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 !!

A Place To (Almost) Call Home!

The day has finally come….we have our own place!  But a lot has happened leading up to this, so let me start where we left off.

This past weekend was the final weekend at our B&B out in the country.  We decided to enjoy a Saturday night out before the big move Sunday.  We ate dinner at Xen Noodle Bar in Truro, which was delicious, and then went for some drinks at a posh hotel bar right by the theatre.  And yes, they use the word posh often here.  Still always makes me think of the Spice Girls! 

From there, we made our way to the local theatre for a performance of “The 80’s Rocked”.  Well, let’s just say the 80’s didn’t rock so much that night!  The theatre, which is located at the centre of Truro Square, was pretty full and we were getting excited to listen to some awesome music.  Then the band came out and the lead singer proceeded to stand in one place and read most of the lyrics throughout the concert!  Come on, who doesn’t know the lyrics to all the 80’s hits?!?!  It’s pretty bad when the people going to the concert know more of the words by heart than the lead singer!  Another problem was that the band also had some technical difficulties and had to take a 20 minute break to get things fixed.  All in all, it was pretty horrible.  The only saving grace is that the band itself did a pretty great job. 

Yep, there's the lead singer reading the lyrics

Afterwards, we were somewhat scarred by the experience and decided we definitely needed another drink!  So we headed to a small pub next door who had a live band playing.  We had to laugh because the band, Vicious Disco, was amazing and we were able to watch them for free, and they knew all the lyrics!  So luckily, the night ended on a good note where we had some drinks and listened to some great music :-)

Plant from Annie :-)

Sunday, moving day, was finally here!  We started the morning with a full English breakfast and then packed up our suitcases.  Annie, who over the past two weeks has taken us under her wing, gave us a beautiful plant and card for our new place.  She has been nothing but amazing to us and we will definitely stay in touch with her.  She commented that she hoped she wasn’t “mothering” us too much seeing as she has kids the same age as us.  Little did she know how welcoming some “mothering” was coming to a new country and starting a new life.  Definitely needed!  Annie also offered to take us and all of our suitcases to our new flat on Sunday afternoon.  So we packed up her van, packed ourselves in, and made the trip in to town. 

We were greeted to 38 Richmond Hill by our landlord Dan.  He gave us a quick tour, we signed some papers and he was off.  Annie stuck around for a bit to check things out, then we said our goodbyes (and numerous thank you’s) to her.  Then it was just the two of us, looking at each other both excited and overwhelmed!

We realized that even though the flat came furnished, that meant only the big stuff like a couch, bed, desk, etc.  What we found overwhelming was the amount of stuff needed to make this place livable such as a dresser, lamps, microwave, pots and pans, shower curtain, sheets, etc.  We knew we had a lot of work in front of us.  So we started running around from store to store on Sunday afternoon trying to find the main things we needed just for the night.  We were able to get some stuff done, but everything (and I mean everything) closing at 4 on Sundays was not helpful!  So we made our way back and spent the night thinking about everything that needed to be done to make this place feel like our home.

Richmond Hill - There's our place on the left!

As John headed to work Monday, I found myself with the challenge of furnishing a flat knowing that we won’t be able to take anything with us when we go.  I have constantly been thinking of what we need versus what we want, while also keeping in mind that we are going to live here for the next year and want to feel comfortable doing so.  So I have been pounding the pavement the past couple of days looking for deals, asking where the discount stores are located and pretty much exploring every shop in this town!  I had to laugh to myself when I was picking up a ton of basic stuff at one particular store and had to stop buying, even though I knew we needed the stuff, because I knew I couldn’t carry it all myself back to our place!  Definitely a moment when I missed having a vehicle!

So the rest of this week will be focused on getting our place all set to go.  They are coming in all day Thursday to paint, we are going to try and find a cheap TV and TV stand in the paper this weekend and then finally get internet hooked up here next Monday.  So things will be busy!  And as for pictures of our place, as you could probably guess, those are to come once this place is a little more settled :-)

So on we go with this new set of challenges…..

In case you’re interested, our new and official address is:

38 Richmond Hill

Truro

Cornwall

TR1 3HW

United Kingdom