The Most Breathtaking English Countryside

Hi, friends! I am feeling so much better today, after nearly sleeping for 20 hours yesterday alone. I'm still pretty tired, but I think once I get moving, I'll feel more awake.

I'm really excited to share our day trip to the Cotswolds with you. The Cotswolds are near Oxford, starting about 70 miles north of London and a 100 mile trail of little picturesque, thatch-roofed villages. It's somewhere that I really wanted to see, but it always seemed like so much trouble, because you need a car to get around. I refuse to drive here, and Daniel has once before and said he'll never do it again. SO, when our friends Bailey and Tristan told us that they wanted to take a daytrip and didn't mind driving, we jumped on the opportunity tag along!

We rented a car through zipzar- you can either pay an hourly or daily rate, and it really wasn't too shabby when being split amongst two couples.

They picked us up around 8:45 and we were off! First stop was Bibury, about an hour and a half from our flat. Bailey and I had both read great things about the village, but it was SO small and we couldn't find any shops or pubs. I think we just didn't look hard enough? The houses were cute, though!

Next stop was unplanned- it just looked like a cute town, so we decided to have a look! Bourton-on-the-Water, also known as the Venice of the Cotswolds. It didn't even look real, and I think it was really built up to look old. Everything was a bit too perfect. 

   

The next town was all of our favorites- Chipping Campden. We spent a lot of time there, and if you are going to the Cotswolds, I highly recommend this town. It was just touristy enough, but mostly full of people that actually live there. There were a handful of pubs, ice cream shops, and little antique stores. 

We went to two pubs- The Red Lion....and I can't remember the other one. We had a cider at each, and lunch at the second one. It was actually pretty good, for being pub food! And cider is always the perfect compliment to a warm day (the hottest of the year in the UK!). 

A Market Hall from the early 1600's

   

The NEATEST church was in Chipping Campden that we truly enjoyed exploring. There was a wedding going on, and it seemed like the whole town was there! As we walked to the church, it seemed like every little cottage's door was opening, with a little old lady hobbling out, shouting at her neighbor to come along so they don't miss the ceremony. 

There's something about old English churches and cemeteries that I just love. There's such a feeling of peace and you feel so small when reading the tombstones of people that have died 500 years ago. 

Next, we were able to find a walking map and took a 5 mile hike into the countryside. First, we got to pass some old cottages. They don't ever get old to me! I really want to stay in one, one day.

The hike was incredible. Gorgeous views, wild flowers, and LOTS of sheep. Plus, it was so sunny and warm out. 

   

   

Our sheep story:
We were sitting down, watching the view, and there was a sheep next to us chowing down on some grass. There was another sheep baaing in the distance, and every time the sheep next to us kept baaing back to it. She started to sound angry, and then we turn around and see it was her baby she was baaing to! The baby runs full force to her momma, baaing hysterically. Bailey goes "AWWWW, we are about to see a tender moment!" And then the baby sheep head butts the momma in the groin, making her stumble, and then starts going to town on her nipples for some milk. It looked painful! And then after baby got her fill, she started rolling around happily in the grass. It was really freaking cute.

After our hike, we got some ice cream and asked the shop owner for another good town we should see. He suggested Broadway, and we went, but I think we were too tired at this point to enjoy any more sights. We had heard of a pub called Falkland Arms, deemed to be the "best pub in the UK" and decided to drive there, before heading home for the night. 

The pub was really old and in the middle of nowhere. I think there were more dogs than people there. We were so, so tired that we just stayed for a bit before going back to London.

Fun, fun times. I'm so thankful we got to go with Bailey and Tristan!

Sick Girl

Hello all,

I had plans for a nice long post about our trip to the Cotswolds over the weekend, but I have come down with an evil flu that incorporates a nasty stomach bug with extreme lethargy and headaches. Fun! And I just don't have the energy today to do much more than drink chicken broth and lay in bed without falling asleep every 10 minutes. So, here's some random pictures and I promise I'll write a longer post once I feel better.

Last week I took the kids to Cafe Rouge (a french chain here in the UK) for dinner and we got to sit outside and enjoy the gorgeous sunny weather. They always want me to take pictures to put on my blog :-D

 Miranda wanted you readers to know that she recommends this book, called Wonder. It about a boy who has some physical deformity, but the reader never really learns what it is. Each chapter is a different character's perspective. Sounds pretty good!

 My family friends Carol and Jim came to London, along with their friends Teresa and Pat. We went to have some ciders at a cute pub by where their hotel was, and then had some delicious tapas. A great lunch!

On the way home from dining with them, I rode by Kensington Palace. Had to stop and take a picture!

Ok, sorry for the random post. Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel better!

Barcelona: Tapas, Montjuic, and other various Catalonia

Hi, all! This is going to be my last post about Barcelona...I'm ready to move on and write about different things! I'm fitting a lot into this post, so be prepared! 

On our last full day in Barcelona, we slept in pretty late and then went to Quimet & Quimet for a tapas lunch. I didn't realize this, but it was featured in one of the episodes of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. It was hands down my favorite place we ate ate while there! 

It's a 100 year old, family run LITERAL hole in the wall. It is tiny and standing room only. There's a little 5 foot long bar where all of the tapas are made before your eyes. All of the montaditos (a little bread with various toppings), glasses of Sangria, and most of the wines were under 3 euros.

The montaditos we had were so exquisitely simple. We had: yogurt with smoked salmon and truffle honey (took the whole salty sweet thing to another level), goat cheese and sundried tomato, pate with mushrooms, and mussles with caviar. Plus two glasses of really tasty Sangria, all for only 20 euros! If you go to Barcelona, you HAVE to go to this place. No, really. I insist. And if you don't know what to order, just ask the waitress to make whatever she feels like- that's what I did, and it didn't disappoint. 

   

   

Some of these pictures were actually from the day before, but I am already forgetting what we saw on which day. We walked to Montjuic (a park in west Barcelona that offers panoramic views of the city), and on the way saw some interesting sights. This is why we prefer walking to taking the bus or subway when we go out of town- we are able to stop and see so much. There was a parade going on (we are unsure what it was for, but it featured wine barrels).

We were able to take cable cars to the top of Montjuic- such a nice rest for our feet! The views were stunning and truly, you could see the whole city from the top.

There's a castle on the very top that used to be a prison and execution grounds, where 4,000 prisoners were shot here during Franco's reign.

It was a very relaxing, quiet area. There was a little trailer selling coffee, beer, and other beverages. Really, the perfect spot to go and soak in a beautiful day in Barcelona. This was probably my favorite attraction.

We sat in the grass, admiring the views and talking for a good part of the day. A great way to end our vacation.

We took the cable car back down about half way, then walked the rest of the way down the hill and back to our flat to (of course) chill on our terrace until dinner time. 

To end our last night, we had paella and then went to what Daniel calls the "secret sangria bar". It isn't secret, but not exactly what you would find in a tour book. All locals there. I love Sangria in Barcelona- I only had it a couple of times, but it isn't too sweet. It's made with MARTINI vermouth and a splash of fanta, plus some orange slices.

The next morning, while walking to catch the bus back to the airport, I took this picture because I was in shock of the amount of pigeons. I was too scared to get closer, in fear that they'd all fly off and poop on me.

In a nutshell, I loved Barcelona and I'm glad we got to go!