Jolly Ol' London!

Hello, all! I hope you all are ready to get back to work this week...I know lots of y'all have had a nice week or two off :-) Just remember....3 day weekend in a couple of weeks for MLK Jr(that's what my dad used to always tell me after the Christmas break, and it always made me feel better).

This weekend has had lots of rest AND a bit of excitement in it- just what we needed after a potentially depressing and homesick departure from Texas.

We have both been permanently jet-lagged, ever since we landed on Thursday. Neither of us slept much on the plane- in fact, Daniel was sick for most of the trip back to London! When we finally arrived, I literally went straight to nap for 3 hours, woke up just for a few hours, and then back to sleep...and slept in until 11:30 am the next day!

Although it felt SO good to sleep SO much, I haven't been able to sleep deeply since then! Most nights since then, I have been laying in bed, awake, until about 3 am, when I finally fall asleep. I am thankful I have TIME to sleep and don't have to rush off and work, but still- I hope to get back on schedule soon!

Saturday for us was a veryyyyyy restful day. Daniel didn't have time to recuperate from the flight since he worked on Friday, so he literally stayed in his PJS all day while I ran some local errands.

I finally have pictures of Daniel's side of our family and needed frames for the pics, along with needing a frame for a vintage map of the UK that I had bought as Camden Market a few months ago. The neighborhood charity shop (what they call resale shops here) was having a 50% off sale and I was able to purchase all of the frames for a rather good price (still not as good as Hobby Lobby would have been, though!). And that, along with working out, was how I spent my Saturday!


Sunday started off really lazy. We woke up at 10, made breakfast, then when back to sleep until 1! I'm telling you, this jet-lag sucks! I feel so bad for all of our visitors whom we made go out and explore the city the day they arrived!

We finally forced ourselves to wake up from our slumber and decided we needed to get out (actually, I decided. Daniel wanted to keep sleeping). We headed to Trafalgar Square to check out the British National Gallery.

 Couldn't have gotten a better picture! The tree, Nelson's Column, and Big Ben...with a red double decked bus to the side! 

Canada has a very nice embassy! Right next to the Blue Cock!

National Gallery

Christmas tree, given as a gift from Norway every year. I'm glad we got to see it, even if it was after Christmas! 

 I really, really loved the National Gallery. If you are in London and want to see paintings, this is the place to go! Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures once inside. The interior was breathtaking in itself, only made more beautiful by the paintings. I loved the impressionist wing- tons of Monets, Van Goghs, and Renoirs.

Love this! Painted by Monet while he lived in London...is it lame if I buy the print? It reminds me of life here!

Not in the impressionist wing...still one of our favs. Was captivating in person. 

After our skip through the museum, we stopped at the pub for a pint. What's a weekend without lazying by the fire, sipping a cider, and fantasizing about future travels with your love at the pub?

Howdy and Happy Holidays, Y'all!

After a refreshing, relaxing, and FULL trip to Texas, we are back in London and exhausted! I didn't take a ton of pictures during our visit back home, but here are the few that we did manage to take! 

One of my BFFs, Anneke, came all the way to Pecan Grove from Austin for a visit! Our families both live in the same neighborhood, and it was so nice walking around our old stomping grounds and chatting. Her mom made us some delicious French Toast and tea. My time with Anneke was much needed and I wish she could live in London, too! 

Of course, we spent a LOT of time with my baby girls. We walked them daily on the bayou, where Cole liked to fetch her ball and Dakota loved chasing ducks around. I was covered in dog fur pretty much the whole time we were in Texas- not a bad thing!

 We had time to see all of our grandparents and most of our other extended family. It was so nice just sitting and talking to them all! This is Daniel's Nana and Papa. Along with Daniel's parents, we got to visit them on the 26th.

We celebrated Christmas at my Mimi's a day late. It was GREAT- everyone was there! That night, my sister and I spent the night at Mimi's, along with my 2 aunts and all of our girl cousins. I was basically sleep walking because it was my first full day back in Texas and because of the time difference, I wanted to go to sleep really early. However, the time difference was in my favor for the morning and I got to spend some alone time with my Mimi while everyone else was sleeping. She told me she checks this blog every morning and is disappointed when there aren't any new posts, so Mimi, I hope you are happy to read this!

Along with the above, we...

- Celebrated Christmas at my Gigi's right when we arrived- we were SO out of it, so I made sure to go visit Gigi and PawPaw again when I was no longer a jet-lagged zombie. I loved looking at their scrapbooks from all of the trips that they have taken!

-I got to spend some quality one on one time with both my brother and sister. With my sister, we shopped and ate some Niko Nikos! With Gregory, we also shopped and got our nails done with my mom (Gregory's first pedicure!). I took advantage of the shopping in Houston- it's too expensive to shop in London!

-Spent SO much time with Daniel's family. It was nice just relaxing on the couch, popping oreo balls left and right, and playing games!

-Ate Chickfila with Daniel's mom, dad, and sister. I got an extra large fry and didn't regret one single bite!

-Ate our favorite Tex Mex, Lupes, and watched Anchor Man 2 with my family at the new cinema by their neighborhood. I am already regretting the fact that I didn't gorge myself at Lupes- I only had 1 fajita! What was I thinking?!

- Celebrated New Year's Eve with Daniel's family in cypress. Popped some awesome fireworks and laughed 'til we cried playing Headbandz!

-Ate the best steak EVER at Churrascos for my dad's birthday. Seriously! It was voted one of the top 20 steaks in the USA by Esquire!

- Got our BBQ fix- once by ourselves, and then again on our last day with my family.

-To counteract all of the eating, I got to go to both my friends Yemike's and Michele's yoga classes. It was so nice taking classes from someone whom I have been practising with for a while!

-We got to meet our Houston friends Vincent, Damion, and Brittany at Local Foods for lunch one day and it was so nice catching up!

The trip was SO what we needed. The time spent with family and friends was just so...full and filled my heart with great joy! Although the time we spend with our loved ones is infrequent now that we live in London, I feel like when we DO get to be together, the time is just of such great quality- full of intention, greatfulness, and lots of love and appreciation! It was just so comfortable being around our loved ones and family and reminded me of how lucky we are to have them all in our lives!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

 Our last hurrah before going home for Christmas...

Sunday night, Daniel and I walked down Regent's Street to meet friends for dinner. Although I have done this many times already this year, this was my first time at night and with Daniel! It is a sight to be seen! 

We met with our South African friends, Bailey and Tristan, at Yauatcha and shared some tasty dim sum and appetizers.

We can't believe we are going home tomorrow! Our driver picks us up at 8 am and our flight leaves at 10:30. Thankfully, we have pretty nice seats for the flight, but still....it's going to be a long 10.5 hours! Also, I haven't been feeling great. I call it "the sick throat". It isn't exactly a cold because it's just my throat. It is more than a sore throat, but I don't think it's strep. It just feels sick! I've been drinking lots of tea today in hopes that it would go away. 

Merry Christmas everyone! Don't know when I will be updating, since we will be in Houston for the next week! I hope you all have a happy, safe, joyful holiday! 

A Day on Regent Street

I am a very, very lucky wife. My husband buys me little gifts all of the time, and I usually don't brag about him, but I have to today! I wish I was as thoughtful as he is...he can just go on a whim and get somebody an awesome gift. Me, on the other hand...I just over think it too much. 

For no good reason other than being the sweetest guy ever, Daniel booked me a really fancy spa day at the Langham Hotel on Regent Street. It's a 5 star hotel, and I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb in my tights and H&M sweater! However, the staff were all very friendly and I ended up having such a wonderful morning.

 I've only had a handful of massages, but this one was by far the fanciest! Upon arrival, the staff gave me a robe, slippers, and sparkling mineral water. I got to sit in the "relaxation room" where I filled out a questionnaire about "the harmony of the elements" in my body (a little bit of a quack, but whatever!).

Next, I got to pick out which oil they used (I picked lavendar and chamomile, but my other choices were basil/ lemon and orange/ something or other) and then enjoyed a relaxing massage. It was my first time to not have a deep tissue massage. Although I prefer the deep tissue, I will say this one was WAY less painful and I was able to relax more. Afterwards, I had some organic loose leafed tea and fruit, then used their salt sauna and hot tub. Fearful that I would fall asleep and drown/ sweat to death, I had to leave after a couple of hours. Perfect morning!

 Since I was in one of the main shopping areas in London, I decided to try and tackle some last minute Christmas shopping...bad idea!

 Everything was SO overcrowded with tourists and other last minute shoppers. Plus, shopping just really sucks in London when you are used to American prices. For example, Daniel loves Brooks Brothers so I went in, hoping to get him something. The prices were the SAME in pounds as they are in dollars...which means it is nearly double the price as it would be in America! UK brands aren't any better, either!

 I ended up going to Selfridges, Liberty, Fortnum & Mason, and some other small shops...and bought NOTHING! It was too crowded to even think straight, let alone browse without a specific list in mind.

 At Selfridges, they sell American foods. I almost bought these Oreos for Daniel...before seeing the price! Y'all, that is equivalent to about $12...for 1 pack of Oreos!

 Even though I didn't buy anything and became frustrated with the hordes of people, I do love seeing London at Christmas time! All of the store windows are decorated over the top and the displays entice you to buy things you never thought you needed. Thankfully, I am very frugal and have excellent self-control, or we would have had to eat nothing but cereal for the next 5 weeks!

I am going to be a complete lunatic tomorrow and go to Harrods right when it opens. I can't even fathom how crazy it will be on the Saturday before Christmas, but tis the season!

Brown Warrior in London

I don't have time for a long post....here's what's been happening with Justin and Brandee in London! 

In front of Abbey Road Studios

First day- exploring South Bank

Pub by our flat...called The Warrington. Used to be a brothel! It is on Randolph Street....supposedly, the term "randy" (think Austin Powers: "Are you randy, baby?" originated at this pub!

Borough Market

Us waiting for the legendary grilled cheese!

Look at all of those wheels of cheese...

So good.

I poured my own olive oil...I can go back and refill my canister for 5 pounds!

Wine at the market...my new favorite thing. We also got some mulled wine and the man gave me a free shot of whiskey in it!

Church by the market

Tower Bridge in the background...NOT London Bridge

 

Brown Warrior in Edinburgh

 

Hello all! I have never dedicated a post before, so this will be my first time. This post is dedicated to Brandee's mom, Terri Duncan. She specifically wanted Brandee to tell me that she reads my blog every night before she goes to bed. Thanks for reading, Mrs. Duncan, and I hope you especially enjoy this post!

So, let's get started. I am going to focus on our trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, but I think I need to preface that with Justin and Brandee's arrival to London.

Daniel was going to take the tube to Heathrow airport to pick them up. About half way there, the train stopped and the announcer said that they are sorry for the inconvenience, but somebody is "under the train" a.k.a  somebody committed suicide, so all passengers will need to get off, as the line is now closed for clean up. Isn't that a lovely thought? So, Daniel had to take a cab for the remainder of the way to the airport AND a cab back, totaling 110 pounds! Side note- I read that 100 people a year jump in front of the tube in London. So sad! Anyways, that gave Justin and Brandee a charming first impression of Jolly ol' London!

OK, so they finally arrive to our flat, we do some exploring, and then take a private car (much, much cheaper) to the airport.

There is nothing as spectacular as a 1 hour flight. We took Little Red (Virgin Air) and although it was a bit more expensive, the experience was great! We could check luggage free of charge, they offered complimentary drinks, and the seats were very comfy. We got there so easily, hopped in our 4th cab of the day, and arrived to our destination.

This is where the fun really starts.

 

 

 

Not the flat where we stayed. But you would think so if you hear Justin describing it.

We used a site, Air B&B, to book our flat. We wanted to save money, and found that renting a flat was much cheaper than staying in a hotel.

 

Especially if it is a one bedroom flat that you are SHARING with the person who lives there (your host).

 

It was my fault. I had no idea that it was even an option on Air B&B to share someone's flat. We were so confused when our host let us in- her clothes were everywhere, kitchen counter was so cluttered, and HER CAT WAS SITTING ON THE BED WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE SKEEPING IN!

 

Her cluttered kitchen

The bathroom was teeny tiny, had enough hot water for only 1 shower every 30 minutes, and the toilet took some coaxing to flush.

 

Daniel and I laughed and called it a "true Scotland experience". We got to sleep in queen sized bunk beds! And we were right by the castle- could see it from the window! Plus, our host could help us out with what to do and we were saving so much money.

 

Justin and Brandee, well, not so much. They thought this was going to be a reenactment of the movie Hostel, and if I had a pence for every time I heard from Justin that he either wanted to take the next flight home to Houston or pay an exorbitant amount for a hotel, then I'd be a millionaire!

Yep, that's a roasted pig with a knife through it's head

 Justin and Brandee's culture shock continued for the rest of the night. They quickly learned that, along with the rest of Europe, Scotland is nothing like their manicured, brand new neighborhood in Suburbia, Houston. Things here are old, a little dingy. People are loud. Public transport gets interrupted by people killing themselves. Streets are crowded. It's very, very different.

The next morning, we woke up rather early. Justin wanted to get the hell out of the flat (before our 110 lb Scandanavian host would wake up and lock him in her closet for torture and experimentation), and we also had quite an itinerary for the day.



Our first plan was to walk to the castle. We walked the long way, and went through a lovely park to get there.

 

Old men playing the bagpipes, wearing elf ears and Santa beards. I love Edinburgh!

SANNNTTTAAAAA! I know him!

A race was getting started, and everyone was wearing Santa costumes! Bagpipes were being played and there was just so much excitement in the park. It was a great way to start our (windy) morning in Edinburgh. 

 

Once we were out of the park, we had to walk up some very steep hills to get to the castle. There's no way my bike could have made it up there. It was so cold, yet we were taking off our jackets once we made it to the top! 

 
The castle was the best I've been to so far. The hill it is on top of was created by a volcano 3000 years ago. People inhabited the hill around 2000 years ago, and the castle began being built over 1000 years ago. There are two statues framing the castle- the one on the right is William Wallace aka Brave Heart aka Mel Gibson.

Perks of being on top of a hill- great views of the city! And AWESOME wind blown hair

 

We started off with a 30 minute tour of the outside of the castle. Our guide, Euon, taught us all about the castle's history. I highly recommend taking the tour if you go and visit!

 



 



Trying to get the dang audio guide to work



 

 

The creepiest statue in Edinburgh. That's supposed to be a pope. Looks to me like a dead zombie grandma.

 

The wives locked up in jail.

We spent hours at the castle. We saw the war memorial (the newest building) and St. Margaret's chapel (the oldest building in Edinburgh), the jail, crown jewels, armor, cannons, and the war museum. It was well worth the 16 pounds a ticket and is a MUST see if you go to Edinburgh!

 

  All that walking uphill made us Bonds work up an appetite! We went to a local pub and we all had some authentic Scottish food. Scotch eggs, bangers and mash, meat pies, and of course some ales. The food was fantastic and so inexpensive compared to London!

We walked around a "wee" bit after lunch. Every building in Edinburgh is old- the city withstood World War II, so you feel like you are stepping back in time being in Edinburgh.

We stumbled across The Museum of Edinburgh, and it had everything you could imagine. Most impressive to me was the whale skull! 

 Daniel and I weren't in the mood for museuming, so we went to the pub across from it to wait for Justin and Brandee. Greyfriars Bobby was the most loyal dog in all of Scotland. Once his owner died, he guarded his grave for 14 years. The dog is an icon of Edinburgh. I loved the story!

After the museum, we went to the Scotch Tasting Experience.

It starts off with you going on a ride that explains how Scotch is made. I thought it was a little excessive- I would have much rather paid less money and have somebody explain it to me, then to take a ride. But everyone else loved it- they said it was like Disney World! Ha! 

Me, thinking this is lame and just wanting to get to the good stuff!

I love Scotch. Scotchy scotch scotch.

 After the ride, we learned all about the different regions in Scotland and the scotch that is made there. It was really quite interesting! We got to try a scotch from the Islat region (Ardbeg) and from the Highland region (GlenDronach). The Highland one was very good- a little spicy, but easy to drink. The instructor taught us to add just a splash of water to open it up, how to tell if it was a full bodied whiskey by swirling it, and smelling it to guess the region. The next Scotch was from Islay and it tasted like fire. I didn't care for it! Way too smokey. It was amazing how different the two Scotches tasted!

Once we learned about how to taste Scotch, we got to try a 25 year old, single malt Scotch. It was delicious! We drank it while admiring the largest collection of scotch in the world! Owned by a Brazilian, and not a single bottle had been opened! How sad. He had bottles over 100 years old, some worth tens of thousands of dollars.

I found it fitting, a Scotch made for teachers!

The boys loved the tasting and I am so happy to have turned Justin's opinion of Edinburgh around. I think when you imagine Scotland, you don't realize that it isn't all sheep dotted, rolling green hills and quaint villages- there are actually some large cities there, Edinburgh being one of them (although so much smaller than London). I wish we had time to rent a car and drive through the country side- next time!

 

Just to keep on trend with every one of our vacations involving lots of steps. Just one of the many, many flights of stairs we had to take in Edinburgh.

 

OH, and why this is titled Brown Warrior in Edinburgh: we found out that Brandee's maiden name, Duncan, means Brown Warrior, and we are now calling her that. So Terri, you are Momma Brown Warrior. Enjoy your new nick name!

 

My opinion of Edinburgh: I loved it. It felt safe, clean, and just really old. The pubs were fantastic, I really enjoyed the castle, and it was a great city to walk around in because everything is pretty close. It is probably my favorite UK city so far. Stay in the old town and go with an open mind: even though it's old, it's still a city. There are tourists, McDonalads, and GAPs there. It isn't a quaint little village.