Atherton Family Notes

Today’s agenda was to head to Cheddar Gorge and Bath. I had expected to spend only an hour or so in Cheddar but, I had not anticipated so much of the things that were there. The area had the same feel as Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The gorge rose above us on either side and was just narrow enough to carve a road out of. Some of the curves were hard to maneuver around but we took them slow and checked out the scenery. The town of Cheddar is of coarse were the famous cheese is named from but only one place still makes their cheese there. We toured the factory. (if that is what you want to call it) It was more like a small shop with a few cheese vats. There was not much to see and we were in and out in record time. I was however impressed with the fact that they take in 2,000 liters of milk each day to make their cheese. Ken purchased a few varieties of the cheese and even picked up some great relish to put on crackers. The one I can’t wait to crack open when we get home is the caramelized onion one. I know, you are saying “EEWWWW” right now as I did before trying it, but really… it is very good.

We checked out the shopping and walked up and down the one road in Cheddar. There are caves that you can go into to explore but having 3 kids and not able to take our handy strollers in, we opted out. In one of the caves there, they have the oldest complete skeleton and I am sure if Carissa would have seen it, she would have obsessed about it for weeks, maybe months afterwards! We saved ourselves the headache. Instead, we trapped the kids in the car while we took the scenic route out of the gorge towards Bath.

Bath was dirty and did not in any way reflect its name unless you say it NEEDED a Bath! The buildings themselves were very nice and interesting but the ground needed a good rainstorm to wash the streets clean. We first visited the church (what a surprise) and then we headed to the Roman Baths. One of the big claims to fame for this town was the Roman baths that took place here centuries ago. We found them very expensive to visit and chose to buy a book on them instead.

After ditching the history lesson and the good learning tool, we chose to SHOP! You would think it has been years since Ken and I have seen the inside of a book store! We spent several hours in two different book stores. We picked out a couple books for all of us including the kids. I have recently discovered a British author if children’s books that I rather enjoy. Her name is Julia Donaldson. I found a couple more books by her and latched onto those.

We did leave time at the end of the day to head back to Bristol where, on the way to Cheddar, we spotted a Wal-mart! There again, we spent hours shopping. What did we come to England for you ask? Apparently to shop and at Wal-mart no less! We were so excited to find Poptarts, Campell’s soup , and mint or orange flavored Kit-Kats. Among those finds, we also found very odd flavors of potato chips. Ken could not resist the yogurt and mint ones. No, that is all in ONE bag, not two different flavors! He said he had his eye on the beef stew flavored ones but could not find a small bag of those. Thank goodness for small miracles! Seems the British have a leg up on the varieties of chips. But if we keep shopping like this, we will be fat and poor in no time.

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Day 5

Monday, September 20, 2004 10:58 AM

From: Sandi

Our plan for today was to hit Stow-on-the-Wold but we did not make it there as quick as we thought we would. We found an interesting spot on the map that boasted of a miniature village, models, and a toy and car museum called Burton–on-the-Water. We found them and so much more. What was supposed to be a short stop turned into a whole morning of fun. The town has a canal that runs through it and is overloaded with stone bridges arching over the top. Along both sides were areas to pop a squat and picnic. We did just that! We had thought ahead and purchased packaged lunches for the family and sat among the trees and stream to eat them. It was a wonderful lunch! Seems there were lots of people out today with the same idea.

We took pictures of each of the girls that I am hoping turn out and Carissa even tried to take a picture of Ken and I. (Pretty sure this one was a bust.)

We found a train shop that Ken poked around in for a bit and then it was my turn. Just around the corner was a doll house shop. My heart was leaping at the thought of owning one of my very own. Oh wait… I mean of the kids owning one. Yeah, that’s what I meant to say. My head was aching at the thought of putting it all together. After all, I have a hard enough time decorating my real house! My pocketbook had a heart attack at the very calculation of the cost of such an item! The kids were begging for me to buy them one (really! They were!) The only thing we left with was the big wish book. Maybe we have Christmas gift ideas for the next century!

We took a small spin through the miniature village. All the houses were made of Cotswold stone and it was a replica of village of Burton right down to the bridges, post office, and train shop that we visited. And to top off the fun we ran the kids through a maze. It was a blast! We were given a card and had to spot clues on stones placed into the grounds. There were 14 total and the message when you read the clues was” place your hands on the monkeys and step on the caterpillar and wait.” In the center of the maze was a building where you found a frog encased in glass. When you found the monkeys and caterpillar and touched them, the frog opened its mouth to reveal a jeweled dragonfly. It was a great activity to wear the kids out.

I could have spent the rest of the day here but Ken had plans to see a cathedral in Coventry. The cathedral was a sister church to one he had visited in Berlin. Both were bombed out in WWII and had newer, modern churches built next to the old. It was a weird sight to see the old and new all combined together. The new has a very modern art style and is sparse. It had glass etchings of angels on the front which looked more emaciated than welcoming and helpful. * In the end, though, the theme of the church is God’s ultimate triumph over the suffering and death caused by war. Inside, the focus of the church’s interior is a gigantic painting of Jesus in a style which bridges the medieval and the modern. (Yeah, you are right. Ken ended up writing the description of the church from the * on.)

Everything seemed to be closing up so we headed back to the hotel. The hotel had a place called Brewsters in it. Inside it had what was called the “fun factory” where you can sign your kids in and they can play in the huge play area while you enjoy your meal in peace. The kids had been begging to go and we thought tonight was a good time. They had a blast. When we got back to the room and started to get the kids ready for bed, we discovered that Carissa’s tooth was hanging on by a thread. I grabbed the video camera and told Ken to go for it. Carissa threw a huge fit and began crying up a storm. Ken got hold of it and barely even tugged before it came out in his hand. When he announced that it was over, Carissa did not even believe him. We had to take her to the mirror and show her the tooth was missing. Now we have to figure out if the tooth fairy comes to England and what the exchange rate is.

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Today I woke to the sound of a loud beeping noise. I thought it was my alarm and the kids were late for school. I began to panic then seconds later realized where I was and the beeping was that of construction equipment. The hotel we are staying at is fairly new and the businesses attached to it are still being finished up. In another month or so the KFC will be up and running. It has been somewhat warm here and we have been sleeping with the windows open. Well, nothing like waking at 7am to the sounds of commotion.

We packed up and headed out for the next destination in Wales. It was a rather light day and not much to tell. The town of Tenby was recommended to us by a friend of mine (who we will meet in person tomorrow) and it lived up to its recommendation. It is a seaside resort town filled to the max with hotels and B&Bs. Shops were everywhere and sold a variety of items. One of the most unique things we purchased was a few carved wooden spoons. In Wales there is an old custom for a man to make a wooden spoon for his bride. The different symbols carved into it represent different things. A heart means love, Diamond means prosperity, Ribbon means eternal love, and an anchor means stability. I made Ken pick one out for me. Yes, I said “made” and told him he better be thankful I did not make him carve one for me. He chose one that has a heart, ribbon and 2 love birds on it.

By this time the kids could not hold in their excitement for the beach any longer. We kept taunting them with peeks of the water and sand at several corners. I dressed them in white sundresses and posed them for several pictures. Sadie did not cooperate very well when I tried to get some by the water. She was terrified and screamed bloody murder. Carissa and Celia had a great time playing in the water and despite my words of wisdom about not getting too wet; they were soaked and covered in sand. This is just one more reminder to me why I do not want to spend a week on the beach this winter.

I am now typing this under the night sky, sipping on a tall drink, at our next B&B while the kids are playing in yard filled with toys. Ken is sitting next to me reading the trashy newspapers and we are listening to the cheers for the English vs. Polish football game coming from the pub. Wish we had more nights like this!

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