Exeter And More!

Most mornings on the Devon dairy farm began with milking the cows, feeding the calves and then enjoying a bowl of cereal with milk from the farm. A great way to start any day!  Once the chores were taken care of and we ate and cleaned up, many days new adventures awaited us! 

Julie and I were able to walk the historic streets of Exeter, a small city with an amazing cathedral and canals that helped the wool and other industries through past years. Exeter has quite the history, including being bombed during WWII. We enjoyed seeing the massive cathedral with its huge pillars inside and beautiful tower and architecture outside. 

After seeing the amazing cathedral, we stopped by a small church nearby and were able to try out the box pews! How neat it was to see and experience such an old tradition of box pews in a church today! England has so much history in side of the smallest of places. 

Julie and I stepped deeper into the history of Exeter and Devon by visiting the RAMM Museum, Royal Albert Memorial Museum. It was the best museum we've been to because of its size and variety of exhibits. We walked through the ages from millions of years ago through the dinosaur age and up to present day. It was incredible to see and touch fossils, watch a video of Earth's land movements and see tools used by some of the first civilized men and women. Julie and I also tried on clothes from the Roman and Medieval times! 

Not only did the RAMM have England exhibits, but special exhibits from all over the world. There were taxidermy animals, a mummy from Egypt, music instruments from various areas of the world and African fabrics and artifacts. It was wonderful to explore the world in just a few short hours! 

After getting our fill of history, Julie and I enjoyed sandwiches on the green around the cathedral with our host. While dining we experienced outdoor art at the same time! A local organization does different projects to bring awareness and activities of art to the public. This particular day they had multiple easels out and a man in his skivies ready to pose while any passerby drew his portrait. It was quite neat to see all ages of people having a go at drawing! 

Not only is Exeter filled with history, it's beautiful! We enjoyed a meander along the river and canal and took in the tiny shops and cafes along the waters edge. It was such a wonderful and beautiful day! 

Not only have we been able to explore Exeter and see the many things the city offers, we've also been out and about with donkeys! Just a few miles up the road from the farm is a donkey sanctuary. This is a state of the art facility with hundreds of donkeys! They have pastures with the asses, a vet hospital for rescued animals and even a therapeutic center for children to learn at with the donkeys. Quite the place! 

Other adventures Julie and I encountered included the tiny towns of Branscombe and Sidmouth. Branscombe is an old village in the valley of hills that once had a working mill and still today has a working blacksmith shop. The blacksmith shop is inside an old thatched building and the blacksmiths create amazing iron works! Their small shop was filled with candle holders, chandeliers, hooks and assorted decorative items. They were of the highest craftsmanship! 

Sidmouth is the last little place I'll share with you here! Julie and I enjoyed an organ concert in a sweet and pretty hotel with the family. It included a nice lunch with many organ concert enthusiasts. There was lots of good conversation with the others who were mostly three times Julie and my age! It was a lovely afternoon. The concert was followed by a stroll through the coastal town. We never tire of seeing the sea! To end the evening in Sidmouth our host treated us to delicious hot chocolate and a meal of crab, salmon and prawns! What a super night! 

These adventures we have embarked on have allowed Julie and I to learn more about Devon and England and the history and culture here. It's been fantastic and we've loved all the places we've seen and things we've experienced! Many thanks to our host! 

Check out the photos of our many excursions and adventures! 

Exeter Cathedral

                            

Inside the Exeter cathedral. 

Box pews! How cool? 

Dress up! Julie is ready to scurry through the old English streets now in her wool parka!

Super near instrument we got to play at the museum! 

Julie enjoying the sun on the old Roman built city wall of Exeter. 

Doesn't Julie look like a super cute woman ready for Africa? 

Art on the green! 

The beautiful quay area of Exeter! 

On the river and near the canals! 

Such a great day! 

Julie and I made friends! 

That's a donkey! Sketched into the hill with the chalk this area has in the earth. 

Branscombe Blacksmith shop! 

Around Branscombe

Sidmouth!

Seafood dinner! 

Hot chocolate and a rock cake! Yummy! 

We super hope y'all are enjoying seeing and reading about our time in England! It's been wonderful and so fantastic! We are always looking forward to what's next!