Greetings from Wales!
Wow, what an incredible place to begin to wind down our trip. It is absolutely beautiful here! I'm visiting the family of one of the girls I mentored in Denver ... as I look to my right there is a magnificent view of the city of Swansea (population around 300,000, I'm told) and the sea. Absolutely beautiful.
We got in yesterday around 4 pm and went straight to the grocery store next to the station ... it'd been about 3 days since we'd seen a regular grocery. We'd been into Harrod's (the Macy's of London) and Mark & Spencer (sells carry-away meals in convenient packaging), but they're not really normal grocery stores, if you know what I mean. Finding Pringles along the way has been a God-send since I constantly have the munchies.
We went to an area called 3 Points this afternoon. It was a really nice walk down to the beachfront where there were 3 rocky hills and an inlet. It reminded me of sitting by the Great Barrier Reef in Australia ... the tide was coming in and you could see the people there enjoying the fact that God had given another relatively warm day with sunshine. Being from hot and humid Houston, I thought they were crazy to be walking barefoot in the chilly water, but, hey ... who am I to judge?
Being on the road has been such a good reminder to me that life continues on around the world, even as we sit in our offices and homes in America. There's so much to see and experience. Since we've been here I've had interesting conversations with 15 and 16 year olds that are keenly aware that there's a world outside of their small town. One kid in particular asked about 45 random questions about life in America, including whether or not I'd been to Compton and Brooklyn (he's watched a lot of MTV and knows a lot about NWA, the Beastie Boys and Jay-Z), whether I liked Oreo cookies, what the real price of a Big Mac in America was, and if we had good Chinese and Mexican food in Houston. By the end of our time he tried to slide in that I'd invited him to come live with me in America.
I'm so sad that my trip is coming to an end! I thank God for every day of it, though. What an opportunity. Everyone tells me that I have to come back in the Spring or summer when the weather's better and I can take more photos. We'll see ...
Oh! I almost forgot ... my sister's started this rumor that I pushed her down the steps of Buckingham Palace in front of the Queen. Not true. She tripped and fell on the steps outside of Buckingham Palace and I had nothing to do with it. I actually stood there wondering why she was on the ground and how she'd gotten there. So, it's been a rough few days for her since she hasn't been able to stabilize it and we're on the move again. I think that she's glad that she'll get to put it up for a few days soon.
Right, well ... don't know if I'll blog again before home. I have to savor the last few days I have abroad, so that means staying outdoors and away from internet cafes.
Ta ta for now!
" )
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Life in the UK
Wow, it's been a few days. Our time in Aberdeen was good ... or "gute" as the Scottish say. The weather was "diabolical" according to our hostess ... it was pretty chilly and we were once again greeted by snow. I still got to see the sea, visit a castle and even saw the face of a few sheep. They're pretty cute up close!
I really enjoyed life in Scotland and wished that I got to see more of the country. There were some really quaint fisherman's villages that we got to visit with little coffee shops that you just don't see where I come from. Starbuck's just wouldn't do. We were told that we'd have to come back when the weather's better, so I'm looking forward to my next visit to Scotland when I can also include Ireland in the mix.
The Scottish countryside was beautiful ... rolling hills and snow-capped peaks ... and grazing sheep. Did I mention the sheep? Oh, and I tried to get invited to a Scottish wedding just so I could get photos of the guys in kilts ... it didn't work. Oh well, maybe next time.
On Tuesday we flew back to London and braved the Underground (subway) to get to the home of some of my parent's relatives. I have only one question ... what happened to the value of the US dollar? Everything here's much more expensive than anywhere else we've been and the dollar is only worth about 1/2 £ (Pound). It definitely doesn't make buying chocolate easy.
London weather has also been true to form ... it was cloudy most of today and didn't make for great photo-taking weather. So, today we took my friend Matt's advice and boarded one of the open-air tour busses and spent the day taking in the sights. Here's the synopsis:
Well, we leave for Wales on Saturday, so I may have one more opportunity to blog. If not, I'll see those of you from Houston soon!
I really enjoyed life in Scotland and wished that I got to see more of the country. There were some really quaint fisherman's villages that we got to visit with little coffee shops that you just don't see where I come from. Starbuck's just wouldn't do. We were told that we'd have to come back when the weather's better, so I'm looking forward to my next visit to Scotland when I can also include Ireland in the mix.
The Scottish countryside was beautiful ... rolling hills and snow-capped peaks ... and grazing sheep. Did I mention the sheep? Oh, and I tried to get invited to a Scottish wedding just so I could get photos of the guys in kilts ... it didn't work. Oh well, maybe next time.
On Tuesday we flew back to London and braved the Underground (subway) to get to the home of some of my parent's relatives. I have only one question ... what happened to the value of the US dollar? Everything here's much more expensive than anywhere else we've been and the dollar is only worth about 1/2 £ (Pound). It definitely doesn't make buying chocolate easy.
London weather has also been true to form ... it was cloudy most of today and didn't make for great photo-taking weather. So, today we took my friend Matt's advice and boarded one of the open-air tour busses and spent the day taking in the sights. Here's the synopsis:
- Buckingham Palace is smaller than you'd think (according to my sister)
- Westminster Abbey is HUGE!
- There is a really large theatre district in London ... I got to see the Lion King tonight and it was fabulous!
- McDonald's is a friendly face when you're hungry and running out of £s (got to find an ATM soon) ... and are in need of a free toilet.
- Krispy Kreme is in the UK!!!
- Starbucks is on every corner
- I got to see Tony Blair's hair as his car was escorted by our bus today ... I looked too late to catch his face.
- Kensington Palace (where Princess Diana lived) made me sad ... the grounds are beautiful, but it's a constant reminder of a life that's no longer with us.
- There's an interesting statue in Trafalgar Square that bears a striking resemblance to Lord Farquhard from Shrek ... still not sure who that guy was.
Well, we leave for Wales on Saturday, so I may have one more opportunity to blog. If not, I'll see those of you from Houston soon!
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Late nights and French kisses
Paris exceeded my expectations, and I know it's because of Jean-Louis and Arlette. We had a blast at the jazz concert with Valerie Bilounga ... she has an amazing voice and talent! She sang in her native tongue (from Cameroon), English, French and Portuguese. The guy on the bass cello had the best curly 'fro I've seen in years (I was jealous) ... and he was white!!! All in all, it was a good night.
I have to admit that being with this couple for three days showed me just how anti-social I'd been lately. They had us out at night until 11 at the earliest, 2 am at the latest. They do this every night, including weekdays! I'd have a hard time staying awake at work if I lived that way all the time, but for vacation I wouldn't have missed a moment of it.
We did eat at the Tex-Mex restaurant in Paris ... called "Indiana". Yeah. It was hard not to think about Pappasitos or Fiesta en Guadalajara while we were there ... no chips and salsa ... no salsa period, actually. I had to remind myself that most of these folks had never been to Texas, so they didn't know what they were missing. Dianne had a kicking Caesar Salad at the restaurant that night, though. Gotta love it.
One thing that I had to get used to - French kisses. When greeting and saying goodbye, you're expected to kiss everyone, right down to the boyfriend of the friend of the second cousin you just met. For those of you who know me and my boundary issues, you know that was a stretch! I think that in one day I counted 4 or 5 men that I'd kissed ... more than I'd kissed in my life up to this point. I didn't bother counting the women ... I'm so American.
One other fun point ... I love how we continually find and befriend the Spanish speakers traveling through Europe. This time Dianne talked to an 18 year old guy who was trying to get to Versailles. When he figured out that we spoke Spanish he spent the rest of the day with us and talked non-stop. He was an exchange student from Mexico studying in Hamburg, Germany on holiday. I nearly choked when I found out that he thought I was 20 and then later asked if I had a boyfriend.
So, here's the city synopsis:
I have to admit that being with this couple for three days showed me just how anti-social I'd been lately. They had us out at night until 11 at the earliest, 2 am at the latest. They do this every night, including weekdays! I'd have a hard time staying awake at work if I lived that way all the time, but for vacation I wouldn't have missed a moment of it.
We did eat at the Tex-Mex restaurant in Paris ... called "Indiana". Yeah. It was hard not to think about Pappasitos or Fiesta en Guadalajara while we were there ... no chips and salsa ... no salsa period, actually. I had to remind myself that most of these folks had never been to Texas, so they didn't know what they were missing. Dianne had a kicking Caesar Salad at the restaurant that night, though. Gotta love it.
One thing that I had to get used to - French kisses. When greeting and saying goodbye, you're expected to kiss everyone, right down to the boyfriend of the friend of the second cousin you just met. For those of you who know me and my boundary issues, you know that was a stretch! I think that in one day I counted 4 or 5 men that I'd kissed ... more than I'd kissed in my life up to this point. I didn't bother counting the women ... I'm so American.
One other fun point ... I love how we continually find and befriend the Spanish speakers traveling through Europe. This time Dianne talked to an 18 year old guy who was trying to get to Versailles. When he figured out that we spoke Spanish he spent the rest of the day with us and talked non-stop. He was an exchange student from Mexico studying in Hamburg, Germany on holiday. I nearly choked when I found out that he thought I was 20 and then later asked if I had a boyfriend.
So, here's the city synopsis:
- Paris is a beautiful city, full of history and beautiful structures.
- The French aren't as bad as people make them out to be (or at least the ones I met weren't).
- Napolean Bonaparte was a little, but powerful man.
- The Eiffel Tower is bigger than I thought.
- I'm still not sure what French food tastes like, but they do walk around eating sandwiches on baguettes.
- If you plan to visit, be prepared to greet and say goodbye with kisses.
- For those who insisted that I come to Paris - good call, and thank you!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Lost in translation
Hello friends and family!
It's been a while, right? Greetings from rainy Paris! I'll give you an update on the trip up to this point.
We had a pretty uneventful train ride from Venice to Munich last week ... only got questioned by German border patrol once. I have to admit that while we were sitting in one of the stations and I watched our Trenitalia engine go by, I knew something was up. The next thing I heard was a bunch of German I didn't understand. Bye bye Italia! The start of a new phase of our trip.
The train ride was beautiful and took most of the day. We got to ride through the Swiss Alps .. absolutely beautiful!!! I hadn't realized how much I missed seeing snowcaps. Oh, and we only got questioned by German border patrol once ... in English.
We got to Munich and were greeted by my sister's friend Gabi in the train station. From there she took us into her home and we got to be the recipients of her amazing hospitality. We ate real German food (yay!), travelled to Bavarian castles, and got the insider's tour to Munich. Every morning and afternoon I got to drink Afghan teas that she brought back from her visits with her husband (who is there on military duty).
While we were there, Munich got the most snow that the city has seen since the 1940s. At one point we had to break out the shovels and create a parking spot for Gabi's car because there were none on the roads. Fun times!
On Monday we said our goodbyes to Gabi and boarded a DBA flight to Paris. Most of you know that I was not overly excited about seeing Paris ... when we got here we looked helpless enough trying to read train directions that a fellow passenger helped us navigate the train system, and after wrestling the crowds getting on and off trains we made it to our hotel. It's been rainy since we've been here, so not a lot of photo ops. I must admit that the buildings are beautiful and the people that my friend Chimene put us in contact with have been fun hosts. After taking the walking tour with Jean-Louis, we had a traditional African meal in their home (complete with blood boudain ... yep, blood) and sat around laughing for hours (while my sister Dianne talked politics) and looking at his travel photos. Tonight we join them for a birthday party at a Euro-Tex-Mex restaurant (you know I couldn't pass that opportunity up), and tomorrow night is a jazz club performance by a semi-famous cousin. During the days - tours of Versailles, the Champs and other historic sites.
So, that's the news to date. I finally found a computer that lets me log on to blog! Be back soon!
It's been a while, right? Greetings from rainy Paris! I'll give you an update on the trip up to this point.
We had a pretty uneventful train ride from Venice to Munich last week ... only got questioned by German border patrol once. I have to admit that while we were sitting in one of the stations and I watched our Trenitalia engine go by, I knew something was up. The next thing I heard was a bunch of German I didn't understand. Bye bye Italia! The start of a new phase of our trip.
The train ride was beautiful and took most of the day. We got to ride through the Swiss Alps .. absolutely beautiful!!! I hadn't realized how much I missed seeing snowcaps. Oh, and we only got questioned by German border patrol once ... in English.
We got to Munich and were greeted by my sister's friend Gabi in the train station. From there she took us into her home and we got to be the recipients of her amazing hospitality. We ate real German food (yay!), travelled to Bavarian castles, and got the insider's tour to Munich. Every morning and afternoon I got to drink Afghan teas that she brought back from her visits with her husband (who is there on military duty).
While we were there, Munich got the most snow that the city has seen since the 1940s. At one point we had to break out the shovels and create a parking spot for Gabi's car because there were none on the roads. Fun times!
On Monday we said our goodbyes to Gabi and boarded a DBA flight to Paris. Most of you know that I was not overly excited about seeing Paris ... when we got here we looked helpless enough trying to read train directions that a fellow passenger helped us navigate the train system, and after wrestling the crowds getting on and off trains we made it to our hotel. It's been rainy since we've been here, so not a lot of photo ops. I must admit that the buildings are beautiful and the people that my friend Chimene put us in contact with have been fun hosts. After taking the walking tour with Jean-Louis, we had a traditional African meal in their home (complete with blood boudain ... yep, blood) and sat around laughing for hours (while my sister Dianne talked politics) and looking at his travel photos. Tonight we join them for a birthday party at a Euro-Tex-Mex restaurant (you know I couldn't pass that opportunity up), and tomorrow night is a jazz club performance by a semi-famous cousin. During the days - tours of Versailles, the Champs and other historic sites.
So, that's the news to date. I finally found a computer that lets me log on to blog! Be back soon!
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