Trip to Europe - Part 4

My goodness... From the look of it, I have hardly posted since we arrived in the U.K... Therefore, I shall give a whirlwind update!

London was (described in a word...) brilliant. We saw (to name the highlights) Buckingham palace, Kensington palace, Trafalgar Square the prince Albert memorial, the Wellington memorial, numerous world war memorials, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, the British Museum, Churchill War Rooms, and much much more... In 3 days. I've posted pictures on Facebook (yes, I broke down finally) if you'd like to see them... I am past 1,000 pictures and counting.

This is one of my favorite "things" from London. The British Museum has an entire gallery dedicated to ancient Persia, and this wall carving originated from a palace in Persepolis belonging to Darius (yes, I believe it is the same as in the book of Daniel). It was so weird to be able to touch something that Daniel, Nehemiah,  and Esther all could have seen...

Next was Oxford! A necessary pilgrimage stop for both Tolkien and Lewis fans alike. Josh and I visited Magdelen College (where Lewis taught) and were adequately impressed by its grandeur and beauty. Whenever locals heard about us and college, they always asked if we were going to study in Oxford... yeah, we wish...

Another necessary stop for coffee pilgrims such as Josh and myself included a cup at the oldest coffee house in Europe. However, this proved harder than originally anticipated - one house claimed to be the oldest in Europe, while another claimed to be th oldest in Oxford... Last I checked, Oxford was included when discussing Europe, but I never claimed to know everything... anyway, Josh and I found a happy solution by simply attending both during our stay! (Though Josh ordered tea both times... figure that one out...)

The next stop was, by far, our favorite thus far. If you ever get the chance to visit England, Josh and I would definitely recommend the town of Warwick (this year, the town is celebrating 1100 years since it's founding). In addition to the castle (huge, impressive, and very well interpreted), the hosts at our bed and breakfast and the general atmosphere of the town gave it a very Sunriver type feel about it.

It was hard to pick a favorite from the castle,  but one of the greatest highlights was the Falconer show. Two bald eagles, an Egyptian vulture, some bird with a nine foot wingspan from the Himalayas that eats bones, and an owl named Ernie were all part of the show. It's just... wow, God's creatures never cease to amaze me, especially when they fly right at eye height (plus or minus about 6 inches)

Leaving the small town behind us,  Josh and I were on our way to Newcastle. The purpose of this stop - Roman ruins. We visited two sites - Segedunum and the Corbridge ruins (which had a Latin name that escapes me at the moment).

The Corbridge ruins - including leftovers from a stables (300 cavalry were stationed here), a headquarters building, and two granaries to name a few. A town built to reinforce Hadrian's Wall, these ruins from 1,850 years ago are not only visible, but sturdy enough to the point that visitors are allowed to climb on, around, and all over them. Talk about engineered to last...

Well, that's all for now. Only two more cities - Edinburgh and Dublin, and that post will probably arrive through the Portland Airport WiFi...