I know, I know...I am super late at this.  But, better late then never.  I can't remember what days we did things anymore, but this is all in the right order.

I wanted to go to Bath, but it was very expensive to stay right in Bath so we spent two nights in Newport, Wales.  I really liked Wales and wish that we had got to see more of it.

We stayed at a Premier Inn.  It had a Beefeater Restaurant (pub?) attached to it.

It was at the Beefeater that I had this meal which was awesome! It was a vegetable risotto with grilled chicken. Note the Whole Red Pepper cut in half and grilled.  It was so good I had it twice.
This is what Husband had.  Some kind of Steak And Ale Pie with Peas, Chips, and Gravy.  Typical English Fare.
Here we are in Bath.  They were having some kind of exhibition with Pigs and there were Pigs like this everywhere you turned. They were all decorated differently and popped up all over.
We spent a good 2 hours in the Roman Baths Museum. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

I love this shot because it shows so much history in one snap. you can see the Roman Baths right at the bottom, then the medieval building just above, and the modern building with the window that opens.  Also Bath Abbey is in the background.
This is the square just outside of the Roman Bath Museum.  The people on the other side of the wall are in the Museum.  There were wonderful musicians that would come and play for half an hour and then trade off.  Bath definitely had a very sophisticated and artsy feel to it.
The Royal Crescent, which we had learned was built as private homes for the rich and were mostly rented out for individuals wanting to take part in the Waters.  There was a small museum with very knowledgeable staff.  It's rumored that Nicholas Cage owns one of the apartments.
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This is a Weir.  I had never seen a Weir before and was not expecting to turn the corner and look over the bridge and see this.  I think I may have gotten a little excited and started shrieking at Husband to come look at this most beautiful and wonderful thing in the water.  He was not all that impressed.  I guess weirs are fairly common in England.  Read about Weirs here.

Here we are the next day at Abbergaveny Castle in Wales.  We mainly picked this castle to visit because it was free, but I'm so glad we choose to do something out of the way because it was gorgeous in Abergavenny.  The sky was so blue and it was such a nice day. 
The castle is in disrepair, but that did not detract from the history of the location.  We got the impression that the castle had been sacked and burned numerous times over the years.

In Wales all the signs were bilingual:  in English and Welsh.  I quite liked this sign.
This is the building that houses the present day museum.  I just loved how ivy and the flowers were growing up the side of the building.  Everything looked so organic.

Here we are back in England.  This is a pub on the way to the Lake District.  The sky was Grey, but it wasn't rainy. 

This is the back side of the pub.  There was a little brook that ran right behind the building.  Another beautiful, lush, green snapshot.

After lunch at the Pub we headed on up to Windemere, the first lake in the Lake District.  Another gorgeous spot in Northern England. 

Andrew hanging out at the Pier.  He desperately wanted Ice Cream at this point and did not want me to be taking pictures..  lol
The day before we left we went to Bowland Wild Boar Park.  It was very kid oriented and the animals seemed quite happy in large enclosures.  There were baby chicks that Andrew got to hold and stroke.  (In true English fashion they called it Chick Stroking)  He was having a great time until the baby chick pooped on him.  That didn't go over well.

Anyways, so that is the gist of our trip.  We all had a marvelous time and can't wait to go back.  It was a great idea having Husband and Andrew go ahead of me so they had a longer time with the ILs.  I quite enjoyed visiting all the different attractions.

Next time I would like to make it to France or somewhere on the Mainland.  And maybe visiting London.

Cheers!

We've just gotten back from our Trip to England!  I had a fabulous time over the pond and Husband and Andrew seemed to enjoy it too.

Here's a few sneak peaks at some pics I snapped.

Since I posted about our recent Yurting trip many people have asked what exactly a Yurt is.  I'm here to give everyone the skinny, the downlow on Yurts and how wonderful they are.

& heck, I don't feel like thinking up a fancy new way of describing what a Yurt is, so I'll just let Wikipedia do the talking for me...

A yurt is a portable, felt-covered, wood lattice-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. A yurt is more home-like in shape and build, with thicker walls than that of a tent.

Traditional yurts consist of a circular wooden frame carrying a felt cover. The felt is made from the wool of the flocks of sheep that accompany the pastoralists. The timber to make the external structure is not to be found on the treeless steppes, and must be obtained by trade in the valleys below.

Enthusiasts in other countries have taken the visual idea of the yurt—a round, semi-permanent tent—and have adapted it to their cultural needs. Although those structures may be copied to some extent from the originals found in Central Asia, they often have some different features in their design that adapt them to different climate and use.

In the United States and Canada, yurts are made using hi-tech materials. They are highly engineered and built for extreme weather conditions. In addition, erecting one can take days and they are not intended to be moved often. These North American yurts are better named yurt derivations, as they are no longer round felt homes that are easy to mount, dismount and transport

Now that we've go the boring definition out of the way, lets move on to the fun stuff.  Here are some pictures stolen from the internet so you can get an idea of what is out there.

As you can see, they can vary quite a bit.  You can have bathrooms, kitchens, second floors, lofts, the ideas are endless.  The Yurts we stayed in at Camp Morton Provincial Park are really comfort camping.  They about the size of your living room (16 feet in diameter) and have a heater, electricity, a futon, table, 4 chairs, and bunk beds.

I have made a little collage in Picasa with some of our pictures from our last 2 trips.  They are comfy little things.

From my research, a simple Yurt could cost as little as about $6K and a tricked out ones cost around $20K.  I used to think that The Provincial Park put the Yurts up every summer and then took them down for the winter, but after doing quite a bit of reading online, I think they are left there year round.  I wonder how the canvas remains undamaged, but I'm sure the Park has a system.  The Yurts where we stayed are definitely 3 season facilties.  They would do very in the fall and spring.  The little electric heater in them sure packs a punch.  I am definitely feeling a little Yurt crazy after our trip.  It would be wonderful to buy some rural property and instead of putting a cottage/cabin on it put a Yurt there.  Just a simple little Yurt.  :P

Here are some wonderufl websites to check out about Yurts
Pacific Yurts is like Yurt Porn.  Make sure to check out the Photo Gallery
Canadian Company Yurtco.
All sorts of information over at YurtInfo.
WoodlandYurt is a UK company.

Youtube has a few nice videos/slideshows that show the versatility of Yurts and their beauty.  Go to the tube and check out the many other vids.  Tres cool.





Enjoy!  Do some googling and maybe you'll find that a Park/Preserve in your area has Yurts to rent.

Continuing on with places to visit...

The Lake District - Everyone tells me that this area is absolutely beautiful and a definite must see when visiting England so we're going to make the journey. Google Maps tells me that it is just over 1 hour to Windermere which is the In-Laws favorite spot in the Lake District. There's a lovely PDF brochure about Windermere. It sounds like a lovely place for a summer visit with swimming, hiking, and many things for kids to do (including a Beatrix Potter world and adventure playland). I think 1 night and 2 days there would be fun.


Chester - Husband has a cousin that lives in Chester & it's only about an hour from Preston so it's a definite day trip. It's a walled city and I love what the VisitChester website says about it: "Chester - old enough to make your spine tingle, yet young enough in spirit to be effortlessly fashionable." So far I've found an awesome looking Aquarium, an authentic Mexican Restaurant (which is a favourite kind of food for me--and I'm sure after days and days of pub food I'll be ready for a good taco), and a zoo. I think it will be fun for a day trip.

In an effort to get excited about our upcoming trip to the UK (did I mention that this summer we are going to the UK?) I've started to do some internet research about what we want to do and see while we are there. So much has been happening round these parts I have not really had the time or the inclination to 'get excited' about this trip. But now we are 3 months away, tickets are booked and this time I want to see stuff!

I guess I should go over the deets of the trip because I have not really blogged about this except to announce that we had started to save for a trip to England.

The Timeline

• Husband & Andrew depart May 26 for Calgary (yes, I know Calgary is further away from England than Winnipeg--this was Husbands ingenious way to find a cheaper international flight, some company named Canadian Affairs flys out of Calgary and they are dead cheap)
• Husband & Andrew spend May 26 & 27 in Calgary (which might turn into a more costly money saving venture then originally planned because they were going to stay with my aunt that lives in Calgary...but she has decided to move to Winnipeg and might move before they get there...anyone want to house 2 boys for 2 days?)
• Husband & Andrew depart for Manchester on May 28 (Everyone needs to say a prayer to give Husband strength on an international flight with a 4 year old)
  
• Dinah spends 2 glorious weeks on her own at home sans husband and child. Think of everything I'll get done! (This is almost as good as a vacation in Europe)
  
• Dinah departs for Gatwick from Winnipeg on June 12 and then fly's to Manchester (Dinah prays that there is not a repeat of her last trip to the UK which involved a snowstorm, cancelled, flights, lost luggage and a nice man named Doug Runchy)
  
• Hopefully someone picks Dinah up from the airport in Manch and she doesn't have to try to use English Payphones again.
  
• 2 weeks of holiday in Northern England with a possible mini-trip to Belgium.
  
• Dinah, Husband, & Andrew depart from Gatwick on June 26 (Say a prayer for the return International Flight with a 4 year old and the hopes that I'll be able to nap)
  
• June 28 everything goes back to normal and Dinah returns to work.

The Stuff I Want To See

• The City of Bath - Google tells me that the city of Bath is about 1 hour 45 minutes from Husband's parents house (eta: It appears I was mistaken--Google Maps is telling me it is 3 and half hours--this might cause re-evaluation). It is an ancient Roman City with the Roman Baths still remaining and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is a 'modern' spa (with a good sounding deal), castles, stone circles, and something called the Royal Crescent. I'd like to spend the night in Bath, just me and Husband. It sounds so romantic.
  

• The City York - Google tells me that York is about 1 hours 15 minutes from Husbands parents house. I don't know much about York, just that it was founded by the Romans and later conquered by the Vikings. It is a walled city with a large Gothic cathedral right in the middle of the town. There is also the Jorvik Viking Centre and YorkBoat Tours which I think would all be fun for Andrew. I think York would make a good day trip. Husband lived there for about six months a long time before he met me and I think he also wants to go to reminisce about his bachelor working days.
  

There's a lot more to post, but it's getting late and inserting pictures is losing it's appeal. So far, I've got 3 days planned....what to do with the other 10ish? Suggestiosn for Northern England are always welcome. :) I'm also planning to visit the Lake District, Blackpool, Chester, and possibly Belgium to visit a friend that is living there. I figure that by the time we leave we will have about 2K for spending money (this includes gas, entertainment and meals). The wonderful thing about visiting family in England is that there is a home base to go back to every night, with tea or lager, a warm bed, and smiles on everyone's faces.

cheers
~dinah