England: Touristy-Type Things

The trip in England was mostly vizzies with family and friends. However, we did do a coupla touristy-type things. We went to the Belton House, which was AWESOME. But first, here's a pic of a bottle of ginger beer in the cafeteria with some very-British marketing:

Offers a beacon of hope & help to stiffen your upper lip! Jolly good!

So here's the entry to the house:

The house was built in 1685 by the Brownlow family.

Mum says this looks just like the car someone in the family used to have. Sorry, can't remember who. 

Moulding on the ceilings.

I took this photo because this dog looks like Oscar, my cousin's daughter's dog. I always feel a connection to people who loved dogs (and they obviously did to have this painted on the floor). 

Private chapel in the house.

Wood carving from birch trees.

And then my camera's battery died. *sigh*  So that's all for The Belton House. There was a hedge maze there, and beautiful gardens with winding paths, of course. I really loved looking at all the portraits of the family members thru the centuries. I was particularly struck by Countess Adelaide Brownlow, who married into the family. She was the god daughter of Queen Adelaide and she married Queen Adelaide's god son. In a day when marriages were still arranged--Queen Adelaide's certainly was--it's nice to see a love match. One of the tour guides said that Countess Adelaide was very kind to the townspeople, especially during WWI. 

The library was AH-MAZING! Imagine books centuries old. Ah, the ancient print. The smell of old leather. Sorry, no photos. I'm really just writing this bit so I remember!

The next day, it was raining (quel suprise) as we headed off to Lincolnshire:

But before we left, we wanted to see Belvoir Castle. Up the road we went:

How slow are those children? DEAD SLOW.

And here's the castle!

"Belvoir" may sound French to Frenchy-types, but it's pronounced "Beaver." Which Daniel thought was very funny.

The castle is closed for the season, so we just took pix outside. Still, very impressive!

Because every castle needs a trampoline & swing set.

Moss. So mossy.

These birds were everywhere.

Better pic of  the bird.

Rowan tree!

 

And thus ends historic domiciles.