December 24 – January 1, 2011
We loved sharing the holiday season with Jennifer and Ben in London! They arrived on December 24th and we picked them up in a rental car at the airport and were off to Oxford (after fitting their suitcases in and around the four of us)…a full size car in the UK is NOT the same size as a full size American car!!!
We arrived at The Old Bank Hotel in Oxford and discovered the campus directly across the street. Before dark (which is at 4 PM in the winter months), we walked over to Radcliffe Square which features the iconic Radcliffe Camera…the domed main reading room of Bodleian Library (oldest library in the world). We continued from there on through campus, under the Bridge of Sighs which connects two parts of Hertford College and on to the central pub on campus: The Turf Tavern. Back at the hotel, we let the travelers finally have a shower and a nap before dinner at a restaurant housed in a Victorian Conservatory and then on to Midnight Mass sung by the choir at The University Church of St. Mary which dates from the 13th century. After breakfast on Christmas day we drove to the Cotswolds and although many of the village roads were iced over, we were able to visit: Northleach, Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Burford. We returned to Oxford in time for our Christmas Feast and then settled into the hotel’s library where we had beer, wine and snacks and played cards until our eyes closed. After breakfast on Boxing Day (the 26th) we had a proper tour of Oxford University and learned the history and tales of this most famous place…who knew that Hugh Grant was an honours graduate of Oxford University?!?!
We returned to London and immediately set about seeing many sights in and around London including: The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, The Churchill War Rooms, Hampton Court Palace, The National Gallery, Windsor Castle, and the Wallace Collection & Armory. Rick was able to arrange a special tour of the London 2012 Olympic Site and also get us tickets to a Premireship Football Match between Chelsea and Bolton.
As you can guess, their trip ended much too soon but we were all happy to ring in the New Year together in the UK five hours before the Peach dropped in Atlanta!
Enjoy our photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/JenniferBenS2010WinterHoliday?authkey=Gv1sRgCJbTktDBkZCGOQ&feat=directlink
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Pre-Holiday Activities
November - December
Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were restful, joyful, peaceful, and memorable!
Yes!!!...we are still living in London, seeing the sights, traveling, and enjoying life. Our holidays, like yours were busy with parties, family, friends, visitors, and travels which is why I have neglected the blog for so long.
I inherited a wonderful book titled: Best Day Trips from London: 25 Great Escapes. This often serves as my travel guide and I have now been on 20 of the 25 trips. In November, before life got crazy, I traveled with a friend to the very “Ancient Town of Rye.” This small, charming, and historic town can be seen in a day. The highlights include the nearly 900 year old church which has a clock dating from 1561 and the 12th century Ypres Tower which was a fortified castle, later a prison, and now a museum
December was filled with Christmas Markets and Festivals modeled after the German tradition of open-air stalls selling food, crafts, toys, decorations, and gifts. There is entertainment, ice skating, and caroling and each one is unique and fun to visit so I spent many days with friends exploring these markets in London and the surrounding towns and villages. We also toured Waddesdon Manor which was built in the style of a French chateau by the Rothschild family, and is now managed by the National Trust. It was built between 1874 and 1889 and although it has some modern touches, it also has an extensive collection of French furniture, carpets, porcelain, and paintings plus being well known for its gardens and statuary. Since it was beautifully decorated for Christmas, many of the rooms were not accessible and the statues covered for the winter so I will definitely be returning in the warmer weather as there is much to see.
Our final trip before we got into the full swing of the holidays was celebrating Rick’s birthday with a trip to Bath, the home of the most famous Roman Baths and the first spa resort. The city is designated a World Heritage Site and it well known for its Georgian architecture and distinctly beautiful Royal Crescent which makes it one of England’s most beautiful cities. We treated ourselves to a relaxing weekend at the Royal Crescent Hotel that was built in the late 18th century and was once a royal home. We enjoyed the spa services, a lovely (maybe one of our best ever) dinners, toured the Roman Baths, the Bath Abbey featuring a beautiful Jacob’s Ladder on its façade, and the Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon followed by lunch in the famous Pump Room restaurant.
Enjoy the photos and look for the next blog entry highlighting Jennifer and Ben’s visit from Christmas to New Year’s Day!
http://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/RyeWaddesdonManorBath?authkey=Gv1sRgCL6SsvDjlv2teg&feat=directlink
Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were restful, joyful, peaceful, and memorable!
Yes!!!...we are still living in London, seeing the sights, traveling, and enjoying life. Our holidays, like yours were busy with parties, family, friends, visitors, and travels which is why I have neglected the blog for so long.
I inherited a wonderful book titled: Best Day Trips from London: 25 Great Escapes. This often serves as my travel guide and I have now been on 20 of the 25 trips. In November, before life got crazy, I traveled with a friend to the very “Ancient Town of Rye.” This small, charming, and historic town can be seen in a day. The highlights include the nearly 900 year old church which has a clock dating from 1561 and the 12th century Ypres Tower which was a fortified castle, later a prison, and now a museum
December was filled with Christmas Markets and Festivals modeled after the German tradition of open-air stalls selling food, crafts, toys, decorations, and gifts. There is entertainment, ice skating, and caroling and each one is unique and fun to visit so I spent many days with friends exploring these markets in London and the surrounding towns and villages. We also toured Waddesdon Manor which was built in the style of a French chateau by the Rothschild family, and is now managed by the National Trust. It was built between 1874 and 1889 and although it has some modern touches, it also has an extensive collection of French furniture, carpets, porcelain, and paintings plus being well known for its gardens and statuary. Since it was beautifully decorated for Christmas, many of the rooms were not accessible and the statues covered for the winter so I will definitely be returning in the warmer weather as there is much to see.
Our final trip before we got into the full swing of the holidays was celebrating Rick’s birthday with a trip to Bath, the home of the most famous Roman Baths and the first spa resort. The city is designated a World Heritage Site and it well known for its Georgian architecture and distinctly beautiful Royal Crescent which makes it one of England’s most beautiful cities. We treated ourselves to a relaxing weekend at the Royal Crescent Hotel that was built in the late 18th century and was once a royal home. We enjoyed the spa services, a lovely (maybe one of our best ever) dinners, toured the Roman Baths, the Bath Abbey featuring a beautiful Jacob’s Ladder on its façade, and the Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon followed by lunch in the famous Pump Room restaurant.
Enjoy the photos and look for the next blog entry highlighting Jennifer and Ben’s visit from Christmas to New Year’s Day!
http://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/RyeWaddesdonManorBath?authkey=Gv1sRgCL6SsvDjlv2teg&feat=directlink
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Rome
October 28-31
Rick and I spent a wonderful weekend in Rome. For those of you who have enjoyed time in Rome, you might want to skip the photo portion of the blog…we took 400 pictures and I managed to cut it to 176.
We took a night flight on Thursday and checked into our little hotel room right near The Spanish Steps. On the advice of veteran Rome travelers, we pre-booked our Vatican tickets and after a short Metro ride, we were able to walk right in to the Vatican Museums and bypass the lines that already wrapped around the buildings on two sides. The Vatican Museums are truly incredible and defy description…more statues then you ever imagined and galleries that surround you with works of art…even on the ceilings! We took a self-guided tour and after about 2 ½ hours, we made our way to the Sistine Chapel, the only part of the tour where photos are not allowed. It is everything you ever imagined and more. We spent close to an hour just listening to our audio guide and observing all aspects of the masterpieces before heading to St. Peter’s Basilica…again, words cannot begin to describe! Since our arrival in London, we have been in loads of cathedrals and have been in awe of many but they would all easily fit inside St. Peter’s and nothing even comes close to its magnificence!!! We took a few pictures but how do you capture the enormity…both in size and grandeur!!! We left the interior and got in the queue to climb the 320 steps to the top of the dome and gallery around the cupola where we were greeted by more awesome sights!
By the time we left Vatican City, it was late in the afternoon and we were in need of a glass of wine and some cheese so we headed to Piazza Navona and enjoyed the sights and sounds as the day turned to dusk. We took Rick Steves’ advice and one of his evening strolls and saw The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps. There are so many wonderful restaurants and we happened into one near our hotel…if you are ever in Rome we can recommend Ristorante Mario on Via della Vite…they will treat you like family. It is, in fact, family owned…the mother greets you at the door, the son seats you, the father oversees all the tables and makes sure that everyone feels welcome and satisfied and the place is filled with families who obviously eat there often. Rick’s lasagna was great but my pasta was worth coming back for! It was soooo good that we booked a table for the next night and we were greeted with a special starter that our waiter ordered just for us. Dinner and dessert were every bit as good as the first night and when we left we were presented with a small book about the restaurant, Mario, and some of the special recipes…all in Italian (anyone want to translate???)!!!
Saturday, we had a wonderful tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Again, we took the good advice of friends and family and pre-booked a tour. Our guide had a degree in history and gave great information and commentary while skillfully guiding us to the exact right spot to stand for the best views of all that is there. After 3 hours, we were free to explore on our own before we headed to one of Jennifer and Ben’s recommended restaurants: Ristorante Al Cardello…again filled with people who seem well known to the staff and food that is worth returning for. After lunch we found that we were at only steps away from St. Peter-in-Chains church were we saw Michelangelo’s Moses and the chains which are in a glass case below the altar. We then proceeded to see all of the churches, columns, and piazzas that Rick Steves describes stopping only to enjoy a serving (or two) of gelato!
Sunday, we checked out of our room and headed out for brunch and I agreed to eat pizza if we could have it with Prosecco since those were the only remaining Italian food groups that we had not sampled! Then we went in search of The Great Synagogue and Jewish Museum of Rome. The museum and history of the Cinque Scole (five schools) is fascinating and we again had a very knowledgeable guide in the synagogue which is closely guarded and can only be viewed with a guide. The synagogue is not ancient but it does sit on the edge of the Jewish Ghetto which has been completely demolished but is remembered in the museum. Leaving there, we happened upon the Teatro di Marcello and several other archeological areas and thoroughly enjoyed our explorations before it was time to collect our stuff and head for the airport.
Enjoy the photos….
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/Rome?authkey=Gv1sRgCKyPqsnZr-W7nQE&feat=directlink
Rick and I spent a wonderful weekend in Rome. For those of you who have enjoyed time in Rome, you might want to skip the photo portion of the blog…we took 400 pictures and I managed to cut it to 176.
We took a night flight on Thursday and checked into our little hotel room right near The Spanish Steps. On the advice of veteran Rome travelers, we pre-booked our Vatican tickets and after a short Metro ride, we were able to walk right in to the Vatican Museums and bypass the lines that already wrapped around the buildings on two sides. The Vatican Museums are truly incredible and defy description…more statues then you ever imagined and galleries that surround you with works of art…even on the ceilings! We took a self-guided tour and after about 2 ½ hours, we made our way to the Sistine Chapel, the only part of the tour where photos are not allowed. It is everything you ever imagined and more. We spent close to an hour just listening to our audio guide and observing all aspects of the masterpieces before heading to St. Peter’s Basilica…again, words cannot begin to describe! Since our arrival in London, we have been in loads of cathedrals and have been in awe of many but they would all easily fit inside St. Peter’s and nothing even comes close to its magnificence!!! We took a few pictures but how do you capture the enormity…both in size and grandeur!!! We left the interior and got in the queue to climb the 320 steps to the top of the dome and gallery around the cupola where we were greeted by more awesome sights!
By the time we left Vatican City, it was late in the afternoon and we were in need of a glass of wine and some cheese so we headed to Piazza Navona and enjoyed the sights and sounds as the day turned to dusk. We took Rick Steves’ advice and one of his evening strolls and saw The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps. There are so many wonderful restaurants and we happened into one near our hotel…if you are ever in Rome we can recommend Ristorante Mario on Via della Vite…they will treat you like family. It is, in fact, family owned…the mother greets you at the door, the son seats you, the father oversees all the tables and makes sure that everyone feels welcome and satisfied and the place is filled with families who obviously eat there often. Rick’s lasagna was great but my pasta was worth coming back for! It was soooo good that we booked a table for the next night and we were greeted with a special starter that our waiter ordered just for us. Dinner and dessert were every bit as good as the first night and when we left we were presented with a small book about the restaurant, Mario, and some of the special recipes…all in Italian (anyone want to translate???)!!!
Saturday, we had a wonderful tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Again, we took the good advice of friends and family and pre-booked a tour. Our guide had a degree in history and gave great information and commentary while skillfully guiding us to the exact right spot to stand for the best views of all that is there. After 3 hours, we were free to explore on our own before we headed to one of Jennifer and Ben’s recommended restaurants: Ristorante Al Cardello…again filled with people who seem well known to the staff and food that is worth returning for. After lunch we found that we were at only steps away from St. Peter-in-Chains church were we saw Michelangelo’s Moses and the chains which are in a glass case below the altar. We then proceeded to see all of the churches, columns, and piazzas that Rick Steves describes stopping only to enjoy a serving (or two) of gelato!
Sunday, we checked out of our room and headed out for brunch and I agreed to eat pizza if we could have it with Prosecco since those were the only remaining Italian food groups that we had not sampled! Then we went in search of The Great Synagogue and Jewish Museum of Rome. The museum and history of the Cinque Scole (five schools) is fascinating and we again had a very knowledgeable guide in the synagogue which is closely guarded and can only be viewed with a guide. The synagogue is not ancient but it does sit on the edge of the Jewish Ghetto which has been completely demolished but is remembered in the museum. Leaving there, we happened upon the Teatro di Marcello and several other archeological areas and thoroughly enjoyed our explorations before it was time to collect our stuff and head for the airport.
Enjoy the photos….
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/Rome?authkey=Gv1sRgCKyPqsnZr-W7nQE&feat=directlink
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
The Cotswolds
October 21-24
Rick and I spent three lovely days in an area of England know as the Cotswolds. This is a range of limestone hills covering an area of over 700 square miles and encompassing hundreds of ancient villages each with an individual character. The typical features are:
· Buildings made of Cotswold stone: yellow/gold toned limestone that is soft and easily carved when first quarried but grows harder with age as it turns darker and sometimes grey
· The typical Cotswold cottage has split stone tiles covering the steeply pitched roof and a timber door
· Drystone walls crisscross the fields of grazing sheep
· Sheep dominate the landscape as the economy of the area was originally based on the medieval wool trade and this wealth was responsible for the building of the many churches known as “wool churches”
It is impossible to describe the beauty of this area so the pictures will tell the story….
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/TheCotswolds?authkey=Gv1sRgCJzV4e_N6ZHkRw&feat=directlink
Rick and I spent three lovely days in an area of England know as the Cotswolds. This is a range of limestone hills covering an area of over 700 square miles and encompassing hundreds of ancient villages each with an individual character. The typical features are:
· Buildings made of Cotswold stone: yellow/gold toned limestone that is soft and easily carved when first quarried but grows harder with age as it turns darker and sometimes grey
· The typical Cotswold cottage has split stone tiles covering the steeply pitched roof and a timber door
· Drystone walls crisscross the fields of grazing sheep
· Sheep dominate the landscape as the economy of the area was originally based on the medieval wool trade and this wealth was responsible for the building of the many churches known as “wool churches”
It is impossible to describe the beauty of this area so the pictures will tell the story….
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/TheCotswolds?authkey=Gv1sRgCJzV4e_N6ZHkRw&feat=directlink
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
October Travels
October 15-17 we traveled by train to Bruges, Belgium which is just an hour further than Brussels and has a famed historical centre that is listed as a World Heritage site. The medieval city streets are filled with cobblestones and lined with landmarks, monuments, and basilicas dating from the 12th century.
This was such an easy trip to plan…for the first time we used a company that combines rail travel and hotel accommodations into one inclusive package. We were able to book online and have all of our travel documents delivered to our flat. We had a choice of hotels and were advised to choose a boutique hotel with only 20 beautiful rooms and a warm and friendly staff. There was a cozy lounge where we had coffee each evening, a beautiful and snug bar, and the fabulous Restaurant Le Mystique where we had quite probably the best dinner we have ever eaten!!!
Our hotel was just a short walk from the city centre so we went there immediately after checking in to our room. While it rained softly, we sat under a canopy at one of the many cafés surrounding the market square and shared a late dinner of Moules & Frites (mussels and fries), looked across the square at the famous belfry, and sipped our wine.
Saturday, following breakfast in our hotel we returned to the Grote Markt to see all the sights, enjoy a canal ride, and explore all of the churches, basilicas, and the famous cathedral all the while sampling Belgium chocolates. After lunch we had a great walk to the outskirts of the historic center to The Minnewater, a lake surrounded by parkland which was once the city harbor and is the source of the canals which run through the city. There are breathtaking views and a refuge for the city’s numerous swans. Sunday we walked to the edge of the historic centre to get a close-up view of the windmills lining the canal. We explored all the remaining streets and enjoyed the architecture of this quaint city. We returned to our favorite café, this time to sit in the sun and enjoy a lunch of traditional Flemish stew. Too soon, we were back at our hotel having coffee and chocolates in front of the fire for one last time before heading to the train station and back to London.
http://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/Brugges?authkey=Gv1sRgCKHkpeWQiqy_YA&feat=directlink
This was such an easy trip to plan…for the first time we used a company that combines rail travel and hotel accommodations into one inclusive package. We were able to book online and have all of our travel documents delivered to our flat. We had a choice of hotels and were advised to choose a boutique hotel with only 20 beautiful rooms and a warm and friendly staff. There was a cozy lounge where we had coffee each evening, a beautiful and snug bar, and the fabulous Restaurant Le Mystique where we had quite probably the best dinner we have ever eaten!!!
Our hotel was just a short walk from the city centre so we went there immediately after checking in to our room. While it rained softly, we sat under a canopy at one of the many cafés surrounding the market square and shared a late dinner of Moules & Frites (mussels and fries), looked across the square at the famous belfry, and sipped our wine.
Saturday, following breakfast in our hotel we returned to the Grote Markt to see all the sights, enjoy a canal ride, and explore all of the churches, basilicas, and the famous cathedral all the while sampling Belgium chocolates. After lunch we had a great walk to the outskirts of the historic center to The Minnewater, a lake surrounded by parkland which was once the city harbor and is the source of the canals which run through the city. There are breathtaking views and a refuge for the city’s numerous swans. Sunday we walked to the edge of the historic centre to get a close-up view of the windmills lining the canal. We explored all the remaining streets and enjoyed the architecture of this quaint city. We returned to our favorite café, this time to sit in the sun and enjoy a lunch of traditional Flemish stew. Too soon, we were back at our hotel having coffee and chocolates in front of the fire for one last time before heading to the train station and back to London.
http://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/Brugges?authkey=Gv1sRgCKHkpeWQiqy_YA&feat=directlink
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
September Sightseeing
September 17-25
September was a memorable month in our London Adventure. First of all, I returned to Atlanta for 3 weeks in August and this marked my first return to my London home. I found that as great as it was to be in my Atlanta home, London now feels like home too!!!
September was also the month when Erin and Matt visited us for a week and we got to celebrate Erin’s birthday at Nobu where Matt ate sushi for the first time and proclaimed it “not too bad!!!”
Enjoying all the London sights only gets better when the experience is shared with family and friends. Rick worked many of the days during Erin and Matt’s visit so I got to see all the usual attractions with them and when Rick was able to join us we explored many new sights. On a day trip to Cambridge we experienced the two “must do” events that this city offers. First we took a guided Punting Tour on the River Cam where we saw the famous Cambridge College “Backs” from a traditional Cambridge Punt. Our guide, a 20 year old college student, talked about the college landmarks as we leisurely passed by them. The punt is a flat-bottomed boat which is propelled by pushing against the river bed with a pole. Many tourists choose to rent a punt and navigate the river on their own but I am not sure why you would want to do that…it looked neither relaxing nor safe to us especially as we passed a woman, holding a baby, while attempting to punt and was actually traveling down the river sideways (there is so much wrong with that picture…I can’t even comment)!!! We also took a guided walking tour of Cambridge College where we saw all the famous buildings and several chapels while hearing stories of the notable people connected to this historic university.
Another highlight of Erin and Matt’s visit was our tour of the Buckingham Palace State Rooms. Buckingham Palace is only open for tours during August and September when the Queen is on vacation at Balmoral so we were excited that we were able to share this experience with them. There is really no way to describe the interior of a working royal palace!!! It is beautiful and grand and everywhere there are treasures of furniture, porcelain, and painting by masters.
For a totally different experience, we visited The Churchill War Rooms. Again, this is a unique museum housed in the underground complex that was the British government command centre throughout the Second World War. The complex, located beneath the Treasury building in the Whitehall area, became operational in August 1939, shortly before the outbreak of war in Europe. The War Rooms remained in operation throughout the Second World War and were abandoned in August 1945 after the surrender of Japan. The rooms have been restored to the state they would have been in during their period of use and this is one of those museums where “history comes alive.”
Of course their visit ended much too soon! Since then Rick and I have been making plans to see as much as possible in October when the weather is still nice enough to enjoy! Stay tuned for the next blog when I describe our trips to Brugges, The Cotswolds, and Rome!!!
Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/ErinAndMattInLondon?authkey=Gv1sRgCN7_0cbs1YDz6gE&feat=directlink
September was a memorable month in our London Adventure. First of all, I returned to Atlanta for 3 weeks in August and this marked my first return to my London home. I found that as great as it was to be in my Atlanta home, London now feels like home too!!!
September was also the month when Erin and Matt visited us for a week and we got to celebrate Erin’s birthday at Nobu where Matt ate sushi for the first time and proclaimed it “not too bad!!!”
Enjoying all the London sights only gets better when the experience is shared with family and friends. Rick worked many of the days during Erin and Matt’s visit so I got to see all the usual attractions with them and when Rick was able to join us we explored many new sights. On a day trip to Cambridge we experienced the two “must do” events that this city offers. First we took a guided Punting Tour on the River Cam where we saw the famous Cambridge College “Backs” from a traditional Cambridge Punt. Our guide, a 20 year old college student, talked about the college landmarks as we leisurely passed by them. The punt is a flat-bottomed boat which is propelled by pushing against the river bed with a pole. Many tourists choose to rent a punt and navigate the river on their own but I am not sure why you would want to do that…it looked neither relaxing nor safe to us especially as we passed a woman, holding a baby, while attempting to punt and was actually traveling down the river sideways (there is so much wrong with that picture…I can’t even comment)!!! We also took a guided walking tour of Cambridge College where we saw all the famous buildings and several chapels while hearing stories of the notable people connected to this historic university.
Another highlight of Erin and Matt’s visit was our tour of the Buckingham Palace State Rooms. Buckingham Palace is only open for tours during August and September when the Queen is on vacation at Balmoral so we were excited that we were able to share this experience with them. There is really no way to describe the interior of a working royal palace!!! It is beautiful and grand and everywhere there are treasures of furniture, porcelain, and painting by masters.
For a totally different experience, we visited The Churchill War Rooms. Again, this is a unique museum housed in the underground complex that was the British government command centre throughout the Second World War. The complex, located beneath the Treasury building in the Whitehall area, became operational in August 1939, shortly before the outbreak of war in Europe. The War Rooms remained in operation throughout the Second World War and were abandoned in August 1945 after the surrender of Japan. The rooms have been restored to the state they would have been in during their period of use and this is one of those museums where “history comes alive.”
Of course their visit ended much too soon! Since then Rick and I have been making plans to see as much as possible in October when the weather is still nice enough to enjoy! Stay tuned for the next blog when I describe our trips to Brugges, The Cotswolds, and Rome!!!
Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/ErinAndMattInLondon?authkey=Gv1sRgCN7_0cbs1YDz6gE&feat=directlink
Monday, 4 October 2010
Housekeeping
August
August is the month that I will call “housekeeping!”
Rick and I moved into our new flat and organized our closets…yes, I did say closets although technically they are called wardrobes in London…but whatever, we now have five of them...we are practically giddy!!! We also have a proper kitchen and a garden…it’s really just a small enclosed patio on the lower ground level and a deck on the ground level but here they like to call any outdoor space a garden.
I flew to Atlanta two weeks ahead of Rick and after just a few days at home my ground floor air conditioner was struck by lighting taking with it the garage door openers, telephones, and cable modem. So the next several days were spent with the insurance adjuster and the installers.
Meanwhile, we were conducting a covert operation to put the final touches on our plans for Erin’s surprise party celebrating the end of her year of Breast Cancer treatment. This was actually the highlight of our time in Atlanta and the reason we chose to be there in the scorching month of August. Erin was surprised as 75 of her family and friends gathered to remind her once again just how much we all love, admire, and support her.
Another of my tasks was to meet with the movers and packers and gather and organize the additional goods that would be our one and only shipment of stuff from the US to the UK.
There was time to visit with family and friends although not nearly enough as I do miss you with all my heart.
Returning to London in September, I got to meet the movers and unpackers and get the rest of our stuff situated in our flat then spent the better part of a day having a satellite dish installed.
I purchased a few necessary items to make our guest room comfortable for our first visitors (Erin and Matt arrived just 8 days later) and added a few items to my list of “things you should not carry home on a 13 block walk”…these include a floor lamp and lamp shade, linens for two bedrooms, and 6 bottles of wine when you already have 3 bags of groceries!!!
Finally, Rick and I purchased 25 plants to fill the containers in our garden. Rick is obviously the ‘brains” of this operation as he hailed a taxi for our trip home from the garden center. This activity was worth all the effort as our garden is now neat and tidy with lovely plants that remind us of home while embracing our new environment....camelias, hydrangeas, ferns, lavender, and herbs.
August is the month that I will call “housekeeping!”
Rick and I moved into our new flat and organized our closets…yes, I did say closets although technically they are called wardrobes in London…but whatever, we now have five of them...we are practically giddy!!! We also have a proper kitchen and a garden…it’s really just a small enclosed patio on the lower ground level and a deck on the ground level but here they like to call any outdoor space a garden.
I flew to Atlanta two weeks ahead of Rick and after just a few days at home my ground floor air conditioner was struck by lighting taking with it the garage door openers, telephones, and cable modem. So the next several days were spent with the insurance adjuster and the installers.
Meanwhile, we were conducting a covert operation to put the final touches on our plans for Erin’s surprise party celebrating the end of her year of Breast Cancer treatment. This was actually the highlight of our time in Atlanta and the reason we chose to be there in the scorching month of August. Erin was surprised as 75 of her family and friends gathered to remind her once again just how much we all love, admire, and support her.
Another of my tasks was to meet with the movers and packers and gather and organize the additional goods that would be our one and only shipment of stuff from the US to the UK.
There was time to visit with family and friends although not nearly enough as I do miss you with all my heart.
Returning to London in September, I got to meet the movers and unpackers and get the rest of our stuff situated in our flat then spent the better part of a day having a satellite dish installed.
I purchased a few necessary items to make our guest room comfortable for our first visitors (Erin and Matt arrived just 8 days later) and added a few items to my list of “things you should not carry home on a 13 block walk”…these include a floor lamp and lamp shade, linens for two bedrooms, and 6 bottles of wine when you already have 3 bags of groceries!!!
Finally, Rick and I purchased 25 plants to fill the containers in our garden. Rick is obviously the ‘brains” of this operation as he hailed a taxi for our trip home from the garden center. This activity was worth all the effort as our garden is now neat and tidy with lovely plants that remind us of home while embracing our new environment....camelias, hydrangeas, ferns, lavender, and herbs.
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