The other weekend we visited Warwick Castle. Warwick is a medieval castle with the walls and towers built in the 13th century. Since it continued to be used as a palace during the 18th and 19th centuries when many other castles had already been abandoned, its buildings were nicely maintained and expanded. We saw many suits of armour, weapons and other battle equipment from the middle ages, plus the original furnishings from its years as a royal palace. We walked along castle walls, climbed into towers and went into the dungeon where prisoners were held.
The highlight of the visit was seeing a giant catapult fire a 35lb iron ball. Warwick Castle has the world's largest replica of a trebuchet, a medieval catapult that was used in sieges. After the ball was fired, the area was opened up so we could get a closeup look at the trebuchet. We walked out about 100 yards and found where the ball had landed. It hit with such force that only the very top of the ball was above the ground.
In Warwick we stayed at what seemed like a lovely little hotel called the Old Four Penny Shop. I was so tired Saturday night I layed down right when we got back and was the first one to fall asleep. But I woke up at 12:30 feeling miserable. The combination of bed and bedding was intolerable, probably the worst I've ever experienced. I could feel every spring in the bed, the pillow was so thick my head felt like it was raised at a 90 degree angle and I was being roasted alive by the 100% polyester comforter. I layed there for about half an hour, and just as the thought occurred to me that I couldn't possibly be any more miserable, I felt something bite me on the arm. I swiped at it, jumped out of bed, and fumbled with the lamp. Lamps in England have very small on/off switches which are difficult to find under normal conditions. It took me a while to get the light on and in the process I woke up the rest of the family. We all stared on the bed at the biggest, blackest spider any of us has ever seen (although Tom always adds that he's seen bigger ones in zoos.)
The boys enjoy talking about the many places we've visited and there's always something that helps them remember one place from another. For example, anytime we mention Siena, Tom says, 'That's where I cracked my head open.' Warwick will now be remembered as 'The place where mom got bit by the spider.'
The highlight of the visit was seeing a giant catapult fire a 35lb iron ball. Warwick Castle has the world's largest replica of a trebuchet, a medieval catapult that was used in sieges. After the ball was fired, the area was opened up so we could get a closeup look at the trebuchet. We walked out about 100 yards and found where the ball had landed. It hit with such force that only the very top of the ball was above the ground.
In Warwick we stayed at what seemed like a lovely little hotel called the Old Four Penny Shop. I was so tired Saturday night I layed down right when we got back and was the first one to fall asleep. But I woke up at 12:30 feeling miserable. The combination of bed and bedding was intolerable, probably the worst I've ever experienced. I could feel every spring in the bed, the pillow was so thick my head felt like it was raised at a 90 degree angle and I was being roasted alive by the 100% polyester comforter. I layed there for about half an hour, and just as the thought occurred to me that I couldn't possibly be any more miserable, I felt something bite me on the arm. I swiped at it, jumped out of bed, and fumbled with the lamp. Lamps in England have very small on/off switches which are difficult to find under normal conditions. It took me a while to get the light on and in the process I woke up the rest of the family. We all stared on the bed at the biggest, blackest spider any of us has ever seen (although Tom always adds that he's seen bigger ones in zoos.)
Once I got over the initial horror of the spider, I realized he would make a good blog so I took a picture. After he was flushed away, we all tried to settle back down, but who could sleep? Joe was anxious about the whole spider thing and wanted to sleep with someone, so I gladly changed beds with him, thinking his might be a little more comfortable. Eventually we all fell asleep, but what an awful night!
The boys enjoy talking about the many places we've visited and there's always something that helps them remember one place from another. For example, anytime we mention Siena, Tom says, 'That's where I cracked my head open.' Warwick will now be remembered as 'The place where mom got bit by the spider.'
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