We spend a lot of time outside, but this is usually in the countryside and not the city. My children know their borage from their basil and, not only do they know where eggs come from, but they can discuss the different breeds of hens. They are not used to the city. We are not great shoppers, so an afternoon in the city is pretty exciting.
We went to see the Lions in Bath, …..which is in Bath (UK)….. mainly. There are 100 lions which have been sponsored by locals, and local artists have weaved their magic on them.
They are on display around Bath until September. In October they will be auctioned off, raising money for local charities.
The designs and techniques used are varied and all of them are fun. Even though we had a map and a mobile phone layer map, the children eagerly searched for the next lion.
This one was covered in QR code, which appealed to my dh’s IT side. It probably says something about me that I think QR codes are such a neat idea and should be everywhere.
We must have walked miles. I think the children were so interested in the Lions and the city surroundings that they had no idea about how far they had gone. They all went to sleep quickly tonight.
This one was on the roof of a fudge shop. Doesn’t he look good enough to eat? We all love fudge, so we had to indulge and buy a bag of fudge. Chocolate chip and chocolate orange. Yum!
This was TF’s favourite. When I asked him his very favourite, he knew straight away.
By this stage of the walk, my camera battery was almost out. I couldn’t resist this one as it reminded me of my own lion tamer. Spot our very own tree hugger in the background. You can take the girl out of the countryside, but….
I love that the children could go up and investigate these statues. The city has experienced some vandalism to a lion and I think in 2008 last year, when they had pigs, one pig went walkabouts. So hats off to the city for doing this again.
Finally, (breathe a sigh of relief), this one is my favourite. I would love to do something like this one day. It is so appealing. I wish I could claim, I had lined up this photo to include the person on the lion’s nose, and the people jumping down his mane. Sometimes it is just luck!
We loved all the lions we saw. We did drive round and see some of the more out-flung ones around Bath. I took loads more photos, but I’ve only shared our favourite ones. The craftmanship and artistic skill that have gone into these sculptures is fantastic to see. The original sculpture is amazing. If you are in the Bath area this summer, it is worth a visit.
We had a great outdoor day. I’m linking this up to 5 Orange Potatoes Monday Outdoor Challenge. It was different than our usual country outings. We all went home happy and tired.
For more info, here is the official site. I’d love to go to the auction in October, but I’m not sure where I would put a lion, so I may just settle for a T-shirt.
Oh so fun to see these! We had the same type of project in our town, but ours were fish. I like the lions much better!! I think the chocolate one was my favorite :). Enjoyed your walk downtown – thanks for sharing!
The chocolate one is very realistic. It really looks like chocolate. I’m guessing it isn’t, other wise the weather would have ruined it, but can you imagine….
Wonderful! I saw the pigs when they were in Bath, 2008 maybe? It was great fun to spot them around the town. Looks like your family had a great time!
You are right. It was two years ago. Ahhh! Time is flying passed far too quickly. The pigs were great. Yesterday, we had fun guessing what they would choose next time.
Looks like so much fun! I think my favorite is the one with QR Codes too, but I’m geeky like that! 🙂 All of them are so unique and I love that they will be auctioned off to raise money for local charities!!
They raised a staggering amount last time. Plus they have a shop where they sell t-shirts, hats… and I am told, miniature blank versions of the lions. I think the children would love a go. And me!
QR codes are cool. They are gradually catching on over here.
What cool lions, cheers Marie
They are amazing and varied.
Great pics. I have seen cows like this but not lions, looks cool!
Thanks for the tip about the bath bundles for chicken pox!
D xx
The pigs were fun, two years ago. Same lion, but 100 different designs.
You can rub the oatmeal bundles straight onto the chicken pox spots for inbetween bath relief.
looks like a fun day, those lion remind me of flamingos in Miami, they did a similar project, artists fixed them all up differently and set them all over Miami Beach.
They are still there though I believe, although perhaps not.
I day in the city sure can be fun, great to return to nature though, isn’t it…
I’m so glad communities come together to do outside art for all to appreciate. So much fun.
I agree with you. The occassional trip to the city is good. I need to show the children the city, so they know what pavements are and how to cross the roads. They were amazed by some of specialised shops. I really like Bath, but my heart is firmly back in the countryside.
We live in the city,so my Hana would be so excited in the country 🙂
I’m sure if we went into the city on a more regular basis, they would not be in the least excited. I loved seeing what caught their attentions as we walked around.
What a great day out you had. They did something similar in Norwich last year with elephants, unfortunately I didn’t get any photos.
I can imagine elephants would be great to decorate. ….. Just popped over to http://www.goelephants.co.uk to see them. It must have been wonderful to stumble upon them around Norwich.
We live less than an hour from Bath, so there is really no excuse not to go and see the lions. My kids will adore this, thank you so much for the tip!
I do hope you all enjoy it.
Hi Cheryl
I love your blog on the lions and your photos are excellent. I am so glad that Zillion is your favourite! I created him – see my videos of him being made on my blog
http://www.rattraymosaics.co.uk/blog/
Kate, thanks for stopping by. I love the video. I know Zillion is going to be a hit. I think being in the square, people will spend more time with him. He is very handsome!