathtub, that is one of the strongest memories I have of her house. Why, you might ask? Because it has feet! She told me that when I was little, I marched up to her and said (in a heavy British accent - so you can fully appreciate the cuteness)

"Grandma, your bathtub has feet!"

She replied, "Yes, Michelle. It does."

To which I demanded "Well, why can't it walk?" Sure, never thought to ask anyone where babies come from, but was concerned about the mobility of my Grandma's bathtub. Wasn't I a treasure?

She took to Brandon rather well, and like my dad, was glad to employ his services as a bodyguard. We Haws tend to run a little small, so the addition of a brute like Brandon to the family has proven useful. I may take that back in October and replace the sentiment with a few explitives when I'm giving birth to his daughter, but at least his size has come in handy for some!

My Uncle Tony took us to some of Coventry's most interesting sites (in no particular order). The street I grew up on - Rose Avenue. The house looked incredibly different, but it was neat to be there all the same. If you haven't heard of Lady Godiva, let me enlighten you and regail you with a tale of taxation and public nudity (isn't British history awesome?!). Aah, the Motherland. According to Wikipedia and my uncles, Lady Godiva disagreed with the heavy taxation her husband inflicted on the good people of Coventry, and after begging and pleading, he agreed to lower taxes on the condition that she ride naked through the streets. Sort of a weird request if you ask me, but she was determined and saddled up in her birthday suit. The people had so much respect for her that everyone closed their shutters and turned away so as not to look. Ever wonder where the term Peeping Tom came from? A certain tailor couldn't resist and looked at Lady Godiva through a peephole he'd bored in his shutters and went blind. Classy, Tom. Really classy. So there you have it! This is us not looking.
Then it was on to the Coventry Cathedral, bombed during the Second World War and almost completely destroyed.

Family friends took us into Stratford-upon-Avon for the day, the birthplace of William Shakespeare himself. Need proof?

He even made an appearance in a stunning gold suit. Bonus! Although I was too cheap to pay him anything to dance around, I was quite entertained when other people did.

Incidentally, he's buried in a church in Stratford as well. Unfortunately a church service was in progress when we visited, so we didn't actually get to see his grave, but we got this close:

Cute, huh? The town - not me.

I may have been born in the wrong era. The Shakespeare 'do works for me, eh?

We took a leisurely drive through the English countryside, a slight (and welcome) change of scenery from the neon lights and late night ladies of Las Vegas. Beautiful.

We were happy to be driven around by wonderful family, having grown accustomed to wide roads and driving on the right-hand side of the road. As soon as we arrived in England, Buddy turned to me and said "Wow, it's going to be weird driving on the wrong side of the road!" I told him that while we're here, so as not to fall into the 'Arrogant American' stereotype, it's the "other" side of the road. This was one of the wider roads we came across on our journey, to give you an idea of the skill required to navigate the streets.

In the spirit of cliches, we were absolutely unashamed to pose with this royal postbox. It's just so much cooler than American mailboxes, if I may be so bold.

And what trip to England would be complete without the obligatory photo in a phone booth? This one took us down to the Ministry of Magic, but our stupid muggle cameras wouldn't work.
So, to make a short story long, we had a wonderful time visiting England, the land of my ancestors. It was wonderful to see so much family, to eat so much fish & chips and Indian food and to bring back tender memories from my childhood. Stay tuned for recaps of London (too much to include in the England post), Paris, Rome & Edinburgh. This could take a while...Cheerio!