Christmas in Prague

Old Town Square

Well I think that Katie and I have both concluded that if you can’t be with your family for Christmas the next best place would be Prague.  I know that it may sound like a broken record that we come away from these individual trips raving about them saying, “It’s the most amazing place in the world.”   But for anyone who has been to Prague, you know that it truly is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  Prague is one of the only cities to escape destruction during World War II so some of the buildings that were built in the 8^th century are still standing today.  Architecturally it is by far the most awe-inspiring place either of us has ever been.  What struck me was how old the city was, but how clean and well preserved everything is.  The tourism industry has boomed in the past 20 years since it was only in 1989 that what is now the Czech Republic was still under communist rule.  In 1993 Czechoslovakia peacefully split to become the Czech Republic and Slovakia.  As a result it’s kind of crazy to think that tourists couldn’t even travel to Prague until 1990.

Mmmm...Chocolate-covered Strawberries

In light of multiple flight cancellations throughout the UK, we found ourselves quite fortunate to be flying out of Bristol and having smooth travels to the Czech Republic.  We were met at the Prague airport by a private driver holding a sign that said “Mrs. Katie Mohr,” and we were taken directly to our hotel.  Interestingly, they drive on the right side of the road here, something we haven’t been around for a few months.  Although we immediately found ourselves looking the wrong way when we crossed the streets, it was a quick adjustment and the familiarity was somehow comforting.   We stayed at the Art Deco Imperial Hotel, which is located right in the heart of the city.  Our package included an upgrade to an executive suite, one dinner at the hotel restaurant and room service breakfast each morning.  Like the rest of the city our hotel was beautiful, very modern and had all of comforts we had hoped for in the place where we would spend Christmas, 2010. 

The Astronomical Clock

We spent the first days exploring the city and wandering the streets to Wenceslas Square (as in “Good King Wenceslas”) and the Old Town Square, which were both filled with people shopping the Christmas markets.  The main attraction in the old town square is the astronomical clock.  This two-story clock has been updated over the years but was first erected in 1410.  Every hour, on the hour tourists gather to watch the little show of apostles parading out of the face before returning back inside for another 60 minutes. 

Bin Filled with Carp

One Czech tradition that we HAVE to write about is the traditional Christmas carp that is eaten on Christmas Eve.  The first day we arrived, we noticed that literally on almost every street corner there were huge bins the size of small swimming pools filled with carp.  Additionally, there were lines of people who were waiting to either buy a live carp to take home, or have the worker behead and de-scale right there before taking it home.  These were of course the patrons who chose a less traditional route.  Most Czechs had bought their carp 4-5 days prior to Christmas Eve, where tradition states that you keep it in your bathtub to fatten it up until it’s ready to be eaten.  That is of course until you need to shower, when the carp is transferred into the toilet for a short time until you are done showering.  That’s right, this actually still happens as one of our friends who lived in Prague for a few years confirmed.  I can’t get Katie to like fish that has been swimming in the ocean, let alone one that’s been swimming in a toilet.  Needless to say, we did NOT have carp on Christmas Eve.

Old Town Square

The weather was much colder than we have been used to in Truro so the 20-degree, snowy air felt much more like home than we have experienced this year.  The markets that lined the streets were mostly filled with ornaments, clothes and Bohemian crystal, but the smell of food hit you like a wave when you rounded the corner at the entrance of each market.  The smell of traditional Czech sausage, roasting chestnuts, and a sweet rolled cinnamon bread called Trdelník, filled the air and was as much a part of the atmosphere as the shoppers, carolers and bright Christmas lights.  The backdrop of buildings ranging from 100 to 1000 years old made us feel like we were walking around a movie set.  It was very clear that the “traditional” Christmas here far predated the United States…or as my Dad put it, most of the buildings were built before Christopher Columbus was even born.       

Anyway, on Christmas Eve we strolled along the famous Charles Bridge where numerous King’s used to parade across to the old town square after being crowned up in the castle.  We found some cheap last minute tickets to see a marionette performance of Don Giovanni, one of the operas that Mozart premiered in Prague.  After that, we came back to the square where there was a sung Christmas Eve mass completely in Czech.  Randomly, as we were on our way back to our hotel, we came across a club called “Bed,” and decided to stop in to see what it was all about.  To our surprise, instead of it being filled with tables and chairs, it was filled with beds, where people were sitting around sipping cocktails.  Needless to say, we kicked off our shoes, climbed into one of the beds and had a nightcap before heading back to our real bed in the hotel.  

Drinking in Bed : )

Katie sampling the local beer

On Christmas morning, we just spent the morning relaxing, had room service for breakfast and exchanged presents.  In the afternoon, we ventured out and were surprised to find most restaurants, stores and markets open for the holiday.   One of our friends had given us some great advice on where to go that was less touristy and we were glad we took her advice.  We had lunch at a great pub where I finally got to have some real Czech food.  Let’s just say that the traditional food in the Czech Republic is a cardiologist’s nightmare, as it basically consists of pork, sausages, and beer…but man was it good.  A quick word on beer…the Czechs invented lager so everything I kept reading was how the Czech republic had the “best beer in Europe.”  As a result I was kind of envisioning Prague as the Milwaukee of Eastern Europe, but after my first sip I knew what all the fuss was about.  To be honest, I could probably do a whole blog on all of the different beers I am trying out here, but let’s just say that it was some of the best beer I have ever had and leave it at that. 

Christmas night, we had a great dinner in our hotel restaurant and then spent the evening on Skype with both of our families.  It was great to see everyone together and we were thankful to be part of it…even if it was just over the computer. 

Cathedral at Prague Castle

Sunday we watched the changing of the guard at the beautiful Prague castle.  Incidentally, the Prague castle was built in 870 AD and still acts as a base for the head of state, making it the oldest working castle in the world.  After that we wandered around the western side of the city where there were a lot less people and we found more reasonably priced art and Bohemian glass.  It was here where I even got to use some of the Czech phrases I had learned : )  Our last night was spent watching the Prague Symphony Orchestra playing the “Best of Mozart” in a beautiful music hall and then taking in the city at night one last time. Needless to say, when it came time to leave, we were both very sad.  Katie and I both agreed that Prague is a city where we would love to visit again someday.  We had relatively smooth travels home and were glad to have Tuesday off for the observation of Boxing Day in the UK.

Roasted Chestnuts?....Yes Please.

As we looked back on this weekend, Katie and I continue to be so grateful for these experiences.  We both walked away from this weekend knowing that it was yet another ‘once in a lifetime’ experience that we would never forget.  Although our families were in our thoughts, we continue to remind each other not to take these things for granted.  Prague was filled with a lot of those “moments” for us when we would look at each other and say “Is this really happening?”  If you can’t spend it with your family, at least you can spend it with the one you love the most in an amazing European city. 

ALF & Rainbow enjoying room service : )

To see the remainder of our pictures from Prague, click on the link below:

Link to Prague Slideshow

Merry Christmas from Prague !!!

Christmas Eve in the Old Town Square

Wishing all of our family and friends a very Merry Christmas.  We'll post more on this amazing city later.  Love you all !!!

The Holidays in Britain!

It’s Friday afternoon and John and I are both home.  Sad to say, John got the flu yesterday so he has been home sick :(  As it turns out the American flu shot does not prevent against European strands of the flu.  He’s taking a nap now, so hopefully he starts feeling better soon!  Poor guy!

Christmas Popper!

We have had some fun things happen over the past week or so leading up to Christmas.  We had two Christmas parties last week, one here in Truro and another in the coastal town of Falmouth.  The Christmas party in Truro was at a hotel and went really well.  I met a handful of John’s colleagues and we also had a sit-down, five-course dinner.   Each setting had a Christmas cracker (or holiday popper), which when pulled open, makes a popping sound.  The Christmas crackers are typically used on the table as a decoration and contain a fun surprise of candy, a small gift, toys, a written joke or a paper crown. 

Then last Friday night, we had a more formal Christmas party at a hotel in Falmouth.  It was definitely an escapade getting to the party!  We ran into a closed train line, a late bus, getting lost once we were in Falmouth and going to the wrong hotel!  By the time we got to the hotel we were worried about being those Americans who show up late to a dinner party.  Luckily for us, the dinner started an hour and a half late, so no one even realized we were running behind.  Whew!  Once we were there, we had a really nice time.  The hotel was gorgeous and we had a super nice dinner.  We did have to leave a bit early though, as we didn’t want to miss the last bus home.  There are definitely days I miss having a vehicle! 

Or as we call it, baking soda :-)

Once the Christmas parties were finished, we had a really nice and low-key weekend here in Truro.  We decided to make cookies and hot cider on Saturday and have somewhat of a Christmas weekend.  We had multiple laughs at the grocery store and at home trying to figure out recipes that had American measurements and ingredients and figuring out how they translated here.  We found out baking soda = bicarbonate of soda and Crisco = a stick of vegetable fat.  I also spent some time online figuring out how to convert some of the measurements (such as grams to cups)…..thank god for Google!!!!  The peanut butter blossom cookies (no Hershey kisses here, so tried chocolate buttons as a substitute) and hot cider both turned out really well, so worth the effort. 

It’s been great trying out some British Christmas traditions.  We have had mulled wine, mince pies, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake.  We have heard many references to “Father Christmas” (a.k.a. Santa) and about how popular pantomime is this time of year for children and their parents.  And we are looking forward to hearing the Queen’s yearly Christmas message on Christmas Day.  Even though we are lacking the cold and the snow, it has truly felt like the Christmas season here.

Our Charlie Brown 3-Foot Christmas Tree

If John is feeling better, we have tickets to see a Christmas concert at the cathedral here in Truro tomorrow.  Then next week is already Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!  We head to Bristol Wednesday night and then fly out to Prague early Thursday morning.  So we are definitely getting excited for our first big trip since moving here!  But more than anything, we are looking forward to spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day together, while hopefully skyping and chatting with friends and family.  

TV Tax, Bills & Uggs

Truro Late Night Christmas Shopping

The past week or so has been relatively quiet for us here in Truro.  We spent this past weekend here, which was really nice considering how busy things will be for us in the next couple of weeks.  We did meet up with some friends Friday night for drinks in town.  It was great to check out some new pubs and just relax and catch up with friends.  Saturday and Sunday we spent finishing up our Christmas shopping, sleeping in, catching up on tv shows and just enjoying some down-time together.  Life is good!

This week begins a busy Christmas season for us!  We have a Christmas party in Truro tonight, another Christmas party in Falmouth Friday night, a Christmas concert next weekend and last, but not least, Prague in a couple of weeks!  So lots of fun stuff happening.

 

So as we continue to experience Cornwall over a longer period of time, here are some more random tidbits we are seeing:

- There is a yearly television tax here in England!  You pay based on if you own a black and white tv (the tax is less) than a colored tv (the tax is much more – around 130 pounds a year!).  Apparently the television tax pays for the BBC as well as allowing the BBC to not have commercials.  In order to be sure people are paying their television tax, there are vans that drive around and can detect if you have a television signal coming from your house or not.  Crazy!

- As we were setting up miscellaneous bills for our flat, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that you can pick which week of the month you would like to pay each of your bills (the 1^st, 8^th, 15^th or the 22^nd).  This allows you to pick when paying the bills works best for you and spread your bills out…..brilliant!

- We continue to be amazed at how cheap and accessible flowers and plants are here!  They are in the front of most stores and it’s not uncommon to walk down the street and see multiple people carrying home a bouquet of flowers!

- Women’s trends still fascinate me!  The look for winter continues with the tights and leggings with either dresses or long knitwear.  But now women wear dresses and knitwear with ugg-looking boots!  You would think the nice outfit wouldn’t go with the warm winter boots, but most every woman wears it here.  It seems no matter what country I’m in, those Ugg boots are everywhere!

- And no matter if women are wearing the comfy winter boots or great dress-up boots, they wear their socks underneath pulled up so you can see the tops of their socks over the top part of your boots.  Guess it shows they have warm feet throughout the winter!

- As most would expect, drinking tea is a way of life here!  When people stop over, it’s etiquette to offer a cup of tea (which most will take you up on).  At work, John has realized that it’s rude not to ask each and every patient if they would like a cup of tea (which again, most take him up on).  And most days when John is in the head and neck clinic, the team takes a short break from seeing patients to have a cup of tea.  Tea is offered in every restaurant and bakery in town.  The grocery store we go to has a little café in it and each time we stop in there, there are dozens and dozens of teapots with teabags stacked and ready to be sold. We even asked a friend how many cups of tea she drinks in a day and she guessed around five, which she commented she thinks is common here. Since moving here, I find that I make myself a cup or two of tea a day. When in Rome (or when in England)!

Ripped From The Headlines!

With it being a low-key week, thought we would post some information on some of the top stories here in the UK:

- Truro and the county of Cornwall has been getting snow and cold weather throughout the past weekend and this week, which is actually a very odd occurrence for where we are living particularly.  You would not believe what a frenzy snow causes here!  This is taken from BBC News this Monday “The Met Office has issued a flash warning of severe weather with 5cm (2in) of snow expected in places”.  Yes, you read that correct, severe weather because of 2 inches of snow!  Monday morning John went to work and found that the majority of the hospital staff weren’t able to make it in due to the “severe weather.”  There were over a 100 school/college/daycare cancellations and people were advised to stay home if possible.  Train lines closed and even buses stopped running.  Poor John waited outside at the bus stop for over a half hour Monday morning waiting for a bus, any bus, to drive by and get him to work.  If they only knew what severe winter weather really looked like?!?! 

- There has been an uproar from university students in England due to a recent threat of the government raising tuition costs.  Currently students getting a college education will not pay more than 3,290 pound a year for tuition.  The government will be voting in December to allow universities to charge up to 9,000 pound a year, which would be effective in 2012.  There have been demonstrations all over England by students opposing this sharp raise in tuition and these demonstrations are a top story.  This would affect universities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Attending university in Scotland is free to the Scots and all students in the EU.

Some other changes the English are looking to make is raising the fixed student loan interest rate of 1.5% to 3%.  Keep in mind that they would only raise your interest rate if you are making over 41,000 pound a year.  And they also have a system in place where graduates do not have to make repayments if they make under 21,000 pound a year.  If they make over this, they are only charged 9% of their total earnings. 

As a recent graduate paying back my massive student loans, following this story has been fascinating, especially when comparing what is going on here compared to in the States.  What I would give to have my student loans be under either the old or the possible new policies here in England!!!!!  When talking to some locals about all of this, they commented that they can’t believe what is going on with the possibility of tuition being raised.  One person had said her generation was given a free education and now that they are in power, they turn around and take that away from the younger generation.  We have heard people call this a disservice to university students and that it’s completely unfair for students who want to get a proper education to finish school and begin with such a large amount of debt.

- Not in the headlines, but something John found out recently.   People aged 60 and over receive extra government funding (up to 400 pound) a month to help pay for their heating bills.  The same goes for cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy.  The government has determined that in both cases the 60+ and cancer patients both struggle to keep their internal body temperatures as high as those of us who are younger and healthier.  As a result, it is understood that if you are over 60 or undergoing certain cancer treatments, you are eligible for this benefit.  What a country :)

Thanksgiving in Bath

First day in Bath in front of the Abbey

We hope that as you read this you are coming off of a great Thanksgiving weekend where you ate a lot of Turkey, watched a lot of football and spent time with family and friends.  Katie and I had a bit of a different Thanksgiving weekend this year but it was a great one.  

As I type this, Katie and I are on a train after a weekend that was clearly the highlight of our experience thus far.  We are heading home after spending three days in the city of Bath, located in western England.  Bath is most famous for being the site of the only natural hot springs in the UK as well as proof of early Roman occupation in the first century.  In 43 AD, after the Roman’s occupied Britain, they began turning these hot springs into a Roman Bath House where they would travel from all around to soak in the hot springs.  The city was known as Aquae Sulius, which actually was the name of the B & B where we stayed this weekend.  After Rome fell in the 5^th century, the baths covered up with silt and mud until it was rediscovered over a thousand years later.  In the 1500’s English queens would travel from London to soak in the mineral spas because they believed it would lead to increased fertility and cure their gout.  It was then that the town became known simply as Bath and turned into the popular spa town that it is today.  Over the past decade Bath has also become very well known for their large Christmas markets which line the streets from late November through mid December.

Christmas markets on Black Friday : )

Ok, nerdy history lesson over.  Katie and I arrived in Bath on Friday afternoon and were picked up at the train station by the owner of our Bed and Breakfast.  After a very brief stop at our B & B we headed for the city centre.  As we walked the streets of this ancient town, we quickly learned why it’s so popular and why it was so difficult to find accommodation for the opening weekend of the Christmas markets.  It is SO hard to describe Bath, but if you think about those Christmas villages that people collect and put out around the holidays you may be able to imagine what it was like.  You know the villages with the lit up houses, churches and shops, where the decorated streets are filled with shoppers and families and the smell of roasting chestnuts fills the air as groups of Christmas carolers around each corner sing festive songs that echo off of the 500-year-old buildings.   Yeah that’s right, those villages.  Now, I would be the first person to say that this sounds like a huge sensationalized exaggeration, but I assure you if you ask anyone who has ever been to Bath around the holidays, they would paint the same picture.

 

The Roman Baths

We decided to start out by visiting the famous Roman Baths and enjoyed the museum and free audio tour that came with admission.  As you can see, we were surrounded by history and you couldn’t help but think about all of the Roman rulers and English Royalty who actually swam in these waters.  Until 1979 the public could actually swim in the waters, but someone accidentally swallowed some of the water and ended up dying.  The water from the spring itself it actually fresh natural spring water, but you have to remember that this water has been pumped into this same pool since around 50 AD so it’s this particular pool itself that is unsanitary.  After this tragedy, the pool closed and the city actually drilled new holes down to the natural spring and diverted it one block up the street where a modern day spa was opened called Thermea Spa (more on this in a minute).  

After Katie and I (and Alf & Rainbow) finished at the bath, we headed into the Pump Room which was a beautiful ball room where Royalty and high society would sip tea after taking a swim in the spa waters.  

Never thought I would drink Bath water

It is here where you can also drink the water straight from the spring itself.  The water has about 43 different minerals in it including arsenic, bromide, calcium, lithium, etc., some of which are actually proven to treat rheumatism, gout, and angina among other things.  We both had a sample but could only tolerate a few sips because it tasted HORRIBLE.   The water itself is naturally about 116 degrees Fahrenheit and is actually rainwater that fell over 10,000 years ago.  So, although it was pretty gross at least we can say we drank 10,000-year-old water and lived to tell about it. 

After the pump room we headed to the Thermae Spa, which was definitely the highlight of the weekend.  Katie and I purchased the twilight package, which comes with dinner and allows you to swim in the 2 different hot spring pools and sit in the various steam rooms.  Upon entry, you are given a robe, slippers and a towel as you enter the changing rooms.  We put on our “swimming costumes” (which is what the Brits call swimming suits) and were off for a swim.  Seeing as it was about 30 degrees Fahrenheit outside, we quickly found the indoor lower level pool where we jumped in the 90-degree water to warm up.  After a short swim we headed up to the top floor where we had dinner in a very nice restaurant overlooking the city.   What made dinner so unique is that everyone eating was only wearing a robe, which definitely stood out amongst wine glasses and candle-lit tables.  From there, we made our way to the steam rooms where you have your choice of 4 different pods, each with its own scent (jasmine, pine, eucalyptus-mint, and lavender).  

We couldn't take pictures but this is where we spent Friday night

We then ended our spa time in the outdoor, rooftop pool where you could look down at the entire city of Bath as you swim in warm water in the cold night air…ahhh heaven.  To make things even more perfect, we were in the water for about two minutes before it started snowing.  Not a bad way to experience our first night in Bath and our first snowfall of the year.  After the spa, we strolled along the Christmas markets, sipped mulled wine and had dinner at a riverside pub.  Needless to say it was a pretty amazing first day.

Katie trying on a 16th century corset
and dress at the Fashion Museum

Saturday was spent basically walking around the city, checking out the markets and taking it all in.  There were markets from all over the world and food stands on every corner selling soup, mulled wine, cider, brats and anything else you can imagine.  We even stepped into the Bath Fashion Museum (Katie’s idea) where there was an exhibit featuring some of the most famous dresses that Princess Dianna was photographed in as well as a general history of the world’s fashion.   After another long day and a late night dinner, we found our way back to our B & B for a good nights sleep.  We started today with a full English breakfast and are now heading home.  What a weekend. 

The River Avon with snowy villages behind it

This weekend marks the first of many long weekends that we hope to spend out traveling throughout England and the rest of Europe.  It was a good reminder of why we came here; to experience different cultures and to enjoy experiences and moments together that we will take with us forever.  Looking back it’s hard to believe that we fit so much into such a short amount of time this weekend.  I think that may be foreshadowing into the challenge we will have for this entire year.  At the end of the day, if we had to spend our first holiday weekend away from family and friends, at least we could spend it together and in a way that was unique to us…one of the many things that WE were thankful for this Thanksgiving.  

Strange But True

I finally found Katie's Christmas present : )  This was in the front window
of a very high end shop called Minerva Chocolates...classy.

Kites, Bath & A Royal Engagement!

The Future King and Queen of England!

Sorry it’s been awhile since the last post, not a ton has happened now that we’re feeling more settled.  After the City of Lights Parade, we had a pretty low-key weekend.  We caught up on Grey’s Friday night, then spent most of the day in Truro on Saturday just bumming around.  It was sunny and nice outside so we really enjoyed the day by going out for breakfast, checking out the local shops, etc. 

Then Sunday morning we got an invitation to head to Perranporth for the day.  The invite came from the couple (Hannah and Richie) who had lived in our flat before we did.  We had been collecting their mail for them since they moved out and they stopped over one night a couple of weeks ago to grab it.  While they stopped in, we had a chance to chat, have some laughs, and they seemed really nice and fun.  So when they called to see if we wanted to hang out, John and I were really looking forward to it.

We headed to Perranporth around noon and took a walk along the beach for a good hour and a half.  Once we finished up the walk, Richie pulled out a massive kite and gave John and I a lesson on flying it.  It was actually a kite that you use for kite-surfing…something John is going to attempt when the weather is warmer this spring.  I was absolutely horrible as the kite would just drag me along the beach and then crash.  John did a much better job and got the hang of it after awhile.  We both did have near crashes as John almost took out a dog and I almost took out John and Hannah.  They were close calls, but everyone (human and dog) walked away ok!

After that, we headed to the beach pub and grabbed some tea and hot chocolate.  We all just sat and chatted and enjoyed each other’s company.  From there, we headed back to Truro.  We had a fantastic day and had a great time getting to know some new friends.

As for this week, John has been working and I continue my job search.  I found a couple of job posts that piqued my interest, so I sent in my CV and we’ll see what happens!   We are really looking forward to this weekend as John has Friday off and we are going to head to Bath!  We hear that they have amazing Christmas markets and that it’s a beautiful city to visit.  We plan to head there Friday morning and come back Sunday afternoon.  We are both really looking forward to it and will be sure to fill you in on how it all goes!

Thursday is also Thanksgiving!!!!  Wow, how time has flown, the holiday season is officially here!  Not really sure what our plans are, but I have a feeling we won’t be attempting a big turkey dinner.  There is a strong possibility we will give up the idea of cooking all together and just order in Chinese.  We have been thinking about family often this week and will dearly miss spending Thanksgiving with our loved ones.  I have a feeling there will be a lot of skyping going on this weekend.

 As most of you have probably heard, big news in the Royal Family as Prince William has gotten engaged to Kate (sorry, now Catherine) Middleton!  The amount of media attention surrounding the engagement and upcoming wedding is outrageous.  Though outrageous, I find it extremely fascinating!  Being here during this time is a crash course in the Royal Family and their traditions and history.  Today we also learned that a wedding date has been set of Friday, April 29^th.  It is such a huge thing here that it has been announced as a Bank Holiday, which means a day off of work!  We feel lucky to be here during such a momentous time and are excited to watch how this process goes! 

On a more sad note, our hearts go out to one of John's friend/colleague today.  She and her husband lost their two and a half year old daughter to MLD last week and we are really wishing we could be at the funeral today.  Our thoughts go out to Erica, Philip and Eva today as they mourn the loss of little Chloe.  

City of Lights Parade

City Centre Truro

Last night John and I had the most amazing experience yet here in Truro by attending Truro’s City of Lights Parade.  The parade goes throughout the downtown streets of Truro and consists of massive themed lanterns made by local artists and schoolchildren.  The lanterns are made by willow and tissue, then lit the night of the parade.  During the parade, there is a ceremonial turning on of Truro’s Christmas lights.  Each year has a theme and this year it was a “magical” theme.  There were fabled creatures and mythical legends both big and small as well as bands and dancers throughout the parade. And magical is a perfect way to describe our experience last night.

We left our flat and decided to make a stop to pick up some hot holiday drinks (gingerbread latte and peppermint mocha…..yum) for the evening outside.  We joined the massive crowds on the street and were lucky enough to be standing on a raised part of the sidewalk with a pretty great view of the parade ahead of us and the parade behind us, both amazing views!  The parade started and we instantly were in awe of the creations made.  Some were big, some were small, some turned in circles, others had moving parts.  We couldn’t believe the amount of creativity we saw in front of us.  There were dragons, elves, puppets and even Elvis!  The schoolchildren who made the lanterns walked in the parade carrying their own creations.  Throughout the parade there were samba dancers, bagpipers and local bands to feed the excitement of the evening. 

Yes, that is Elvis....guess that counts as a "Legend" :-)

Moving Dragon

Yay, the lights are on!

Once the parade was winding down, John and I walked along the parade route and witnessed all the people and children enthralled by what was in front of them.  It was fun to see all the kids on their parent’s shoulders watching and themselves hanging onto light up wands and swords.  Made us both think of our nieces and nephews back home. 

Enjoying the parade!

Once the parade had ended, everyone seemed to just mill around the city centre.  We joined the crowd and enjoyed the Christmas lights while walking the Truro streets.  We even stopped and shared a pasty!  By the end of the night, we eventually made our way home, feeling so lucky to have shared such an enchanting experience together.  

Oops....

Just realized that the first paragraph from the last post did not show up.  So here it is (hopefully it will all make a little more sense :-)


We are finally feeling settled into our house and even though we wont have our permanent high speed internet until Tuesday, Truro is starting to feel like home.  As we have now filled our place with carpets, extra furniture, art, etc. we decided to spend the weekend doing some more exploring of some of the nearby coastal towns.  One town that we have heard a lot about (good and bad) is Newquay (pronounced “new-key”).  Newquay is located on the northeast coast and is only about 14 miles from Truro.  It’s infamously known for being a tourist trap first and a seedy college hang-out filled with “clubs” (aka meat-markets) second.  Needless to say, we HAD to check it out : )  The other main attraction to Newquay, aside from fact that it’s the home to the only airport in Cornwall, is that Newquay is the #1 Surf Capital of the United Kingdom.  That’s right…Surfing…in the UK.  There are a number of popular beaches in Newquay but the most popular for surfing is Fistral Beach.  This is also the site of the national surf championships every summer, the reasons for which would soon be clear.

Back to Exploring

"Hey Guys!  Check out all the surfers!"

After a short bus ride to the city centre, Katie and I spent the morning walking around the shop-filled streets that seemed to stretch on for miles.  We were both very surprised to see the streets filled with so many barefoot, board-carrying surfers making their way down to the beach.   What was so surprising about it was the fact that is was only about 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).  It quickly became obvious that when it comes to surfing, the people of Newquay don’t mess around.  Little did we know that this was just a preview of what we would witness in the hours to come. 

View of Fistral Bay from the Golf Course

After a short stroll through town, we made our way over a steep hill where we were met by a seaside golf course overlooking the famous Fistral Beach.  As we got closer, we soon found out how this place earned it reputation.  The shoreline was literally filled with surfers riding (or at least attempting to ride) some of the biggest waves we had ever seen.  I remembered reading online the night before that some of the surf experts compare Fistral beach to the North Shore of Hawaii and to some of the popular surf beaches in Australia.  Remembering that we were talking about England, I quickly dismissed the claim as being an exaggeration, but boy was I wrong.  This is obviously a legitimate surfing destination for a reason. 

We made our way down to the sand and after climbing over some rocks we sat for a while watching the surfers do what they do best.  (Once we have faster internet this week, I am hoping to post some of the video we took.  The pictures really don’t do these waves justice.) 

The rest of the day was spent strolling along the costal streets marveling at the rest of the beaches in Newquay.  The whole day was actually clear and sunny, which was welcomed change from the gloomy, rain-filled week that preceded it.  After a lunch in a great café overlooking the coast we decided to head back into Truro where we have pretty much spent the remainder of the weekend relaxing, Skyping with family and just enjoying the fact that we actually live here now.

It’s kind of funny that we still need to remind ourselves of that.  I think that no matter how settled we are beginning to feel we have moments when we truly miss all of you and moments when we are still swept away by the adventure of it all.  It’s a balance that we continue to carefully walk each day.  The impending holiday season will certainly leave us feeling further from home, but the weather in Minneapolis this weekend definitely made us appreciate this change of pace : )  No matter how we feel at any moment in time here, this dichotomy acts as a constant reminder that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  For this it is even more important for us to embrace every moment here and be grateful for the challenges and opportunities that come with it.  

Things We've Noticed....

Some More Random Tidbits:

- Halloween here is nowhere near as big as in the States!  We were told multiple times that Halloween is slowly becoming bigger here in England thanks to “us Americans” :-)  We now live on a very busy road and only had two sets of trick-or-treaters on Halloween!

- Stag and hen parties are a big thing here.  They are equivalent to our Bachelor and Bachelorette parties in the States.  During hen parties, it is typical for all the women to dress up in costume when going out for the night.

- The word “sorry” is used extremely often and in many contexts over here.  When wanting to pass by someone, I am used to saying “excuse me.”  The problem is that “excuse me” here means “I need your attention.”  So I am having to train myself to say “sorry” instead!

- All the sockets have on and off switches, which is not a problem until I realized that the leg of our kitchen table hit the refridge switch off and one afternoon last week we ended up with a warm refridge!

- The doors lock and unlock differently here (often pulling the handle up when locking and unlocking is common).  When our landlord Laura stopped by last Tuesday, I spent at least a minute trying to figure out how to unlock the door to let her in…..embarrassing!

- It seems to be very common here for parents to have their kids on a leash!  I even saw a double leash the other day for a set of twin toddlers!

- Most people here roll their own cigarettes.  Not sure if that’s an England thing or a Cornwall thing

- They don’t sell deodorant in stick form.  They only have deodorant for both men and women in spray bottles, which will take some getting used to

- In the grocery store, none of the eggs are refrigerated

- We ate at a pizza place this weekend and took a look around to find that everyone eats their pizza with a fork and knife…..even kids!  The thought of eating pizza with our hands all of a sudden felt really barbaric, especially after the three year old at the table next to us was using kids cutlery to eat his pizza!  John made some reference to Seinfeld and a Snickers bar, not sure what that’s all about

- Most of the weather these past few weeks has been typical English weather, cloudy and damp.  One thing we’ve noticed is that when the sun is actually out, it raises the temperature by at least 10-15 degrees

- We finally got our TV set up today (sad to say, just found out another week until internet is up and running…bummer) and I was super excited to see we get Bravo, until I looked at the lineup and realized it wasn’t the American Bravo

- We do get E! though :-)  Yay Kardashians (yes, I like trashy reality tv)!

Guy Fawkes Night, 2010

Friday night was quite the English experience.  November 5^th is celebrated as Guy Fawkes (aka Bonfire Night) throughout all of England.  Brace yourself for a nerdy history lesson.  In 1605, when King James I was in power, a group of Catholic conspirators plotted to assassinate him in an attempt to bring down the Protestant religion he supported and restore the Catholic monarch.  After gaining access to an undercroft below the House of Parliament, 36 barrels (2 tons) of gunpowder were smuggled in and one conspirator named Guy Fawkes was placed in charge of guarding them.  An anonymous tip led to his discovery and the plot, now known as the “Gunpowder Plot,” was foiled.  Ever since, November 5^th has been marked as the day King James escaped assassination and is celebrated throughout the country.

The bonfire with "Guy" sitting at the top.

Cities and villages throughout the entire country build HUGE bonfires and have equally huge fireworks displays.  Additionally, most celebrations feature a best “Guy” competition, in which children create dummies made of straw, old clothes, masks, etc., in the likeness of Guy Fawkes.  The crazy part about this is that the winning “Guy” is then placed on top of the bonfire in a chair where he eventually burns. 

So, now that I bored you to tears, Katie and I went to the local Bonfire Night here in Truro last night and had a blast.  The large field just outside of town was quickly filled with thousands of people.  There were grilled sausages (hot dogs), burgers, soup, hot chocolate, etc., and of course the best “Guy” competition.  The massive crowd soon gathered around the HUGE bonfire in anticipation.  The winning “Guy” was ceremoniously placed at the top and the fire was lit.  

...and another "Guy" bites the dust.

On a side note, Katie and I were marveling at how many young kids were there and just as we commented on how sweet their little English accents were, this crowd of sweet little children began chanting “Burn Him, Burn Him, Burn Him!!!”  It was like a creepy horror movie. 

The remaining “Guys” were eventually thrown onto the burning heap drawing a loud cheer from the crowd each time one was tossed on.  As two people who were brand new to this tradition, it was hilarious to watch. 

...and the children wait for their "Guy" to be tossed on.

Just as the bonfire was reaching its peak, there was an incredible fireworks display at one end of the field.  It was seriously one of the best displays we had ever seen.  As the night began to wind down, Katie and I headed into town and eventually back home.   Needless to say, it was quite the evening.  Much like the Americans on the 4^th of July, the night is basically an opportunity to grill out, drink a lot, build a big fire and play with fireworks.  Happy Guy Fawkes !!