europe + alexandra: 7.31.09 London.

Preface for today’s blog: today is filled with the most pictures I think I have posted thus far. The only reason or explanation for it was that somewhere in the walls of Haddon Hall, we lost our insanity from being totally burned out and Brady somehow captured our acts that we now don’t fully understand.

haddon hall

Our morning began with the routine of taking the tube, 2 hour train ride, and chartered bus to our first destination: Haddon Hall. This little gem of a place was out in the middle of the English countryside and is the sight of some scenes in the movie Princess Bride. It was built in the 12th century and in the 1700’s it was closed for 200 years, therefore it hasn’t been tainted with any of the traditional Victorian decoration. It was the first place we’ve been to that has authentic medieval style and I really liked seeing something that is totally different from all the palaces we have seen. Learning about how people lived back then with no hygiene, utensils, and having the same stew brewing in a pot for over a year made me realize how I wouldn’t have lasted one minute living in the 1300’s.

interior of haddon. medieval style.

great hall in haddon hall where plays used to be performed in.

outdoor view at haddon. that view is priceless.

gardens of haddon hall.

these can't be explained. wish i could.

As has become our tradition, we took a visit to the home’s café and had wonderful cream & tea again. (that is what they call those yummy scones and clotted cream. There is actually no tea involved at all surprisingly.)

creamed tea. worth every pound.

We got back on the bus and our driver was taking us to Chatsworth and said that Haddon Hall and Chatsworth are “neighbors.” He used that term loosely as about ten minutes and several small mountains later we could see Chatsworth in the distance. Set on 105 acres of beautiful English countryside land, the house/small castle is absolutely stunning. In Pride and Prejudice, this is the home of Mr. Darcy and let me tell you the movie doesn’t do justice how incredible this place is. We had the day to ourselves to explore the HUGE gardens and tour the house.

stairs in pride and prejudice where kiera knightley runs out of mr. darcy's home.

We started in the gardens and after getting some hot chocolate to help ease the cold wind, we found ourselves in the Rock gardens. It is exactly what it says – a place filled with huge boulders everywhere and make a natural playground. We climbed up and found a lovely place to just lay and sit for a little bit. Moving from there we found the maze and really attempted to complete our first English garden maze, but failed. It was just so incredible walking through these gardens and I found it hard to really take in all the beautiful things around me. There were perfectly cute hedges everywhere I turned and trees hundreds of years old lining every walkway.

kaitlyn helping me over the chasm in order to get to the rock gardens. "hold my hand pretty princess!"

taking a quick nap in the garden.

you can't really see what is in brady's hand but it is an orange, therefore that is where he gets banned to if he wants to eat it. i won't be having that devil fruit anywhere near me.

girls on rocks. we rock.

there is a very creepy statue man behind me if you can't tell.

leaning tree shrubs.

winding hedges. brilliant.

entrance to the maze.

After spending a few hours in the gardens, we decided we better make it into the house before we had to leave. I think this house was my favorite one we have been in so far in England. It was totally different than any place we have ever been with much more wood and masculine touches and much less gold and glitz. I just loved the feel of it and loved seeing the movie exhibits they had showing scenes from Pride and Prejudice and the Duchess, which were both filmed here. The style of the home felt totally different than everything we have seen and for that, I think I appreciated the home more.