We arrived at Stratford-Upon-Avon at exactly 2:19 p.m. (only Margaret marked the exact time in her journal). For Margaret, this was, of course, a really big deal. For an English teacher, this is life-changing! We were delighted at the sight of the famous words (bringing Shakespeare to life) displayed on the many businesses and restaurants. We decided to find our hostel first, and, again had some major "adventures" trying to find our way. However, once w...

Barry got all the practice he'll ever want driving country roads today! We decided to take the scenic route to York through the Yorkshire Dales and saw some wild countryside. Gone are the manicured, perfect roads and instead the trees and bushes grow where they will. We enjoyed the drive, though by the time we got to Thirsk, we were ready to find a major road again. Before arriving in Thirsk, Barry inquired into where James Herriot's house was and didn't get much...

We are off to England. We journeyed down through the Lake District and saw some of the most breathtaking villages yet. Everything seems like a park and the winding roads with their picturesque walls, massive trees and sheep manicured hills and dales are a delight. We stopped at Wordsworth's cottage and enjoyed a lovely stroll around the neighbourhood, imagining the natural inspiration for Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Beatriz Potter and of course Wordsworth himself. W...

Stirling Highland Games and Connor's birthday. An excellent combination! We walked down to the games from our hostel, which was a fun, though perilous walk as the sidewalk in parts was about 6 inches wide, but, when we got to the games, we were met by tug-o-war matches that went on all day, as well as highland dancing, caber tossing and more. The day was a lot of fun and we got to see all the events. We chatted with some people who were from Vancouver but it t...

Last night, we stayed at Ratagan Youth Hostel, very close to the Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle. Exploring castles along the way has been a favourite reason to stop. Each one brings our imagination to life. Mind you, every time Connor leaps down whatever embankment, cliff or wall he can find, it takes years off of our lives. His inability to think beyond the second contrasts sharply to the hundreds of years of history he is surrounded by. We've seen sever...