Day 9 Chatsworth Country Fair
Today was SO FUN!! I knew it was going to be fun, but holy cow it was SO much fun!!
When we woke up, there was a beautiful foggy landscape outside. Typical English morning that you might expect. As we drove up the hill to Chatsworth, I was worried that the fog might prevent some of the events up at the Country Fair, such as the parachutists and the plane flyovers. But by the time we got up to the top, there were blue skies and perfect weather! On with the show!
We watched all kinds of fun events, did some wandering through the booths and craft fair tents, and made some memorable purchases. My favorite event was the Mounted Cavalry Parade. I took a picture of the description in the guidebook so that you could understand what we watched. It was informative, majestic and moving. The soldiers dressed in period costume from the 1800's and did a choreographed routine set to music, all to demonstrate the skills that they used during wartime so long ago to keep everyone (including the horses) safe. They trained the horses to be able to lay down and to be quiet in case they needed to hide in the brush from enemies. The drummer would signal to the company what to do each step of the way. And the thing I found most interesting in the guidebook, is where it said the drummer spends about 5 years working with the horse so he will get used to the loud drum.
Something about the English is how much they love their dogs. They take their dogs with them everywhere. To the restaurant or pub, to the fair, pretty much everywhere. And they're all purebreds. We've gotten a few pictures of some of the different breeds for your enjoyment. But the most comical thing here is how much they cater to the dogs in public areas. When we were hiking to Lulworth Cove, there was a little shop in the tourist area near the car park (parking lot) that was specifically for flavors of ice cream FOR DOGS. Dairy free of course. :) We have also seen varieties of beer for dogs (including one named "butt sniffer"). It's alcohol free, but who knows what is actually in it.
One of many dog sponsored activities at the fair today was called Aqua Dog. It was a giant rectangular pool with an upper deck with a long ramp. Dog owners would (one at a time) take their dog up on the ramp, get their dog all psyched up, and then throw a tennis ball out into the pool. The dog would chase it and leap out into the water to retrieve it, paddle back and trot up the ramp to then shake off all excess water all over their owner. The competition was to see whose dog could leap the furthest out into the water!
Oh, I could go on and on. But hopefully you will enjoy the photos and the videos from today.
After we left the fair around 5:00 pm, we drove down to Walton-on-Trent to tour a VERY old church. This is the church where our 9x great grandparents were married. It is falling into disrepair, as you can imagine, but it was a little creepy with all the spiderwebs everywhere. We borrowed the church key from Grace, who lives a short distance from St. Laurence Church. She explained that even when you clean up the cobwebs, they are back again the very next day. Ewww!
Amber - I took pictures of the children's area just for you, so you could see what the little children in England are doing at church. XOXO
We had a lovely dinner outside at a place called The Swan. It was just around the corner from the church. Great food, yet again, here in England. They are more "foody" than either of us imagined. We have tried some wonderful and interesting dishes each day. It inspires me to go home and use that inspiration to cook some new and tasty dishes for Scott and me. (When I get home we will be EMPTY NESTERS!!)
Well, good night to you all. I'm so excited to go to bed earlier than usual!!
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