Warwick, Part I

Stace and I surprised the girls with a night in Warwick Castle's "glamping" tent accommodations, an excellent way to get in the medieval spirit.

Stace and I went to Warwick with JT and Jim on my first trip to the UK in 2001, and since then, new ownership has added this avenue of experience. It was all very well done - the tents included wood flooring, comfortable beds, lighting and electricity.

After we ate the dinner we'd brought, we walked down to the riverside grassy area, where we enjoyed two hours of entertainment.

These two knights battled in various ways, to the cheers of the crowd.

Violet took part in "princess training" that was a cute collection of games for the girls who aren't as interested in sword-fighting.

We all had a turn with the archery; Cora went up over and over again. That was quite a value for our package deal - the next day at the castle, we saw how much they were charging for six arrows!

You could pay a bit extra to have a personalized experience with the falconry. Children were getting to hold an American kestrel, and when Stace surprised me with a ticket, I was given the chance to have this 14-week-old barn owl land on my leather-gloved hand.

Isn't Snowy sweet? She had parts of baby chicks as her reward.

I loved this experience! I've always loved birds of prey, and I'll never forget having an owl on my arm.

 

The campground looked lovely at night, with the tents glowing. 

We slept well and had a fabulous breakfast the next day, again, included with our package deal. Hopefully we can do this all again someday!