to cornwall!

(originally posted on 7.29.11)

Falmouth, Cornwall. It's harbor is one of the deepest in the world.

Chris and I could come back to this area of the country time and time again. In fact, we did a end up in Cornwall more than expected. But being abroad for a limited time means spanning your horizons further and on to new adventures. So, we'll just have to come back for our 10 year anniversary.

Falmouth, Cornwall

 on our way! no car, no drive through. trains, countryside, cheese and charcuterie!

views on UK train rides are mesmerizing. nothing like the amtrak from Detroit to Chicago. 

day one: morning run exploring. when you don't have a car and cabs aren't easily available, the best way to explore where you're going to be for a few days is going for a morning run.  

 and get a little lost. it's the best way to figure out where you're visiting. get the lay of the land. 

 discover something, like these old war ruins. we spent an extra hour exploring.  

 the hazy weather didn't hurt the view. it helped. 

can't go to cornwall without trying a pastie. yep, michiganders the yummy things are popular on this side too.

looking out on the harbor and onto St. Mawes.

our super cute b&b. 

following my man. 

everyone was at the beach. but it was C O L D! 

so much butter. i mean so much lobster. 

my mascot for the weekend is pictured above me here. the queen of cornish ales.  

Bobbie Dee II Falmouth

St. Mawes

Looking for treasures. 

St Mawes Castle was built as part of a defensive chain of fortresses by Henry VIII to protect the south coast of Cornwall. 

first of many

(originally posted on 7.1.11)

Trips to Borough Market today. Chi's Green City Market has nothing on this place. I'm not sorry Chicago.

Borough Market 

mmmm... cheese.  

Nowhere in America would large massive scolding hot boiling skillets of paella or indian food be within arms reach of a child...or adult. 

Nothing beats enjoying a little Prosecco during your browsing.

Easy trick to spruce up an old pub? Overstuff your flower boxes!

Walking all our goodies home. 

exploring what a hot summer day in london is like and, westminster

(originally posted on 6.25.11)

Our second weekend, we explored the Westminster borough. If you ever find yourself in London for the first time, with less than a day to explore, you'll hit most of the sites if you head straight to Westminster: historic buildings to the prettiest of the Royal parks to the best shopping spots like Harrods. Then, as time allows, easily journey down the South Bank.

It was a super hot day for London (78 degrees probably) so everyone was out in the parks. We saw it all.

The London Eye and The Aquarium.  

Lovely Parliment. See how it just directly backs up to The Thames? 

He is big. 

 Westminster Abbey.

 Buckingham Palace. Something was going on, because the blocades weren't always in place. 

Had a picnic in St. Jame's Park, took lots of pictures, and explored Hyde Park and some other beautiful parks. You can rent lounge chairs and veg out in the park all day, just like Chicago without Lake Michigan! Only difference between British days in the park and American? I didn't see one barbeque grill, nor did I see any picnic baskets or coolers or hear any music... I think we'll change that someday soon.

View to the right. St. James' Park. English people are expert Park developers/planners

No BBQ Grills, no music. But thousands enjoying the sunshine and outdoors.

exploring the new and old of tower hill

(originally posted on 6.18.11)

Our first full weekend we were together, after a full week of work for me, we explored our temporary neighborhood, called City. It's a couple blocks away from The Monument, which pays tribute to the great london fire (yes, London had great fires as well, but for some reason they didn't rebuild on a straightforward grid system like Chicago did).

We then visited The Tower of London, which is a historic castle on the north bank of the Thames. Amazing history lesson here -- many important British rulers are buried here, The Crown Jewels have been housed here dating back to when King Henry III was in reign, The Beefeaters give the tours --- they're so cute and candid.

Tower of London from The Thames. 

 The Beefeaters and their families all live within the Tower walls still to this day. Our guide's daughter was getting married at the Tower later this summer. 

Just a boy.  

The White Tower 

Traitor's Gate, the prisoners entrance to The Tower of London. Queen Anne Boleyn entered through here. 

And after that, we walked over Tower Bridge, which is actually much newer than one would think (less than 200 years old) and many times confused for The London Bridge. We walked over London Bridge afterward to get home...it's a plain cement roadway. Surprising to hear there's a nursery rhyme after such a drab thing. Read the real London Bridge Story.

Looking out at Tower Bridge from The Tower of London.

a royal affair in windsor

(originally posted 7.15.11)

Chris and I told ourselves that during our two year adventure abroad, we would travel one new place every month. In order to not overwhelm me, Chris agreed that it could be anything from a short weekend trip to the English countryside to a week long vacation to another country. So, we have some flexibility if life gets hectic.

Yesterday had to have been one of our best days in the UK so far. We've been too busy to plan a big trip yet, and we're still trying to understand our finances and the £ compared to the US $ before we start traveling all over. So, in order to feel rejuvenated and remind ourselves why we're here -- we planned a small day trip out of London to do some sight seeing.

Chris planned everything; my only job was to find a picnic blanket (none of our belongings that were being shipped over have arrived yet!). So I bought us a really cool wool blanket made out of scrap wool from the British mills.

since the day was rainy, i cuddled up with our new wool blanket on the train

Morning came, and despite the rainy day and head cold I was getting, we headed out to the city of Windsor - the home of The Windsor Castle. One bus, two Tube (the underground subway) lines, and one train ticket out of the city: we arrived at the adorable village in less than 2 hours. As we got off the train, we were in the middle of quaint pubs, shops, and a few small hotels, and if you looked up to your left, there was the castle peaking over the trees.

City of Windsor. Can you see the castle peaking out?

The Castle is very well known for it's association with the Royal Family -- the Queen of England actually still calls this one of her main residences. The grounds are magnificent and we were able to explore the 15th Century St. George's Chapel. Henry the VIII is buried there, as well as many many other Royals. I made sure to make a wish (as the Shebak's know you're granted a wish when entering a church of the first time).

 Because it's still inhabited, the gardens are much more constructed than other castles. It's like a real life fairytale.

 St. George's Chapel - Chapel of the Order of the Garter

 St. George's Chapel - stunning clock. 

We got to see the most adorable gift I think I've ever heard be given -- The Queen Mary's Doll's House. Queen Mary's cousin came up with the idea for a gift to the Queen, built in the 20s and completed in 1924. It is larger than a backyard tool shed and ever detail down to the paintings is done perfectly. Famous painters actually painted the miniature paintings, and the books had words from famous authors. It's every little girls dream house!

The rest of the day in Windsor was magical. We had a delicious lunch of Monkfish and crab linguine and some white wine at The Belle and the Dragon. 

A couple pints at another pub while it rained after our castle tour, then a proper British pie for each of us at dinner (along with Chris' new favorite type of beer since arriving: cask ales). 

We even got a little bit of shopping in. I bought a new shiny pair of Chucks.