Hever Castle and Gardens

 We took the opportunity recently to visit another castle near us.  It took about an hour to get there.  It turns out it's only 9 miles from the London Temple, although that's at least a 30 minute drive.  Anyway, it was Hever Castle and the gardens were absolutely beautiful and my favorite so far. 

 Owen loved the pig hedge and there was a reindeer too.

 This was actually the home of Ann Boleyn before she became the second wife of Henry VIII and before he had her beheaded at the Tower of London. 

 We went with Mark, Darcy, and Tyler.

 For some reason, Ellika's legs have stopped working 80% of the time we go out.

 But isn't this a  cute view?!

 The inner courtyard was the only place inside the castle that we could take pictures.  Too bad too, because it was really neat inside.  IT was actually owned and used as a home for some really rich people until the 1980's.   I would live there!

 I like a castle with a moat.  It seems to carry more weight.

 Checking out the huge fish in the water.

We enjoyed a little picnic.  I also love being able to have a kids table.

 Exploring more of the gardens.

 

 There was a large pond you could rent a canoe boat and float around.  And it included a treasure map.  Owen was way excited about the map and took it very seriously.

 We decided to share a canoe, so were were all able to ride in the Queen Ann.  It was really big and the oars were really heavy.  I was happy to let everyone else paddle!

 Brian did the majority of the work.

 Looking back at the Loggia (I don't really know what that is)

 Ringing the bell in the middle of the pond and searching for the golden treasure.

 Darcy and Mark both took a turn rowing, while I sat back and enjoyed the view.

 They even received a "golden treasure" because we found the clue.  Way to go kids!  It was a chocolate coin in case you can't tell in the picture.

 And of course they had an ice cream stand on the grounds.  How do kids spot these things, EVERY time!

 There was a super cool water maze both kids loved.  You had to find your way to the top of the middle thing without getting wet.  If you took the wrong path water would spray up and you'd have to find a different route.

 Owen figured out pretty quickly to watch for the water sprinklers or to be warry of the loose stones and where water was on the path.  Pretty good indications of which way to go!

 And we made it!!!  It was so fun, Owen wanted to do it again with Brian. 

 They made it too, even with Brian purposely going the wrong way and  Owen getting his foot wet by stepping off one of the stones.  He wasn't happy about it.

 It was really beautiful and a great day out!

 Here's a picture of me and Owen after we made it to the top.

 We finished the day with a walk through the rose garden.  Can you tell how much they were loving it at this moment?