Outside WH Smith

December 23.  Rendezvous Day.  Weeks prior to this occasion, Dad had sent my brother and me meticulous descriptions with personalized maps that detailed how the family was supposed to find each other.  Heathrow airport.  Terminal 4.  Arrivals.  Wait outside WH Smith.

Arriving at the airport several hours early, I watched as my family's flights crawled to the top of the arrivals board.  Despite mild delays, the moment did come when my family walked through those doors.  They made it.  They were here.  They were no longer images on my computer screen.  (Skype is great, but it's nothing like the real deal.)  After hugs and smiles, we made our way to the car rental and our adventure began.  I must warn you that we did not sit still for long, so what follows is a brief synopsis of each day's events.

Following the instructions of the omniscient GPS voice, we left London on the left side of road heading northwest towards the small town of Tenbury Wells.  Several hours later, we pulled into the driveway of a large brick house that sat in the middle of an open, snow-covered field.  This was to be our home for the next week.

Our home for Christmas 2010.

People were slow to rise the first morning as time adjustments were made.  However, with the sun peeking over the horizon, we were pleased to find that our house sat in the middle of a working sheep farm.  The fluffy bundles of wool came to greet us in the morning as the farmer passed by on his way to feed the animals.

Our first day took us north to Wale's Snowdonia National Park.  Driving through snow draped landscapes and sunlit mountains was a unique way of spending Christmas Eve together.  As the sun set with pink and orange hues, small towns closed up shop while we made our way home on this silent night.


Family photo in Snowdonia.

The following morning was Christmas!  Our first-ever Christmas SPAM sizzled on the stove as I collected snow for our orange juice (yup, a dollop of snow in each cup of oj...you'll have to try it sometime).  We enjoyed a delicious pancake breakfast and then shared our newspaper-wrapped gifts.  In the afternoon, we explored Ludlow Castle while getting insider tips from the locals about lovely walks.

We woke up to some chilly temperatures on the 26th.  After bundling up, we headed out to Warwick Castle.  There, we found Oliver Cromwell's death mask, Henry VIII's wives and a falconry show.  Feeling learned, we subsequently made our way to Oxford in the afternoon.  While most things were still closed, we took in the festive atmosphere while wandering the streets.

Emily received a candy cane from one of the
court entertainers at Warwick Castle!

The following day's adventure took us south towards Stonehenge.  Impressed by its magnitude, we took our time photographing this stone creation.  The afternoon was then spent in Bath.  I had no idea that the Romans made it as far north as England, so it was neat seeing the plumbing masterpiece that remained from their inhabitance.   

It's difficult posing like a rock.

On the fifth day, we navigated tubes and buses while checking out London.  Our first destination was the Natural History Museum.  The entire museum is overwhelmingly impressive, but two things come to mind first as being personal highlights.  First, is the iguanadon hand (see photo below).  After the dinosaur course I took in college, it was neat to see this specimen in real life.  Second, was the NaturePlus card.  In one section of the museum, you can get free cards to take around with you.  When you find something interesting, you scan your card's barcode.  Then, back at home, you type the barcode into a website and it gives you more information about the display.  Cool, huh?  We then made our way to the British Museum.  Filled with artifacts collected from all over the globe, it would take days (or perhaps months) to thoroughly look through all this museum has to offer.

The iguanadon hand...watch out James!

Our final day as a whole family was spent in the small town of Hay-on-Wye.  With nearly every other shop being a bookstore, it was fun to explore the streets of this Welsh community.


Mom and James enjoy the
cozy atmosphere of one bookshop.

While we are on the topic of books, I should mention one very special aspect of this holiday.  As I hinted at in a previous post, our family had the opportunity to film some reenactments of Dicken's A Christmas Carol.  The video is still in the works, but the photo below will give you a taste of the fun we had.

James played Scrooge and I was
cast as the Ghost of Christmas Past.

On the final day, the fam dropped James off at the airport.  Dad, Mom, Emily and I took to the tube to round out our British adventures at Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.  Needless to say, it was amazing to be with family once again.  We all left England with Christmas memories that won't soon be forgotten.