Scenes from the road, in Bristol and beyond

Here are a few (well, more than a few) photos of the trip to Bristol. In addition to visiting Janet, our friend from our year in England, and having lunch with colleagues of John's from the university (who welcomed us to their home and even made plain, kid-friendly food for our little ones), we had two terrific tourist experiences -- visiting the S.S. Great Britain and playing the day away at the Bristol science centre (while John had meetings at the University of Bristol).

The other big thrill, of course, was trying to navigate as John drove on the left side of the road. He did so well -- but I am *so* happy to be back where people drive the "right" way!

And now, a glimpse of the first part of the trip:

 

 Waiting to leave at the Beaune train station. 

 

The light on the train to Paris was SO beautiful.

 Katie hard at work below...

Olivia hard at work, too, above.

 Diving into James Michener's Poland at the recommendation of my dad (thanks, Dad! It's great!). Katie decided to join in the reading... but it WAS a long train ride...

Thankfully, the kids love being at airports...



...and they also love flying (their mom, not so much).

We arrived Saturday morning and quickly toured the town. 

Jack in Bristol, hanging with William of Orange.

Bristol is really a beautiful city -- the photos with gray skies are from Saturday, and the blue skies are from Sunday and Monday.

Of course I found a cheese shop at their bustling market (didn't stop to buy any, sadly -- but I was happy it was there!)

Finding new tutus for Katie and Olivia.

A rock shop in the market selling a piece of ammolite -- a stone found only near Lethbridge!

A tea party at Janet's above. Jack plays with the toys from the grandkids' closet below.

It is worth reading about the S.S. Great Britain... the ship has a rich history and its revival (after a perilous journey from the Faulkland Islands 40 years ago, where it had been sitting in a scrap heap) adds to an already fascinating tale.

Part of the tour included a costume shop, where children could try on clothes that would have been worn when the ship was sailing around the world (in the mid-1800s). Above, Katie in a bonnet. Below, Kate and Liv in nun's habits (surely a picture worth holding on to).

Jack had no desire to be a stowaway -- or even in the steerage class. It was first class all the way for him! Below -- all three kids had to take a close look at the cannon (yes, we talked about gun and cannon safety afterwards!)

Harding kids take the wheel.

We said goodbye to Janet Monday morning, and headed to the @Bristol science centre. Unfortunately, my camera was running out of space, so I didn't get pictures of the kids' favorite parts -- playing with magnets and iron shavings and checking out to the planetarium.

Next stop -- Paris! (but I think I'll wait to write about it tomorrow night...)