Italy Part Three: Venice

Hello Blog Readers!

As I said in my last post we caught our train from Florence to Venice. When we arrived in Venice we dropped our bags off at the inn, stopped for a pizza lunch, and then checked into our inn, the Casa del Melograno. Kathleen wasn't feeling to well so she had a nap. After she woke up we went for supper. After supper we walked through the neighbourhood for a bit and then spent the remainder of the evening relaxing at the inn.

The next morning we had breakfast at the inn and then started to explore Venice. Our first destination was the La Fenice, an opera house, that has burned several times, but has always been restored to its original state. After the opera house we continued down the streets and saw many beautiful churches on our way to the Piazza San Marco. The piazza is home to many of Venice's major attractions such as the Basilica di San Marco, the Palazzo Ducale (the Doge's Palace), and the Campanile (the basilica's bell tower). We walked through the piazza and took many pictures and then took the trip up the bell tower where we saw the beautiful view of Venice. After coming down from the tower we continued our way down the streets of Venice and saw many more sights such as the Scala Contarini del Bovolo which is a five storey spiral staircase attached to a palace. We then had lunch before crossing the Ponte di Rialto over the Grand Canal. On the other side of the canal we first saw one of the largest churches in the city, the Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and then continued onto the La Dogana da Mar and the Santa Maria della Salute (the church of Saint Mary of Health).  After finishing our sightseeing we stopped for a supper of salad and pizza and then went back to our inn for the night.

The next day we walked to the north side of Venice to catch a boat to the island of Murano, famous for its glassmaking. We wandered through Murano and looked at the many glass selling shops and glass sculptures Murano is famous for. We then went to the Glass Museum and saw many more modern and ancient glass of Murano. After lunch and a thorough walk through the streets of Murano we caught the next boat to the island of Burano. The main features of Burano is the multi coloured houses and its lacemaking. After the short stop in Burano we caught the boat back to Venice where we again had a supper of salad and pizza. We then returned back to the inn for the day.

Our final morning in Venice we were up early for breakfast and then we were off to the Venice Marco Polo Airport. Our plane took off shortly after lunch and we arrived back in London. We had supper in London before catching the train back to Ipswich and then on to Melton. We had an amazing time in Italy and can't wait for our next trip! Thanks for reading!

Till next time,
Rocky

Italy Part Two: Florence

Hello Again Everyone,

As I said in my last post I will continue telling you about our adventures in Italy. So, our last morning in Rome we left the hostel bright and early and caught our train to Florence. Upon arriving in Florence we headed straight to the Florence Youth Hostel. After dropping off our bags we found a little pizza restaurant and had lunch. While eating we had a perfect view across the square of replicas of many famous statues including Michelangelo's David. When we left the restaurant we walked through some of the neighbourhoods and went to the Museo del Bargello. At the museum we saw some of Florence's best artwork and statuary. After leaving the museum we went and saw the Florence Cathedral, also known as the Duomo. We explored the inside of the cathedral for a while before returning to the hostel to check in. We then returned to the cathedral area and climbed Giotto's Campanile. The campanile is the cathedral's bell tower, and after Kathleen and I climbed the 414 steps to the top we had a beautiful view of the city. Upon descending the bell tower Kathleen did some shopping and then we had some more pizza and pasta at another local restaurant. After finishing supper we headed back to the hostel and had a relaxing evening before going to bed.

The next morning we were up early to catch the bus for our Tuscany tour. Our first stop was Siena. The first thing we learned about the city was its bi-annual horse race named the Palio which takes place at the centre of the city at the Piazza del Campo. Our tour guide informed us that its such a fast race with such sharp corners that it isn't uncommon for riders to fall off their horses during the race. The second thing we saw in Siena was the Sienna Cathedral. With its many different coloured marble columns and its interior mosaics it was easily the most beautiful cathedral we've seen since we came to Europe. We then got back on the bus and headed towards a tour restaurant and winery for lunch. When we arrived at the winery we had a tour of the winery itself and were shown how the wine was made and how it was stored. We then had lunch which was the most delicious meal I had in Italy. It was made up of four different courses including pasta and toast with olive oil, salad, meat and cheese, and dessert. Each course came with a different kind of wine including 2 red wines, a white wine, and a dessert wine. The next destination, San Gimignano, was beautiful with its 14 towers and medieval wall. Kathleen and I walked around, ate gelato, and enjoyed the many views the town had to offer. Continuing down the road about an hour and a half we reached Pisa. We took a road train to the Piazza del Duomo, also known as the Field of Miracles, where we saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Firstly, after getting off the road train, we did what every tourist does and took the picture that makes you look like your holding up or pushing down the tower. We then climbed the 296 steps to the top of the tower and had an amazing view of Pisa. After descending the tower we took the road train back to the bus and then were on our way back to Florence. When we arrived back in Florence we had supper and then went back to the hostel. The next morning we caught our train to Venice, but I'll tell you about that in my last post about Italy.

Until then,
Rocky

Italy Part One: Rome

Buon giorno Everyone!

How's everyone doing? Last time I wrote we talked about Scotland. Now I'm going to tell you all about Kathleen and I's ten day trip to Italy. I'm going to divide the blog post up into three different posts because we saw a lot in Italy. So, I'll start with Rome. Kathleen and I started our trip the same as we start many of our other trips with the walk to Melton, the train into Ipswich, and then the train into London. When we got to London we took the Tube to London Gatwick Airport. From there we took a bus to our nearby hotel. By the time we got to our hotel it was very late at night and we ended up getting about 3-4 hours of sleep before waking up and heading back to the airport. When we got back to the airport we had breakfast and then caught our plane to Rome.

Flying into Italy was a fairly short flight and had great views of the Swiss Alps. When we landed in Rome we took the train into the city centre and walked to our hostel, The Mamma Mia B&B. After checking in we walked a few blocks to the ancient city centre of Rome. We first went to a nearby cafe and had our lunch. After lunch we went to the Roman Forum. At the forum we saw many ancient buildings and structures such as the Temple of Vesta, the Rostra, and the Temple of Caesar. After touring throughout the forum we went to the Colosseum. The Colosseum was amazing and not in to bad of shape for being 2000 years old. It was by far the most pictures I took of any one single thing while I was in Italy. After taking a tour of the outside and inside of the Colosseum we walked by Trajan's Forum and Trajan's Column. The column was made to commemorate Emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars. After that we headed on to our last tourist stop of the day, The Vittoriano. The Vittoriano, or the Victor Emmanuel Monument, was built as a tribute to the first King of a united Italy. We walked throughout the monument and then headed for our first of many pizza restaurants that we would eat at while in Italy. After supper we headed back to the hostel and got ready for our next day.

The next day we got up and had breakfast at the hostel and then headed out for our first full day in Rome. Our first stop was the Domus Aurea, the remains of Emperor Nero's Golden House, which we soon found out, by the locked gates, was closed due to water damage. We then headed past the Colosseum to the Circus Maximus, the ancient chariot racing stadium. After viewing the Circus Maximus for a bit we continued on to the Palatine Hill. The Palatine Hill had many things to see such as the remains of the House of Augustus. After spending much time on the Palatine Hill in the pouring rain we proceeded to the Mamertine Prison. The Mamertine Prison was a prison for Rome's high profile prisoners such as Vercingetorix, the chieftain of the Gauls, and the first pope, St. Peter. After a very informative tour of the prison we had paninis for lunch and then visited the Capitoline Hill Museums. The museums are home to some of Rome's most ancient artifacts and statues. The most famous however is the statue of the Capitoline Wolf suckling Remus and Romulus. Upon leaving the museums, after seeing many great works of art, we headed to the Pantheon. We walked through the Pantheon, the home of the tomb of the painter Raphael, and then had what would be the first of many gelatos in the square out front. After finishing our gelatos we walked through the neighbourhoods and shops towards the Spanish Steps. We relaxed on the steps for a while and then went to our last stop of the day, the Trevi Fountain. We admired the fountain for a bit and then I made one of the best decisions I've ever made. I reached into my pocket, pulled out an engagement ring, got down on one knee, and then asked Kathleen to marry me. She said yes and it was the best moment of my life. After sitting for a while at the fountain, and taking many pictures of the ring, and taking in the moment we continued on to have supper which ended up being pizza and pasta. When we were done supper we went back to the hostel.

The third day of our trip we continued our adventures by having a full day at  the Vatican City. On our way there we passed by the Piazza Navona, the square with the Fountain of Neptune and also the Fountain of the Four Rivers. We also passed the Castel Sant'Angelo but it was closed so we decided to go the next day. When we got to the Vatican City, the world's smallest country, we first visited St. Peter's Basilica. After a while of touring the inside and outside grounds we went for lunch at a pizza place. After a delicious pizza lunch we went to the Vatican Museums including the Sistine Chapel. Just hearing about all these places all your life and then experiencing it in person was absolutely amazing. On concluding our walk of the museums we had gelato and then headed back in the direction of our hostel. On the way back we walked through a few shops, Kathleen looked for shoes in her size while I looked at different souvenirs. We then went for supper and had, you guessed it, pizza and pasta (you know I don't think I could ever get tired of Roman style pizza and pasta). We then went back to hostel and spent the remainder of the day relaxing.

Our last full day in Rome we went and saw everything else we wanted to see that we didn't get to see the first three days. We started off the day at the Castel Sant'Angelo because it was closed the previous day. The Castel Sant'Angelo was first created as Emperor Hadrian's Mausoleum and used later by the popes as a fortress and castle. It was awesome to see the resting place of Emperor Hadrian, his family, and other emperors. After a thorough tour of the castle we walked along the Tiber and past the Mausoleum of Augustus which was not open to tourists, but was amazing to see the tomb of so many emperors and their families from the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Continuing on we had lunch at a pizza restaurant in front of the Pantheon. We then walked past the Trevi Fountain to our next destination, the Crypt of the Capuchin Monks. The crypt is made up of six different rooms and each room has different parts of the skeleton displayed in it. Frommer's once described it as "one of the most horrifying images in all of Christendom." The only words that Kathleen and I could come up with when we left the crypt was "Well that was weird." Anyway, we continued on our way and stopped at Giolitti, and had some more gelato and ate it in front of the Pantheon. Since we were there we revisited the Pantheon and took some more pictures. Afterwards we went for supper where I had some of the best carbonara pasta I think I've ever had. We then went back to the hostel and went to bed early so we could get up early the next morning.


The next morning we caught a 7am bus tour to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. Our tour drove through many places on the way including Naples. Our tour guide described every region and town that we went through in great detail. When we reached Pompeii we had a Pompeiian guide and he told us about how Mount Vesuvius had erupted back in 79 AD burying Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum under 4-6 meters of ash and pumice. It was only in 1749 that the town was rediscovered being relatively well preserved. After a very informative tour we drove to a nearby coastal town for lunch where Kathleen and I took a walk in the Mediterranean Sea. We then walked back to the bus and continued our way back up the Amalfi Coast. On our way we stopped at another small town, home of a Bill Gates owned hotel, known for it's lemons and picked up some lemon drop candies. We then proceeded on and were shown different vacation residences of celebrities Sylvester Stallone and also Denzel Washington. We then carried on up the coast and arrived back in Rome where Kathleen and I had a late supper and then went back to the hostel. The next morning we caught our train to Florence, but I'll tell you all about that in my next post. I had one of the best times of my life in Rome and I truly hope I can go back some day.

Till my next post,
Rocky

3 Days in Scotland!

Hi Everyone!

Kathleen and I went to Scotland on Saturday morning and got back last night, so I'm going to tell you all about it. We woke up bright and early on Saturday morning and Hilary, who just happen to be going to Cambridge at the same time, dropped us off at the Melton train station. There we began our 7 hour train ride to Edinburgh. On arriving in Edinburgh we went to the main attraction of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle. The castle was amazing! There were so many things to see within the castle walls such as the Scottish National War Memorial, The Scottish National War Museum, The Honours of Scotland, and the Mons Meg cannon which could fire a gunstone almost two miles. After leaving the castle we went down the street to the Tartan Weaving Mill. At the mill you could buy tartans and different souvenirs and also get your picture taken in different kinds of Scottish wear.  We then checked into our hostel, the Art Roch Hostel, and then went for supper across the street at the Made in Italy restaurant. When we were done our supper we walked to the Haggis Adventures Tour office to make sure we knew where it was so we would have no problem the next morning finding it. After finding it we browsed some more tartan shops and found Kathleen a scarf made of the Kerr Clan tartan. Afterwords we went back to the hostel, played some cards, and then went to bed.

The next morning we got up and headed to the Haggis Adventures Tour office. Upon arriving at the office we checked in for our tour and then were on our way for our Loch Ness Hunter day tour. After leaving Edinburgh our first stop was at Trossachs Woollen Mill at Kilmahog where we had breakfast and met Hamish the Highland Coo and his girlfriend Heather and baby, Honey. Before continuing I just thought I'd let you know that a "Coo" is a cow, a "Ben" is a mountain, a "Loch" is a lake, and a "Glen" is a valley. Our next stop was Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles at 4409 feet. After taking many pictures of the area we were on our way to our main stop, the Loch Ness. On the way to Loch Ness, and through out the tour, our tour guide proved very informative and told us many things about Scottish heritage. He told us about William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, Scottish/English wars, what clans held what territories, and general clan history. When we reached Loch Ness we had a bag lunch provided to us from the tour itself and then had a little free time before our boat tour of Loch Ness. We took the boat tour with Cruise Loch Ness and learned new things from the boat tour guide about the Loch Ness and Nessie. After our hour long boat tour we returned to the bus and headed back to Edinburgh. On our way back to Edinburgh we stopped at the Commando Memorial which is a memorial dedicated to the British Commando Forces of World War II. After leaving the memorial we got back on the bus and returned to Edinburgh. When we got back to Edinburgh we had supper at the Filling Station Restaurant where I had haggis, and it was delicious. After supper we walked around Edinburgh for a while and then headed back to the hostel where we played table tennis and pool (or at least tried to), watched a bit of television, and then went to sleep.

The next morning, because I liked the haggis so much, we ate at the same restaurant where I had a traditional Scottish breakfast of haggis, fried egg, bacon, and beans. After breakfast we stopped at a few different shops of which I bought a couple ties made of the Graham Clan tartan. We then hopped on a Edinburgh Tour bus and explored more of Edinburgh. After the tour we had lunch and then caught the train back to Melton. It was an awesome experience and we learned so much about Scottish history.

Till next time,
Rocky

Paris!

Bonjour Everyone,


Late last night I got home from one of the greatest weekend trips I've ever taken. Kathleen and I spent two full days in Paris, France and I'm going to tell you all about it. We left Friday night after Kathleen got home from work and took the train to London from which we took an overnight bus trip through the Chunnel to Paris. We left London very late Friday night and arrived in Paris early Saturday morning. When we got to the Paris coach terminal we took the Paris Metro(subway station) directly to the tour agency. From the tour agency we took the tour bus to the Palace of Versailles. The Palace of Versailles was absolutely amazing! There was so much to see from the palace itself to the numerous fountains and gardens. We first took a tour through the palace and saw the different rooms in the apartments of the King and Queen and the Hall of Mirrors. After exiting the palace we walked through the garden with its many fountains and statues. After walking through the garden we went to the nearby Little Venice Restaurant for lunch and had a great meal. When we were done lunch we walked through the Grand Trianon and Marie-Antoinette's Estate. We then took the bus back to Paris and found our hotel, The Hotel Armstrong, and then had supper and went to bed.

The next day, which also happened to be Kathleen and I's fourth anniversary, we got up bright and early and headed to our first tour of the day. We first went to the Louvre Museum, the biggest museum in the world. At the Louvre we saw many original masterpieces such as the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, and the Coronation of Napoleon. Upon leaving the Louvre we took a boat tour down the River Seine toward the Eiffel Tower. Arriving at the Eiffel Tower I couldn't believe how huge it was. I mean I always knew it was big but you never really appreciate it till you see it in real life. We were very thankful for being part of a tour because you know when I said the Eiffel Tower was huge well you should of seen the non-tour line, it was enormous. Anyway, we took the elevator to the first floor of the Eiffel Tower where we had lunch at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant where Kathleen had dessert before her meal (take that Momsy Kerr). We then exited through the gift shop and proceeded to take more pictures of a single object, the tower itself, than I have ever taken before. When we were done taking pictures we got back on the river boat and headed to the last stop of our tour, Notre Dame Cathedral. At Notre Dame we saw some of the best architecture and stained glass windows I have ever seen. We then went for supper and then took a river tour plus a bus tour called Paris Illuminations. On the tours we saw what Paris looked like at night which is actually pretty amazing. We saw quite a few different attractions such as the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower all lit up. After Paris Illuminations we headed back to our hotel.

The next morning we got up and took a taxi to the coach station to begin our trip back to England. It ended up taking 12 hours to get home as we took the ferry, The Pride of Canterbury, and went through more customs checkpoints than I can count. We got home around 10 o'clock last night and were both exhausted, but we can't wait to see what adventure next awaits us.

Till next time,
Rocky

We went to Cambridge!

Hi Everyone!

When I last posted I told you about our three day tour around the London area. Now I'm going to tell you about our one day tour to Cambridge. The day after Thanksgiving Monday (yesterday) we woke up early and caught the train to Ipswich and then transfered to a train heading for Cambridge. Once arriving in Cambridge we wasted no time and headed straight to the River Cam. On our way to the river we noticed very many bikes. That is because no student that goes to Cambridge University can own a car in Cambridge because everything is in either walking or biking distance. At the River Cam we went on a punting tour. Now if you don't know what punting is (I thought it was what you did on a third or fourth down in football) I will explain it to you. Punting is like taking a gondola ride but a punt is wider than a gondola and holds more people. Anyway, we took a punting tour down the river and saw many of the old colleges at Cambridge, such as Queens' College and King's College (I know what your thinking, if you noticed, that when I said Queens' College the apostrophe is after the "s" that is because there were two queens that founded the college). Interesting fact about colleges at Cambridge, they are separate colleges but they all go to Cambridge University. The colleges themselves are what your accepted into and serve more as residences for students. So, every morning you get up and leave your college to go to university.

After the punting tour we took a two hour walking tour of Cambridge. I learned many new things like how Cambridge got it's name. There is a main bridge going over the River Cam. So, it's the Cam bridge(get it?). Anyway, during the tour we passed by the Eagle Pub where the scientists that discovered DNA, James Watson and Francis Crick, made there first announcement that they discovered DNA. Next we walked past a few labs and faculty buildings and arrived at Queens' College. I thought we were just going to walk past it but then realized we actually got to go in and tour the grounds, which was pretty amazing. The highlight for me was the Mathematical Bridge. From what I understood the bridge gets stronger the more weight you put on it, cool eh? After touring Queens' College we headed for King's College where we also got to tour the grounds and visit the King's College Chapel. The best part of the King's College tour for me was the chapel which started being built in 1446 by Henry VI and took over a century to finish. The Chapel is where the Christmas Eve service, A Festival of Nine Lessons, is held. The service is broadcast to millions around the world each year.

We concluded our tour by leaving the King's College grounds and went for supper at Pizza Hut(felt like having a taste of home). We then walked back to the National Railway Station and caught the train back to Ipswich and then onto Melton. By the way, hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are doing well.

Till next time,

Rocky

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I'm sure you have all noticed, it was Thanksgiving this weekend! We spent our Thanksgiving starting with a delightful day of sleeping in, reading books, watching TV, and generally doing nothing. Then, we took some Thanksgiving photo's, something that my family does every year.

Needless to say we had a delightful time! Next up was our "wonderful" Thanksgiving dinner...

Yeah, looks pretty good doesn't it? Yeah, it tasted about as good as it looks. However, we did get to have Rolo pudding for dessert, which is pretty much the best food we have had in England. They are seriously amazing. We eat way to many of them.

After supper we did some more nothing, Rocky got to talk to his dad and sister on Skype, then went to bed... only to get up at 12:30 (in the morning) to have "dinner" with my family, which was super great as we got to see everybody, though sad because we couldn't eat the lefsa that everyone was eating. Vicki, being the delightful sister that she is, made sure she showed us every bite that she was eating, and how delicious it was, so, yeah, thanks for that.

In other news, Karin gave us a waffle iron, so next weekend I'm making waffles! Should be super exciting. Karin asked if I wanted it, and I got really excited about it. She said that she didn't think that I cooked... and I said that I didn't but that I would for waffles. So hopefully that works out. Mom, if you're reading this and could send me your recipe, that would be great.

Anyways, I guess that is it for me. Rocky is going to do a blog about our trip today, and since everyone seems to like his blog posts better anyways (:P) I shall let him do it. 

Later days, 

Kathleen. 

Blog Crazy

Just a quick update to let you know that I have been posting on the Quilters Haven blog at work! You can check it out at http://quilters-haven.co.uk/blog/

Later days,
Kathleen

Our Three Day Tour Around England

Hi Everyone,

In my last blog I finished by telling you that I'd write about how our three day weekend around England went, so here it goes. After Kathleen got home from work on Friday we walked to the train station and caught the train to Ipswich and then transferred to a train to London from there. When we got to London it was getting pretty late so we booked into our hostel, went for supper, and then went to bed. The next morning we got up and got ready for the beginning of our three day adventure.

We caught the bus from the nearby Hilton London Paddington Hotel. That bus took us to Victoria Coach Station and we caught the tour bus from there. We found that our tour guide was very informative and gave the tour in both English and Japanese. Our first stop on the tour was Leeds Castle. The castle that they call "The Loveliest Castle in the World" lived up to it's name and was very beautiful. We learned that many people through time had lived there from as early as King Edward I of England in 1278 to as recent as Olive, Lady Baillie who bought the castle in 1926 and owned it until her death in 1974. After her death the castle was left to the Leeds Castle Foundation and officially opened to the public in 1976. After touring the castle Kathleen and I also tried out the castle's hedge maze and its bird aviary. When we were done there we jumped back on the bus and headed to our next destination which just happened to be the Canterbury Cathedral. When we got to the cathedral I was amazed by how big it was. It had the main sanctuary and then a whole bunch of individual chapels situated around it. It also had the crypt of past Canterbury Archbishops and other important clergy. After leaving the cathedral we toured around Canterbury for a while, had lunch, and then got back on the bus. Our final stop of the day was Dover, famous for it's white cliffs and Dover Castle. Dover wasn't to long of a stop so Kathleen and I spent much of the time taking a few pictures of the cliffs and also sitting on the beach. If you looked over the English Channel you could just barely see France on the other side. When we were done at Dover we headed back to London and had supper at a nice little Italian pasta and pizza place. We then headed back to our hostel and couldn't wait for the next days tour.

The next morning we caught the same bus from the same hotel to the same coach station. When we met our next tour guide I found that he was very good at telling stories and jokes, like one joke that I found very good was, "What's the difference between a tourist and a hitchhiker? About three minutes." Anyway, our first stop of the day was Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle has been used by many monarchs and is the longest occupied palace in Europe. The castle was amazing to see and had portraits and statues of almost every British monarch in history. After exploring the castle we took a tour of the rest of the grounds and even got our pictures taken with one of the Queen's Guard. We then had lunch at a place called "Eat." After eating we went back to the bus and were on our way to the second stop of the day. Our second stop was the city of Bath. At Bath we visited the Roman Baths which was a museum built on top of a natural hot spring and ancient Roman baths. In the museum was the actual excavations and hot springs and also different Roman statues and artifacts.  It was really cool to see a part of Roman history in England. After seeing Bath we took the bus to Stonehenge. I've seen Stonehenge in many pictures before but seeing it up close and in real life was absolutely amazing. When you get to the Stonehenge you take a tunnel beneath the highway to the actual site and then you walk in a circle around Stonehenge and are able to see it from almost every angle. After leaving Stonehenge we went back to London and spent the rest of the evening at our hostel.

The final day of our trip we went to the British Museum. I've never seen such a huge museum in my life. It had almost every part of British and World history you could think of. We saw things from all the continents of the world such as Rome and Greek statues, North American native artifacts, African art, and Egyptian sphinx and sarcophagus. When they say it takes a majority of your day up they're not kidding. We got there shortly after 10am and were there for probably 5 hours. After leaving the museum we took the Tube, which is the London Underground Railway System, to Madame Tussauds, the London wax museum. At the wax museum we got our pictures taken with quite a few celebrity wax figures from musicians like The Beatles and Elvis, to royals like The Queen and Prince Philip, movie stars like Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr., politicians like Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandella, and animated characters like Shrek and the Gingerbread Man. We finished at Madame Tussauds with a Marvel Superheroes 4-D movie. After leaving Madame Tussauds we went for supper and then on to find the famous Drury Lane, the one from the old nursery rhyme. On our way to finding it we found out why all people from London carry an umbrella with them. We did not carry an umbrella and got soaked by quite a bit of pouring rain. On the bright side we did find Drury Lane but as far as I could tell the Muffin Man didn't live there anymore. After walking down Drury Lane for a bit we found the nearest Underground Station and took the Tube to the National Railway Station. We then caught our train at 8pm last night back to Ipswich and then on to Melton and finally walked back to Bromeswell. It was an awesome weekend and I can't wait for our next big adventure!

Till next time,
Rocky

Just so you know.

Hello Everyone,

Just to let you all know I quit my job at the British Larder yesterday. I learned a valuable lesson that the restaurant business and I don't mix. I'm going to try and find a job as a labourer on a construction site or something close to that. Hope it all works out.

On another note, Kathleen and I are taking a three day weekend and we're going to tour around England. We leave for London tonight after Kathleen gets home from work. Tomorrow morning we get up bright and early and head to Leeds Castle. After leaving Leeds Castle we travel to Canterbury Cathedral and then onto Dover. On Sunday we go to Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and then end the day at Bath. As for Monday we will be going to the British Museum. I'm sure they'll be plenty of pictures taken and a lot to write about when we get back Monday night.

Until then,
Rocky

A Day In The Life

We have lead a very normal life lately.  Kind of boring actually. Which is a nice change from our life in the months before we left Canada where we always seemed to be doing something. Rocky and I are both settling into work, and life has developed a bit of normalcy. This, is how we usually spend our days:

7:20-7:40: Depending on the day, my alarm will go off sometime in this time period. I wake up, get dressed, iron pants, eat breakfast, the normal stuff. Rocky usually wakes up 20 minutes or so after me, in time to eat breakfast with me. This is quite different from our life in Canada where I always woke up after Rocky. I'm not a huge fan of being the first one up.

8:20-8:40: Again, depending on the day, this is the time that I leave the house to catch my ride to work. This normally either means that Anne picks me up on her way to work, or I take the Suffolk Links bus, which is a bus that I phone and book a time for it to come pick me up, and then it does. It is an awesome service as the normal bus only runs once an hour, and is almost 4x as as expensive. 

9:00: This is what time I officially start work, though I usually get there earlier, depending on what time I leave home. It is a less than 10 minute ride to work, so usually there early. I then start work, usually by turning on lights and computers, doing some cleaning, and then get on to normal work: helping customers or working on the website or the weekly emails.

10:00: I'm not really sure what Rocky does between the time I leave and he leaves. From what he has told me, he checks Facebook and email, plays games on the computer, and other random stuff, then has a shower, irons his clothes, has lunch, before leaving

11:45: Rocky has an insanely short walk to work, so gets to leave only 15 minutes before he starts work, and he still gets their early. He usually starts work at 12, but sometimes starts at 6. 

5:00: I'm done work, and head home. Again, this is by the Suffolk Links bus, or with Anne. Once and a while I get a ride home with Karin. If none of this works out, it means waiting until the normal bus comes at 6:20, taking that bus to Melton, and then walking the 1/2 hour home. Luckily I have not had to do this yet, and I'm hoping this continues. 

5:15-5:30: I get home. If Rocky is also home, then we eat supper, which is usually a microwave meal of some sort. They have surprisingly good microwave meals, much better than they have in Canada, so we have actually been eating very well. We also eat a lot of soup and sandwiches.  If Rocky is done work at 6, then usually I check my email and Facebook, then eat when he gets home. If Rocky works until 11, then I usually watch some TV then eat around 7. 

6:00-10:00: If Rocky is working until 11, I usually use this time to talk to people on Skype, watch TV, and I have also been doing a lot of colouring. If Rocky is home, then we usually play some crib during this time as well.

10:00-10:30: This is what time I go to bed. Zzzzzz

11:10-11:45: If Rocky works until 11, then he gets home sometime in this time period. I am usually asleep, or nearly asleep. 

And then it starts all over again! We have none of the same days off this week, so we are doing nothing exciting this weekend. We are hoping Rocky can get next Monday off, and then we are hoping to go into London for the day, and perhaps go to the British Museum. We'll let you know!

Later days, 

Kathleen 

Quilter's Haven Staff Bio

Just a quick link to the staff page of the Quilters Haven website-- they list me as a staff member!!

Proof, that I am easily excited.

http://www.quilters-haven.co.uk/about-us

Later days.

Kathleen

Day Trip to Ipswich

Hello Everyone,

Today Kathleen and I both had the day off so we got up and headed out the door to catch the 9:10am train to Ipswich. When we got to Ipswich we had breakfast at a three storey tall McDonalds and then as we walked past HMV there was a line about two or three blocks long of young teenage girls screaming and freaking out(I thought Elvis had come back from the dead or something). Apparently they were all going crazy for this new English singer named Ed Sheeran who was signing copies of his new CD (Kathleen and I had never heard of him).

After walking past the line of crazy, screaming girls we walked into H&M and I bought some new clothes for work including a couple of pairs of trousers and a couple of dress shirts. Also, Kathleen no longer needs to worry about her hair in the morning as she purchased a new straightener and a new curler. After shopping we had lunch at a two storey Subway. When we finished lunch we headed back towards the HMV where there was luckily no more line and I was able to pick up a couple of shirts to add toward my wardrobe.


When we were done at HMV we caught the train back to Melton. Just when you thought it was that easy to get home that's where you're wrong. When the train arrived at Melton we pushed the button to get off, but we must have pushed the button to late because the door wouldn't open and the next thing you know the train was moving again. So, we rode the train to the next stop, waited a half an hour for the next train going back the other way, rode the train back to Melton, and then finally got off the train in Melton. Just another exciting day in Jolly Ol' England.

Till next time,
Rocky

My First Shift at Work

I went to my first shift at the British Larder, Suffolk yesterday at 5pm and had a great time! I got to do many things throughout my shift like: bar tending, serving customers, setting out/clearing tables, shining dishes/utensils/wine glasses, and bringing out birthday cake to a customer(I got some birthday cake too!). Overall it's a very nice place to work at. My fellow employees are very friendly and helpful. I go back for my second shift at 12pm today and hopefully I'll get to work there for the rest of my days in England.

Till next time,

Rocky

I Got A Job Too!

Of course, I already had a job, so It might not be as exciting as Rocky's new job. But it does rock!

In case you haven't figured it out, I work at Quilters Haven, in Wickham Market, Suffolk. In fact, as of today you can read all about me on their "About Us" page! It was a very exciting moment.

But anyways, I totally love my job. The people I have worked with are all really awesome, the job itself rocks, and it doesn't make me cry when I wake up. So far I have been learning how to run their computer till system, process and mail their mail and internet orders, general things about how they run their store, today I was learning a bit about Bernina sewing machines as they are a Bernina dealer, and loads and loads of other stuff. It has so far, been totally amazing.

Wickham Market is also a super cool place. They don't have a lot of stuff, but so far I have been able to find everything that I need-- groceries, a hairbrush to replace the one I forgot in London, and many other essentials.

That's about all that has been happening lately... I've been working and Rocky has been looking for work, and we have both been enjoying ourselves. So yay!

Later days,
Kathleen

I Got a Job!

Hello Everyone!

Just thought I'd give you an update on the job situation. Today I had a great interview at the The British Larder, Suffolk. It's a Pub/Restaurant about a five minute walk away from the house I'm staying at. I start my first shift at 5pm on Friday as a Waiter/Bartender. I've never been a bartender or a waiter before but hopefully I'll learn quick and everything will work out alright. Wish me luck, I'll let you know how it all works out after the Friday shift.

Till next time,

Rocky

Sutton Hoo

Hi Everyone!

Today Kathleen and I walked across the local golf course to an Anglo-Saxon ship and king burial ground by the name of Sutton Hoo. Sutton Hoo is what they call a National Trust their version of one of our National Historic Sites. We saw lots of different artifacts from the Anglo-Saxon era like helmets, chain mail, weapons, and a replica of the boat that the king was buried in. We also walked around the site and

saw the burial mounds and where all the Anglo-Saxon ships and kings were buried.

After walking around the burial site we also went to the Sutton Hoo Quilt Show on site and took a few pictures of them. When we left the quilt show we had a bit to eat and headed back across the golf course to get home and got soaked in our first England rain storm. As for tomorrow Kathleen goes to her first day at Quilters Haven and I think I'll walk into Melton and Woodbridge and hand out some more CV's(their version of a resume)to potential employers. Wish me luck!

Till next time,

Rocky

Trip to the Seaside

Yesterday we went to Felixstowe, which is on the "seaside". Hilary (our landlady) was going swimming and meeting a friend there for tea, so she offered Rocky and I a ride, and we had a delightful time. Hilary dropped us off on the "thoroughfare" which is yet another name for "main street." Felixstowe is a bigger town than Woodbridge or any of the towns within walking/biking distance of Bromeswell, and so it was nice to see some actual shopping places. Best of all, we were able to buy a new cord for our computer, with a UK socket, and so we were only without our computer overnight (yeah, you didn't even know we were without a computer did you?). We then walked along the shore, and dipped our toes/heads into the ocean!

It was not a very warm day, plus, the water was crazy cold, so I'm not sure how Rocky manages to look like he has having so much fun. It makes me look like a wimp.

Felixstowe was a beautiful town! It was exactly what you would think of if you think "Stereotypic English Seaside town"

In the evening Karin's son, Alexander, took us on a tour of the Woodbridge night-life and I went to more pubs in one night than I have been to in my entire life. We met a few of his "mates" which is apparently what they call friends here. 

Today we tried to bike (or as they call it here, cycle) to Wickham Market to see how long it would take. Only we took a wrong turn in Ufford Park, and ended up back home. Oops. But I am clearly not in good enough shape to be cycling that far, so it looks like it will be me on the bus to work. Which is fine, as I am definitely used to that. 

I stubbed my toe this morning and when I took off my sock, rather than the broken toe-nail I was expecting, I had somehow managed to nearly cut off the entire end of my big toe. And, as we don't have band-aids and Hilary was away all day, we were left to improvise by wrapping my toe in kleenex, wrapping that with tape, stuffing the whole thing in a Sock and then that all in a shoe. And then cycling to... well, a giant circle leading home, but that is besides the point. Probably not my best plan.

Tomorrow we are thinking about going to Sutton Hoo which is an ancient Anglo-Saxon ship burial ground. Or maybe just sleeping all day. 

Later days!

Kathleen

Welcome to Suffolk

We are in Suffolk! The town we are living in is called Bromeswell, and it is a itty bitty village of only 300 people, and has no stores, no anything really, just really cute little houses with lots of hedges. Its adorable. While you would think that living in a village of 300 would mean that we are in the middle of no where, this is not true
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View Larger Map

 While looking at a map, Bromeswell might look far away from anything, in real life it is pretty much touching Melton which is for real touching Woodbridge, which is another adorable town this time (of about 3000) which is apparently a bit of a tourist town, and has an absolutely gorgeous "high street," which is what we would call a main street.

We bought groceries this morning, which was a bit of a new experience. Buying groceries is a bit different, especially knowing that we don't have a stove or an oven to cook with. I suspect a lot of sandwiches will be had. We will see anyways. If you have any super ideas for microwave/toaster/tea kettle meals, you should leave a comment :P

We have settled into our new accommodations as well! They are super fantastic, with some small rooms for sleeping, eating, cooking, and then a fairly large bathroom, and a TV room with two couches, a table, a TV, some cabinets, and, best of all, a window seat!!!!

This afternoon Hilary drove us into Wickham Market were we went to Quilters Haven, which is my new job! It was awesome to get to see the shop finally after so long!

Here I am!! Ha ha. Today was also the first day since we arrived in England where we could see the sun, that was quite exciting! Tomorrow we are going to Felixstowe, which is, as Hilary put it a "seaside" village. I'm quite excited. The seaside!! Ha ha! So I'm sure you will be finding out all about that soon.

Later days,

Kathleen.

Days 1-3 in Britain!

Hi Folks!

Day One

So, you are probably wondering what I have been up to since Sunday. Dad and I left Stettler Sunday morning and headed for the Calgary airport. On my way out of Stettler we stopped at Tim Hortons for my last Double Double of the year. When we got to Calgary airport we met up with Kathleen and her parents, checked in, and went to Montana's for lunch. After lunch we went through security and we were on our way!

We jumped on our flight and said goodbye to Canada for the next 365 days. The next 8 hours was the longest flight I have ever been on. By the way, I am still recovering from my jet lag. When we arrived in Manchester at 7 AM (we got there a little early) or, 12 AM Alberta time, we had a little bit of time before catching our train so Kathleen and I had breakfast and played crib. We spend our next 2 1/2 hours of the day on the train to London. When we got to London we took "the Tube" to the station closest to our hostel.

After settling into our Hostel we started to walk around London to see the sights. That afternoon we went to Tower Bridge, London Bridge, and the Tower of London. By the way, Tower Bridge is usually mistaken for London Bridge. Tower Bridge is the one with the towers. Who'd a thunk eh? By this time the day was winding to a close so we headed back to the hostel and went to bed.

Day Two

That morning we got up, had breakfast, and hea

ded out to see more of London. This time we headed the opposite direction out of our hostel and visited a few more places. We started of by walking down the river Thames and headed towards our first destination-- Big Ben and the Parliament buildings. We took a tour of the parliament building and saw the Lords chambers, the MP chambers (can you believe they have more than 800 MP's in the UK?), and the Great Hall (up in the rafters they found old tennis balls believed to be dated back as far as Richard the First).

After leaving the Parliament building we walked through the park and headed towards Buckingham Palace (the Queen's house is a pretty nice place). After Buckingham Palace we went for lunch and then bought tickets for the London Aquarium and the London Eye. We went to the aquarium first, and saw sharks, octopus, and many other sorts of sea life. After the Aquarium we walked across the street to the London Eye. The London Eye, if you don't know, is basically a giant ferris wheel. "Eye" is a very good name for it as it gives you a birds eye view of all of London.

When we got off the London Eye we headed back down the river Thames and headed back to the hostel. On the way back we stopped at a Pizza Express. I ordered the Romano Pizza, which is just like our pizza only a lot thinner and wider and no tomato sauce. When the waitress brought it out it wasn't cut into pieces and I was very unsure what to do. Don't get me wrong, it was one of the best pizza's I've ever had, but since I didn't know that it was customary to cut your own pizza with a knife and fork I had to tear it apart with my fingers, and I could just see all the Brits staring at me wondering what this crazy Canuck was doing. After supper we continued our way to the hostel, got to the hostel, and went to bed.

Day 3

Yesterday we got up, had breakfast, took the train to Bowling Green Lane and had our orientation with BUNAC. In orientation we talked about banking, finding jobs, finding accommodations (no problem for us, because we already had one), traveling on tours, phones, and National Insurance numbers. From orientation we headed to get our bank accounts opened. Kathleen and I were both lucky enough to be able to open accounts right away. After the bank we headed for the train, and departed for Suffolk. An hour and a half later we arrived in Melton. Our new landlady, Hilary, picked us up from the train station and took us to our new home. We dropped off our bags and then went for supper with Kathleen's new boss Karin and her family. Karin's parter Bean and and I talked a lot about Rome and different traveling, while her son Alexander made us supper (which was a delicious chicken breast with banana inside) and told me a lot about his local Rugby club. After supper we had tea, talked some more, and then Hilary came and picked us up and brought us back home.

Well, thats my first 3 days in the UK. So, until next time,

Rocky.