The Family Life is the Good Life: Carrie!

A week after we got home from Italy Carrie arrived. It was so nice to hang out with my old pal again. We immediately set off for Paris and had a great time there. There is so much to see and do in Paris when you don't have kids complaining about being bored or walking too much. This time we walked a ton and complained to ourselves about sore feet. Hee hee. We stayed in a nice little flat very near the Louvre. It was a great location. We enjoyed lots of art, food, shopping, architecture, people watching, etc. it was great and we were blessed with lovely weather. I loved the Van Gough exhibit we saw at the Orsay. I've always been a fan but more so in person. I also got to go to Marie Antoinette's hamlet which we didn't get to when we were at Versailles before. I loved it. It's very charming. I want them to restore all the cute little buildings.
We were in Paris four nights then flew back here and stayed at my house two nights. We went to Highclere Castle one day which is Downton Abbey in the show. It was neat to see but not as fancy as they make you think on TV. After that I took Carrie to tea at The Well Walk Tearoom. It was yummy as always and a fun experience for visitors. For dinner I took her to my favorite pub. We ate well that day. Lol The next day we headed up north where we spent the next five nights at different hotels along our way.
Our first stop was Chatsworth house which is always lovely. We also went up and hiked a bit along Stanton Edge which is beautiful but a storm was coming so we didn't stay up there as long as I may have liked. The Peak District is very pretty.
The next day we went to the Lake District which is charming and we went to Beatrix Potter's Hill Top farm. It was interesting to see and learn more about her. After that we hit the road for a long day of driving up to Scotland.
We slept in Ft William and spent the next day hiking to Steal Falls at Ben Nevis which was a great hike and we explored a small castle ruin and went for a scenic drive to Glenfinnan before hitting the road to get to Edinburgh.
It was a beautiful drive and the next day we had a great time exploring Holyrood Palace and the royal mile. We drove through Northumberland which is very pretty but it was rainy that day and by the time we got to Hadrian's wall the rain had stopped enough to get out and have a look and take some pics. We then spent the night in Carlisle and the next day went to Stoke on Trent which is the home of fine English china and pottery. We bought a few things and then headed to our hotel in Birmingham near the airport. We got in early and had a nice rest. The next day I took Carrie to the airport for her flight home and then drove myself back home.
It was a very busy ten days but lots of fun. Thanks to Cory and Sean for taking care of the kiddos and home while we were away. Oh and right before Carrie came I had a surprise visit with my friend Jen. She and her family arrived in England the same time as us and we did a lot together that summer. They were only here for the summer though. Well now they live overseas and her hubby ended up here for a week with work and she joined him. So she called me and we spent a day hanging out and catching up. It was a nice surprise.

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We liked how all the trees were trimmed boxy in Paris.

the bastille

super expensive cute chocolate

Hotel DeVille (not a hotel where you stay)

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the Seine

clock inside Orsay

Orsay doesn't allow photos of the art but I did take one here.

photobombed at the Louvre

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hee hee

lots of pretty art and lots of nudity

Napoleon apts

a happy art filled day even though our feet really hurt

our flat was just over there to the right a bit

Joan of Arc

Marie Antoinette's place was pretty

grand trianon

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petit trianon

I can see why Marie Antoinette would rather be down here than up at Versailles

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cute old child's carriage

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Inside Versailles was way too crowded.

yes, we are silly

shadows!

Invalides

the dome over Napoleon's tomb

Napoleon's tomb

Hot Cocoa at Paul's, Carrie says best ever

opera house where Phantom takes place in book

shopping at the beautiful Galleries Lafayette

you can hang out on the roof

and you can eat at the delicious yet very expensive Angelina's

I had quiche and Carrie had truffle ravioli.

free carts!

at the airport about to leave Paris, it was fun!

Highclere Castle aka Downton Abbey.
In real life Downton is a moving truck company here.

the stables

they don't allow pics inside. It was neat but looks nicer on tv than in real life.

We went to the Well Walk for lunch.

WWII shelter, they had an exhibit on about how the house was a girls'
school during the war. It was neat.

The Peak District is pretty

We hiked up onto Stanton Edge.

It was very windy up there and a storm was coming.

My car is parked down there in the shadow.

resting at the Premier Inn

hello horse

umm this is the wrong hill top farm
who knew there would be two in my gps in the lake district

Mr McGregor's garden

Beatrix Potter's home, Hill Top Farm

This is the Hill Top we were looking for.

There were lots of bunnies.

After she married she moved into cream house in the center.
It was bigger and nicer than Hill Top.
We learned that she was kind of a grumpy lady and
not good with children at all. Just good with stories, art,
and land preservation.

On to Scotland. Here we are at Loch Lomond.

We laughed at how far our room was down the hall.
You can't even see it here. It's way down there.
Hotels here make you enter at the lobby only and walk forever
to your room.