adkisons: Soooooooooooooo....

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Soooooooooooooo....

I'm cooking Raman and listening to the ol' radio. Ah... the simple life.
Who'm I kidding? Life isn't simple. It's rather complex. Confusing. Yup. Today was the usual 'cept for April got a NEW CELL PHONE! AND I DON"T EVEN HAVE ONE! Life is also not fair. And frightening. I decided where my dream house is.On the coast of Oregon. Looking out at the ocean. A decent sized cottage-meets-old-English-Oxford-meets-old-Italian Villa. By the beach. Doesn't it sound pretty? I think I'll be an engineer or hopefully a successful author. I got to go, my Raman's getting cold.

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Cindy's, Amy's, Holly's Trip to England 2007

Thursday, 6/14 - Tony took Holly and me to the airport and stayed with us until we got past security. We already knew our first flight had been delayed and that it would be close to make our connection in Philadelphia where we were supposed to join up with Amy. The agent said we'd never make it so we were re-routed to an American Airlines flight that changed in Frankfort and then on to Manchester. We had to take the SkyLink over to another terminal and after everyone finally boarded, we learned there was no room for us. So we went back to US Airways where they re-routed us to another American flight tht flew straight into Gatwick. Back to the other terminal, but we did get boarding passes.

Flew all night and got into Gatwick too late to catch the 10:45 flight to Manchester, so we took the 2:30 flight which was of course delayed. We got there, met up with Amy, but alas, no luggage - surprise, surprise.

Friday, 6/15 - Once we finally were all together in Manchester, we followed the signs to the station. There we bought a family rail card and bought round trip tickets to Penrith. The train came almost right away. We were on it for about one and a half hours all together, switching trains in Lancaster. We met a young Ph.D. student, Rosie, who was on her way to see her parents. She answered all my questions and asked some of her own.

When we finally got to Penrith station, there were several taxis and we took one straight to our front door at the Seasons at Whitbarrow Village. The condo is new, extremely clean and very spacious - three bedrooms, den, kitchen with all appliances. We were starving and ate at the restaurant at the resort. Holly had curry chicken, Amy had steak and I had Cumberland sausage while being entertained with live music. It's God's amazing grace that we are all tucked in our nice warm beds for our first night in England.

The countryside is too beautiful for my words. But the green, rollling hills, picturesque villages with quaint houses, lots of sheep, churches with steeples, fieldstone fences, made our trip over well worth it. Holly remarked that everythig was so old, and she meant it as a compliment. The charm and character stood out so much more in these settings.

Saturday, 6/16 - We got up this morning at 8:00. One of the guys from reception (the main office) came to the door to welcome us. We then called for a taxi and it came at 9:50 and took us to Penrith Station. We bought train tickets to Carnforth and then went to McDonalds next door for breakfast while we waited for the train. We had to switch twice, once in Oxenholme and then again in Lancaster.

When we got to Carnforth, there weren't any cabs waiting and I had to call several numbers before we could get one to agree to come. While we waited, we walked up the road past several shops, even looked at a "car and boot" sale (like a flea market). When we got back, we got the taxi which got us to Capernwray. The driver was real nice and made sure we could see the castle from a distance. It was beautiful. I couldn't believe we were here. We got in the castle and someone paged Robin and then he showed up. He looked so grown up. We also met Julie, a friend, who stayed with us also. They showed us all around and we even walked the "loop" which was about a 30 minute walk around the castle property.

We got to meet some of Robin's friends who were still there including Mark Thomas (Maj. Thomas's son). The taxi came at 6:30 and took us to Carnforth where we quickly got on one train to Lancaster, then to Penrith. We went to Mcdonalds for "dinner". Amy, Holly, and Robin went to the grocery store, Morrisons, for lunch stuff, frozen pizzas, and poptarts. Got another taxi back home. We watched "Britains Got Talent" and ate buttered toast.

Sunday, 6/17 - Halllelujah! our baggage (luggage) arrived today and I have clean clothes and got my phone charged. Our breakfast was instant coffee and poptarts. Amy and I explored a little and found a little shop and laundromat. We had a very relaxing day. Tonight we plan to walk to the Sportsman's Pub for supper. for lunch we had grilled cheese sandwiches, something Robin requested.

The days are long here. The sun comes up at 4:45 and sets at 9:45. We did walk to the pub for dinner. It didn't take more than 30 min. We had chili wraps and fish and chips, 30 pounds, my treat. Watched the rest of Britain's Got Talent and also a bird show. Amy, Holly and I are leaving for London in the morning.

Monday, 6/18 - This morning we said goodbye to Robin and got a cab around 9:30 for Penrith Station. We were going to get McDonalds but the train came right away. We had a direct ride, no stops, but the train was crowded and it took awhile before we all got seats together. It was about a 4-hour ride to Euston Station. We took a cab to Novotel where BP is paying Amy, Holly, and me to stay. It's a pretty nice room. Amy got checked in and then we walked to the Kings Mall where we ended up just eating at McDonalds. I also got some information about the tube (underground). It's pretty intimidating. Amy had a big event to go so Holly and I went out again. We just walked to the mall again and beyond and even down a few side streets to see some row houses. After Amy came in, she got us a place to stay in Manchester for our last night, we watched TV and then went to bed.

Tuesday, 6/19 - Incredible day! Amy left early for her BP meetings. Holly and I got up around 8:00 and had a nice breakfast of sausage, potatoes, and baked beans. Then we went to the underground station and bought a day pass. We asked a couple questions and then took off for the Tower of London. When we came up from underground, we were right in front of it. We bought tickets and started a tour from one of the Yeoman Warders (beefeaters). The weather was very warm but he was a good guide with interesting stories. We did some self-guiding but also had another tour in the armory. Holly bought a couple quill pens for herself and a friend. I got some shortbread. When we got outside, we walked closer to the Tower Bridge. It is so impressive. We bought some delicious soft-serve ice cream with a chocolate stick in it and sat by the Thames River to eat it.

Since it was still early, we decided to take the tube to Westminster. This time when we emerged, we were face to face with Big Ben. It was huge! Then we walked by Parliament and on to the Westminster Abbey. First we went into St. Margaret's which is attached. Winston Churchill was married there. Then we went into the abbey and again we used the brochure to guide us around. they had a little shop there and we each got a Coke. It tasted so refreshing. But the coolest thing - we were there in time for "Evensong." It's a 45 minute church service complete with men's choir, clergy, and pipe organ. They seated us in the very same pews I've seen royalty sit in during the events I've seen on TV. There was an OT and NT reading, responsive singing from Psalm 119, group prayers, kneeling, and standing. We got done about 6:00 and took the tube back. It was rush hour so the trains were packed and hot. We stopped at Tesco (like WM) to pick up sandwiches and chips for our dinner. Now we're just waiting for Amy to get back.

Wednesday, 6/20 - Amy decided to skip her first session so after breakfast, we went to Buckingham Palace and were there for the changing of the guard. Then we went to Leicester Square, which is the theater district, and bought tickets to Les Miserables. Amy had to head back, so Holly and I traveled to 152 Victoria Road, Ruislip Manor, where I used to live 40 years ago! It was neat. I knocked on the door, but no one was home. Then I knocked on the Burton's door but someone else live there. I talked to the woman for a little bit.

We stopped at Tesco again for our sandwich dinner. We left around 6:00 to get to Queens Theater in Picadilly Circus. Our seats were pretty good. The show was great and I was glad we topped off London with that. On the way home, we got Andrew a "Mind the Gap" t-shirt.

Thursday, 6/21 - Holly got to spend her 13th birthday in England! After breakfast, we checked out and took a cab to Euston Station. Our direct train to Penrith left at 11:30. When we got back, I went to Morrisons for a few groceries. Holly and Amy crossed the street to see the Penrith Castle ruins and then we got a cab back to Whitbarrow. We leave at 10:00 tomorrow for Manchester. It was great to see Robin and Julie again. We ate our dinner and celebrated Holly's birthday. We had chocolate sponge with sauce but she had real cake. Robin did laundry and we repacked him for his trip. We're taking back everything he won't need in Austria.

Friday, 6/22 - Our taxi came at 10:00 and we were loaded down. When we got to the station, we found out our train was delayed a little, so it didn't come until 11:40. It was hard getting all our stuff on the train, but eventually we all got it put away and got a seat. In Manchester, we said to goodbye to Robin and Julie and we switched to the next train to the airport. We got a taxi - our cheapest - and then went to our the hotel, the Travelodge. We spend the afternoon napping and watching the Royal Ascot horse races. It will be good to be home.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Soooooooooooooo....

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Cindy's, Amy's, Holly's Trip to England 2007