Day Out: Bath

Bath! An outstanding city. We brought the girls here in 2016, and Cora had fond memories and wanted to return (see posts here and here from that trip).

On our trip Wednesday, we again paid for entry to the Roman Baths, since the girls are now eight years older than last time. It's such a great museum. Did you know, the water behind us is green because of algae, but in Roman times, there was a roof, so the water would have been clear?

I think Stace did a nice job with this photo.

The hot springs still flow, but Cora wasn't that impressed with the warm, sulfuric water.

We met back up with Nan and Pop, found some lunch, and then walked over to the weir and Pulteney Bridge.

We decided to not pay to enter Bath Abbey, though it's an impressive building.

We happened upon an amazing bookstore, and both girls found books to buy.

We enjoyed a lovely train ride home through the countryside.

Nearby History

While we were at Beaulieu, Nan and Pop took the girls to Montacute House. Here, Violet is in front of the greenhouse. The girls enjoyed touring the house and gardens, and they all had a bite to eat there. 

On Tuesday, we went into Sherborne with Violet, as she has been much more interested in being out and about and seeing as much as possible. 

This listing at Sherborne Abbey of the bishops, starting in 918, was striking. 

I stopped in at The Abbey Pharmacy for dental cement because one of Cora's fillings broke, and now I want all my pharmacies to have been continually operating since 1790.

I had marveled a this spot in October when Stace and I were here for the Pack Monday fair, so I had to show it to Violet.

Day Out: Beaulieu

 After a low-key Sunday, Stace and I had an adventure on Monday, when we drove two hours to the Beaulieu estate in the New Forest. 

The estate's National Motor Museum was the biggest draw, as Stace has been wanting to go for many years. It was truly an outstanding museum, covering the whole history of the automobile and motorbike. 

This particular motorbike is a BSA Bantam. Gord had one of these when he was a young man (not in this condition though).

The museum included this recreation of a garage in Wedmore, Somerset.

We weren't supposed to touch most of the displays - naturally! - but we were invited to sit in this car for a photo, using clothing from a nearby box.

A separate building housed some cars featured in film and television, including this Ford Anglia used as the Weasley's car in Harry Potter.

This was a Greek police motorcycle ridden by Jason Bourne in the 2016 film of the same name.

Another building was dedicated to Top Gear, with many vehicles used in the series on display, like this off-road mobility scooter. Goodness, those guys are nuts.

We also toured the manor house, home of the Montagu family since 1538 (when the adjacent monastery was dissolved by Henry VIII and went into private ownership).

This was the dining hall of the Palace House, originally part of the gatehouse in the 14th century. 

Gotta love a secret staircase!

We toured what was left from the abbey, and saw the parish church.

Another interesting attraction was a walk-through exhibit on Beaulieu's role during WWII as an SOE training facility. Special operatives came here as a kind of "finishing school" before going to the continent as spies or undercover operatives for the French Resistance. It was fascinating, as it focused on two particular agents, a man and woman, who both, sadly perished during the war.

The New Forest, once the hunting grounds of William the Conqueror, is open to livestock, and you must drive carefully as horses are wandering around with their foals. So cute!

We had dinner at a pub, capping off a great "date day," before taking a quick look at nearby Buckler's Hard, a 17th century shipbuilding hamlet. Here, over 40 Royal Navy ships were built, including three that fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

A Big Saturday

 Our big Saturday started with an event Stace has been anticipating for a year now. He got to drive two supercars around a track, as a 50th birthday gift from Dean and Jenny.

First up was this red Ferrari 430.

Stace is in the driver's seat here, getting the low-down from his instructor.

Sue and Gord purchased this photo from the professional photographers on site, for Stace's upcoming 51st birthday.

His second drive was in a Aston Martin DB9.

A final thrill was a trip in a BMW with a professional driver, who could really zoom around the course's hairpins.

Stace loved the whole day out!

We paid a few more quid to have an extra passenger - Dean was thrilled.

Awww, brothers!

The driving experience used an old air base that was very near to Dunkeswell airfield, which housed a U.S. Navy airbase during WWII. Navy, you say? Yes, Navy, as the pilots here were tasked with monitoring the English Channel for German U-boats.

This building was a museum that described the base's history and role, and was quite interesting. President John F. Kennedy's older brother was stationed here and died in a training exercise.

We then went to nearby Honiton for lunch and a wander around the high street. 

Later that evening, Stace and I went to see Livy perform in a children's choir in Yeovil. We were so pleased to be in town for this! While we waited for the show to start, we enjoyed a drink.

It was a very entertaining show, with different musical, theatre and dance groups performing. Livy did great!