The DC Cohen Visit

Giles, Tracy, Avery, and Phoebe spent a fun-filled week with us in the U.K. I have to admit that the highlights for Rachelle and me were playing with adorable Avery (5 yo) and Phoebe (2 yo). Avery was very excited about being in England (he didn't sleep on the US-UK flight), and when he stepped off the bus in Bath he quickly peppered me with a litany of questions, including whether or not bathrooms were inside the homes and if the London bridge was in fact falling down. Phoebe is a social little toddler and entertained us with songs and full-dimpled smiles.

On their first day in Bath, our little Clio made 2 trips to get all Cohens to Victoria park. It was a beautiful day, and the 4 parents had a decent time losing and finding and chasing around the 4 little Cohens. Noah and Liv each found school mates and were off and Avery and Phoebe were drawn to different areas of the large playground. That evening the 8 of us enjoyed a wonderful Rachelle-made dinner at home, and then Giles and I headed downtown to a traditional pub for some ale and a long brotherly, warm catch-up.

Monday through Thursday, Noah and Liv had school, but the rest of us toured the South-Western UK. We started the week by jumping into our rented 7-seater and did the necessary trip to Stonehenge. Avery was particularly interested in the gift shop and the snack bar, and Phoebe fine-tuned her "baas" with the ever-present sheep. On the way home, we dropped off Giles and Tracy to explore downtown and the Roman Baths and find their way back to our cottage using the bendable "Big Orange" bus, and Rachelle and I took the two little Americans home with us for fun babysitting. In the early evening, the visitors, Liv, and I headed to Sham Castle for some climbing and great views of downtown Bath. We also stopped by the pond to feed the ducks, which was especially fun for Phoebe who was fearless of the snapping beaks.

On Tuesday we headed to Wales for a day that will live long in Avery's memory, as we enjoyed two of his favorite interests - Castles and trains. Caerphilly Castle is one of the largest in Britain with a double-moat and replicas of cross-bows, trebuchets, catapults, canons, and other implements of destruction. After Avery had his fill of imaginary war waging, we headed to the Brecon Mountain Railway, a little steam engine train that took us on an hour trip through the beautiful mountainside and by a lake in Wales.

On Wednesday, we explored the Cotswalds villages of Lacock and Castle Combe. Although Rachelle and I have been to each about 5 times, we still found the villages enchanting and peaceful, even as we chased or carried Avery and Phoebe up and down the cobblestone street and through the fields.

On Thursday we headed to Wells cathedral and Glastonbury. At this point, I believe Avery had just about had his fill of castles and cathedrals, especially because the Big Boy (as Phoebe called Noah) and Liv were not with us. Of course the ancient clock with the wooden animated jousters in the Wells Cathedral was a hit for the little ones. In Glastonbury we explored the Abbey ruins and grounds, which are beautiful and the weather was perfect. Phobe was especially fond of the ducks and Avery liked to climb on the stone ruins. The bigger folks enjoyed seeing the stone markers of the supposed graves of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. Having 4 adults to 2 kids allowed some of us a chance to read and listen to the incredible history of the Abbey, which was established in 712 and rose and fell in prominence and finally was disestablished by Henry VIII in 1539. If you are curious, Henry had the Abbot Richard Whiting hanged, drawn, and quartered on Glastonbury Tor, which we had visited on a prior trip with Rachelle and George.

On Friday, we all split up (not the same way as poor Richard Whiting). Tracy and Avery took the train to London; Noah and Liv went to school; Giles, Phoebe, and I toured downtown Bath and had lunch as a noodle place (Phoebe's request); and Rachelle stayed home and cleaned and relaxed. In the afternoon, we drove the rental to London to meet up with Tracy and Avery, and we only faced Friday 5:00 traffic once we were in the city. Once we found each other at our hotel, Avery shared stories of riding the train and a double-decker bus around the city. We found a Thai restaurant and luckily we were the only customers in the downstairs area, as we had a fun and rowdy meal. Later that evening, Giles and I slipped out to a pub for a pint or two, to take in some of the local color, and enjoyed a long chat.

On Saturday, we took the Tube and buses to Buckingham Palace and then to the Tower of London. Avery loved the subway, Phoebe loved playing with Liv, and Noah and Avery shared a fascination with some of the scarier stories about the Tower. We parted in the park as our D.C. visitors were getting into a long line for the London Eye and we were heading back to Bath. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped for a snack. As we got off the second subway and were walking toward the hotel, we noticed that the foursome in front of us were strikingly similar to our family we had left at the South Bank. In fact, they had skipped the Eye, played in the park, and headed back. So, we were afforded some final time to wrestle and wreak havoc in the hotel room before we hugged, parted, and we headed back to Bath. (pictures will be added soon!)