London, Part 6: Spa and Spring

After Stonehenge, the tour went to Bath. I happen to love Bath, so I'm glad Marina had a chance to see it.

Here is the Bath Cathedral...


These lions were so cute! They were all over the city, each one decorated in a different way. They will be auctioned off to raise funds for different charities. More information about them can be found at www.lionsofbath.com ...

The exterior of the Roman baths...

A detail of the angels climbing on the cathedral wall...

Inside the Roman baths...

Roman statues along a balcony above the baths...


An archway viewed from the baths...

An elephant carving supports a column...

There were models of how the baths would have looked in ancient times...

There were many exhibits of stone carvings and other artifacts...

More exhibits, including part of a mosaic floor and a bronze(?) mask...


When the Romans first came to the area, they saw that there was a spring where hot water came out. Because it came out hot, they assumed it was heated by the goddess Minerva. The people who lived there thought it was hot because of their goddess, Sulis. It was also healing because of its mineral content. The Romans decided to create a bath, "sanus per aquae"(spa), health by water. They combined the goddesses names as a gesture to show they could live peacefully with the people of this land. They let the natives do all the heavy lifting while they handled the engineering...

Home Spun comic strip #520

I liked ending on zig-zag. I think that describes homeschooling on so many levels. Our journey is not simply a straight line, but an adventure that wanders off on tangents.

Thank you to everyone who played along as I wandered through the alphabet! Last chance to give me your letter ideas in the comments!

London, Part 5: Windsor and Stonehenge

On the Monday of their trip, Marina and her aunt went on a tour of Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath. Because she had so many great photos at Bath, I'm dividing this trip up. Today, a view of the Castle and Stonehenge.

First, Windsor Castle...

This bas relief of St George and the dragon was above St George's Gate...

This is a view of the garden in the castle moat...


On to Stonehenge! Marina took many, many, many pictures at the ancient megalithic structure...

Her camera is awesome! Look at this close up she took of the detail. She wanted to show how the stones were put together...

More views...

Believe it or not, this shot was on the same day. By the time they walked around the stones, clouds rolled in and it started raining as they left...

Home Spun comic strip #519

I admit I was hesitant to use unschooling for U. I could practically hear the outcry of "What about H is for Homeschooling? C is for Charlotte Mason or Classical? E is for Eclectic?" and so on. The fact is, I am only beginning the unschooling journey, so it's on my mind lately.

And it was all I could think of for U....Besides Unicorn.

As I reach the end of the alphabet, I've felt a little stretched thin. I actually took out the dictionary to help inspire me for the final two letters. Dave has supplied me with X (Thanks, Home School Dad!) I will share those on Monday.

If you have anything good for U, V, and W, please share it in the comments!

London, Part 4: Statuary and Sherlock

One of the dragons that mark the boundary of the City of London (separate from the city of Westminster)...

On Sunday of their trip, they went to the Sherlock Holmes museum. Outside of the Baker Street tube station was a statue of the detective...


It really is at 221B Baker Street...


Inside, vintage photographs cover the wall...

Marina loved the look of these books...

She got to sit down with Dr. Watson. Sorry about the blurriness. I did my best to fix it...


Everything in the museum related to something mentioned in the mysteries. Here are the Baker Street irregulars...

More paraphernalia from the stories...

Scenes from the books in wax (I think). Top left from The Red-Headed League. Top right, a macabre discovery at Shoscombe Old Place. Bottom left, from A Scandal in Bohemia. Bottom right Charles Augustus Milverton and his assailant.

After the museum, they took the tube to the Covent Garden station where they found another boundary marker for the City of London...

Home Spun comic strip #518

Extras:
~Quizzes, Quotations
~Rope, Rips, Rug
~Soda, Soap, Sunshine
~Trips, Tent, Time

Your turn! Leave your suggestions in the comments!

London, Part 3: The Tour and the Tower

On the Saturday of their trip, Marina and Aunt Linda took a tour bus around London. From the upper level of the double decker bus, Marina photographed the sights they passed. Below, Big Ben...

Westminster Abbey...

St. Paul's Cathedral. I can't look at this without humming the song "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins. In front of the church, but not pictured here, is a statue of Queen Anne. According to Marina's tour guide, Queen Anne faces away from the cathedral because she lost her faith. She had seventeen children and they all died.


London Bridge...

Here is a view from the bridge itself...

From London Bridge, they came to the Tower of London. Looks ominous under the clouds, doesn't it?


Here is one of the eight resident ravens of the Tower, fresh from a bath. According to legend, if all the ravens leave the tower, the White Tower would crumble to the ground and there would be no more kings or queens of England. Ever practical, all of the ravens have clipped wings...


Marina with her Beefeater guide, Allen.


She loved the ivy covered wall of the Salt Tower.

There were carvings all over the walls of the Tower, written by prisoners.

Here is a carving of a sphere done by a man accused of sorcery...

A recreation of Sir Walter Raleigh's study in the Bloody Tower. Sir Walter's wife and children lived with him during his imprisonment, and he actually had the tower enlarged to accommodate his growing family.

One of the instruments of torture displayed in the Tower. It held a prisoner in a crouched position for hours on end...

Unfortunately, they don't allow pictures of the Crown Jewels. When I went to London eighteen years ago, we were allowed to stop and look at the jewels in an upper level, set back from the display, while you had to keep walking on the lower level or you would set off an alarm (non-motion detector?) Now you are moved along by conveyor belt. I guess too many people set off the alarm.

Carnival at Home School Dad

This week's Carnival of Homeschooling: Panorama edition is up at Home School Dad. Please take a look at this week's carnival, which offers a panoramic view of homeschooling!

Home Spun comic strip #517

My mom suggested I save my extra letter ideas, just in case I want to do this again. I thought about this, but since I don't know what the artwork would look like until inspiration hits me, I figure this is as good a place as any to keep notes. Todays extra words:

~Models, M&M's, Mud, Markers, Music, Mentors
~Notes, Nonsense
~Oatmeal
~Parks, Playground, People, Picnics, Paths, Puns, Pillbugs

Add your own in the comments! Who knows? Maybe I'll use some in a future strip!