Chester and Manchester

After such a long day, we were quite happy to sleep in the next morning. The Tyrrells offered to take us to Chester for the afternoon so we could see the Roman wall and ruins. Steve and I jumped at the chance to see another part of England we had not expected to visit, so late morning, we piled in the back of their Land Rover (we felt like we were on Safari) and headed off.

Chester was maybe an hour and a half away. We found a spot to park (free!!) that was close to an entrance of the wall at the Watergate and began our walk. If memory serves, the original Roman wall was wood and then sandstone and didn't completely encompass the city. The Normans fortified the wall with stone and extended it to surround the whole of Chester. Maneuvering Iona's stroller up and down steps was a bit of a challenge, but it worked.

We descended the wall to walk along the River Dee for a bit.

Ethan enjoyed looking at the little fishes. It was such a warm day that everyone seemed to have an ice cream cone in hand. We decided that ice cream sounded good to us, too. I had toffee fudge--yum.

We left just as this guy was coming, so we didn't see his act. From the size of the ball and those props, I'm sure it was quite daring.

This was the view when we were back up on the wall. 

We continued along the wall until we came to the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre. Ethan and Iona enjoyed climbing on the rocks. 

Steve wandered off a ways to take pictures of a church and more ruins.

After a snack, we headed back to the wall. Our next stop was the old city for lunch.

I loved the old-fashioned double decker bus.

Because we didn't eat lunch until late afternoon, most lunch shops were either closed or closing soon. That meant that Pret-A-Manger was not making fresh sandwiches. Did I mention that the Brits love their mayonnaise? There was nothing for me to eat there. I wandered on a little further until I found a hole in the wall cafe that had a ham and cheese sandwich that I figured I could just scrape off the cheese, as usual. (It wasn't until afterward that I saw that the case bore a sign that read, "If you don't find what you'd like, we can make a sandwich to order.") Well, it turned out that was a panini, so she needed to toast it in order for the bread to be fully cooked. I explained that I was going to take off the cheese, so she offered to take care of it for me. Bless her. I'd always wanted a panini, but they always come with so much junk. Now I could finally enjoy one with ham seulement. I met up with Steve and the Tyrrells back at Pret-A-Manger and enjoyed my toasty sandwich. I was starving. After lunch, we mounted the wall one last time to head back to the car.

Not long after we arrived back in Leigh, Garth the babysitter showed up to watch the kids while we headed in to Manchester proper for dinner. He was a funny old man who entertained us with stories from his navy days while Ged and Vicky got ready. Ged decided to take us in the Alfa Romeo. Fun car! Before we landed at Shahi Masala on Curry Mile, Ged made a brief stop at Old Trafford, Manchester United's stadium. It was under renovations, but Steve was in his glory anyway.

Dinner was quite good--and rather large, so we all left with our bellies full. It had been another excellent day.

The Peak District

The next morning, I didn't want to get out of bed, and I certainly wasn't eager to leave our incredible room. It was the first morning that we allowed ourselves to sleep in a bit which meant we didn't head out until 11. Bliss!

As a huge Pride and Prejudice fan, I really wanted to visit "Pemberley," Mr. Darcy's estate, which, yes, I realize, is fictional. The first stately home we visited was Chatsworth, which was used as Pemberley in the 2005 Keira Knightley version. Chatsworth is actually mentioned in Pride and Prejudice as one of the homes Elizabeth Bennet visits with her aunt and uncle while they are visiting Derbyshire prior to their stop at Pemberley.

Unfortunately, the front was covered with scaffolding because it was being restored/repaired. Bummer.

This is what the front exterior is supposed to look like:

This is what it looked like when we were there--disappointing.

The inside, however, was amazing. This is the foyer. The Duchess of Devonshire claims that the house is so big that the family still gets lost sometimes.

My favorite spot was the library, and I also recognized the sculpture room from the film.

After touring the interior, we walked around the extensive gardens. We really could've spent all day there, they were so huge. It was beautiful.

I kind of had an obsession with sheep and cows. You'd have thought I wasn't from Lancaster County.

After spending a couple hours there, we headed out to Lyme Hall, which was about an hour away. As far as I'm concerned, Lyme Hall is the "real" Pemberley since it was used in the BBC version, and I was praying hard that it, too, wasn't being cleaned or renovated. Fortunately, I didn't have to worry. It was there in all it's amazing glory. I LOVED being there, walking where Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy walked. (Yes, I do know they're not real people.) Due to time constraints, we didn't bother going through the house, but rather opted to roam around the grounds instead. Once again, the gardens were beautiful--especially the roses, which smelled amazing!

This was a hunting tower on the property outside Lyme Hall. 

Lyme Hall

I couldn't resist reading a little Pride and Prejudice while I was there.

When Lyme Hall closed for the day, we decided it was time to find Ged and Vicky's house outside of Manchester. We arrived around 6:30 or so--just in time to visit with some of their friends in their allotment, or plot of land that they use as a garden. They were very friendly, and we had a nice visit before we headed back to Ged and Vicky's for raclette. We were exhausted by the time we rolled into bed around midnight, but it was great to catch up.