Summer Vacation!

English schools run quite a bit later than we’re used to. Here we are at the end of July and we’ve finally reached hubby’s first full week of summer vacation! (Canadian Schools finished back in June!) They get lots of little breaks throughout the year instead (which was strange for us, but also convenient). So we’re off to make the most of our time. By hitting all the long-distance spots we haven’t had a chance to visit while we’ve been here.

Stops include York; the old one, not the new one. A return to Scotland, because we really did love it that much. And Cardiff, where I will (sadly) not get to drive the TARDIS due to filming (though that means more Doctor Who is on its way, and I’m quite thrilled about that).

As usual, I’d like to leave you with some fun facts about our destinations (to thank you for dropping by while I’m gone ;)

There are at least 17 places in the United States named ‘York’ (of which New York is one).
There are at least 11 Schools which bear the name ‘York,’ including the University of York in Yorkshire England, and York University in Toronto (where my husband graduated with a degree in History)
No one is exactly sure what the name of the city originally meant (the pre-Roman civilization didn’t have a written history) but it may mean “Place of the Yew Trees.”

In the early days of Earth’s formation, Scotland started out south of the equator (no, seriously). It was once part of the continent that later formed the Baltic region. On its journey, it collided with England and Wales, which formed some of it’s impressive and beautiful mountain ranges.

There is not actually a time rift in Cardiff. But if you visit the Doctor Who Experience while they aren’t filming, you can visit the actual set of the TARDIS.
Throughout Wales, road signs are also written in Welsh (we found some in Scotland too, but couldn’t read them).
There are 28 letters in the Welsh alphabet.

Bath sits on a hot spring and was originally a Roman spa (that’s how it gets its name).
Some 130 Curse Tablets have been recovered from the sacred spring by archaeologists. These were much like the Roman version of voodoo dolls; a person would scratch a prayer to the gods asking them to cause harm to an individual and either bury them or drop them into wells or springs.
There are two cities called ‘Bath’ in Canada; one in Ontario and one in New Brunswick.

Check back in two weeks for an exciting announcement! :D