Sarah still talks about London and how she wants all of her extended family to go with her. Well,perhaps we would head there again...It was truly a great trip and here are some reasons why we all love London.
Of course, we did the touristy things and visited the National Gallery, the Science Museum, Trafalgar Square, Bath, Stonehenge etc. But our holiday only begun when we travelled down South and we visited quaint little towns, devoid of tourists in the South. Mevagissey was special with all its unique bric-a-brac.
Bosinver was our base as we explored the South. It was an award winning farm stay that had everything to make a family holiday relaxing for the parents and fun for the kids. A playroom that never closes, animal feeding and huge pasture and many climbing structures. www.bosinver.co.uk
We drove to Plymouth to visit the site where the Pilgrims set forth on the Mayflower towards America. It was a surprisingly beautiful and developed place that held much historical significance in the development of Christianity.
A stopover at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen on Mother's Day was refreshing. The restaurant overlooked Newquay beach and it was a lovely and comfortable place to dine.
We had a chance to visit Dan's Auntie at Mapperton and her garden was teeming with many wild bluebells.
Sarah playing dress up at the Museum.
The magical part of our trip has got to our stay at Lyme Regis. I have never heard of Lyme Regis before this trip and we only went there because a beautiful beach fronting apartment was available due to a last minute cancellation at half the price:) It turned out to be the coolest place on our itinerary - magical, I would say. It was inspirational to know that Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy travelled to Lyme Regis to get inspiration to write their novels. It was thrilling to hear names like Sir David Attenborough [ I was a documentary fan] because Lyme Regis is well known as a fossil site. For the kids, seeing the endless beach was a welcoming site for them and they hit the beach in their winter wear at least thrice a day. Everyone had a whale of a time, eating ice cream, rockpooling, visiting the award winning museum and our climax there has got to the the 2.5 hour fossil walk where we met unassuming geologist Paddy Howe. I didn't realize that he is quite a big name in paleontology till I googled him back in Singapore. The kids had a great time with teacher Paddy, especially Sarah.
Orphanage at Ashley Down
As we moved to Webbington (our final stop in the South), we went in search of people who were instrumental in shaping the history of Christianity. We drove to Bristol and tracked down George Muller's Orphanage at Ashley Down. The building was already an integral part of the architecture there and it has been converted into a university. We were glad to see the building. We headed the next day to George Muller's House. Daniel wrote in to the person in charge and he was kind to take us around the house.
Next day, we headed to the heart of Bristol to visit the world's oldest Wesley Chapel. These sights left us with much thought about the perservance of the saints and God who brought all these to past.
Our trip ended with a drive to South Wales where we saw the ruins of Tintern Abbey. I never thought much of ruins but being confronted with Tintern Abbey, I was awestruck. The place was so serene and peaceful and the air was filled with floating dandelions. I have perhaps used the word beautiful many times in my description of UK..but it is indeed beautiful. I love the overexposed shots of Sarah blowing the dandelions:)
As we bid farewell to South London and headed back to London, we drove through Cheddar Gorge at Mendip Hills. It was a deliberate drive because Cheddar Gorge was legended to be the inspiration for the hymn "Rock of Ages". As we drove through the towering Gorge, Daniel blasted "Rock of Ages" in the car. I enjoyed that drive very much, especially since Rock of Ages is one of our favorite hymn.
We left London with much to remember and reflect. Truly our God has been faithful in this great nation!
