Day 9: Nottingham and Derbyshire, Day 10 and 11

Day 9: Our first stop this morning? Back to the Crime and Punishment Museum, of course! This place was the old Nottingham courthouse and an actual prison that was shut down after attempting but never quite meeting the prison reform standards. Our tour consisted of only our two families. The Sheriff of Nottingham here began as our guide and made the perfect amount of condescending remarks for one of his status.

In the courtroom, Robin Hood was on trial. I cannot look at this picture without laughing. I have my reasons.

Here, I am reading a statement against Mr. Hood as Maid Marian.

The gallows outside of the jail cells in the small courtyard where prisoners got their exercise:
There were a few great costumed actors/guides that took us through different parts of the museum, representing different ages of the prison and how criminals were handled. Seriously creepy, depressing, and fascinating all at once. The kids did pretty well considering it wasn't a very feel good and pleasant place to be. This prison had an actual oubliette. Shudder.

Tessa is obviously done here:

The kids did leave with a balloon. Because a balloon that says "crime and punishment" on it doesn't seem odd to anyone but me, I suppose. As balloons always do in my house, these later led to child drama, including a window escapee and plenty of tears.

So, we were on to Chatsworth house in Derbyshire. Pride and Prejudice movie lovers, check it out! Part of the outside of the manor/house/mansion estate was under construction, but we got to see everything inside. There was a fair going on nearby, but we stuck to the house.

Honestly, I loved going through this "house", but I don't think I've ever seen a more garish place in my life. Again, I couldn't picture a real person living here, but the Duke and others more than managed it. I haven't included many pictures, but you get the idea.

Cole yelled out that he wanted cake when we went through this dining room.

A study or library? This was a room I wanted to explore a little more. The velvet rope said no.
Ashley took several of the pictures I've been using, like this next one. I just wanted to point out that I really like it. It was taken in the statue room (there were statues all over the house, but this room was dedicated to them.)
The Duke.
Here we are out back before strolling in the gardens.
There were some odd pieces of art around, but overall the grounds were lovely.
My friend. I think the world of this lady.
One of the modern pieces on display. I call it Giant Stuck in the Ground or This Biggie Piggie.
On our way out, because of the fair, I'm sure, there was an air show. And what a cool air show it was! It started out with two stunt planes and then went to one. It was insane. Cole was shouting "Brabo! Airplanes!" And I would lose my breath when the one stunt plane would turn off its engine and free fall for a while before starting again.
We started the drive back to Ashley and John's, and what a pretty drive through Derbyshire. We stopped for dinner and then pushed on. It was a little late when we got back, but the kids were promised a viewing of Robin Hood before bed, so jammies and a movie while the kids crashed.

I've been on a couple really fun road trips, but this one ran right past them. We saw everything we wanted to see and much more but never felt rushed or stressed. The kids were tired and had their moments, but were mostly rockstars. You can't ask for better than that!

Day 10: This rainy day we got up and ready for church and had a nice time there and really had a pretty relaxing Sunday after so much running around. We started rounding up our things, we talked, the boys watched rugby, the kids played and probably watched Robin Hood two more times, Ashley took me to meet her hilarious and sweet neighbors, Hugh and Mary, and we put the boys in charge of dinner. I was determined to still try the expired chocolate trifle in the fridge we'd purchased earlier in the week, which was, yes, sour. It's so painful to throw away chocolate desserts.

Day 11: We had the scramble to pack and get to the airport morning. Good things can't last forever, but it was still hard to leave.

We weren't sure how we were doing on time getting to the airport, but it ended up being perfect. The kids did really great on the flight home and were able to lift up the chair arms, flop legs on each other, and get a little more sleep, which means the mom and dad could watch a couple more lame movies uninterrupted.

Getting through customs at DFW wasn't a big deal that evening, and we heard several "Welcome home"s from airport officials --which was nice.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

Not only was it an incredible vacation, but I hadn't been able to spend that kind of time with my wonderful friend for a really long time. Having our families share these memories meant a lot. I'm very thankful. We feel beyond fortunate to have been able to have this opportunity.