Home Again

After 2 lovely weeks spent in England, I'm back home again.  It was a positively wonderful trip full of brand new experiences.  Some of these fun things were planned and some were decidedly not planned, but that's the best part of travel - happening into wonderful places, and doing something brand new.  

On this trip, for example, I drove in England for the first time.  That was actually not the best thing ever.  I have no idea how people drive so quickly through those scary tiny streets in the countryside.  I've probably shaved a few years off of my life just fretting about blind curves and possible cow crossings.  However, I did it and we survived so at least there's that.

There were other most wonderful things that happened that had nothing to do with me being behind a steering wheel (on the opposite side of the car than I usually am...), for instance:

I ate my weight in food during a Borough Market Food Tour.

I finally saw Platform 9 3/4 however, the line was much too long to get the super cool photo.

I rocked out with 98,000 other people who loved Adele at Wembley Stadium.

I saw one lonely little Puffin, who was most assuredly Neil coming to visit me.

I climbed to the top of 2 different castles in flip flops.

And I sat where David Tennant sat in Broadchurch.

And these were just my favorites.  The other days were also filled with amazing trips, foods, and experiences, all of which I'll be sharing in the coming weeks - whether you care or not : )

Love for the Villages

Since I woke up this morning, I've been dreaming about coming home this evening and finishing up some craft projects I'm in the middle of.  However, after 10 hours - dark to dark - the only thing I could do when I got home was curl up on the sofa, where it was warm and cozy.  

Unfortunately, the craft projects were a bust, but it's ok because I did have about 30 pages in a fabulous book to finish so I dove right in.  Let me tell you, this book might just need to go in the top 10.  It's just so wonderful!

Susan Branch is a watercolorist and primarily a cookbook writer.  I actually have tons of her stickers for scrapbooking.  But I never realized she wrote other books as well.  Apparently, this is the 3rd in a series of her journals.  She and her husband live in Martha's Vineyard, but they travelled on the Queen Mary 2 to England for a 2 month adventure in the English Countryside.  I'm not I can express just how much I wish I could have gone on their trip!  What a chance!

What's really neat about the book, is that it's not just her observations about the places she visited.  Like I said, she's a watercolorist, so all throughout the book there are little paintings and doodles and drawings.  She's also included photos of the places they visited, quotes she loves, and recipes as well.  And, the whole thing is in her handwriting.  How fun!  It's not only a great tale of a trip of a lifetime, but it's also crafty and creative as well.  It's a total package for me which I think is why I loved it so much.

The other reason is that she just gets it.  She has the same sensibility about England that I have.  She loves the people for being who they are.  She loves the accents and the turns of phrase.  She loves the simple food and the very best tea.  She loves the beauty of the countryside as well as the fun of the big cities. And she loves the history and historical figures that have contributed so much to the world, that made their home there.  It's sometimes hard for me to explain just what it is about Great Britain that I love.  Reading this book, I realized it's everything I just said.  It's all of these things together that make it such a happy place for me.  And now, I'm just itching to return more so than I usually am - good thing there's a trip coming up soon!

The Month in Books

While I had majorly lofty goals at the start of summer in regards to the books I was planning to read, it sort of didn't quite work out.  I have no idea why.  It's not like I was super busy or super tired, I just didn't read; for months!  I usually LOVE summer for reading.  It's the perfect time to sit in the sun and read, read, read.  But that's all behind me I suppose.

Thanks to a major haul in England, it all changed this month.  I managed to make it through 3.5 of my books I bought and will most likely finish the .5 before the month ends.  It feels great to be back to reading again.  Once I start, I just can't stop.  As you can see, I must have some serious feelings about Summer ending, based on my choices.

They're all super sunny, and very funny and 3 of the 4 are set in the summer in tropical or beachy locales.  Seeing as it's quickly turning into boring (and chilly - quite soon!) autumn here, I'm all about prolonging my Summer Love just a wee bit longer... any way I can : )

Cotswolds Life

I'm slowly making my way through my photos from my trip.  There are a lot of them and there are a lot that are terrible.  Of course, there are a few really good ones, so now that Costco is back up and running (Woohoo!), I may actually get going on editing and printing. Of course, there are like 30 other craft projects in my head right now too, so it's been a little difficult to train my brain to think of only one at a time.  Anyway, here's what I've discovered in my photos of the Cotswolds and what I loved, adored and mostly just was mildly perturbed by...

Loved

~ The scenery - How can anyone not love rolling hills covered in green and cottages as far as the eye can see?  I'm a city girl by heart, but honestly, I could really get used to seeing that from my bedroom window each morning.

~ The Cotswold Cottage we stayed in - It was beautiful and old and still had plenty of space for both of us to finally spread out after a week of being stuffed into cramped hotel rooms.  It was spotless and the village of Northleach it was situated in, was perfectly quaint - pretty much like everything else in the Cotswolds.  I would gladly stay there again (though the novelty of the spiral stair case wore off pretty quick!)

Adored

~ The houses - I know they cost a fortune to maintain and they're probably terribly chilly in the winter, but I'd give my right arm to live in one of those quaint thatched-roof cottages that look like they've just materialised out of a fairy tale.  You see them all over post cards and in children's books, so they don't actually seem real when you're looking at them in person.  They're gorgeous!  Of course, if I were going to live in one, I'd want enough money to hire a gardener, landscaper and some extra heat for the winter.

~ The People - Everyone was so friendly and kind.  Good Morning really isn't a thing you see here in the states or even in the cities of Europe.  No one really makes eye contact.  They keep their heads down so they can get from Point A to Point B.  But in the villages, they actually speak to you and say good morning or good evening.  They smile when they make eye contact.  And they're more than willing to help if you're a bit lost.  Also, I have no issues walking through a quiet village in the dark.  I wasn't worried or afraid.  Like I said, I'm a city girl, but that's something I'd love to have (also, being able to walk instead of drive everywhere would be lovely!)

Mildly Perturbed By:

~ I'm not a night owl by any means.  It's currently 9:31 and I'm hoping to be finished this post quick so I can jet off to bed.  But the villages give even me a run for my money.  Pretty much the only thing that's still open after 6 is the Pub, which is great if you're looking for dinner.  However, the Pubs don't actually start serving food until 6:30.  So there's a bit of a 
"what do we do now?" kind of feeling.  At one point, we were seated in the Pub for dinner, for 40 minutes before we were allowed to order food.  And we were under strict instructions that we needed to be out by 8 so they could make room for a reservation they had coming in. No issues there, but if they really wanted the table, they could have just served us at 5:50 when we came in : )

London: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The Good: I know I say this a lot but pretty much everything in London is good.  I love every part of my time there, and even the bad isn't particularly bad.  However, there were some parts that were better than others.  I loved seeing the Globe finally.  It's pretty much just as I imagined it and it sort of comes out of nowhere when you're wandering the South Bank.

Speaking of the South Bank - I loved all the little pieces that make it summery in the city. There was a beach with sand for kids to play in; a skate board park for teens; lawn chairs and food stalls to enjoy the time near the Thames.  All of that on top of the usual National Theatre, the Globe, the Eye, the Tate and tons more.  It's a great little area of town and I just loved strolling through it.  

My other favorite was strolling around Kensington Gardens soaking up the sun.  It started as a matter of convenience - the Tube was going on strike and we needed something relatively close to bide our time.  Kensington Gardens was just a few blocks from our hotel so we chose that.  We spent the entire morning checking out the sites like the Princess Diana Memorial Playground, Peter Pan, the statue of Prince Albert and a few more fun little places.  And it couldn't have been a nicer way to spend a beautiful day in the big city!

The Bad: Like I said, I'm not sure there was anything that is truly bad about a trip to London.  The worst I can say is that the Tube went on strike while we were there.  That messed up the city pretty good.  But we were able to take a bus then a cab to get down to the Barbican - both were a little pricey, but we made it there in plenty of time.  It even gave my friend the chance to see Robert Pattinson drive by on his bicycle so I suppose the strike wasn't bad at all. 

The Ugly: I hate to sound like a broken record but there wasn't much to complain about. The ugliest thing I can think of is the teeny tiny hotel room that was made for people much tinier than us - maybe hobbits?  And of course the walls were paper thin so there were many slamming doors to contend with at night.  But even with the close quarters, we were able to manage without any fights or stepping on toes.  So even the ugly wasn't so ugly in London.  

Are you sensing a theme here?  London I {heart} you!

Friday Five: England Edition

I promise one day I'll be through talking about my trip however, today is not that day : )

1. I'm not sure if this is a Europe thing or just an England thing, however, I LOVE that the Brits are super dog friendly.  About halfway through the trip I realized, in the villages, that dogs were allowed in the pubs.  While in a fairly fancy pub one evening, 2 puppies lounged under their owners feet at the bar, while a big black lab slept under the table in the restaurant section.  And no one seemed to mind a bit.  Loved getting to see them all having an evening out too!

2. Tea, Tea, and more Tea!  Here in the states, when you order a cup of tea, you mostly get a cup of luke warm water, a tea bag and some cream.  Also, whereas your coffee drinking counterparts get free refills, you have to ask for more water, and most often must pay for it too.  However, in England, you get a proper cup of tea - boiling water in an actual pot, with a tea spoon, saucer and cup. The tea has already steeped and is left to continue steeping in the pot.  It's all very civilized.  And the best part is that in England, the coffee drinkers are forced to pay for refills while us tea drinkers can manage a good 3 cups out of that pot.  Take that coffee lovers! 

3. I adore the accents! I know it's fairly cliche, but I do.  You can pretty much gauge exactly where in England a person is from based on what they say and how they say it.  That's pretty much the case here as well, but you can't often pinpoint it to an exact state - you can gauge region but most likely not state.  But in England, there are so many regional accents and colloquialisms that it's fun to play the game of where are you from.  Of course, I may be rubbish at it, because I never have the nerve to ask the person if I'm correct.

3. Oh my goodness, the history!  Everything in England is old.  You're randomly walking down the street and there's a church that's still standing from the 1500s.  You walk into buildings that have been standing for centuries and have even survived the blitz.  What's more amazing is that these structures are still beautiful.  That's because they care about history there.  On the tour of the Cotswolds, we learned that the councils have strict guidelines to preserve these properties.  They don't allow people to come in and tear them down to build strip malls.  Historic areas are preserved for future generations just as they should be.  And we're lucky enough to see them today!

5.  And most of all, I just love England.  Every single thing about it.  It's such a beautiful,  vibrant country with so many things to offer.  The people are kind and the sights are to die for.  Once again, even after 12 days, I can't get enough!  The only downside to this amazing country is their utter disregard for letting us Americans come work there.  So England, could just give me a teeny tiny little job there.  I'll be eternally grateful. And you have my word, I won't tell a soul...It'll just be between you and me...: )

Tour-riffic

I don't usually buy into tours.  They're most definitely not my thing.  I do a lot of research before planning a big trip, so I find it much cheaper and much easier to just do a "tour" for myself.  Also, with tours you're stuck conversing with people that you may not want to converse with and most of the time you have to listen to some boring tour guide drone on and on about the history of some small rock you're looking at for what seems like hours. See?  I told you I didn't like tours.

However, that may have all changed during this vacation.

My friend found 2 specific tours online that she was totally gung-ho about and therefore we had to buy tickets.  At the time, I was skeptical to say the least. I thought they'd both be just like every other tour I've ever been forced into attending.  I was very, very wrong!  They turned out to be my 2 favorite things I did on the trip.

First up, was Viator's Chocolate Walking Tour of Brussels.  I was a little less skeptical of this one, because it had the word chocolate in the title.  It was billed as a 4 hour (4!!) walking tour of Brussels' Chocolatiers.  What it was, was so much more.  With this tour, you're introduced to Avo who's your guide throughout the tour.  He'll take you into 5 different chocolatiers and you'll get the chance to try chocolates at all of the shops.  As you walk to and from the chocolatiers, he'll point out special parts of the city and stop to take photos of the most beautiful spots.  Then halfway through, you get to go to a small storefront and make your own chocolate using different ingredients.  And to top it all off, you get your bag of candy you made to take home at the end of the tour.  

It was, to say the least, awesome!  We got the chance to see so much of Brussels and really had the chance to taste the differences in specific types of chocolate.  The guide also gave great advice on what to look for in chocolate, as well as the best places for food and drink around the city.  I would go back and take the tour again in a heartbeat!

Then later in the trip, we decided to take the Secret Cottage Tour of the Cotswolds.  This one was billed as a 6 (!!) hour tour of the Cotswolds via a luxury van, including tea at the owner's cottage in the Cotswolds.  What it was, was 6 hours of beautiful scenery, quiet-away from the tourists locations and perfect picture taking locations, mixed with breakfast, lunch and tea in a gorgeous thatched roof cottage.  Spending 6 hours in a van never sounded like much fun, but the guide, Ian knew pretty much everything there was to know about the Cotswolds properties and villages and took us to the most beautiful places to view them.  And the food?!  The food was fantastic, served on the best china in a blooming garden in the country - so you know, the food was perfect!

I may finally be a tour convert - though if I'm planning anymore anytime soon, I'd like them to have food involved too.  I think that's the key to my heart when it comes to tours : )