Trembling Madness and Afternoon Tea

The day in Liverpool was a long one, so we stayed closer to home the next day. We took the train one town over for some afternoon tea and sightseeing in Knarsborough before hopping back on the train to visit York one last time. 

Knarsburough

We had tickets for a York ghost walk that evening, so we found a super-cool and kinda creepy pub to get us all in the mood for ghouls and specters. This little tiny shop near the York Minster is called the House of Trembling Madness. Downstairs they sold lots and lots of small-brew beers from all around the world. 

Downstairs at the House of Trembling Madness

And upstairs is... well... weird. One of the walls of the pub dates back to the 14th century, and the rest is spry, dating back to the 16th century. Yes, it's old, but it's also decorated with lots of taxidermied heads. And there are real furs draped over the bench backs. And the antler chandelier? Yeah...

Upstairs pub at House of Trembling Madness

And the silver candle holders look like the tell tale heart should be beating just below the floorboards...

But I digress. You can purchase any of the beer they sell downstairs or have them pull a pint of their vast variety on draught. They had food platters full of locally sourced and produced food, it was amazing, really. And all in a teeny-tiny pub that maybe seats 20 people at any given time. Madness, I say, MADNESS!!! :-) 

Trembling Madness decor

After our dinner and beer, we met up with the ghost walk tour and learned all sorts of grisly details of the city's past. It's no wonder York is considered the most haunted city in all of England! 

Clifford's Tower at night

The next day we opted for a bit happier adventures. Bill had to go back to work, so the ladies headed out to a botanical garden for a stroll. 

A poppy in Harlow Carr gardens

And what visit to England would be complete without an afternoon tea experience? We had the little sandwiches, scones, jam, and clotted cream, and all the dainty cakes you could imagine. What a delightful day! 

Afternoon tea at Betty's Harlow Carr

And then, bright and early the next day, these two fabulous ladies flew home where other adventures awaited them. Come back anytime, you two!! :-)

Merry Christmas!!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!! 

-Bill, Jennifer, Ada, and Grace

Roman Ruins and Beatlemania

After a hectic few days in London, we all wanted a mellow Sunday. And what a better way to relax than to head off to an excellent pub for a Sunday Roast with Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings?! And even better, after lunch we sauntered a few blocks over to the Roman ruins dating back to 110-ish AD. 

The story goes a farmer was plowing his fields in the mid 1800s and struck tile. A wee bit of digging produced a glimpse of this still intact tile floor. Further excavation in the nearby fields uncovered what archeologists think was once a small village of Romanized Celts - many of the celtic tribes struck up friendly relationships with their Roman conquerers and started building small huts and the like, emulating the fancy Roman ways. Walls, columns, etc. are still visible today. 

Aldborough Roman mosaic floor

The site isn't very large so we walked around it fairly quickly, but it was nice to move after a slow morning then an extravagant lunch. 

Posing with Roman-era columns

Roman-era column

Wall to Romanized British fort

After a slow Sunday we got up bright and early Monday morning and drove the two hours to the western coast of England so that we could spend the day in Liverpool! As Bill and I had already taken the Magical Mystery Tour several months prior, we dropped the two Beatles-loving ladies off at their bus and went off to do some shopping. 

LIVERPOOL!!

We met back up a few hours later outside of the Cavern Club, the infamous dive bar in Liverpool where John, Paul, George, and Ringo (er... Pete Best?) got their start and played over 200-some shows. 

The infamous Cavern Club

Thankfully, it was a Monday in September and the crowds were not nearly as crazy as had been on the Spring Saturday when Bill and I visited. We were able to get great seats in-between sets, had a pint or two, and watched this guy sing all kinds of songs. But yes, his Beatles covers were the crowd favorites. Enjoy!

Last Day in London with the Gals

On our last day in London we didn't have to catch the train back to Yorkshire until late that afternoon, so we had plenty of time to visit a few more places. First stop was to the British Museum, a place Bill and I have wanted to go so we dragged Bev and Barb along. 

British Museum

First and foremost, I wanted to see the Rosetta Stone. It did not disappoint. Even though there were crowds surrounding it, the detail of the languages etched onto the stone was incredible. I'd love to go back on some odd weekday in Winter when the crowds aren't so big so I could really look at this amazing stone.

The Rosetta Stone

We didn't have a lot of time, but we zipped through and saw quite a bit of the Egyptian and Greek artifacts they have on display. Again, I could probably spend all day (or a few!) in this museum. 

Greek temple

After a bit we took the tube back to Trafalgar Square so we could hop inside the National Gallery to see a few of the more famous paintings. Bev and I really enjoyed the Monets and Van Goghs they had on display, but we didn't want to keep Bill and Barb (who weren't as interested) waiting, so we took a gander and then headed out in search of some lunch. 

Monet's water lilly garden 

Van Gogh's sunflowers

It was another lovely day, so we strolled through the gardens near Buckingham palace, looked at flowers, ducks, birds, and a WWI photography exhibit on our way to lunch, then to the train station to head back north.

Oh, what a fun city London is! 

Walking amongst real flowers

Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey

Whew! It's been a LONG time since I had a chance to post and I am very sorry for the delay. November was National Novel Writing Month and I took every second of my spare time and poured it into attempting to write a novel. I completed the 50,000 words in November to "win" the challenge, but my novel still isn't completed. That, paired with the new kittens and getting ready for the holidays really put the blog on the back burner. But I am finally back!!

I'll start where we left off, in London with Bill's mom Beverly and Aunt Barb. On our second day we set up shop in front of Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards, something none of us had ever done before. 

Waiting for the changing of the guard

We got a pretty good place at the front of the Queen Victoria statue and hung out for about an hour until the festivities began. It was a bit breezy, but for England, the weather was beautiful! 

Buckingham Palace

The closer it got to the changing of the guards, the more crowded it became. I can see why they only do the pomp and circumstance every other day as the road were shut down and the number of police involved just to keep everything moving and tourists safe (I cannot tell you how many people we saw trying to climb precarious objects trying to get a better view), the cost of the one hour parade must be pretty daunting. 

The guards are changing!

Behind us stood the beautiful, golden Queen Victoria statue. 

Queen Victoria statue

It was really neat to see the changing of the guards, but it wasn't as spectacular as I was hoping. One marching band and a few teams of horses walking by and into the gates of the palace. But it is the romance of it all, I guess. 

Horses!

Here's a short clip that I took as the marching band walked by. 

Once the festivities were over, we headed over to the clock tower that houses Big Ben and had a good long look inside of Westminster Abbey. Sadly, we couldn't take photos inside Westminster Abbey, but we really enjoyed it. I think the scientists corner where Darwin, Newton, Faraday, etc. is buried inside the church is one of Bill's favorite places on the planet. 

London Eye

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben (technically, clock tower that holds Big Ben)

That night we walked all over inside of Harrod's and had ourselves a lovely pizza dinner. All in all, another grand day out!