If You're Living on an Island, You've Gotta See the Beach!

Last weekend we weren't travelling to another country, so of course we took another opportunity to travel somewhere in England.  We decided to go to the beach! Keep in mind that it is fall/almost winter here, so it was a bit chilly at the beach, but it was still a lot of fun.  We went to Hunstanton, which was about an hour and 20 minutes away.  When we got there, we saw lots of little shops and restaurants. We walked along the beach, where there were rides, miniature golf courses and restaurants (most of this stuff was closed because it's getting too cold).

I tried to take a bunch of pictures of Ashley jumping
 (which didn't work) so she took one of me.

What's a trip somewhere without finding a map?

Then, we headed to the opposite side of the beach where there were enormous cliffs and tons of fallen rocks that we climbed on.  I also collected some pretty seashells...I had to, I was at the beach.

I could have sat there all day and watched the waves!

Next, we stopped at a nice little English cafe to have lunch.  I went with Ashley to find a cash machine and somehow we ended up in the casino. We were excited to get some free hot chocolate and decided since we were in there, why not try the 10 pence machine?

We found a candy shop and had warm beverages by the beach, then we headed home.  On our way back, we saw massive bonfires everywhere.  Have you ever heard the saying, "Remember, remember, the fifth of November"?  Well, the 5th of November is Guy Fawkes Day/Night.  In the 1600s Guy Fawkes along with some other people tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and King James I with barrels of gunpowder.  They didn't succeed, so now fireworks and bonfires are lit every year to celebrate the survival of King James.  It was cool to experience a British holiday!

On Sunday, we took a day trip through the travel office on base to the United Kingdom's biggest amusement park, Alton Towers.  Luckily, I have babysat and worked with babies enough to have a little more tolerance for crying babies, but I still wonder why people think that babies want to sit on a bus for almost three hours.  Anyway, we finally arrived and of course there was a giant castle in the middle of the park.  It was a fun day full of huge rollercoasters and the biggest fireworks display (accompanied by some good music).  Although we didn't get back until 12:30 (on a Sunday night), it was well worth the trip.

Just representing our school in England! Go pokes!

The next couple of weeks bring exciting things and I know they'll go by super fast! Tomorrow we have a half day of school and the other half is dedicated to parent/teacher conferences.  Friday is Veteran's Day (we'll be in Spain), and Monday and Tuesday are full days of conferences.  That means only three days of instruction next week and the next week (thanks to Thanksgiving).