Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, is one of the largest stately homes in England. It is still privately owned- the 11th Duke of Marlborough currently lives there. It was definitely the most magnificent state home we've visited thus far. Taking photos was not allowed inside, but they had very ornate state rooms. And the gardens were also incredible.

(Above) Jack, Aaron, Ethan, Elise, Oakley, and Dave in front of the main entrance to the palace.

(Above) The side terrace. Lucas refused to join us for this picture- that little stinker.

(L) Jack standing next to a freaky-looking statue.

(R) A bird-shaped sculpted hedge.

(Above) There was a sea of daffodils along this walking path. They were a little past their peak when we arrived.

(L) Lucas was filthy after slipping in the mid. (R) Jack likes to be photogenic and often sticks out his arms for photos- "ta da." As you can see, Lucas often copies him.

(L) A giant chess set at the kids play area. (R) Blenheim Palace is home to one of Europe's largest hedge mazes.

Cambridge

On a cold, rainy day in April, we visited the historic university town of Cambridge. Cambridge University is comprised of several colleges. We visited one of the most famous colleges at Cambridge, King's College, and toured its chapel, which is known for the world-renowned King's College Choir.



(Above) The King's College quad.

(Above) A view of King's College from the bank of the River Cam.

(L) Aaron and Elise (R) The boys



(L) Behind us is a group of people "punting on the Cam."

(Above) Inside the famous King's College Chapel.

(L) Bread stand at Cambridge's market square. (R) There is a lot of paraphernalia currently for sale throughout England related to Queen Victoria II's Diamond Jubilee.

(L) Cherry blossoms (R) Walking around the old Cambridge streets

(Above) Standing in front of St. John's college.

Easter

After church on Easter Sunday, we had an Easter egg hunt in our back yard.

(Above) The kids are ready with their baskets to go find some eggs. Left to right, its Oakley, Lucas, and Jack, with Uncle Dave and little Ethan in the back.

(Above) Checking out the spoils.

(L) That's me making Lucas eat his dinner before eating candy. He refused to eat dinner when the rest of us ate. (R) Jack about to eat a nasty Peep. I think they are disgusting.

Audley End House

For a day trip during Elise's visit, we visited the Audley End House, a 17th-Century Victorian estate home, located just outside of Cambridge. Photographs were not allowed inside (as they aren't in most castles and estate homes here in the UK), so we can't share some of the interesting things we saw inside. They had a huge, fantastic display of taxidermic animals, probably acquired over a century ago.

(L) Employees at the estate house dressed up in Victorian-style attire. Notice the woman riding the horse with the umbrella and the man walking next to her. (R) Too bad this pic is out of focus- it was cute to see Lucas and Oakley holding hands while they ran.

(L) Herbs sold at the gift shop. (R) No, this isn't a wedding booth. This is an occupied bathroom. Harmony told me to post this.

(Above) Walking in the gardens on the back side of the estate house.