Europe 2014- Castle Drogo

Located in Devon, Castle Drogo is the last castle to be built in England. Construction began in the early 1900's and Castle Drogo was finally completed in 1930. We stopped by for a short visit on our drive home from our stay in Cornwall.

We started our visit with a light snack in the cafe. Scones for the adults and ice cream for Felix. There is no better way to get a little kid pumped to visit a historical landmark, than to pile on the sugar.

The castle is located a short walk from the visitors center and cafe. We took a scenic path through the woods with amazing views of the Teign Valley. The skies were cloudy and it was a drizzly day in late August.

Dan took some beautiful panoramic shots during our walk.

We came across wind chimes made of kitchen tools that bumped softly in the light breeze.

When we reached Castle Drago, we saw that it was covered in scaffolding. The castle is undergoing renovations to make the granite structure watertight and it will be under construction until 2017. When we visited, the drawbridge was down, which according to the employees, was a very rare occasion. One man had worked at the castle for over twenty years and had never seen it down.

We took a self-guided tour of the castle. Many of the rooms had their artifacts boxed up due to the renovation. In lieu of the real thing, there were pictures posted and videos of what the room normally looks like, with all of the furniture and objects in their proper place.

We did a speedy tour through Castle Drago, so that Felix wouldn't get bored. I think that he enjoyed himself. It's hard to get bored when around each corner there is something new to see. There were very few tourists and it felt like we had the castle to ourselves. In several of the rooms, there were interactive components for the kids, to keep them engaged in learning about Castle Drago. The employees were great about pointing out things to Felix and keeping him interested.

Here are some interior pictures of our whirlwind visit.

When we finished touring the interiors, we walked around the construction and found a stunning garden.

My favorite part of the garden was this little house with its own miniature garden. Isn't it super cute?

And finally, we have the "Plant of the Month".

I'd love to return to Castle Drogo after the restoration to see what we missed. It's lovely castle located on even lovelier grounds.

Europe 2014- Lappa Valley Steam Railway and Leisure Park

Trains, mini-golf, boating...Lappa Valley Steam Railway and Leisure Park has it all...if you can manage to find it. Lappa Valley was recommended to us by the front desk staff at our hotel. The Sands Resort and Spa. Unfortunately, their directions coupled with poor signage and a lost GPS signal created a recipe for a long detour.

Lappa Valley is located off-the-beaten path in the middle of the Cornish countryside. It's a beautiful place to get lost, but not so much when you have a little kid who wants to get on those trains!

After much driving, we finally turned a corner and saw the entrance.

Our Lappa Valley day started at the ticket office, where we learned that there is only one way in and one way out, via steam train.

The mile long train ride took us through the woods and opened up into the beautiful Lappa Valley, a verdant playground with rolling hills. In the center was a giant lake with canoe rides ( included in the ticket price) and paths leading to both other train rides and play areas. One of the play areas had a maze made out of stepping stones and another had train themed gym equipment. Most popular seemed to be the mini-golf course, which was also included in the ticket price.

Nearly everything was included in the entry, making for a nice surprise. Most of the places that we have visited with the kids were filled with hidden extras, usually something so enticing to the kids that we felt compelled to fork out extra.

Lappa Valley is primarily about the trains and there are several. One train took us to another hidden playground, where we rode it and waited five minutes for it to reverse directions. We learned quickly that some of the trains run infrequently and that there can be long gaps, where you can get stuck in one segment of the park or face a long walk through the woods back to the center.

Lappa Valley has The Whistle Stop Cafe for refreshments. You can't get any fried green tomatoes there, but they make a mean carrot cake!

Lappa Valley is a wonderful place to visit, especially if you have young children or if you're a train enthusiast. I saw many adults who were clearly more excited about the trains than the children. Make sure to plan your visit in advance to make the most of your day and also acquire clear directions before you head out.

Europe 2014- Padstow

We have a framed drawing that hangs in our hallway and depicts the Padstow Harbor. Dan bought it many years ago and since Padstow is just a short drive from Newquay, we visited it during our summer stay in Cornwall. I like the drawing because the boats are in pastel colors and are geometric, rather than realistic. It reminds me of the artist Mary Blair and her work at Disneyland, one of my favorite places.

Here is the drawing of Padstow.

This is a short post, since we only visited the quaint fishing village of Padstow for about an hour. We walked around the town and snapped pictures. Felix used his spending money at the toy shop. We left without even having a cup of tea in Padstow. However, the town was so cute, that I wanted to share our pictures.

Dan took some great panoramic shots of the harbor.

Padstow definitely warrants a longer stop the next time we visit Cornwall.

NEW!!! ( I have a quick thing to add about Padstow that my husband's friend Peter Owen, who owns a house in Padstow, sent to my husband when he saw my post. Thanks Peter!!!)

This is a video of the 2014 May Day celebration. There is an unusual Padstow tradition added to the celebration. Take a look.