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Today was our first day in The UK and we are staying with Jason's friends, Liz and Dave, just outside of London. They have a beautiful, large home which was built in the 1800's, 2 rambunctious kids and a cat. The two kids have really enjoyed having us here, especially little Grace who is 3.5 years old but is smarter beyond her years. If you have any doubt there will be a lack of conversation at your next dinner party, bring Grace. She has a lot to say, and many questions to be answered :)
The first day Liz and Dave took us to Leed's castle which is in Kent. The castle was first established in the 1100's and is known as the "worlds most beautiful castle". We had so much fun touring all the rooms, which were set up and beautifully kept restored to the year it was built or designed. They even had a little "animal scavenger" hunt which kept Grace engaged the entire time.
After touring the main castle, we grabbed some fish & chips at set up for a picnic on the grass. They had a great play area with slides and obstacles to keep the kids entertained while we waited for the falcon show. The castle is known for its black and white swans and also does a falcon show once a day. We were able to see owls and various birds of prey displayed while trainers kept them flying over us as we learned facts about them. One thing that they all had in common is they would fly low to the ground to avoid being seen.
We had bought some bird feed because there were so many swans, ducks, geese and other water fowl at the castle. Both of the kids really enjoyed feeding the birds, as they would all flock around as soon as they realized you had feed. Charlie took to throwing the feed at the birds like a 1 year old would, with more landing on their backs than the actual ground.
The castle also had a maze that took on average 20 minutes to solve and get to the middle. Dave took off with little Charlie, I think hoping he would beat us... But we prevailed and found the middle before him! To get out of the maze, you go through a Grotto where there was an underground cave made of seashells, with various mermaids and fish formed out of the shells. I really liked that part.
I have also learned a few things since being here, that chips are actually French fries, and crisps are actually chips. They have a "brown sauce" that they put on everything. If you "tuck in", that actually means "dig in" while eating. A stroller is called a "buggy" and pants are known as "trousers". And if you get any of these things wrong, 3 year old Grace will tell you what's up.
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