Gnome Diaper Cake

I'm getting pretty good at this diaper cake stuff!

Carolyn's Shower
She has these garden gnomes sitting outside of her apartment and she really likes them, so I made her a garden gnome cake!

Uk and Ireland: Part 4

And finally...England!!

Our last leg of the trip brought us to England. We really only had one day in London and we took a day trip to Stonehenge. One day in London is most definitely not enough time...especially if it is raining...raining a lot. We made due on the slippery sidewalks of London and sloshed through puddles to visit only a few of the must-see places in the city.

First up, Parliament
It really is an incredible building

Westminster Abbey

Benedictine monks first came to the site where the church is located today in the middle of the tenth century. They established a tradition of daily worship which continues to this day.The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs.The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart.

Yay guard with funny hat!
These guards are called Foot Guards.

The Original Hard Rock Cafe

Trafalgar Square, our hotel was right near here
Princess Di is memorialized throughout the city

On Westminster Bridge in the rain

"The Eye" Of course we rode it!

The Tower Bridge

The front of Buckingham Palace

The Tower of London

Construction started in the early 1000's by William the Conquerer. Monarchs associated with the tower include King Richard II, Queen Elizabeth and the infamous Henry VIII. We were not allowed to take pictures in the museum that displayed Henry's armor...I must admit that he was one ugly man and ridiculously prideful. His armor is a testament to the latter.

The Boleyn Sisters were executed at this very spot.

Royal BedroomOne of thousands of messages carved into the walls by prisoners.

Ryan with a mock bow that was used to guard the castle.

Parliament at night

The Day Trip through England
Windsor Castle
Windsor is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the Official Residence of Her Majesty The Queen. She was there when we were! But we did not see her...sigh...

The Queen's Wing
Changing of the Guards
This ceremony was very long and included the guards that you see, plus a whole military band. They played really random songs, most were modern.
We stopped in Bath, England, which is a world heritage site.

There is a legend that Bath was founded in 860 BC when Prince Bladud, father of King Lear, caught leprosy. He was banned from the court and was forced to look after pigs. The pigs also had a skin disease but after they wallowed in hot mud they were cured. Prince Bladud followed their example and was also cured. Later he became king and founded the city of Bath.

In reality it is not known exactly when the health giving qualities of Bath springs were first noticed. They were certainly known to the Romans who built a temple there around 50 AD. The temple was dedicated to Sul, a Celtic god and Minerva the Roman goddess of healing. They also built a public baths which was supplied by the hot springs.

This is what is left of the Roman Baths. There is not much else to see in Bath, except one of Jane Austin's homes, so we didn't stay there very long.

I really like this bridge because it is lined with shops.

Lastly, we visited Stonehenge.
It is estimated that Stonehenge was built in 2500BC...2500BC! That's a really long time ago! The monument is surrounded by hundreds of graves, which look like small hills. The real purpose of this monument is still unknown today, but the most plausible theory is that it is some type of a calendar. Some of the stones were removed over time, but many of them still remain. It was an amazing and somewhat eerie. I only say that because of the hippy lady who was raising her arms to the sky and twirling around in circles around the monument...it was weird.

The End

Ireland and the UK: Part 3

We took a day trip from Edinburgh to Loch Ness and stopped at various spots along the way. Scotland is incredibly beautiful, but what made our day, was our fantastic tour guide. He is a retired teacher who's wife told him that he was bored and needed to get a job. So, lucky for us, he took the tour guide job. As he drove, he would point out the most random mounds, hills, shacks and unload the history of that particular site...even if it was hundreds of years ago! We left from Edinburgh at 8am and returned around 8pm. It was a long day, but it was worth it!

King Arthur: I am, and this is my trusty servant Patsy. We have ridden the length and breadth of the land in search of knights who will join me in my court at Camelot. I must speak with your lord and master.
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: What? Ridden on a horse?
King Arthur: Yes!
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: You're using coconuts!

This is the castle from the opening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The current owner keeps a healthy stock of coconut shells handy...just in case.

This is the first of the Lochs, or lakes, that we came to along our Journey, Loch Awe.

This is some of the terrain we drove through.

A tree growing out of a rock!

The area of Glencoe
The Campbell and MacDonald Feud

The most memorable event between these two families was the massacre at Glencoe in 1692. The Campbell family took advantage of the Highland tradition of hospitality: welcoming Highlanders into your home for feeding them and giving them a place to sleep. The King William sent an order to 100+ troops to march to Glencoe and await orders, under the leadership of Campbells. The MacDonald family opened their home as is customary, but little did they know the intentions were not for tax money, but instead for blood. In the night, almost the entire MacDonald family was murdered. Some managed to escape into the hills that you see us standing in front of below. Since that day, no Campbell has ever been welcomed into the home of a MacDonald...Clachaig Inn, has a sign on its door saying “No Hawkers or Campbells”.

Loch Ness
The lake where Nessie, the Lochness Monster, is said to live. We did not see her, but I'm sure she's there!

These marks are said to be one of Nessie's attempts to run away.

Our boat

Monestary on the lake. A certain monk at this monastery, Father Gregory Brusey, is famous for his sighting of the Loch Ness Monster’s neck while showing the loch to the organist from Westminster Cathedral, Roger Pugh.

Creek with Gold! Not really gold, it's a special type of algae that looks gold when the light hits it.

It is definintely on the top of our list as one of our most favorite days! We can't wait to go back one day.