Slovenia

While we were in London, Weston, Rebekah and I took a quick side trip to ski in Slovenia.  We went to the capital...Ljubljana. How's that for a tongue twister.

The old downtown was charming, with narrow walking streets, shops, cafes  and a river winding through the middle. However, once you got outside the old downtown, the city quickly devolved into ugly communist style blocks.

But we stayed to the center center. This was perfect as a large Christmas Market was going on. There was so much to see and taste.

And there was even the a special Christmas witch? She was there to grant wishes. All you had to do was stand beneath her while she lowered some Styrofoam balls on your head. Then think of the wish.  The guy above was there to help magnify the good wishes and stop the bad ones?

He wished for a set of 'Heelys shoes'. Sorry world peace. Maybe next year.

Good old Flat Stanley was with us again. Looking a little worse for wear. I guess he is not water proof!

We found a great Pizza Place, and stuffed our faces.

We could barley walk afterwards, so Weston decided to ride a bike home. No go.

Weston's shadow made us wonder what was really going on? Maybe he had the rabbit pizza?

A large castle guards the city from atop the hill. 

We also went out to Lake Bled. This was a magical location, with an old church in the middle of the lake, surrounded by castles, and churches. We rented a boat and went to explore.

Legend says if you carry your bride up the 99 steps on the island, you will be assured a long and happy marriage.  We gave it a try - and made it (with one small pit stop on the way up.  However - her feet never touched the ground...so I think it counts.)

We even found some time (2 hours) to go skiing. Weston made us promise we would go. He was sure he would be a pro. The snow was not great. Weston was not great.

He had a blast and has decided he is already on 'Level 2'?

Then it was back to the capital. The city symbol is the dragon. According to Myth, Jason and the Argonauts ran into a dragon here, and were able to kill it. That seemed like a great reason to build a city here....

I think we were all pleasantly surprised by this little country, with the dramatic Alps, forested valleys and rivers, and quaint little villages. It might be worth another longer visit.

A Christmas Carol Holiday

We decided to spend Christmas in London with My Dad and Ellen. We did not have any snow, but is was cold, wet and windy!  

In addition, we had some fun with Flat Stanley.  JJ Huish (my Cousin's Erin's son) sent him to us for the holidays. He made it into a number of our pictures.  

 It took the pressure off being in every photo with the same cheesey grin, and gave us a reason to actually take some photos.

 We visited all the main sights again. Went on a walk, and even saw a show or two.

 However, on Christmas day itself, the city pretty much shuts down. Not even the tube or bus system is working. So we did a lot of walking, and eventually rented some bikes. I have never seen so many tourists on bikes. Luckily not many cars were out. Mostly in an effort to find somewhere to eat!  We ended up enjoying some Indian food.

 

After London, we drove up to Oxford, to visit a few of our old haunts. 

It really is a charming city. We remembered more then we thought!

 We even jumped a metal fence to explore our old university (Mansfield). Weston was unsure about breaking in, but we assured him it was okay.

 It was crazy to see the building again, after 17 years!  That may not be much for Oxford standards, but it is a lot for these two old bags. Who would have thought we would be there again, with our son in tow, helping him with his first B&E!

 We spent the next day exploring the cotswolds - in the rain!

 Burton-on-the-water was our first stop, We arrived before anyone in the town was awake.  Luckily we found a bakery that was just opening up with lots of hot bread and treats!

 That was good because Rebekah was hungry!

 So many cute towns... so many local bakeries and health food stores to explore.

 The Horse and Hound. Their readers love Julie Roberts, and Black Beauty (an inside joke from one of Rebekah's favorite movies)

 The old doors were so little!

 Weston loved the hot chocolate so much, he started from the bottom and worked his way up.

 We ended the trip in Bath. A wonderful old city, rich with history and heritage (especially for the Weston side of the family)

 We stopped in to visit the old Roman baths, still flowing after 2000 years!  Amazing

 The water was hot, and would have made a relaxing place to soak- if it were not for the poison lead lined pools (original and still water tight)

 Weston enjoyed the audio tour.

 On out last day we spend some time driving around the country side, exploring some old family sites. SOme of my ancestors lived and worshiped in these little towns and churches.

 Towns like Ston Easton, and West Harptree

 Despite the bad weather and flooding, it felt great to explore some of these tiny old locations. It would be interesting to come back and stay awhile. Maybe in the summer!

Overall it was an exciting Christmas, with lots of travel and sightseeing. However, Rebekah told me that next year, she wants to spent the holidays at home. Where ever that is.