Favorite photos of places we visited our second year

Although it has been a long time coming, I'm finally wrapping up my photos from our second year living abroad. You can see some of the previous posts from the links at the bottom. These are of places, not people, though a couple shots have folks in them. Also, shots of domestic and wild animals caught my fancy this year, so I've thrown in a few. (If only you knew how many photos of puffins I have . . . )

As always, I agonize over selecting my "favorites" when some of the nearly favorites woulda coulda shoulda been chosen instead. But I'm stuck now, so I need to stop whimpering and get on with it.

These photos aren't all from 2015, mind you. Rather, these are photos from June 2014 to June 2015. Yes, I'm that far behind. {shrug}

As a final word, I'll note that the places depicted aren't necessarily my favorites of the year. Instead, they're the favorite photos, not the favorite spots or buildings or vistas. That said, some of the places are pretty damn awesome.

Enjoy!

The Kelpies are the largest equine statues in the world. (Falkirk, Scotland)

Inverary Castle, the ancestral home of the Duke of Argyll (and a filming location for episodes of Downton Abbey). (Inverary, Scotland)

You'll find nowhere in the world with better access to puffins and other seabirds than the Isle of Lunga, part of the Treshnish Isles on the west coast of Scotland. (Lunga, Scotland)

One of those elusive pots of gold can be found in Castle Trim, Ireland. (Castle Trim, Ireland)

A fantastic hike of the Quiraing on the Isle of Skye ends with a view of the "Table." That's my bro-in-law, David, at top right. (Quiraing, Isle of Skye, Scotland)

I love the juxtaposition of tiny Jackson with the monumental Temple of Olympian Zeus. (Athens, Greece)

Another great hike on Skye is to the deserted Neist Point Lighthouse. (Isle of Skye, Scotland)

In nearly three years abroad, we've only returned to the U.S. once. We love the snow in Colorado, where Grammar and one of Kate's sisters live. (Mesa, Colorado, U.S.A.)

I try to snap a pic of the ceilings in all the churches, abbeys, and cathedrals we visit. Sometimes, the best ceiling is no ceiling at all. (Jedburgh Abbey, Scotland)

This exhibit, Floating Heads, greets visitors at the U.K.'s most visited museum outside of London, the Kelvingrove Museum. (Glasgow, Scotland)

The Jacobite steam train, also known as the Hogwarts Express, huffs and puffs across the Glenfinnan Viaduct. (Glenfinnan, Scotland)

People aren't the only ones who enjoy the beauty of the Crossraguel Abbey ruins. (Maybole, Scotland)

What can I say? I lurv me some ruins. This tower fragment stands in a village outside Dublin. (Trim, Ireland)

The most scenic lake in Scotland, as viewed from the summit of one of its islands, Inchcailloch. (Loch Lomond, Scotland)

Did you enjoy those? Here are more favorite pics of our second year in Scotland:


 

(Nearly) favorite photos of places we visited our second year in Scotland






Favorite family photos of our second year in Scotland







(Nearly) favorite photos of our second year in Scotland





Want to see more? Here are the favorites from our first year in Scotland:





Favorite photos of places we visited in our first year







(Nearly) favorite photos of places we visited our first year






Favorite family photos of our first year in Scotland






(Nearly) favorite family photos of our first year in Scotland

Last week, the Cotswolds; this week . . .

The village of Snowshill, in the Cotswolds.

Last week we explored the quintessential English countryside of the Cotswolds. Idyllic farms, rolling hills, quaint villages, creamy stone cottages, and everywhere you look: sheep.

For centuries, wool was the lifeblood of the Cotswolds.

Inside the Great Hall at Blenheim Palace.

You might think the arrival of a new baby would pause our travel itch. Heck no! When traveling with young children, the newborns and infants are much easier — much more compliant — than toddlers and preschoolers. You need to stop every so often to feed them and change diapers, but mostly they sleep all day. Easy peasy.

The lil' scribbler celebrated his first month anniversary in style at Blenheim Palace. But, of course, he dozed through nearly all of it in his baby carrier. Typical.

The 4¾ year olds . . . those are the ones to whom you have to cater. It's like they've actually become little people, with real wants and opinions. 

Fortunately, this 4¾ year old was happy to explore Blenheim Palace inside and out.

Our cottage.

We rented a lovely cottage in the even more lovely village of Lower Slaughter. Quite a name for a town, don't you think? If you're like me, your first thought was about slaughtering the ubiquitous sheep. But apparently the "slaughter" part derives from an old Anglo-Saxon term ("slough" or "slothre") for mud.

Which makes sense for the village, given its position on a low-banked river that runs through it. In truth, the "River" Eye looks more like a stream, crisscrossed by bridges skimming the surface.

Lower Slaughter cozies up to the low banks of the River Eye.

Jackson biking through the village of Stanton.

From our central location we crisscrossed the Cotswolds, trying to do more than merely skim the surface. We rambled through castles. Delved into ruins. Petted farm animals. Reconnoitered old villages. Chugged on steam trains. Investigated neolithic barrows. Strolled through gardens. Climbed up towers.

Hiked.

Biked.

Drank coffee.

A mid-morning refueling.

Charging up to see Broadway Tower.

Sometimes Jackson grew bored exploring yet another village (e.g., Bibury) and the silliness overtook him. And his grandmother.

Hidcote Manor Gardens were gorgeous even in early spring, before most of the blooming.

The Cotswold Farm Park provides plenty of hands-on experiences.

We searched for hidden gems, like this ancient Templar parish church in Temple Guiting.

Have Kate and baby Finley grown to giant size, or is this the remarkably (and painstakingly) accurate Model Village in Bourton-on-the-Water?

Our train-mad boy steaming along the vintage Gloucester Warwickshire Railway.

'Twas a full week.

For the new baby we've had Kate's mom (i.e., Grammar) staying with us since mid-February. This week we've been joined by my parents (i.e., Nana and Grampa Bill), and the explorations continue. Over the next couple of weeks we'll ramble through Bristol, head south into Somerset for awesome places like Wells, and take a quick jaunt or two across the border to Wales.

Grammar on the steam train.

But I promise, no more month-long breaks in posts around here. Check back next week for more traveling and photographic goodness!

Nana and Grampa Bill amidst the ruins of Tintern Abbey in southeastern Wales.