The Sorley’s and Abbey

After a full day of Harry Potter, we were off to visit my friend from Crystal Lake, who was so lovely and offered us a place to stay. I was super excited to see him again and meet his family. Jeff has been living abroad for the last several years, so this would be my first time meeting his wife, Erika, and their adorable little one, VB.

Once we finally got there, I was ready for some wine and good friends. Ella and Miles felt right at home running around with VB. Ella and Erika talked sci-fi and Magna while Sean and I hung out with Jeff while he was making the most delicious food! Once Ella got settled in with a book, Erika and Miles hit the PlayStation. It was great fun watching them.

After a great night's sleep, Jeff took us on a walking tour of Oxford. It was great having our very own tour guide! We headed to the Oxford library after a quick run by Oxford University! Ella was so excited to get her hands on all those old books. Turns out you have to be a student to get into most areas, maybe someday. Instead, we checked out the exhibits of rare books, which was really cool. Even Miles got into it! After lunch, we bid Jeff farewell and headed to Gloucester Abbey. The kids were sad we couldn't stay long. They really loved Jeff and his family.

The drive to the abbey was breathtaking. Fields of yellow flowers bloomed everywhere, and off in the distance, hills of yellow patches mixed with several shades of green patches.

We had decided to visit the Gloucester Abbey since parts of the Harry Potter movies were filmed there. I am so glad we went; the place was unbelievable. They started building it in 1089 and finished in 1499. It took 410 years to build it, and you can see why. King Edward II is buried in the main cathedral, and there are catacombs below. We wanted to do the free tour, but Miles was a little freaked out. While we were there, they were starting plans to remove the parking lot to restore the gardens that were once there. While doing this, they had to ensure they didn’t upset any people currently resting below the parking lot. Apparently, they used to bury people all over the grounds of the church.

If you check this place out, you can wander around for quite some time. Best of all, it is free; they ask for a donation if you would like.

After Gloucester, I picked a small hotel that was actually a pub with sleeping rooms above. I thought it would be perfect since it was about 2 hours from our place in Wales, and it is Sean’s birthday(he is waiting till Belgium to celebrate). I thought he could stay for a drink at the bar while we headed to bed. When we first walked in, I thought there was no way this would work. It was a bar! But I was glad we came once we met the charming couple that owned the place and saw our room.  Plus, as a bonus, it has been the best food we have eaten since we're been here. They had a little something for everyone. Happy 40th Sean!