Merry Christmas to all!

December was a really busy month for us with all the Christmas celebrations and performances at school, and getting ready to come back to the States for our "Christmas Tour." 

We flew into Newark and spent the night in New Rochelle so that we could go to New York City for a day before driving home.  While in the city, we visited all the popular Christmas places...Rockefeller Plaza, the Lego store, Times Square, The Hershey store, the M&M store, Toys R Us...and then we took the kids to see Mary Poppins on Broadway.  The show was just "brilliant," we all had a fabulous time.

We enjoyed a week in Ballston Spa visiting lots of friends and living with my parents.  It was just wonderful to see so many people.  Now we are enjoying a relaxing time at Sean's sister's house in Vermont.  We were excited to see that lots of beautiful snow had recently covered the area, so we could experience a white Christmas.  It's just not quite the same for us without the white stuff. 

We hope you are all having a joyous Christmas.  We are so excited that so many people are planning on visiting us in England this coming year.  All are welcome, we do have the spare beds to accomodate visitors and we would love you share our experience with you. 

Have a fun Christmas break and happy New Year!

Cadbury World

On Saturday we went to see Cadbury World.  I know most American's have heard of Cadbury, especially Cadbury Cream eggs at Easter time.  The Cadbury Company started and still has it's home in Birmingham, UK, and over here there is a whole lot more Cadbury chocolate in the stores.  Way more than eggs, lots of varieties.  There main product line seems to be Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate, which comes in a variety of flavors (various things added to the chocolate i.e. fruit, nuts, caramel, etc.)  I would say that it is a milkier milk chocolate than Hershey's milk chocolate, and it has a different tast for sure. 

So Cadbury world is part museum, part factory tour, part eating chocolate (both candy bars and melted chocolate)!  We all had a very nice time and came home with lots of samples....and a few extra purchases from the huge Cadbury Factory Store.  Yum!

Alton Towers: Guy Fawkes Weekend

On the first weekend of November, the UK celebrated Bonfire Night which includes fireworks just about everywhere in the country.  Bonfire night is also referred to as Guy Fawkes night.  It's a celebration that began in the 1600s after Fawkes was captured in a conspiracy to blow up the House of Parliament and kill the King. It's quite a wonderful time to have fireworks because it gets dark so early that we can have fireworks at 7pm and the children don't need to stay up late.

On Saturday of the first weekend of November, we went to an Amusement park called Alton Towers and were able to see a beautiful fireworks display there. 

The interesting thing about Alton Towers is that the theme park was built around this centuries old Country home that is no longer inhabited, though recently has begun a restoration process. 

Because the park was extremely crowded, we decided to watch the fireworks from the parking lot...which made for an easy exit!

Rugby

I'm so proud of Avery learning to play Rugby.  He started off on the "B" team, as he is just a beginner, and has worked his way up to being on the "A" team of the U11 boys....he just turns 9 in 2 weeks!  He really loves playing.  He's gotten most of his thrills by being aggressive at tackling, but has scored for his team as well.  Since moving up to the higher level, he hasn't been quite as successful but that's to be expected.  He's probably the skinniest kid out there!

I think playing Rugby has really toughened Avery up.  There are no tears when he gets tackled, stepped on, or knocked heads.  You know, I really was hoping that I would never be a Football (American) mom because of all the violence, but now I'm letting him play Rugby?  With almost no protective equipment? 

It's fun to see him learning and being active.  He has games once or twice a week and they're usually during school hours (2:30-3:30).  He gets to represent his school, which is definitely different than in the US.  He's got a few more weeks left of Rugby and then after Christmas they switch to Hockey...in American terms it's called Field Hockey.  Keep in mind, it doesn't snow much here, so they play outdoor sports all year round.  And then in the Spring, he'll be playing Cricket.  All sports that he wouldn't have been exposed to in the US...all the better for Avery!

Pray for no concussions!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday.  Some of you have been asking how my guitar lessons are going, so I thought it might be nice to play you a song for Thanksgiving. Please understand, I'm still very much a beginner, it's hard to sing and play at the same time, my fingers hurt, etc....every other excuse that I can think of to explain why it's not perfect!  :-) 

Wish I could have shared some Turkey Day celebrations with you all.  Happy shopping tomorrow!

First Visitors from Home

Sean's Sister Nicki and her boyfriend Mike came to visit us this weekend after spending the week in London.  We were so excited to have loved ones from home with us...it was a great comfort for those of us who are missing home. 

We spent Friday touring Derby a bit without the kids, and then went to Chatsworth on Saturday.  Chatsworth is all decorated for Christmas on the inside, so it was neat for Sean and I to get a different view of the house than when we went last summer.  The rest of the weekend was fairly relaxing, with lots of UNO games and a short hike at misty, foggy Dovedale.

The kids sitting in a sleigh...Alexa holding the reigns.

Sean, Nicki, and Mike walking back to Chatsworth house through the gardens.

Treakcliff Mine

On Tuesdays, the American spouses get together to either have tea/coffee or go on a site seeing trip.  It's one of the comforting things that I have here, to be with other Americans in the same situation as me.  And exploring the country is much easier when you're with a group.  A few weeks ago we went to the Treak Cliff Mine, which is a Blue John Mine.  We had to hike a lot of stairs to get to the mine near the top of the hill, and it was a beautiful day...the picture above was taken from up on the hillside.  Those little white specks are sheep, which we find all over Derbyshire.  It's not a rare occasion to see one crossing the road in front of your car when on a drive in the country.

Blue John Stone is a rare, semiprecious mineral found at only one location in the world - a hillside near Mam Tor, just outside Castleton, in the Derbyshire Peak District National Park, England. The name Blue John derives from the French Bleu Jaune meaning Blue Yellow. It is a form of fluorite and was discovered as miners were exploring the cave systems of Castleton for lead. Because of the layered nature of the mineral, you can get a wide variety of appearances.  Some stones are more yellow, some more purple, some blue. 

There are two mines on the hillside for this Blue John mineral.  Jewelers will take this stone, strengthen it with chemicals, and then can work it into ornaments and, more commonly today, jewelry. Because of the varied nature of the stone, every piece of art created is unique.

We went on a tour of the mine though, unfortunately as you can imagine, my photos were not very interesting or recognizable due to the darkness.  But it was a very interesting tour.  When the miners dug into the hillside, they discovered caves with their share of stalactites and stalagmites, though not as impressive as those in Howe Caverns in New York.  You could see veins of Blue John Stone in the walls of the caves.

After our tour we went down to the nearby village of Castleton, did a bit of shopping and had a delicious Carrot and Parsnip Soup lunch at a local Tea Room.  Then we had to rush home for me to pick up the kids.  It was a beautiful day for the drive, which took about an hour and a half from home.  There's lots more to see up that way, so I'm sure I'll go back with the family.

Halloween in the UK

This year Halloween was a little bit different for us.  We had been told that Halloween is "darker" here...more witches and devils, evil characters...less cartoon characters and princesses, etc.  We were also told that Trick-or-Treating is not as common.  It does exist here, but there are many that don't want to participate, and it's not for religious reasons.  I heard one person say that they consider trick-or-treating a form of begging. 

Since the kids don't dress up in costumes at school and we weren't sure about the trick-or-treating, we didn't do costumes this year.  I can't say I really mind, it's always been a bit of a chore for me anyway.   On the Saturday before Halloween, our church held a Krazy Kings night, which was a Halloween alternative event.  The kids got to dress up as Kings and Queens if they wanted to, played games, made crowns, and got to do some of the messy things that often happen at Halloween parties (i.e. fishing candy out of buckets of Goo, sticking their faces in jello to grab candy with their teeth, eating donuts off strings, etc.)  They also got to learn about the wicked King Ahab and his wife Jezebel.  The kids had a great time!

On Halloween, we carved some pumpkins and  lit them in the front garden.  We noticed that some of the other households had done the same...that was kind of the sign for each house that Trick-or-Treaters were welcome.  On a street that has many young children, none of them came trick or treating.  We just had 4 Trick-or-Treaters and they were all probably at least 12 years old.  The costumes were all bloody and dark as expected. 

The only child that was sad about not trick-or-treating was Alexa...but she was happy to learn that the remainder of the 4 bags of candy that I bought would be for us to enjoy!

Now that Halloween is over, the Christmas shopping season is in full swing.  The Christmas displays started coming out in Mid October actually.  Remember, there's no Thanksgiving here, so there's no reason for the stores to hold back on putting out their Winter Wonderland displays.  It's funny.  And we thought Christmas came early in the States.

A Gift from Friends

I never mentioned previously that the Shepherds Moms, the daytime women's Bible study in my home church, gave me a bracelet before I left.  It was intended to be a shared gift that will be passed along amongst us as time goes by and we all go different places.  The gift was a bracelet that was engraved with words from Psalm 33:5:

The earth is full of the loving kindness of the Lord.

I've had this bracelet with me for our entire adventure.  I don't wear it every day, but I did wear it on this last trip.  I thought I would share a little story that this bracelet reminds me of.  I know that our European adventure was amazing, we got to see so many beautiful places, but there were definitely some challenging and stressful times over the course of the week. 

One of those times was when we arrived in Rome.  We had returned our rental car and were told that getting into the city was going to be challenging.  We had planned on just taking a cab, but the guys at the rental agency told us that since it was a busy time of day a cab would take too long and be too expensive.  So they suggested taking a bus.  We bought our bus tickets from a guy at the airport who said the bus was coming in 5 minutes.  About an hour later, the bus arrived....that was fun! 

Anyway, we finally made it to the City Centre and then we had to find our hotel on a map and walk to it.  So we were tired, hungry, carrying all our luggage, with 3 children, and trying to read a map in the center of Rome, not knowing how long it would take to get to our hotel.  We stopped in a plaza to look at a map and get our bearings.  A moment later a man came up to us and asked...."Do you need help?" And he spoke with an American accent!  This man and his wife were so pleasant as they tried to help us.  They really didn't have any information to help us, as they were tourists as well, visiting from Vancouver.  They mentioned how they had been in our situation in the past, traveling abroad with children. 

Though they didn't help us much, their friendliness and kindness totally turned our moods around.  God sent us someone for comfort at just the right moment....someone who we could talk to, could understand, and was genuinely nice.  We chatted for a few minutes and then wished each other well, before moving on. 

So this bracelet reminds me that there are kind people everywhere, even in places I might find scary or lonely.  Thanks so much ladies for this gift.  I can't wait to pass it along to one of you.  Miss you.

Saturday in Rome

Saturday was reserved for Vatican City.  First we went over to St. Peter's Square, and then walked over to the Vatican Museum, which consumed most of our day.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to see St. Peter's Basilica.  The thing I wanted to see most was the Sistine Chapel and we managed to accomplish that at the end of our tour through the Museum.  Mission Accomplished!

The view from within Saint Peter's Square.

Waiting in line for the Vatican Museum with Alexa.

We all used an Audio Tour for the Museum.  The kids had a special one that was at their level.  They had a lot of fun trying to find the artwork on their map.

A cast of Michelangelo's Pieta, located in the Vatican museum.  The original is in Saint Peter's Basilica.

The kids really enjoyed the Egyptian portion of the museum.

On our way to the Sistine Chapel we walked through an interesting hallway of painted maps. 

I didn't take this photo of the Sistine Chapel because we weren't allowed to take pictures.  Your not allowed to talk in the Chapel either, but there was always a murmer present.  It was beautiful.  You could spend your whole day in there looking at the artwork, mainly scenes from the life of Moses and Jesus.  Unfortunately, you are encouraged to keep moving through, so we were only there for about 10 minutes.  I had to buy a book to get a better look at all the paintings.

Avery descending on the huge spiral staircase as we left the museum.

While in Italy, just about every night Mia wanted Margherita Pizza for dinner.  This night was no exception!

The next morning we got up early to fly back to England.  We packed a lot into this trip, so we were all quite exhausted and happy to get home.  The kids still had another week left of vacation, so we were looking forward to a less busy time at home.

Friday in Rome

Thursday was our driving day to Rome, and then Friday and Saturday were reserved for pure site seeing.  We went to many of the typical tourist attractions, though of course it was impossible to see it all.  Friday, we walked all over the city to see the outdoor sites...Collosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, etc.  The Collosseum and Roman Forum were closed for unexplained reasons, which was pretty disappointing, but at least we could view them from the outside.  I was totally amazed at how much walking and waiting our children were able to do over the course of the weekend and still remain in good spirits.

 In front of the Collosseum.

 The Roman Forum, a plaza filled with ruins of the Rome marketplace where many government buildings were located. 

Inside the Basilica of Santa Maria Nova, a church near the Roman Forum where we paused to see the building and also revisit the map.

Outside the Pantheon.

In front of the Trevi Fountain.

Mia took this photo of Sean and I in front of the Trevi Fountain. Good Job Mia!

Sitting on the Spanish steps at the end of a long day.

The Spanish Steps were a resting place for many.

Alexa loves her gelato!  It was a nice treat most days in Italy.

Tuscany

On Tuesday, we drove from Innsbruck to Lucca, a drive that is definitely longer, and more stressful than I would prefer. We arrived at our hotel around 6:30, and immediately discovered one of the facts about Italians...they eat dinner late. So the restaurants don't open until 8pm, and we were famished. We got by on lollipops until dinner and then enjoyed a fabulous meal at the hotel ristaurante.

The next morning, Avery and I enjoyed a walk around the grounds of the Villa Volpe, and appreciated the views on the foggy, but comfortable morning. We then enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the hotel before venturing off to Pisa. We were anxious to get going because we had heard that shops and restaurants close down from 12:30 until 3:30.

In Pisa, we enjoyed the views of the tower, and surrounding buildings. The kids wanted to climb to the top, but unfortunately children under 8 are not allowed. So we just stayed outside and enjoyed the shopping and sunshine instead.

We then decided to drive west to see the beach and swim in the mediterranean. We drove west to Viareggio and found the only restaurant open at 2:00 in the afternoon....McDonalds. On a side note, it has been interesting to see how McDonalds changes in each country we're in. When you're doing a lot of driving, it's always a safe place for a bathroom break. Austria's McDonalds was really nice with fresh roses on the tables and a fancier menu.  Italy's McDonalds near the beach served beer! 

We spent an hour or so at the beach. The water wasn't too cold, so everyone (except me) went swimming. We then returned to our villa and the kids went swimming again, this time in the pool, while Sean and I enjoyed a glass of wine.

Finally, for dinner we decided to visit downtown Lucca, a very old city, enclosed by a wall. There we experienced what was becoming a familiar feeling in Tuscany...HUNGER. I never thought that finding a place to sit and have a meal would be so challenging. We eventually found a pizza place that would serve us at around 7:30 and then afterwards we found a lone gelato shop to get a little cone for our walk back to the car.

Lucca was a very interesting city, founded as a Roman Colony in 180 BC, and is enclosed by a wall, as seen in the picture above.  Lucca has narrow streets and buildings forming what feels like a labyrinth of high-end shops, cafes, and restaurants. We did get lost a few times, but were able to find our way back to the car, which is most important.

Neuschwanstein castle

On Monday we drove back into Germany to visit Neuschwanstein Castle nestled in the Alps.  It was another beautiful sunny day, perfect for taking in the mountain views during our drive.

I was amazed at the beauty of Neuschwanstein and also saddened by the story behind this castle, which even today is an unfinished work of art. This castle is known by many as "the Fairytale Castle", built by Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, and is rumored to have been the inspiration for Walt Disney's Castles.

It was about a half hour hike up the mountain from the village of Hohenschwangau to the entrance of the castle. As our tour began, we learned that only 16 of the rooms out of 80 were completed in this castle, due to the fact that Ludwig the II died young at the age of 41, probably 7-8 years before the castle would have been finished.

Ludwig built this castle as his escape from reality. The walls of the rooms are painted with scenes from his friend Richard Wagner's opera's. The design of the castle itself is inspired by Ludwig's romantic vision of the medieval knights, the byzantine motif, and Wagner's musical dramas.

Building of the castle began in 1869. Disappointing military failures in Ludwig's reign a few years prior caused Ludwig to withdraw from society. He began to focus his life on the building and design of multiple castles and palaces. As the years go by, he became increasingly in debt, as he did not use State funds to purchase his architectural projects.

On June 10th, 1886, in his bedroom at Neuschwanstein, Ludwig was declared insane, arrested, and moved to Berg Palace on Lake Starnberg. Ludwig's uncle immediately took over the regency. Two days later, Ludwig and the psychiatrist who declared him insane were found dead in the lake in 1 meter of water....both were said to be good swimmers. Ludwig's death is still considered to be mysterious. Five weeks after his death, the royal family began selling tickets and opened Neuschwanstein Castle to the public.

Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photographs inside the castle rooms, so I can't show you how beautiful it was.  We all enjoyed to tour and then walked back down the hill to do some shopping in the village.

 On our way home we stopped at a restaurant that had a nice view and experienced our first dining experience where the waitress didn't speak any english.  We managed to order a nice meal and relaxed a bit before driving back to Innsbruck.

Alexa was a little surprised to see her hot dogs, not on buns and connected together!

Mia, being the Macaroni and Cheese Conoseur, got some of the best cheesy penne she's ever had.