Day 10

Last day in Scotland.
So very sad to be leaving this place but I will be back one day.
How could I not?

Started off the day with going to a farmers' market overlooked by the castle.
Then again, everything is overlooked by the castle. That's one of the coolest things about this city, pretty much everywhere you go you can see the castle from where you are.
The farmers' market was really neat though. There were stands full of freshly made bread and colorful vegetables. And meat carts, one of which had a whole entire roasted pig on it (I'm guessing it was roasted... I really don't know how it was cooked actually) and even little stands of handmade soaps, jellies and knitted things.
It happens once every week, rain or shine.
Reminded me that I really need to check out The Farmers' Market that happens back at home.
Can you believe I've never been?

On the way back to the flat we stopped in Edinburgh Books, a wonderful little book shop. If only I had all day to spend in there, I'm sure I could have kept myself perfectly happy for hours. They seemed to have everything. In fact, when I asked the girl at the front if they had Lord of the Flies (one of my favorite books) she took me to not one, but three different copies of it.
Needless to say one came home with me.
I also purchased one of their cute bags.

After that we headed home to make a breakfast of crumpets (so delicious) and omelets.
And tea. Of course.
It was interesting actually because, while Will made the omelets, Jackie and I discussed tea.
Or rather, the tradition and comfort of it. How it brings people together on a daily basis, not just once but several times. How something as simple as sharing a cup of tea can be more than just that. The routine and familiarity of it can be something comforting you share with people you love and bring you together to spend some time talking about your day.
I love that about everyone here. The familiar question of "Tea?" accompanied by the following, "Milk and sugar?" and if the answer to the latter is yes: "One or two?"
It's definitely something I'm going to miss.
Then again, not having 4 cups of tea a day will probably be good for me...

Will and Jackie saw me off at the station. As I got on the bus, heading to the very back, I looked out the window at this wonderful city, wondering what it was about it exactly that I loved so much.
I loved being able to see the castle from virtually wherever you were in the city.
I loved the friendliness of the people I met and their love for life and living in a place they love.
I loved the architecture. Buildings and churches that were older than our country and have withstood the test of so much time.
I loved the untouched countryside and the beautiful colors of it.
I loved the food. As weird and unappealing as some of it was to me, it's just a different culture with different traditions.
I loved experiencing a place I'd never been but one that is now home to some of my friends, and having them share a little bit of their life with me.

Dear Will and Jackie,
Thank you for being such wonderful hosts during my visit and being so welcoming and making me feel so at home. Thanks for the delicious meals (even the haggis), the good conversation (especially those stories of Jackie's....), for carrying my heavy luggage (I swear, it was just the computer), for walking all those extra hills (ouch), for a floor to sleep on (haha) and showing me around the place you now call home. I had the best time and you both made it an experience I will always treasure.
Love to you both and can't wait to see you again soon!
Cheers.

Read Jackie's post on our adventures here.
Read about yesterday's adventures here.

Day 9

I'm in love with Edinburgh.
Today was wonderful.
I can see why Will and Jackie love it so much! I could totally live here for a while if I had to.
This visit has been one of the highlights of my trip thus far.

The day started off with sleeping in (so very grateful for that. Havn't been getting much sleep since I've been here!) and then Jackie and I headed out to see some sights. We started off with having a traditional Scottish breakfast at Links which included: Haggis, black pudding, sausage, bacon, a fried egg and biscuit, baked beans, a tattie scone and a grilled tomato.
Quite a meal.
Oh, and please make sure you click on the link for Haggis and Black Pudding and read what they are.
Yea.
I ate that.
Or at least a bite of each.
The tattie scone was delicious though.
Might need to learn how to make those (you know, when I learn how to cook one day...) though it was odd having baked beans for breakfast. Apparently a normal breakfast food item in the UK. My friend Jenn thought it was very odd when I mentioned that we eat them at cookouts with burgers and hot dogs.
Not on our toast at breakfast.

After breakfast we went to the cutest little yarn shop and I got some yarn for my travel blanket (I'm crocheting a blanket with yarn from the locations of my various travels) and some for a cowl (that was a splurge) and one... or two... or three other skeins.
Just because.

We also wandered into a little street market that had various interesting vendors. Met a couple from Texas who had been living here for 3 or 4 years. Their accent was interesting. An odd blend of American and Scottish. Or something like that. Do you suppose you'd acquire an accent after being somewhere only a few short years?

After that we headed to what is quite possibly the best coffee shop I've ever been to.
It's called Henderson's at Saint Johns.
It's home is underneath a beautiful old church and the atmosphere is one of the coolest I've been in. It's also an art gallery of sorts and has interesting paintings all over the dark stone walls.
Not to mention the bright stain glass windows that shine colored light into the room.
We sat and knit and drank tea and caught up on life.
It was lovely.
I really wish I could find a little coffee shop back home that I love just as much.
Any suggestions Richmonders?

Once we were done with our tea we set out for Calton Hill, one of the highest peaks in the city.
The view from the top was just gorgeous.
Let's just say I had to put in another memory card by the time I was finished taking photos!
You could see Arthur's Seat not too far off and all the little people who had climbed to the top. Hopefully I'll get to do that on my next visit!
The view really was magnificent though. You almost felt like you were on the edge of the world, looking out over the sea, even though you were still a fair distance from it.
It was simply breathtaking. I loved it.
Hopefully one day I can view the sunrise or sunset from the top.
I bet that's a sight to see.

We hung out at the flat for a bit after that, chatting and drinking tea (again) and knitting (again) with Will.
(Though Will wasn't knitting. Just giving knitting advice.)
Then we headed out to dinner.
We originally were going to go to a place called Under The Stairs but the wait was too long so instead we headed to The Villager.
It was a really neat place with big couches at the tables, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and painted robots on the walls.
I had a veggie black bean burger of some sort and it was delicious. As were the chips (fries) that came with it. I ate every single last bite.

Across the street was Elephant House, the place where J.K. Rowling apparently started writing Harry Potter. I'm not a Harry Potter fan but I thought some of you would find that interesting.

After that we called it a night.
It was a long and very good day.
My heart is full (as is my memory card) and happy.
One of the best days of my adventure yet.

Day 8

Woke up bright and early to head to The Lake District today. It was a bit of a drive there but the scenery on the way was simply gorgeous. 

It was my first look at the English countryside. 

It was so breathtaking. 

The landscape in all it's different shades of green, broken up by miniature moss covered stone walls and dotted with sheep.

I hadn't seen much of it from the airport in Manchester to Liverpool, and in Liverpool I'm in the heart of the city. 

I couldn't get enough of it though and I only wish we could have stopped so I could've seen it better.

The Lake District itself was really beautiful too. We were more specifically in Windermere,  a cute little town which (fun fact) was known as a holiday spot in the Summer for Beatrix Potter while she was growing up.

The lake with all it's boats reminded me of the Chesapeake and how much I miss it. 

Can't wait to go sailing again when I get home.

There were also swans everywhere. And they were huge! 

It was really odd.

It was such a beautiful and relaxing day. We walked through a huge field (all through which we sung songs from The Sound of Music) to the edge of the lake and sat on some rocks for a a bit, was just so calming. 

It felt so refreshing just being there. Breathing in the fresh air and soaking in the sunshine. 

It was so peaceful.

(I know I keep saying that, but I just couldn't get over it)

After that we walked around the shops a bit (I found a few things in a cute little antique shop) and then we stopped for tea (or in my case, hot chocolate) at a "posh" hotel and sat out on a veranda that overlooked the lake. 

It really was the most beautiful day.

After that I was dropped off at the train station to start my journey to Edinburgh! 

As nervous as I was the night before, I soon realized that the whole journey was a piece of cake. I think I had kind of envisioned a Grand Central Station like place where it was going to be crazy and busy with 45 trains leaving at once and left completely clueless as to how to go about finding the right one (I know, really silly) but it was so calm and smooth and a very easy experience. And everyone was really nice and helpful. 

There was one sweet old man in particular who laughed when I addressed him as sir and in return called me "love" in his wonderful thick Scottish accent. 

I got to see more of the country side on my journey and I have to say it really was my favorite part of the trip. I could hardly take my eyes away from it. It was so beautiful. And all different, from the cute little houses with their wooden fences and stone walls, to the rolling green, brown, and yellow hills with patches of trees and little ponds and the occasional stream here and there.

As cliche as it is to say, it really looked like it was straight from a book.

I wish I could have captured some better pictures of it.

It made me feel so alive. 

And once again so grateful that I was able to have this experience and these adventures. 

I really am loving every minute of it.

Navigating the Edinburgh train station to find Jackie and Will was a bit of a challenge, since it was much larger then the previous stations, but I finally found them.

It was so great running and giving Jackie a big hug! I'd really missed her.

They gave me a mini tour as we walked to their flat (like Liverpool, you can pretty much walk everywhere you need to go in Edinburgh too. Again, a novelty for me) and I got to see the city at night from the hill of the castle.  

Will, being extremely smart and an endless source of knowledge, also was able to give me some history with the things we passed which was really neat.

I always find stuff like that really interesting, however my ability to remember said information is very limited so I don't have much to share about what he told me…

Jackie and Will have the cutest little flat and I instantly felt right at home. After some good conversation and a delicious dinner (what was that bean seasoning recipe again Jackie?) we called it a night with the promise of the city to explore in the morning.

Day 7

Today I went with the youth group to an amusement park in Blackpool called Pleasure Beach.

Most freezing day of my life.

I rode about a total of 5 rides (which made me even colder) and spent the majority of the time holed up in Burger King (one of the only indoor restaurants... Considering the weather that England tends to have, this made no sense to me) with a friend trying to stay warm.

I brought my camera, but I only took a few photos. It was too cold to even do that (I really just can't function very well/at all when I'm cold).

And the photos I did take, were of a ride I didn't even go on. 

It was Alice and Wonderland themed though, so I think that's understandable.

Needless to say I was happy to head home at the end of the day.

However, it was fun getting to hang out with a few of the girls on the way there and back and get to know them better. 

And learn some new words! I have quite the running list now...

Braid = Plait

Fries = Chips

Nappy = Diaper

Motorway = Highway

Chips = Crisps

Lady bug = Lady bird

Bathroom = Toilet

Line = Cue (Que? Not sure how to spell it...)

Sketchy = Dodgy

Cookie = Biscuit

Trash = Rubbish

High Class = Posh

Calendar = Diary

Kissing = Snogging

Cuddling = Canoodling

Tired = Knackered

Vacation = Holiday

Pleased = Chuffed

And instead of a Bachelorette or Bachelor party it's called a Hen or Stag party

The highlight of the day was buying train tickets to Scotland to visit my friend Jackie!

This has been in the works for a few days, and it was almost looking like it wasn't going to work out. But at the last minute it did and I am over the moon excited!!

I'll be taking a train there and I have to admit I'm a bit nervous. I've never traveled in a foreign country completely alone so hopefully I won't get lost because I have quite a few transfers to juggle.

So prayers for that would be lovely!

Off to bed, it's been a long (cold) day. 

Day 6

One thing I really miss about the states is Mexican food.
For those of you who don't know me, I love mexican food.
I probably have it in some form at least once a week. Usually more.
It's pretty bad.
Anyway, I haven't had it in quite sometime and I've been having withdrawals.
However, while out shopping, some friends and I discovered Barburrito.
It's actually extremely similar to Chipotle and Qdoba back home. Not quite as good, but not bad.
It temporarily appeased my need for Mexican, though I will definitely need to hit up Plaza ASAP when I get home...

Also while out shopping we went to the famous Primark.
Talk about overwhelming.
Two massive floors of clothing and accessories. Not including the guys floor.
My bank account may or may not have suffered just a tad...
It's probably a good thing we don't have one in the states.
Then again, we have Forever 21 which is about as equally dangerous.
Best find: A raincoat for £5!
I mean $8.

That's about it for today really.
Except to explain today's photo: Took this while on the bus into town. It's interesting how popular Converses are here. Even more so then back home I feel like. It's been really neat seeing the different ways people style them too. Makes me want to wear mine more!
But yea, other than that, had dinner at home, snuggled up on the couch with some tea (of course) and now I'm off to bed because we have an early day tomorrow.
Going with some of the youth group to an amusement park in Blackpool. I just pray that the weather is nice. It was a bit rainy here today.
Then again, that's to be expected isn't it?

Day 5

Had lunch at Oomoo today (my second time. Read about the first here). Had a bri, bacon and cranberry panini. It was so delicious. I'm getting hungry again just writing about it.
And another chai latte, of course.

Also went to Asda, a grocery store they have here, and that was quite a fun experience. It was neat seeing all the foods and things that are different then back home.
Or even the same foods, but packaged differently.
For instance, the Oreos I bought were in a little roll instead of a big package. Very odd.
And were described as "cocoa flavored sandwich biscuits".
Which is just wrong if you ask me...
(Side note: They don't taste nearly as good as they do at home, but Oreos are Oreos so I take what I can get!)

It rained today.
Right as I headed home from church too. Of course. So I had my first rainy walk in England, which was a bit unpleasant with the cold. But such is life here in Liverpool.

It was a pretty chill day for the most part though. Helped out with a few things at the church, had dinner with a very sweet couple who were really fun to talk to, and ended the night with watching Pirate's of the Caribbean with some friends.

Oh! I almost forgot, the most exciting news: We've booked tickets for London!
We are going to explore and be tourists for a few days (I mean, what else would you do in London?) I'm really excited to see everything, I can't wait.

Day 4

Went to Mystery Park yesterday.
The weather was glorious.
So warm and sunny.
Or at least warm compared to what it has been.
It hasn't rained once since I've been here, which is very unnatural apparently.
My friend and I just laid in the grass for a bit and soaked in the sunshine and fresh air.
As I laid there, with the wind playing with the hem of my dress and my fingers playing with the grass, I couldn't help but revel once again in the fact that I'm here. I still find it kind of crazy, even though I've been here almost a week. I've dreamed of traveling abroad for quite sometime and the fact that I've finally gotten to just seems a bit beyond me sometimes for some reason.
I'm not really sure why it's so hard so comprehend.
I get really excited about it at times and I get all silly thinking about it.
And then other times I almost feel like I've lived here for ages.
It's hard to explain.

Church was also really good. Had quite an interesting guest speaker and heard this song for the first time. Which I really liked.

Later in the evening we went to The Richmond Tavern (coincidentally named), which I really liked!
I wish we had places like it back home. I feel like we either have bars, or we have restaurants.
Or a combination of both.
This was a proper pub. Or at least I thought so. The locals might correct me, I don't have much/any experience with pubs so I'm probably wrong, but I liked it none the less.
It had a classier feel and was a brightly lit, clean and comfy. A place filled with people just having a good time. I feel like we don't really have many places like that.
Correct me if I'm wrong though, Richmonders!

Tried Marmite when we got home. A popular food over here. Or condiment... What have you.
It was interesting.
Tasted salty and kind of like bacon. I probably wouldn't eat it voluntarily, but I wouldn't complain too much if it was already on something someone gave me to eat.
Also tried Flapjack. Chocolate to be exact. Now that I loved. So scrumptious.

It's late and I'm off to bed. I've been so bad about going to bed at a good time. I really don't know if I'm tired from jet lag still or what but I haven't felt very rested the past few days.
Need to fix that.

Day 3

Started the day off with a cup of tea (of course) and then headed to see The Walker Art Gallery which is home to one of the largest collections of art in England, outside of London.
It was really nice, I liked it a lot. However I didn't see any pieces that I recognized. Not that I study art history, but I thought I would at least have seen one or two...
I'm probably not going to be visiting many other museums while I'm here, if any, because I would rather be out exploring than in a building looking at history. It's very interesting and I like it, don't get me wrong, but I'd rather be out seeing it for myself.
You know?
However it was really nice to visit at least one, especially an art one, since those are my personal favorite.
Though I must admit I think the VMFA is still my favorite.
But I'm biased.

After that we went home and just hung around a bit and relaxed.
I've really been loving the house I'm staying at.
There's a fireplace in nearly every room, and though most are not in use, it adds a romanticized charm to things. I also love the old fashioned heaters everywhere. Which I really love for some reason.
Also England, or maybe just Liverpool in general, seems to have a thing for lace curtains.
Which, again, I love.
I also found this to be the case in New Mexico actually.
Or maybe I just notice lace curtains everywhere I go because I have an odd love for them.

Went on a walk around the neighborhood later in the afternoon.
I love getting out and exploring by myself.
There's just something about the quiet solitude of being in a new place all by yourself and discovering things on your own, at your own pace that I really love. Almost makes you feel as if those things are all yours, just for you. Does that make any sense?
Probably not.

Attended a party later in the evening, which was fun. It was interesting to see, or rather hear, that everyone here listens to relatively similar music actually. There were a few songs that were foreign to me, but for the most part I recognized most of it.
Another observation: there were some gorgeous shoes.
Speaking of shoes, I walked over two miles in heels last night.
The highest pair I own, might I add.
Not the first time I've done this, however I feel like it still warrants some praise. It's not easy you know. Especially when it's cold out.

That's about it really.
Another lovely day in Liverpool.
It's slowly stealing my heart.

P.s. April is here!

Day 2

Yesterday was a pretty short day on account of my sleeping in until 12... Thank you jet lag.
However it was a pretty nice day none the less.
Had some tea with breakfast (lunch?) and something called digestives.
Digestives are scrumptious.
When I was asked if I wanted one I was a bit confused at first... I thought it was a pill or something to help with your digestion! but it's actually a cookie of sorts.
So yummy.
I'm obsessed with them.
You dip them in your tea and they taste just wonderful. I'm going to have to buy a pack or two to take home.

Went to Kidz Klub with my friend in the early afternoon which was a really neat experience. Essentially it's a program that goes around to different primary schools in more deprived areas and puts on a little hour event for them. They have games and music and a little play about something from the Bible that they teach on. It's really neat and all the kids were so sweet. I couldn't get over them, in their little uniforms and accents.
Seriously precious.
I was surprised at how quickly they warmed up to me. Some came right over and asked me questions and told me funny little things as if I was already their best friend.
I wish I had another opportunity to participate in it again because it really was fun.

After that we went to a little coffee shop called Oomoo and had a chai tea latte and a blackberry muffin. Very delicious.
It was a neat little place. If it was back home I would go there quite often I think. I loved the atmosphere and the furniture and decorations. I liked sitting so that I could face the window and people watch.
The people who worked there were very nice as well.
Everyone's always so friendly and asks where I'm from and if I'm enjoying it here.

We've been walking everywhere for the most part. Only taken the bus two times and have had someone drive us only once or twice. I really have enjoyed that aspect of being here. I love walking. I really wish I lived in a part of Richmond where I could do that more and actually get somewhere. It'd be nice to bike or walk to the places I need to go.
Not to mention gas (or, "petrol" as it's called here) is just so expensive.
Walking through the quaint neighborhoods has been fun. I love the different windows and doors on all the little houses and flats. With their in-the-middle door knobs and lacy curtains and chipped paint and worn wood.
Though a little old man knocked on his window at me one time while I was taking a picture of his front door... guess he didn't like that... Oops.

We went to the youth group at Frontline later that night. Saw some of the people I had met at the movie the night before and met some new ones. I look forward to getting to know some of them better.
Everyone was quizzing me on various American terms (for instance, they call band aids "plasters", bangs "fringe" and sweaters "jumpers"), it was fun. I did feel a bit funny being older than the youth and about as old as the leaders, yet participating with the youth activities but it was fine for the most part.

After that we had a quiet dinner at home of some yummy leftover pasta dish (I really haven't had anything I didn't like here so far), blogged, had some tea (of course), caught up on emails, looked into a possible trip to Scotland and went to bed!

Not too eventful but a nice day all in all.

Day 1

So much has happened in the brief two days that I've been here, I honestly have not known where to start in blogging about it. Not to mention I've already taken well over 200 photos.

(Side note: as I'm typing this I'm thinking in a british accent. It's clearly gotten to me.)

My friend gave me the idea to share a "photo of the day" with my posts, to give you an idea of what it looks like here. Which I think is what I'm going to do, because I don't really want to spend a ton of time editing photos and such while I'm here. 

So I'll save the picture heavy posts for when I'm home. 

Sound good?

I'm currently sitting in the living room of the house with my friend (who's also blogging) and listening to some Bon Iver and still thinking how it's so crazy that I'm here. I'm not sure I'll ever quite get over it.

But anyway, things are going quite well!

I've loved it here so far. Though I do miss home a bit.

Getting used to the different customs and sayings and different words for things has been fun. 

I'm sure you will hear much more from me on that later.

The initial drive from the airport to Liverpool was so exciting. I think it finally hit me that everything was real when I got on the plane, but it was of course made even more real once I was out of the airport.

I had completely forgotten that everyone here drives on the opposite side of the road, so it was a bit of a shock at first! I've since gotten a little more used to it, though it still throws me off at times. 

I couldn't stop looking out the window as we drove though, at the signs, the cars, the buildings, taking everything in. It was a bit surreal in all honesty.

After getting settled in the house a bit (all my housemates are so sweet and welcoming), I took a bus to a busier part of Liverpool. The first place I went was a local craft store called Abakhan which had two floors and was ginormous. My kind of place. I had to keep telling myself "you don't have room in your suitcase, you don't have room in your suitcase" to prevent myself from buying everything. 

I did purchase a few little things though. 

Next I went to the cutest and most lovely book shop I've ever seen. The owner was so very nice and all the shelves were just chocked full of the most beautiful books. I picked up a little copy of Dickens and then a memoir of Jane Austen's. 

Appropriate I thought, considering.

After that I visited the docks which were lovely as well. I apparently arrived on an unnaturally beautiful day so the sun was shining and everything looked just beautiful.

Also had the opportunity to go to a candy shop and tried some Haribo, Treacle, and Flying Saucers. 

All pretty tasty.

After a bit more wandering around I had dinner at "home" (as it shall be called while I'm here) which was a delicious spaghetti sort of dish. It surprised me to find that they don't say blessing or grace before eating here. Apparently that's an American thing to do. 

After dinner we went to the movies (or rather "the cinema") to see The Hunger Games because my friends hadn't seen it yet. I fell asleep several times from the jet lag so it's a good thing I'd already seen it.

That's about it for the most part, as far as the first day goes.

As a last word, these posts are more for myself than anything. So that I can remember all of my trip a few years from now. I don't really expect many people to read this. What I have to say isn't that interesting! However, I know there are some of you who wanted to be kept up to date and were interested in reading about my adventures, so I figured this was the easiest way to go about it.

And to those few, thank you! Thanks for letting me share this adventure with you and thanks for wanting to hear about it. I look forward to sharing more with you as my trip progresses.

Cheers then!