When Nature Calls

No, not that kind of nature calling...

On Saturday, we woke up early to head to the Lake District with our American friends, Julie and Andrew, who are living an hour and a half south of us.   We haven't been able to do much with them lately, because our traveling schedules have not been lining up.  Jeff visited them back on February when I was back in the states, so I was looking forward to our weekend together. 

We had to drive about 3.5 hours to get to this beautiful area.  The drive was absolutely awful, in my opinion.  Normal people would have said it was breathtaking, but I couldn't focus on the scenery as I felt ill.  Ever since I have been little I have gotten motion sickness when riding in cars (not so much on planes or boats).  The extra curvy roads that goes miles upon end are torturous on normal English roads, but they were 10x worse up in the Lake District.  I really wish I would have videotaped part of the drive, so you could see just how bad they whipped around.  I tried look for a video clip online, but wasn't impressed with what I found. Too bad.  But anyway, I wasn't feeling well the entire trip, and then when Andrew said 5 minutes left.  I couldn't make it.  We had to pull the car over...Make an inference on what happened as I did not take a picture and I will not describe it more.  I didn't feel myself the rest of the day, and that was good I guess given it was pouring down rain the entire time we were there. Well, except for an hour window, but more on that soon.

We didn't have a lot on the agenda other than hiking around and boating. Finding a place to stay for the night was a bit of a challenge, given the whole area is a giant national park.  The B&B we booked was really cute and right on one of the lakes, so the scenery was just gorgeous.  Although, the clouds and fog made the pictures not as beautiful as I had hoped.  Our favorite were the little lambs that had recently entered the world.  So stinkin' cute!!  Once we settled in, we hopped back in the car to drive to this cute little restaurant.

 Aren't they adorable?

The mommas were not too sure about us taking pictures. They were "baaing" at us for a while.

The B&B was nice.  Definitely not the best water pressure/shower I have ever taken. But cozy and quaint for sure!

Since the rain had stopped for the time being, we went on some trails nearby in hopes to get on a ferry to ride across the lake to a small village.  The walk was nice, although very muddy.  It wasn't raining during this portion, so we all enjoyed just being outside for a bit.  We decided to get tickets for the ferry, but just our luck, the ferry wasn't going that day because the water was too rough.  So no ferry ride for us.  We made our way back to the B&B to see if we could rent a boat there (they had row boats to rent).  Unfortunately, timing wasn't our friend here as they said by the time we filled out the paper work we'd have about 10 minutes on the water then we would have to be back at the dock (5:00 rule).  So, we were pretty much striking out due to the weather.

 The view from the road that led to the B&B (which is the white building)

 Not many pictures of us on this trip due to the rain.

The row boats we were wanting to get on. Bummer.

We headed back into the B&B and sat around the fire to just chat.  An early dinner was in our future.  We ate at a fantastic pub, although the food and atmosphere was not your typical English pub.  We all had excellent food and great company.  Not much to do at night in this area, given it is just nature so Jeff, Andrew, and Julie went down to sit by the fire, play some games, and just relax.  I wasn't feeling well after the dinner car ride, so I went to sleep (lame, I know).  We woke up to a yummy English breakfast at our B&B, and jumped back on the road again.  I found a motion sickness pill in my bag, so I was in heaven on the way home!  Although, we didn't do much during out time there, I'm glad we had good friends with us and beautiful scenery.

Sidenote: "Spring Forward" happened over here yesterday, so we're back to a 5 hour time difference for my Indiana friends/family, and a 6+ hour for my Chicago peeps!  We prefer the 5 hour difference over the 4 for some reason.  Not sure why.  Anyway...have a great week!

On to the next adventure...

 

Shopping, Tea, & Nottingham Markets

The last few days my mom was here we checked off a couple things I wanted to do before I move home.  My mom and I love to shop, especially consignment or charity shopping.  We love the deals! On Friday, I took my mom around Nottingham to about 7-8 charity shops.  We found a couple we really liked and got a few things.  There were a few shops that I have been meaning to go into, but it is just more fun with someone with me...especially my mom!  We found a couple cute tops and pieces of jewelry to add to our wardrobes.

Afterwards, we went to Afternoon Tea.  This was something special I wanted to do with my mom the first time she came over here, but we ran out of time.  We went to this cute little tea house called, Thea Caffea which was elegant and quaint.  If you do not know much about afternoon tea, it is a 2 or 3 tiered cake stand with small sandwiches, scones, and various desserts.  Of course you get a pot of tea with your experience as well.  We sipped on our English Breakfast tea while we waited for our food.  We just got a 2-tiered stand that was filled with cucumber & cream cheese, egg salad, and cheese sandwiches.  After finishing those, we moved to the top tier and had a couple amazing scones and various cupcakes.  It was so nice to have the 1-1 time with my mom and just enjoy this special English experience with her.

"There is No trouble so Great that Cannot be diminished by a Proper Cup of Tea"

 Just two girls enjoying a cuppa...or two

 Close up of the teapot and cups

 Sandwiches, scones (w/ clotted cream & jam), and sweets

Thea Caffea, a hidden gem in Nottingham

We were able to spend Friday night and all day Saturday with Jeff.  We went down to the Nottingham markets that were happening in the square in the city centre.  We never know when there will be tents or events up, as it is always something new each week.  It was neat for her to experience it, as last time she was here the square was filled with the beach (sand, rides, and games).  Of course, it changes throughout the year, and the Christmas Markets were in the same area as well. We were able to shop around, try new foods, and grab some desserts (a selection of fudge & Italian sweets) for after lunch.

Just a little fudge...

Later that night, we went to Brown's, one of our favorite restaurants that is just down the street from our flat.  My mom really enjoyed the restaurant the last time her and my dad were here, so she wanted to eat there again. I think it was the sticky toffee pudding that was calling her name again. So good. We all had fantastic meals and enjoyed her last evening her in England.  Although we took a picture, I am opting out of posting it, because it isn't the most flattering picture for any of us. Ha!

Overall, it was a fantastic 10-days with my mom! I was so glad she was able to come over here and experience it again.  And I know Jeff was glad he was able to spend our time in Lisbon, the weekends, and evenings with her as well. We look forward to seeing you in June, Mom!  Thanks for the brilliant surprise!

On to the next adventure...

 

York: Take Two

Having my mom here during the last 3 months of our time abroad has been great, as I have been able to check off items I've been wanting to do one more time before going home. Jeff and I visited York February 2014, and it is one of my favorite cities in England.

I had York down on our "to visit list", so I could see it one more time before moving home but Jeff and I have been running out of weekends..so I figured we would not make it there. Since I have a traveling buddy this week, I took Mom there! On Thursday, we got on the train for about an hour and a half total.  This was the first time I had to change trains, so that was a little different (but easy to do!).  We rode from Nottingham, but had to get off at another station to catch another train.  It wasn't as painful as I thought it was going to be! We made it into York in one piece and stopped by a pub for some warm lunch.  Mom tried a burger and I gave into my favorite British classic, sausage & mash. The restaurant was adorable, filled with British themed decor. 

After lunch we walked to one of my favorite cathedrals of all time.  York Minster, is one of the most beautiful churches in England. I personally think it is better than Westminster Abbey.  Half of England's stained glass is in this church alone, so you can imagine how beautiful inside it is with the sun shining through the windows. We were in the church for about an hour a half. We enjoyed learning about the reconstruction, which will take 10 years to complete as each process is intricate and time consuming.  One slab of brick on the outside (just a general rectangular prism) takes a week to perfect.  The stone with faces and more detail takes over a month...just one piece! It was really interesting seeing it all, especially the up close look at the stained glass they are fixing on one side of the building.  They were beautiful, and it was cool to see the story behind each piece.  The part they are renovating is the size of a tennis court...so you can imagine it will take a long time to complete.

  Not the best shot of the outside of York Minster, given so much is under construction.

 Just a couple of the stained glass windows throughout the church

A 1,000 year old book about the life of Jesus. Beautiful display. One of my favorite pictures!

After the church, we walked the beautiful streets. It was filled with various shops, restaurants, and for the most part---car free, which is nice.  We popped into a couple shops and I was overly excited to show her "Debbie's Bakery" which Jeff and I found last year when we went for the first time.  See her adorable picture below...isn't my mom so cute? 

I still can't get over how awesome it is that my mom is here!

We walked up the street to walk the City of York Walls around the city.  It is a little over 2 miles long, although I'm guessing we didn't do the whole thing...given it didn't take us very long to walk the "entire" thing.  It was fun just walking on the walls, seeing the beautiful views, and chatting with my mom.  We took a few more pictures of the city and then went back to the train station to head home.  Two train rides later, we were home by 8:00PM.  It was a long day, but so worth it so show off one of my favorite cities in England.  I know my mom enjoyed it, as she enjoyed comparing this city with others in England and Scotland.

 Just one of the many beautiful views in York

Our walk along the wall

 One of the last of my favorite photos

On to the next adventure...

60+ Degrees and Sunny...Then Tuesday Came

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you will already know that my mom surprised me and came to visit on Friday.  Jeff and my parents had been scheming since DECEMBER to plan this excursion. My parents and Jeff did not tell anyone, until my mom was on her way over...which I think it a pretty good kept secret! It was very sweet of them to surprise me, and I think I almost ruined it a couple times when I surprised them a few weeks ago.  Everyone who knew, kept the secret well! I am so glad she is over here for 10 days.

Reunited!

So since they had planned it so far in advance, my mom was able to join us on our trip to Lisbon, Portugal.  She came at the right time, given we only have a few big trips left! We left for Lisbon on Sunday morning. Mom got to experience the early to rise, jump in the car, and head to the airport-kind of morning.  It was a longer flight for us, a little over 2 hours, and we were in Lisbon by 12:00PM.  We jumped on the metro and headed to our hotel.  We were able to clean up, and go out to grab some lunch before completely exploring the city.  I officially had one of the worst meals since we moved here.  It wasn't bad in taste, but the pork was VERY overcooked. It was as hard as a rock! Luckily, Jeff ordered a giant dish of paella and my mom ordered pasta...so I was able to eat off of their plates a little as well.

Next, we were off to St. George's Castle.  It was quite the walk up to the area where the castle was located.  We had a great calf workout as all the roads were at an incline. We made it to the top where it had amazing views of the River Tagus, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean.  All of the buildings are so close together, that it looked as if they were all sitting on top of each other.  It was a very European feel, and reminded us of our time in Rome, despite all of the massive amounts of history.  There was not much to the castle, as it was all open and reminded us more of a fort than a castle.  Now, I remind you that we have visited some extraordinary castles (like our Edinburgh Castle visit), so our standards are set very high.  It was great being able to walk up & down the old stairs and see a new scene from each side of the castle.  We especially enjoyed the random peacocks that were walking around the area as well. And we even found a few cats!

 Right in front of the castle. It overlooks the river and all of the beautiful buildings.

 In front of the main entrance to the castle

Love this shot! The red/orange roof tops were beautiful!

After our visit to the castle, we headed down to the water's edge.  It was a beautiful view, especially to see the 25th of April Bridge, which is almost identical to the Golden Gate Bridge.  We walking along the board walk enjoying the 65 degree day.  Sorry, family/friends back home...I don't have much of a filter on my blog posts! We grabbed a famous Portuguese custard tart (or Pastel de nata) which is a must when visiting Lisbon.   As the three of us were sitting there enjoying it, we were trying to compare it to something we had already had before.  We decided it was a mix of flan, sugar creme pie, and a dab of lemon inside.  They were about the size of a cupcake.  Very tasty, and we all agreed we were shocked we didn't grab another one during our time there. Check out the Pastel de nata link for a visual, as I forgot to take a picture!

 In front of the arch that leads into a plaza area right next to the water

Down by the water (obviously)

We cleaned up, and headed out to a fantastic Portuguese restaurant, called Restaruante A Gina which was hidden back in a side street.  Right when we sat down they brought us bread, a cheese and pork spread, and fried potato peels.  We were chomping away, trying all the local appetizers.  For our main courses, Jeff tried the famous Portuguese cod, I gave pork another shot, and mom tried a chicken dish.  All were large portions with lots of potatoes, vegetables, and fantastic rice. We tried some of the house white wine, and debated on this traditional dessert that locals around us were enjoying.  We gave in, and tried the "custardy" cake that was drizzled with honey.  Pretty similar to the photo here.  I wasn't the biggest fan, but Mom and Jeff enjoyed it.

 My pork on the left and Jeff's cod on the right.

We headed out the next morning all ready to take on a full day of sight seeing, walking, and embracing the culture.  The three of us went off to explore a bridge Jeff and I learned about when visiting the Tower Bridge last month.  They had various bridges from around the world, and they were beautiful.  The Aguas Livres Aqueduct was used a long time ago to bring fresh drinking water from the mountains into the city. Unfortunately, we were unable to walk across the bridge because it was closed, but we were able to view it closely and take a few photographs. If you're reading in this in hopes to visit Lisbon, it is a must...but just go on a Tuesday.  

 The HUGE bridge. My mom and I even were able to see it from the plane.

 You can see how big it is with Jeff next to it

We got so many great pictures. It is awesome to have a third person to travel with, so we can continually rotate who is taking the picture!

We were pretty annoyed, as this was just one of many attractions that were closed on Mondays.  This made it difficult for us to plan our activities, given we flew in on Sunday and were flying out on Tuesday.  We made the best of the poor planning, and saw what we could! We walked around the city, up/down the steep roads.  We found a viewing spot to see the castle and buildings across the city.  We finally made it to a wonderful spot for lunch where Jeff and my mom enjoyed pizzas and I got a fantastic chicken sandwich.  We were off again, heading to the metro station.  We saw the ferries used for public transportation to a town called, Barrerio.  So...why not take the ferry across the river to see the other side? It was about a 15 minute ride to the other side. It was enclosed, so we weren't able to get the best pictures. But we had a great view of the bridge, Lisbon from afar, and it was fun being out on the water.

The view from the one open window on the ferry. You can see the bridge and Christ the King monument to the left.

After we arrived back on the Lisbon side,  we went to a church (no pictures allowed) and enjoyed a beautiful park. My mom was able to have her first European gelato experience.  We found this great place near the park that had an array of flavors to choose from.  My mom got strawberry & pineapple, I enjoyed raspberry & after eight (chocolate mint), and Jeff enjoyed strawberry & cheesecake.  Amazing.  It didn't seem like we checked off much from our to-do list during the day, but we covered a lot of ground walking around and just enjoying the simplicity of the city.  The night ended with some tapas, which we were able to try a few new dishes.  We even got my mom to try squid!

 They had a few swings hanging from the ceiling instead of chairs!

 We loved the tiles, although you can't see much of them in this shot. Everywhere you went the tiles on the ground were in a different pattern.

 The yellow trollies are all over the city. Both locals and tourists fill them up at every spot. 

 Giant tree in the park

We found another great viewing spot during our walk around the city.

The next morning we woke up bright and early so we could get to the sights early since we were flying out in the afternoon.  We finally rode on the famous yellow tram we had been seeing around the city.  It was about 20-25 minutes on the tram (or from what I remember).  It started to rain while we were on the tram, so by the time we got off...it was pouring.   Not only was it raining, but the temperature dropped, and we were freezing!  We grabbed our umbrellas and trucked through the rain to see the last few sights.  The Monument of Discoveries was beautiful, although we didn't appreciate it as much with the rain falling sideways and soaking us in the process.  We walked along the water side in attempts to make it to the Belem Tower.  Unfortunately, the pier ended...so we gave up. Just like that.  We walked across the street to visit the Monastery of Jeronimos instead. It opened, and we were able to walk around the grounds for an hour or so.  It was quite and pretty, but there was not much to it other than beauty.

 Monument of Discoveries...in the pouring rain.

 You can see how hard it was raining by just looking at Jeff's poor, wet jacket

Not sure if you can tell just how hard it is raining. Maybe our faces say it all...

 The rain stopped, and we headed to the monastery

 Inside the monastery

We grabbed some breakfast, and made our way back to grab our bags then head out to the airport.  When asking my mom about her time in Lisbon she said, "I enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful tiles on the streets, and I loved the desserts.  Most importantly, it was great spending time with you and Jeff."

 Somehow I forgot this picture when I published it yesterday! One of my favorites, too!

On to the next adventure...

 

Life Post-Fairytale

I always joke with people (although there is some seriousness to it all), that we live the life of a fairy tale over here.  Being so removed from our daily life in the states makes us feel like we just live in a different world...it is a really odd feeling.  And obviously our life over here will be nothing like our life back in the states, given we travel or are busy every single weekend.  Also, never spending time with family over here makes it feel like a different world.

My dad suggested a blog post for what life after this experience will be like when I asked for suggestions in my "Your Turn" post.  I do not have all the answers in terms of jobs, plans, or even housing quite yet...but we are getting there.

Jobs

Many of you have asked if my position in my former school district will be held for me, and the answer is no.  Although I was developing curriculum online for the district when I first moved over here, it was a contracted out position and I am not considered an employee of the district as I do not receive regular checks.  I have talked with my district at home, and that is my priority to get back into the same district, especially the same elementary school.  But if any of you have experience with getting a teaching job, they become available quickly and not very long.  I never thought I would be applying for jobs, as many of you know, I loved my job before moving over here.  So send good vibes and prayers that I will be able to find a job when I get back.  Also, that I don't lose my mind when applying to all these districts again. Yuck!

As for Jeff, I know it surprises many of you when I say he has to interview for jobs when he moves back.  Yes, he will have a position at Rolls-Royce, but it won't necessarily mean he is going back in the same position. After having international experience, we hope this opens new doors for him in terms of positions when he moves back.  I mean, that is the big reason we moved over here, that it would provide him with new opportunities. 

Stay tuned for updates on our future jobs in posts later on. I am hoping I can report back good news to you all very soon.

Housing

I also posted about this "issue" in my "Surprise! It's Me!" post when I went to the states for my impromptu visit.  For those of you that missed that post, we have a townhouse in Downtown Indianapolis, but we are renting it to expats who work for another Indianapolis company.  We allowed them to sign a 2-year lease, therefore they will not be out of our place until February 1, 2016.  This means...we are homeless. Ha, in all reality we haven't quite figured out where we will be living.  We had debated another house to live in for the 7 months and we have thought about apartments downtown for the time being.  Either way, we have a lot to think about in the upcoming months. I think Jeff and I both want to get things planned and figured out before we move back.  Easier said than done...

Traveling

Well this one will definitely change when it comes to what we are "used to" now.  Jeff has already told me he plans on sitting on our big comfy couches and never getting up.  Ha! Myself, well I think I want to become more active on the weekends.  I am not saying I want to jump on a plane every other weekend to go to California or Texas...but taking advantage of festivals downtown or local state parks would be more of what I was thinking.  But I agree with Jeff, it will be nice to have down weekends where we can just relax in the comfort of our own home. I'm thinking we'll find a common ground somewhere...

Jeff and I both agreed that we would like to plan more mini-trips when we move back.  Once again, not every other weekend, but make a more conscious effort to head to Chicago, Cincinnati, or Nashville more often.  These places are not too far, and definitely do-able for a weekend trip.  But you won't be hearing about a big trip any time soon. I think we need to save some money and take it easy for a while. We will make sure to enjoy every second of our remaining trips.


Daily Life

One thing I am excited for is the return of a consistent daily schedule. As much fun as it may sound to not work, not all days have been that enjoyable.  It is fun to go to the gym in the middle of the day, walk around, shop, long lunches with girlfriends, and actually have time to complete projects & household work.  But there were days that I just wished I was working again and had that routine.  So, I am definitely looking forward to getting back to work, making plans with girlfriends in the evenings, and seeing family on a normal routine.  Jeff has a pretty good routine here as he goes to work daily (obviously), and then plays squash with a few buddies a few times a week.  He comes home to have dinner, relax, and head to bed.  He has a pretty consistent schedule, so I don't see that changing much for him, although I know he will miss playing squash with his friends.


Food

This one I have a love/hate relationship with...I am SO excited for the large grocery stores with an array of options.  I mean different types and brands of canned beans has me almost giddy.  I miss getting a shopping cart, looking at the new products in each isle, and taking my time filling up my cart with things we'll need for the next couple of weeks.  I enjoy grocery shopping.  Here in England, on the other hand, is fun to see all of the different products, but it is always so hectic in the grocery store.  With the grocery stores being so small, people are bopping around like crazy to get what they need and get out of there. Surprising that I am saying this about the locals and not about Americans, right? 

One thing I will miss when it comes to the local food is the lack of preservatives and junk in the products.  We have definitely changed the way we eat over here, as it is mostly whole foods, and very little from a box, can, or even items from the freezer section.  We have developed some great eating habits, so I really hope we can continue this when moving back home.  I have also heard from fellow Americans that the food back home was an adjustment to their digestive systems.  So...this should be interesting.

Vehicles & Driving

I, for one, will be so excited to start driving daily again. I didn't realize how much I missed it until my recent trip home, borrowing my mom's crossover. I loved the feeling of being alone (no offense, Jeff) and jamming out to my favorite tunes.  It was such a great, independent feeling.  Which this brings our next adventure...buying a new vehicle. Jeff and I sold my jeep before moving over here, therefore I come back car-less as well.  I am looking to get some sort of SUV or Crossover again, as I really like driving something like that in the Indiana winters. We have not decided, but will be looking into this our first week back over here.  Although we will have to rent a car for the first couple of days to get around.  Jeff still has his truck.  He left it at my parent's house, up on blocks with a tarp over it (see picture below).  He will have to do a little work on it before it is running again, but least we do not have to buy two vehicles when we move back.  I know Jeff is really excited to drive his truck and blare his country music! We have only seen a handful of trucks over here, so when we see one, we normally make a big deal out of it.

His poor, cold truck under the tarp on the basketball court. ha!  I'm sure my parents are ready to look out their back windows and not see this anymore!

Return Date(s)

The subject many of you have been wondering about... I plan on moving home on June 12th.  My flight isn't booked, but the timing is right as we have a play in London on the 11th of June.  As of right now, I plan on moving back earlier than Jeff, as I want to get our house set up, find a job, and hopefully use the month of July to set up my classroom (fingers crossed).  Jeff needs to stay for the remainder of our allotted Visa time (July 30th, the VISA expires). He is filling in for a colleague who will be on a paternity leave.  Not sure his exact date home...either way he will be deported when it comes to July 30th. Ha, so funny to think about! Jeff is planning on flying home with Mackey and I on June 12th for 3-weeks so he can help get us settled before flying back to England for the month of July.  In those 3-weeks, we plan on finding a house, car, phones, and move out belongings out of the storage unit.  We also have a family vacation and a wedding during that time period...so we will be super busy for sure!

Mackey

As many of you know, Mackey has gained a few pounds (and I do not mean the currency!) while we've been over here. I am looking forward to him having a bigger area with stairs to run up/down to lose some of his weight.  Poor guy! He is still such an amazing cat, so loveable and sweet. I think he will transition just fine, once he goes through another awful 8+ hr flight as cargo.  I will be looking forward to him not being alone while we go on all of these long weekend trips. It is hard leaving him, so all he has to do is make it through the work days without us.  

He thinks he owns the place...annoying

Overall Adjustments

Overall, I think it might be a difficult transition back.  Jeff and I are just used to it being us, so although it will be very exciting to be around family/friends again...it might just be an adjustment for us.  I think another adjustment will be time management.  Our evenings are pretty boring around here, as when Jeff gets home from work, we eat dinner and relax.  I have a feeling our evenings are going to go back to the hectic late nights at work, dinners with friends, and projects around the house when we move back to the states.  But we both hope and will try our best to stay grounded.  I, for one, am a little nervous about moving back.  I know things will just go back to "normal", but it is nerve wracking when thinking about if things will be the same as before we left.   Another adjustment is going to be time.  Jeff and I have a great system right now, so when I go back to work it is going to change a lot.  AKA, Jeff might have to actually do the dishes!

So other than the whole get a house, buy a car, get jobs, new phones, and move all our stuff into a new place...doesn't sound too stressful at all, does it? It is like we are starting over from scratch! I promise to keep you posted in the upcoming months as we have updates.

On to the next adventure...

American English vs. British English

Another suggestion from my "Your Turn" post was to share some of the common phrases and words over here that are special to the United Kingdom.  It took us a while to get the hang of a couple of them, and it never fails when we hang out with our local friends there is always a new one we learn.  Jeff's dad also got us this hilarious, but very informative dictionary called "The UK to USA Dictionary: British English vs. American English" which is about the translations between the two countries.  We haven't had to break it out, but it would have been helpful in the first few months here.  I joke with my local girlfriends about the "language barrier" and they normally look at me like I'm crazy...which I am.

I can honestly say, I have been corrected or stared at funny when using some of the American-English terms.  For the most part people know what I am saying, it just screams "You're American, aren't you?!" As if the accent enough doesn't give it away...the lingo for sure will! Speaking of the accent, I have a side story that happened just this past weekend.  Jeff and I were picking up Burger King after our flight back from Denmark at a rest stop.  Jeff went to the "toilet" while I ordered the food.  The minute I opened my mouth and said "I would..." all the people around me turned and stared at me.  I was embarrassed, as I had never gotten that dramatic of a look when I spoke. I guess I fooled them...I look like I'm English, but I talk like an American. Jokes on you! ;)

Back to the real topic of this post...here is a table I created with the American words vs. the British words.  Take a look at the suspender-braces one.  A trainer at the gym told me a funny story about an American he knew who worked as a waitress here in England.  Her boss told her she needed to get braces as a part of her uniform.  She was outraged, as why would she need braces for her mouth or even braces for her legs.  After many many minutes went by, they finally realized the meaning of that particular vocabulary word was "off".  Needless to say, she did not have to visit the dentist to get braces to be a waitress.

As you're thinking, "Stop with the stories, and let me see the list!"...Enjoy!

I'm sure I missed a few words...but least you get the general idea of the differences. 

When fact checking a couple of these vocabulary words, I came across a program similar to Rosetta Stone that can teach you to sound like a native.  Maybe I should have taken that course, so I could come back with an accent or better yet...to fit in over here! Cheerio!

On to the next adventure...

 

Jeff Visits his Homeland

Ha, that title makes me think that Jeff is an alien. In all seriousness, Jeff's ancestors are from Denmark on his grandmother's side...so heading to Denmark for us was a "no brainer".  Although, we were only in Denmark for about 48 hours, so there was not enough time to travel outside of Copenhagen. We really wished we had time to rent a car or take public transportation to this small town, but we were cramped on time given Jeff has to be cautious of how many days we are taking off to travel.

We woke up early (3:30 AM), to head to the airport. I do have to admit, Jeff and I are slowly getting tired of these early morning wake ups to hop on all forms of public transportation to get where we need to be.  They are exhausting to say the least. We flew out of London, and in an hour and a half we were in Copenhagen. A quick ride on Copenhagen's metro and a brisk walk...we made it to the hotel.

After checking into the hotel, which was harbor-side, we headed out exploring.  We didn't really have too much to check off on our lists, so we sat down for a nice lunch and then headed to the Christiansborg Palace.  This was probably the coolest thing we did while we were there. We took a tour that included the stables, ruins, and the palace itself.  We started our guided tour in the stables, which was about 45 minutes long. The horses are still in use by The Royal Family of Denmark and only horses that are white can be used.  It was really interesting to learn about how all white horses are born black or grey and eventually become white.  There were a few in the stable that still had a little black on them.  I think the stables has approximately 16 horses, although we did not see that many when we were there.  Along with the horses, we were able to see all the various carriages The Royal Family rides in, including the one with real gold!  I could go on and on about the things I learned, as this was my favorite part of the tour.

 Very sweet horses, although there were signs warning us that they bite...

 Every morning they train the horses at 8 in the morning.

The carriage that is used now by The Royal Family.  There was another one nearby that used to be used just as a toilet. Gross.

Next up, was the palace itself.  This was quite funny given we had to put these bright blue plastic shoe covers on our feet.  It was probably best, given the majority of the people on this tour just came from the stables like we did.  We had a tour guide that was full of life, although at times was difficult to understand.  Which was surprising, given this was the most English-friendly country we have been to so far that their native language wasn't English.  But I think it was her passion and excitement that made her a little hard to understand.  We walked around the palace, learning about The Royal Family and the uses of the rooms.  A couple of my favorites were the dining room, which they do not even use for eating.  And the ball room was fabulous, as it was the first time I actually enjoyed looking at tapestries.  They were modern, colorful, and I actually understood the scenes within them because they were things in my lifetime or within the last 70 years.

 The Palace

 Our super cool booties! 

My favorite room, the ball room where they have state dinners. 

 One of the coolest tapestries.  Not only did it have people like J.F.K, Einstein, and MLK on it, but famous pop culture and history scenes as well. The guide was telling me when she showed this to Michelle Obama on a private tour, she easily pointed out MLK.

 The large dining hall they do not use to eat at because it would be too hard to converse. #excuses

 Struttin'  around in the booties.

 No guards on duty today..or any day actually

We walked down to the ruins, but we were not overly impressed. I think we're becoming snobs now given we were able to see so many beautiful and ancient ruins in Rome.  We walked around the city a bit more, enjoying the sites and heading to the far north part of the city where The Little Mermaid was located. On our walk there, we walked past this famous area known for the bright buildings and ships in the canal.  It was definitely a beautiful backdrop (see below).  We finally made it to The Little Mermaid where people were fighting to take turns with pictures.  I finally had Jeff sneak up on the side to snap our picture.  People were not playing nice, and cutting us...so we took matters into our own hands. The statue was cool, and I learned that many of the arms and legs have had to be replaced over the years.  We enjoyed the hour long walk back to our hotel afterwards to prepare for another full day tomorrow.

 Definitely the best view/photo spot in Copenhagen

Jeff with The Little Mermaid.

We decided to get up, grab some breakfast at a local bakery, which was amazing. We got the "Danish specialty" which reminded us of a cold cinnamon roll with a tiny bit of custard within it. Pretty yummy! We took a long stroll around the city, saw the outside of The Round Tower (observatory) and ended up at Rosenborg Castle.  This castle's grounds were beautiful, and still had a working moat.  We went in the castle and the treasury, which were neat given they still looked like a working castle.  Our favorite room was on the top where their was a ball room with these golden lion statues in front of two elaborate thrones. We walked to our last royal building, Amalienborg, which was four large identical palaces in this one large plaza area.  We walked around in a really lame museum, then watched The Changing of the Guards.

 So yummy! We got the one on the middle shelf, second from the left.

 Very quaint little castle

 Our favorite room in the castle. These lions were awesome. As always, the picture does not do them justice.

Another photo in front of the castle before heading on our way

Up very close to see the Changing of the Guards for a moment. Then they went to the opposite side where I could see nothing but the back of heads. 

Afterwards, we walked towards the main street of shopping and restaurants with a hope to find a place to eat lunch before getting to the tourist areas.  We had an amazing lunch with too much food. We both left feeling very sleepy and full! We ended our last night in Copenhagen enjoying the nightlife, people watching, and grabbing some dinner.

 Temporary art that was placed outside of a construction area.  We added our initials, took a picture, and before I put my camera up people had already changed the S + J.

Another quick plane ride home, and we had a nice relaxing Monday afternoon to enjoy together.  Overall, we had a great trip.  It will always be a special one to us, as we will be able to share the experience with Jeff's grandparents who visited years ago.  We are looking forward to the next time we see you, Grandmother & Grandfather! We have lots to talk about!

Sidenote: Since Daylight Saving Time happened for many of you already, therefore we are on a 4 hour time difference now until March 29th...then we'll be back to 5 hours.  Keep that in mind Skype family and friends!

On to the next adventure...