My life in boxes

We've been in England for 2 months now, give or take a few days. Unfortunately when we came over, our belongings were still on its way... estimated arrival- end of October. At first it didn't seem like 2 months would be so hard to live without our stuff. I mean we had some things, clothes, air mattress, phones, and lap top. We purchased some cheap pots and pans (and when I say cheap, I mean poor quality!) to make simple dinners. What I took for granted were all the kitchen accessories that make it easy to make a meal. We've been eating off throw-away plates and plastic silverware. Lucky for us, our friends Holly and Anthony let us mooch off of them and use their kitchen and living room. 

Well, here we are, at the end of October, and I can say I've never been so HAPPY to see boxes and boxes of stuff! It's almost like Christmas came early- rediscovering all that we have. Nothing can put a damper on the joy of being able to cook and bake again! The only downside is organizing everything in a new place and feeling like things are missing The movers that pack our belongings in the states and the ones that unloaded our stuff here were really great and helpful. We did have a few damaged items- couple deep scrapes on our dresser and dining table, broken leg on the sofa, broken handle on my griddle... Still, our new place is starting to feel like a home (despite that our downstairs is now covered in empty boxes)! 

The next few days (and possibly weeks) will be organizing all the little things. Poor Jacob may have to help me move furniture around until I figure out how I like it!

We haven't really gone anywhere since London. However, we did go to this Holiday Bazaar that had a bunch of local vendors. It was really neat to see culture, tradition, and art. We followed up the Bazaar with the Ely Apple Festival. We tried some apple ciders and juices and saw Morris Dancing- a traditional style of dance in England. I even got varieties of tulips to plant for spring.    

London in a Day...

London in a Day (Walking Part I)

The long awaited trip finally arrived! We had planned several trips to London, but for some reason or another we didn't go. We finally went, and London did not disappoint. We road the train to Kings Cross Station. The end result incorporating everyone's places to see ended up making a large circle around much of London; a feat that seemed easier in theory than actuality. At the end of the day, we left London tired and with aching feet, but it was worth it!!

Here's a rough estimated route of our trip

First we headed to Regent's Park. Unknown to us, there was an art festival in progress. Artist's life size artwork was displayed throughout the park. Some were realistic while others were more abstract.

We continued through Queen Mary's Gardens until we came out near Baker Street. We saw 221B Baker Street, the very address of Sherlock Holmes!

221B Baker Street

The residence of one, Sherlock Holmes. Unfortunately, there is no actual 221B Baker Street. However, at 221 Baker Street there is a bank..Sherlock fans do not need to despair, there is a Sherlock museum around like 4 or 5 Baker Street that says 221B Baker Street.

Our path continued to Piccadilly Circus and walked past numerous shops. We stopped for lunch at a Ramen noodle house then continued to Trafalgar Square.

We continued our way through the Whitehall Gardens until we reached the Thames River and followed it to the Parliament building, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. Across the river, was the London Eye and Aquarium. We continued our journey along the the Thames; taking in the sites. We passed a bar handing out free samples of beer, tables lined with used books, and even street performers. Took our picture with Charlie Chaplin.

We stopped to admire the Globe Theater. It would be really neat to be able to see a Shakespearean play while we're here (add that to the bucket list)! We crossed back over the Thames and walked down to the London Tower.

Tower of London

In the fall of 2014, poppies were all over the grounds in honor of those who've fallen during the First World War (1914-2014). It was a beautiful sight to see. At sunset, the Roll of Honor is done, a tradition in which the Last Post plays and members of the fallen are read.

London has so much history, we didn't have time to see everything. It goes without saying we will have to take multiple trips to see more of London and see some of the sites we saw more in depth. 

London Day Tour (Bus Part II)

Our "Tour-London-in-a-Day" trip was non-stop sightseeing and information. We saw so much of London from Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, the changing of the Guards, West Minister Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower of London and so much more!

I've taken several trips to London now; however, London is the type of place that no matter how many times you go, you can always see something new. I was pretty excited to get to see inside St. Paul's Cathedral as I always see the building, but never have had the opportunity to see inside!

The first Cathedral was built and consecrated in 604. There have been several built, the latest one during the English Reformation when King Henry the VIII split from the catholic church and more than 1,400 years, a cathedral in honor of St. Paul has stood in the same spot in one of the city's highest areas.

During WWII, a group known as St. Paul's Watch, took on the responsibility of putting out fires and protecting the Cathedral. Fortunately, the Cathedral only suffered to major bomb strikes. During one of the strikes, a bomb landed on the south side steps, but did not detonate. Because of St. Paul's Watch, services were held as normally as possible.

What I found very interesting is the American Memorial Chapel, otherwise known as the Jesus Chapel, is a commemoration of the soldiers stationed in the UK during WWII. The stained glass window depicts the flora and fauna of North America.

There is also, currently on display for the centennial, a book of all those that gave their lives during WWI. It is protected so you can't just go and look through it, but each day the pages are turned. Prince Charles and Diana were married in St. Paul's Cathedral rather than the traditional West Minister and Queen Elizabeth II's Golden and Diamond Jubilees were held here as well.

The changing of the guards was pretty neat to watch and a very popular tourist event. For security reasons, the changing of the guards happens at a random time, although, somewhere around 11:00. We happened to have to wait quite a while as they did the change rather late.

Misadventure

Last weekend (Sept. 27) we decided to head to the East Coast... Of England. The Great Yarmouth to be exact. We didn't have an kind of itinerary but going for a nice drive and seeing the sights. We decided on our way we'd stop at the Broads, which is a forest, a really big forest.

We followed the road signs since the road signs and our GPS didn't agree.. Eventually, we ran out of road signs indicating where we could find a designated area to explore. We back tracked our way back to the main highway; taking a detour to see if another way led to the Broads, but again, no luck.

Once we made it back to the main road, we decided to follow the GPS to the Broads. The GPS took us to the middle of nowhere, to a big open field, and not a forest. Completely baffled, we decided to continue our journey to the coast. However, it seems that was not to be our fate. Our "new to us" vehicle started spitting out oil from the exhaust. 

There we were, on some back road/private road that didn't seem to be used often, miles from base in a country we were still getting accustomed to. Accustomed, as in realizing that most towing companies operated from 12 am to 12 pm, and it was 12:30 pm. After probably 5+ failed attempts to reach towing services that didn't specify hours of operations on their site, we reached one that would be able to get us back to base. 

The good side to being stranded on some back country road was the view. The day was gorgeous and warm. There was a field with a small windmill in the distance. Another field had cows, swans, and an worn old bridge that went over this small stream covered in green algae. The road sign picture below is where our car broke down :(

I think, for me, it's going to be a little while before I'll be able look back on this day and laugh and say "remember when". However, despite the stress over the car breaking down; overall, the day was nice. The day was spent with great friends and full of adventure... Or maybe misadventure?