Traveling with Timmy

I will say that British Airways is a nice way to travel since they provide free booze on flights.  We decided that since we were going to Amsterdam we should do it right and enjoy a taste of Heineken.  Our hotel was in a great spot and had a wonderful view of the city center.  Not wanting to waste time we went up to the hotel bar and then set off for a walk around the city.  We ended up in a great pub with fantastic music and got to relax for a bit.  The next day we went on a very rainy canal tour. The amount of bikes everywhere was outstanding.  For each person actually living in Amsterdam there are three bikes.  They say one has been stolen, one is rusting outside and the other is for riding.  The city is very beautiful and other than trying to avoid the creepy red light district I really enjoyed wandering around. 

A beer in honor of our brother- tasted like feet.

Best fondue ever!

Our next destination was to finally visit Hull.  We really did not spend a lot of time there and after getting things settled we got ready to hop on the train and head to Scotland.  In Edinburgh we were able to meet up with some of my Fulbright friends and watch the candle light procession and have a few pints.  Then with a great place to stay thanks to a very kind friend we finally went to sleep to prepare for Hogmanay, the giant Scottish New Years celebration.  New Years Eve we found a pub to chill in while waiting for the party to start.  We ended up spending a few hours with Rebecca and her family before joining the party outside.  I have never seen so many people in one place before.  The fireworks were amazing, and other than trying to fight our way through people just to find a place to stand it was great. 

Back home for a night and then time to board the ferry to head over to Belgium.  Our room made me laugh, as it was the size of a walk in closet, but oh well.  They had live entertainment, gambling, bingo (not a bingo we had ever seen), a piano bar, movie theater and a few places to eat.  Tim finally had some luck and won at bingo that night.  We spent the rest of the night celebrating and using his winnings to buy beer.  We ended up hanging out with a family in the piano bar who do the trip often.  They gave us advice on what to do and where to go while in Bruges.   

Very early in the morning we were up and ready to go.  Starting in a freezing cold ice room seemed like a good idea as we played around and slid down an ice slide.  Then another day of wandering in a new city, eating new food, drinking new beer, followed by a brewery tour. 

Finally back in Hull again Tim got to meet my British family and enjoy a night out at the pub once again.  I don’t think I have ever spent so much time drinking in a two-week period and I am very proud that I kept up with Tim like a champ.  After all that fun I was in need of another break!

Other than a few hiccups and not so great weather it was an amazing two weeks and I was thrilled to have family out here.  Plus I survived two whole weeks with Tim!  Now that is an accomplishment.  

Christmas in London

All the chaos at school during this time with plays, singing, projects, hyper kids and tired teachers, Christmas break is a just what I needed.  To start the time off properly I went out with some teachers from school for “Mad Friday.”  This is a crazy night out in town with packed bars and people dressed in all sorts of fashion.  I had a great time moving from bar to bar and taking pictures with people in awesome Christmas jumpers. 

Sunday I celebrated Christmas with Sarah and her family.  We cooked a ton of food and then went to church to listen to some carols.  It was beautiful and helped keep me in the spirit.

He's here!

This is where all the smooth easy fun ended.  Christmas Eve I jumped on a train heading to London where I supposed to meet up with my brother Tim.  Sadly since he was on standby he was still in New York and I was hanging out at the hotel.  Luckily for me the hotel was amazing!  I was also able to head into town and meet up with Natalie for one last dinner and walk around Covent Gardens.  Christmas day Tim finally made it and our celebrating would have started had they not lost his luggage.  Again luckily for me they didn’t lose the bag my mom sent filled with goodies for me!  Apparently travel and Tim don’t go together.  We decided to go for a walk to find some food but the entire city was closed.  Our Christmas dinner ended up in the hotel and then early to bed for the tired Timmy.  The day after Christmas is Boxing Day in the UK which apparently shopping is similar to Black Friday.  Since Tim had no clothes we had to join the crowds and try to find something for him to wear.  The tube was on strike that day so we walked from Chelsea for a few miles trying to get to the open stores.  Then the rain began.  And it kept going.  Wet tired and hungry we went back to Chelsea to find some food and had a bit more success.  In the morning we got ready to head to Amsterdam and of course several of the trains were cancelled.  We made it on one and stood in the corner just trying to make it to the airport.  Yes this London trip was not the best one yet, but I am sure she will make it up to me later.  

Belfast

It is a goal to use as many weekends to travel as possible so this time it was off to Northern Ireland.  The girls were out again to celebrate Stephanie’s birthday.  Since no one lives in Belfast we were staying in a hostel and that is always an experience.  Our beautiful bunk beds were awaiting our arrival, but the heat was not.  That makes for a very cold night in a very cold country.  No time to worry though since we needed to go out and about and see the town.  We went out to find the oldest pub in Belfast and were lucky enough to get into a tiny little room.  The pub is set up with tables around the edge that have doors separating them from the main area of the bar.  It had a great atmosphere and fun stories about the people who opened it years ago. 

On Saturday we went out to the Titanic Museum to learn about the making of the ship.  The building itself was amazing and gave a different perspective to the story of Titanic.  After visiting one in Vegas a few years ago I thought it was interesting to learn more about the people who actually built the ship.  And of course a bit of movie history popped up as well showing the interest that this ship has always been to people. 

Our very own Leadville legend. 

I found the riveting riveting.  

Next up was a black cab tour around the city.  This was extremely interesting and I learned a lot of the history of Belfast and the conflict that is still an issue in the city.  Our tour guide was amazing and had a great way of telling stories, and an awesome accent to go with it. 

Rihanna's signature on the wall. 

Our final pub of the trip was tons of fun with live music and great songs.  They even played some American ones for us!  We had a wonderful time talking to people at the pub and then went back to our hostel for one more cold night.  The hostel may not have been the best, but it certainly was something I won't forget!  Another great weekend for the books.  

A Whole New World of Thanks

Considering I am not a person who cooks and as my mom says can’t even boil water, it was a bit strange for me to host Thanksgiving.  But no need to let the little things stop me.  Luckily the girls knew what they were doing, and I am really great at mimosas and supervising. 

I did attempt to help where I could, and almost looked like I knew what I was doing.  It felt great to have people in my house and smells of Thanksgiving wafting from the kitchen.  The cooking was quite an experience and we all did our best to make it feel like a traditional American meal.  In the end it was such an amazing success!

A bit of tearful onion chopping.

She did it!  Tasty turkey.

See, I know what I'm doing. 

Wine in one hand, spoon in the other.

Problem solved!

Preparing for Christmas

This year I am thankful for so many things, and a huge new thanks is the people I have met while on this journey.  I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to celebrate with. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Bring on the food.