So Much to See

Well, as two more weekends have come and gone, I'm once again way too far behind. I think I spend too much time reading everyone else's blogs and not writing enough of my own. That's bad, because we've been busy. We have been to five castles/abbeys in the last two weeks. So, let us begin.
The first weekend in October, we decided to knock out a couple more English Heritage sites. It wasn't the most beautiful day, a little windy and cold, but we've been told that it's not a good idea to put things off until the weather is good. So, off we went.
Our first stop was Castle Rising Castle. I won't bore you with facts. If you're curious, you can wander over here. I was impressed by how much of this castle was still standing. As we visit more and more sites, it's interesting to me what has survived and what hasn't. There are so many buildings, not nearly as old as this one that are almost completely in ruin. I find it a particular shame that so many of the abbeys fell into ruin after the dissolution. But, more on that in a sec. Here's some pictures from Castle Rising.

Pretty neat, huh? I'll tell you what is neat. My kids actually get excited when we tell them we're going to check out these places. Now, that being said, if we have not viewed every room within minutes of arriving and procuring our audio tour guide, we start getting ordered through the castle by our little drill sergeant. Kyle is happy to roam around, usually off somewhere by himself, where I'm never sure where he is. But Jake, well, we always know where he is, even if we can't see him. "Mommy, Daddy, c'mon! We've been in this room for, like, an hour!" More like thirty seconds.
OK! We'll go to the next place! We can't hear the audio tour over your screaming, so we might as well move on. I think Jake hopes that one day we will actually say these words, but for now, this is what Brandon and I are thinking as we try to get through the end of the tour. And, it's probably what you are thinking, too, so let's move on.
Our next stop on this blustery day was Castle Acre Castle. Here is a perfect example of not much left. We didn't stay here long, just long enough to walk around the top of the surrounding wall. I'm sure the boys are going to go tumbling down a hill at one of these places one day. From here it was a very short drive (we could have walked, if we had known where we were going) to Castle Acre Priory. We stayed here a lot longer. Now, remember all that business about it being a shame so many of the abbeys fell into ruin? Well, that being said, it makes for some cool pictures. And speaking of pictures. . .

I think this would make a great backdrop for some family photos, so anyone out there who fancies themselves good with a camera, maybe someone taking a DSLR class, or something, if you would like to visit England, we'd be more than happy to show you around.
After the priory, we drove to Sandringham Estate. The Royal Family spends Christmas here. It was late, and we didn't have time for the tour, but you can bet we'll be back. And finally a little snapshot of what we saw at our last stop on the way home.

So that's it for now. I'll be back, sooner than last time with "What We Did on Our Columbus Day Vacation." Until then!