Day Five- Walking Edinburgh, Train to King's Cross London

We slept in today for a good while until packing to leave. We ate a snack to pass for breakfast, and then waited to take the bus to Edinburgh proper. It was a cold, drizzly and dark day, just as our guide Jaime predicted it would be. They were calling for 100 mph winds and one step outside and you'd believe it. I also came to the confusion the that carrying an umbrella in Scotland is an entirely futile endeavor. The wind blows all different direction  rendering your umbrella essentially useless unless you would like to be entertainment for the weather-hearty Scots watching you.

Let me tell you, the city bus is quite the experience. This particular ride (my second) led me to the conclusion that Scots in general are a bit more loud and talkative than their British counterparts. For example, when we ride the tube or train in London, it's silent as the tomb, but in the Scottish buses, a cacophony of accented voices fill the air. There was also a cute little baby on the bus this time around, his mummy pushing him in a stroller. Score!

Eventually we got here and got ourselves to Waverly station to get ticket details finalized which we did. After that we decided to go exploring he streets until our train came at 2:30, The sun came out and all was sunny....for a few minutes. We located the castle and stepped inside for a few minutes before starting back down he street. By now it was beginning to pour rain, and we carefully made our way back over the centuries old cobblestones. We decided to step into one of the "closes" that dot the city to get out of the rain for a minute. A "close" is a medieval alley way between a row of houses. The one we happens to be waiting was named for the man who painted a famous picture of William and Mary, the joint king and queen of England in 1689. We eventually ventured back out, only to stop at another famous close, Mary King's Close. We didn't have time for a tour and they were booked up anyway, so we browsed around the store and learned a little about the history.

Finally, we got back to the station to wait on our train and grabbed a bite to eat. I got a sandwich. I realized that I  haven't I told you about the British culture's fascination with sandwiches. They are popular for being both delicious and handy, as they are sold in a majority of stores already packaged and ready to take where your commute will take you that day. They have all kinds of sandwiches, a great deal of them I have never seen before. Lunch meat is rare to see, mostly the pieces of oatmeal or malted rye are stuffed with veggies or sliced beef or pork. Chicken salad is basically what you will get if you ask for a chicken sandwich. Another very popular choice is chicken with mayonnaise and sweet corn. We have decided Pret a Mange, a little sandwich chain, is the best for flavor and price.

Our first train experience was largely uneventful, except the long delay. Our trip from Edinburgh to London, however, proved a bit more exciting. Our seats were not reserved which was not a problem for our first trip. On the return trip, due to the busyness of the train, we ended up with no seat at Newcastle. So we joined the other travelers without proper seats in the little space between train cars for a little something I have hence dubbed the "ghetto train ride experience." No seats unless you sit on your luggage, very bumpy and jiggly, and quite loud with the high winds whistling across the panes. Kind of fun actually! Newcastle is about 3 hours from London so we had plenty of timers get the full experience. As Galen so succinctly put it,  "It's not first class, not coach, not 3rd class its an EXPERIENCE!"
Also, should you find yourself in a similar situation, the best theme music for a ghetto train experience is Lost in Berlin by Paul van Dyke. Close second goes to New Shalom by Lecrae. Don't laugh. 

Also, there was also a HUGE rainbow over Edinburgh when we left. 
I take this as a sign I should go back.
Right?!?

About this time we felt the train reverse directions. Uh oh. That couldn't be good! Everyone looked at each other wonderingly. One guy said that they make a loop back to King's Cross Station, our destination, so we just hoped that was true. Amazingly it was, for we had been turning at such a slight angle that we had barely noticed. Crisis averted. I'm typing this on my iPod sitting on Galen's suitcase across the train from him. I'm watching two college age British guys eat a strange and wonderful candy a few feet away in the space between the car in front of ours. When I say weird, I mean that it unidentifiable. It is long like taffy, but round and long like a rolled up cigarette. It comes wrapped in colored papers. They are just standing there, jostled by the train, having a candy fest in their puma shoes and Adidas sweatsuits. Methinks they are football players. Not sure though.

There has been a lot of kids traveling today with their parents. We haven't seen kids all week because they were all in school so it is very nice. It makes me miss my siblings though! I want to grab them to give them a hug when they walk by, but I have a feeling that wouldn't go so well.

Anyway, the rest of the evening was uneventful. We got back to King's Cross station and grabbed some food before heading to the tube for our journey back to the good ol' Apartment complex 18 No 1. Cosby St. The rest of the evening was spent in various states of repose (some more than others.....Galen!) :)

British and Scottish-isims:
The toilets here have no back, just a bowl. They flush with the push of a button on the wall above and are easy to clean due to lack of parts.
Sometimes they have a room in the public bathroom just for Mums to change kid's diapers. Today there was one with a NICE rocking chair and some toys.
Instead of saying "that's 20 pence" if something is costs pence, you say "that's 20 p." Saves a few letters.
There is a funny relationship the Scots have to the Brits. Most of the times the Scots feign a "mock animosity" towards British people, but in reality, they are just as nice to them as they can be.
Tips at restaurants or grocery stores are kept in a little dish that looks uncannily like the "give a penny, take a penny"  dishes back in the states. Glad I realized it and didn't take any of the coins!
Clotted Cream fudge.  Oh my.
You know what is weird? Hearing a little Chinese girl with a Scottish accent. Weird. 
Jaime had a tattoo on his right inner forearm that read "Misneachail." In the Scottish Gaelic, that means spirited, strong, confident, courageous, and encouraging.
The word "Gaelic" language is pronounced like "garlic" without the r sound- GA-lick. Yep. Who knew?

I also can hear our flatmates having a bit of a party upstairs with some Avicii, Dubstep, and Deadmau5, Thank goodness for earplugs! :)

Day Four- Highlands, Loch Ness, Glencoe, and Lots of Little Towns

So, on my way back from our day long adventure today, I couldn't really think of a proper description to put on our experiences today to do it proper justice, other than saying that it was, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the most stunning landscape and magnificent country that I have ever beheld.

I also crafted a doozy of a post! Apologies again on the lack of pictures, as they are being held hostage on my camera till we get back to London where free wifi (and Queen Elizabeth) both reign supreme. So, if you want to see a "wee bit" of where we went today, google Scottish Highlands, Loch Ness, and Glencoe to get an idea. Just amazing!

The day started when we took the train to Edinburgh proper from our hotel in Newcraighall. Then we walked up to High Street on the Royal Mile to join our daylong tour. Completely by accident, I got to sit shotgun to our tour guide, Jaime. I had unwittingly picked the best seat in the house (on the opposite side of the car than normal, of course.) I had panoramic views the whole journey! His personality was so big and so gregarious that he probably deserves a blog post devoted entirely to him. 

Allow me to describe Him for you. He was a very Scottish, middle age guy born outside of Edinburgh, with bright red hair and, of course, a kilt from his clan, the Sinclairs. He was, quite possibly, the best tour guide a person could have when doing an 8 am to 8 pm tour across Scotland. I suppose he deserves that praise for many reasons: his hilarious commentary and expert narration of historical events, frequent stops for a bit of leg stretching in cute villages with awesome graveyards and bakeries, bits and pieces of lesser known Scottish culture. His information was so excellent and worth remembering that I filled up 6 pages, front and back, with all of this knowledge, all priceless and brilliantly described. So naturally, I will have a quickbit column devoted to both Jaime quotes and Scottish stuff. He also played bagpipe or traditional Scottish music when he wasn't talking (or, yapping away, as he called it.)

Also on our bus were 3 Italians, 2 Belgians, 2 from Adelaide, Austrailia, 2 from Southern Cal, and 3 from South Carolina. The Italians could barely speak any English and the rest seemed a tad bit snooty, so our interactions were chiefly with the Aussies, who were AWESOME! I never thought about it before, but it seems to me that Aussie's British accents, with their slight twang differentiating them from the regular Brits, can be compared with those with thick Southern Accents in the American south. 

Anyhow, we began our tour driving the back roads en route to our first stop, Callendal, a little village in the lowlands in Stiriling county. We hopped out and got coffee at an adorable little bakeshop. I also got some shortbread, Victoria a doughnut, Galen got.....a meat and haggis pie. Ahem.  Eventually I tried a bite. It was really not bad, just like a spicy sausage with some lamb-y flavor. I did get some stuck in my tooth and it was rather intestine like when I pulled it out. yum yum! We also got to take some shots of a tiny little graveyard before we boarded our bus again and began our ascent into the highlands.

But, before that here's all the semi famous places we saw from our window:

William Wallace's memorial (looks like something out of Gondor!)

Where Mary Queen of Scots was born

Queen Victoria's Holiday Palace

The places where notorious battles were fought during the uprising of the Jacobites

didn't see but drove by J.K. Rowling's house

Doune, the town that made a lot of the pistols used to fire the first shots in the fight for American Independence.

Blair Castle (gorgeous!)

Queen Margaret's grave

The place where Johnny Walker scotch gets some of the alcohol in it from

As I mentioned previously, some of Scotland (the lowlands) look a great deal like England's countryside, but once you hit the highlands, it changes dramatically. Huge, I mean HUGE mountains loom, rocky and craiggy, strewn with heather and wild thyme, roamed by a few sheep, "highland coos" (cows) and possibly a few hikers. Here and there we came upon lochs (lakes) filled with dark water, stained by the nearby peat when the rain rolls off the mountain into the loch. We stopped at Loch Lochey to take pictures and a few other glens here and there before we came to the real star, Glencoe. Do me a favor right now to save me some futile adjectives and google that real quick. See? Fabulous. We all took about a million photos before we jetted off to another wee town. 

It was about this time that Jaime gave us a dissertation on Faeries, Bogles, Kelpies, Selkies, Loch Ness, and The Big Grey Man of Ben Mac Duiy. I never realized before that there is a such a rich history in Scotland 

with legends, myths, and mythical creatures. It almost reminds me of the Norse and Icelandic mythology! First he told us about the Kelpies. Basically, it's like a giant water horse that comes on land to graze. It is irresistable when you see it and when you go to pet it it grabs you with it's mouth lined with teeth (and superglue) and plunges you to the depths of the loch where you are promptly eaten. He said that monster was basically invented to keep kids away from the dangerous depths of the lochs. Selkies are humans that are in the shape of seals. They remove their seal skin only on secluded beaches and dance round fires (naked of course, as pagans, what would you expect?) If you catch one they make good wives, apparently. Faeries are basically angels that fell from heaven at the same time lucifer did. Think scary elf-like creatures with wings, their portals being where trees grow through large rocks (a common sight.)  Bogles are just (just!) ghouls and The Big Grey Man of Ben Mac Duiy is basically a sasquatch-esque monster that roams the mists of a certain mountains in the highland. Loch Ness monster needs no explaining, other than at 800 feet deep, anything is possible in the lake she's named for. To conclude, Jaime mentioned they weren't unusual at all for having all this crazy mythology. In fact, he said:

"Well now, folks up on isle of Sky believe pretty much anything....unicorns, minotaurs, dragons, anything goes."

Next stop was a RUINED CASTLE built in late 1100. It was unbelievable! It was partially destroyed by Robert the Bruce in approx 1200. We got to explore for about 15 minutes! 

Then it was back on the bus before we stopped at Loch Ness itself. Beautiful place! We ended up grabbing a sandwich at a cute little deli and then taking it with us on our hour long cruise onto the loch itself. The lake is about 27 miles wide so we only rode on 1 /10 of it but it was lovely! One side looked rather like a lake back home but was a sheer cliff. The other had different foliage and heather all round the rock edge. Took lots of pictures! Didn't see Nessie but got a lesson on how the sonar worked that supposedly picked her up on it.

Got back on the bus, made a few more stops on our way back home, one, to take a picture of some highland cows and two in a little village wherein we bought some "tablet" (scottish fudge/toffee hybrid) and some scotch, of course, under the careful advisory of Jaime.

Finally got "home" (Edinburgh) around 8. We grabbed some quick food while waiting for our train to Newcraighill, and then got home and crashed.

Best for last, here's quotables and quickbits:

Quotes a la Jaime (please note, best enjoyed when read or imagined with a very thick Scottish brogue.)

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing."

"By the way, there are no real "scary big animals" like bears or wolves in Scotland, so what do we do? We invent monsters, of course!"

"Our other national sport besides football (PROPER football, I might add) is Shinty. It's basically like....hockey and violence. Yeah, and no gumguards either. Ya prolly got ten teeth "tween the whole lot of 'em."

"There are over 50 words in the Gaelic language for "love." It's sometimes called the "language of love." Of course, there's also 300 words for fighting and 400 words for drinking, so well? Maybe not the language of love after all."

"Me ma always told me that "Ginger hair is a sign of intelligence."

"Weddings in Scotland are so much fun to attend. They revolve around drinking though and often till the wee hours of the morn. Me brother got married in that selfsame castle. (pointing to Blair castle out the window.) He and I got into a wee bit of a scrape around 3 AM, when we decided to have a duel with the two Scottish broadswords we found in the hallway. Didn't turn out too well."

(on faeries and bogles and the nessie) "Me ma always said to me says she, "Absence of Evidence does not mean Evidence of Absence!"

"Yep, that was an Al-you-minium (aluminum) factory once upon a time."

"We had a TV show about Scots smuggling whisky. Ironic, eh? In the states everyone thinks "let's think up ways to steal money from the bank or Las Vegas!" and here, we're like "money? who cares 'bout that. Let's see what we can do to get a bottle of whisky!

Scottish tidbits

Ogle=view (i.e. "glenogle=glenview)

Dreadnaught=fear nothing

Don't ask for chips in a bag or you'll get a funny look. It's "Crisps" in all of Britain, so it seems.

Tons of sayings and words came from Scotland! 

"Armed to the teeth" came from a little town called Teith that due to excess violence, you couldn't bring weapons within the city limits.

Mail=money in gaelic, in 1200 there was a smuggling industry that used to deliver their "mail" in little "boxes"-hence the term mail boxes!

Bannock-crumble made with oats and berries topped with whisky sauce

Flat white=coffee with cream no sugar

Mel Gibson was sort of responsible for bringing Scottish history back to Scottish schools with his film "braveheart."

If you were back in the 1100's and wanted to join a clan, you just had to pledge your battle services for 60 days, then you were in!

The Scottish/French alliance has always been very strong.

I didn't have room for a few other little tidbits, but we are heading back to London tomorrow so I may get a chance to tell you them when I'm on the train.  :) Thanks for reading!

Day Three-Edinburgh, Scotland by Rail

Right now I'm sitting in our very nice hotel room. I can look out the window and see little brown-roofed Scottish houses and there is a grey moor to the right. You can hear seagulls cry and the air is crisp. Little low-lying bushes of crab apples and currants are running below the edge of the moor.

Today was an early morning as we packed up enough of our belongings to last till Sunday and left the flat around 6:45 and left for the King's Cross train station. The weather was slightly chilly and overcast, with the occasional fog cloud or sprinkle to make things interesting. Funny thing is, anywhere else and you'd be complaining about the "poor" weather whilst here, for London, it's absolutely perfect! We arrived at the station and Victoria picked up the tickets that her Dad had ordered (at a great price too...thanks Mr. Stringer!) :) We settled into the station to wait for our 9:30 train to Edinburgh. Lots of people were about, and tourists such as ourselves were very scarce, so it seemed. Lots of locals and businesspeople and pigeons. I bought myself something I had been wanting to try since I had seen everyone drinking it: "juicy -water." It's water with a splash of juice sold in bottles. Then we went over to see the famed platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter. Next we went to the loo (bathroom) and the only reason this is worth mentioning is that in the city, at any public terminal  (where you are practically being held hostage already) you have to pay to use the bathroom. Not much, only 30 pence, but it has to be in certain change denominations. Thankfully there was a change machine nearby, so we made use of it. 

Next was waiting and more waiting, as our train was delayed about half an hour due to electrical problems at Finchely park, wherever that was. I got up to walk around and all the sudden this little Yorkshire Grandma with an extremely thick accent, started to talk to me and commiserate about the delayed trains. I replied, totally by accident, in a British accent. She kept chatting about a "smash-up" (crash) that there was on her street, and then about how she was trying to catch the Peterbury train but it changed gates and delayed several times. She also asked me where I was of too, and I told her we were on holiday in Edinburgh. It was interesting, as she seemed to think I was just as British as she was. Finally, I decided I was pushing my luck and, not wanting for her to inquire where I was from, ended our tete-a-tete by saying I needed to go use the loo, which in fact I did already. Drinking is an expensive habit when you're waiting on a train! :)

Finally it was time to board the train with the hordes of other travellers. We got into the car and took our seats. I got a window seat (well, half a window seat) and Victoria was next to me and Galen got an aisle seat. The ride (4 hours in duration) crisscrossed the English countryside and was absolutely beautiful to watch from the train window. It was very flat and looked tidy with the neat little hedgerows leaving green-brown grids dividing up the lush green fields that were filled with mostly sheep, cows, and some horses. It felt like riding through a storybook! Each little village had a church or chapel right smack dab in the middle. Some of the towns we rode through were Durham, York, Grantham, Doncaster, and Newcastle. 

Whilst on the train I had to go to the train restroom (I suppose it was all that juicy-water) which was an experience.  I got over there and was waiting near the door next to another guy when a third came up. Turns out he was travelling with both the guy in the bathroom and they guy next to me, because he began hurrying up the guy in the bathroom. Imagine this sentence with a thick accent.

"C'mon now Bob! Hurry up will ya? There's a lady here waiting! C'mon Bob!"

*pause*

"What's he got, a camel bladder?

Then they casually mentioned that their car was the tanker car, where you get tanked (drunk) before you get to your destination. ha.

After the bathroom (which was literally smaller than an airplane's) I got back to my seat just in time to see the Scottish landscape beginning to come into view, along with the ocean! The Scottish countryside, or at least the part we travelled throught, looks similar to its English counterpart: crisscrossed with hedges, green, sheep/crops in the fields. It is, however, a trifle more hilly and rugged/rocky as well. I wish I could have dozed off like Victoria and Galen did, but I kept on getting distracted by the scenery. :) 

Our Scottish train announcer had quite the personality. When we were approaching the station, he said the following:

"Thank you for travelling Eastways rail line. Now, the station is very busy today and so your patience would be appreciated, as likely the attendants are all running about like chickens with their heads off. Thanks again for travelling Eastways rail line, and we hope to be of service in future." 

We all cracked up. Stepping off the train, the air was fresher and a good deal more cooler as well. Once we were out of the station it took us a while to locate the bus that would take us to the Premier Inn, our hotel for the weekend. It was a bit harried and crazy as we rushed through the streets for our bus to the Musselburgh area of town. We ended up walking a bit down the Royal Mile in our search, which is a line of old stores and buildings that go for roughly a mile. Finally we located our bus, obtained the correct change for it, and went on a ride that will now henceforward be known as "The Longest Bus Ride in History." It seemed like it would NEVER END!! It was nice to see the city from the windows. Later we were shocked to discover that we had, in reality, only ridden 4 1/2 miles. But when you are stopping at every bus stop known to man between point A and point B, it takes a good deal longer. Finally, we reached our hotel where we checked in and went off to dinner at a little restaurant nearby. We were all quite famished, and Galen got tikka masala, I got a british burger with salad, and Victoria got a Bacon and chicken salad. It was absolutely delicious and the folks were quite nice and accommodating. We headed back to the hotel for showers, some R&R, and face time with my family before bedtime. I apologize for the lack of pictures! Internet here is 3 pounds per 24 hours and on only one device, so I promise to make up for it sooner or later. :)

British-isims and Quickbits:

Trash is almost universally called "rubbish" instead of "trash."

There is almost always a dine in charge if you are eating at a place that can be eat in or take out

The guys here wear their hair a certain way. Will attempt a stalker picture tomorrow of someone with the hairstyle I'm describing.

You know how they drive on the left side of the road? Well, if you are walking up a flight of stairs, walking down the street, you walk on the opposite side that you normally would. For example, going up a flight in the states you keep right. Here, you keep left.

Just when you think that you've figured out London? Well, you go to Scotland, of course, where the bus lines are as confusing as the city is beautiful. Oy.

Day Two- London Bridge, Big Ben, the London Eye, and The Tower of London

I feel like a new person today after 12 hours of sleep. Victoria and I woke up once around midnight to a very warm room, as the heat vent was on too high. Once fixing it we went back to bed until 8 am time here.

The street is really busy this time of morning! Lots of schoolkids in uniforms and people walking to their jobs.

As you can tell by the title, today was absolutely fabulous! We started our day with breakfast here at the flat. Then we took the good ol' tube to a station nearby St. James' Palace, where we walked a good while through St. James' park. It was a lush green place with a large reflector pond in the center. We could see Buckingham Palace from the park across that pond! Then we continued walking until we came upon Big Ben, Westminster abbey, and the Parliament buildings. Our tour next week will show us these places in detail, so for the moment we simply gawked and snapped pictures of the iconic place.

We had planned to eat lunch at a little restaurant called the Red Lion, which was almost directly across from Big Ben. It was a teensy little place and we took our table next to 3 businessmen who were happy as clams taking their tea along with a "fry-up" or full English breakfast. We all got the fish and chips, which was a large slab of sustainably harvested halibut, battered in an extremely light and airy batter served with peas, "chips" (aka light, fluffy home fries.) It was really quite delicious! After lunch we took a tube to the Tower of London, where we spent about 3 1/2 hours. It was absolutely amazing! The history of the place was just fascinating, from the tower that held the Lost Princes to the underground torture chambers (just don't go there before lunch.....blech!) and everything in between. I cannot go without mentioning the architecture! Oh, I could just eat it up! Everything is symmetric and ornate, with lots of stained glass and beautiful crown molding.

Next we opted for a little pick me up from a local starbucks-esque coffee chain. Victoria got a cookie, and I got a water and some dark chocolate. We both purchased our items and when we got outside. We then commenced to engaging in a rather funny conversation about a word that British people attach to the end of a sentence. They often use the word "love," as in, "that'll be seven pounds fifty, love."  It is as common a phrase of endearment here as using "honey" is in the south. I hadn't ever been called it before, I had only  seen it used before in the movies, so that was interesting, :)

We then toured the London Bridge, another fascinating place with a great view. Afterward, we set off for the London Eye, which is like a giant ferris wheel that gives you a great view of the city. We got some awesome pictures there which I hope to upload soon.

After trying to find our restaurant we were hoping to go to, we ended up eating at...wait for it...Chipotle. Yeah, they have them in London, and there's nothing more funny than hearing an Englishman prounounce "guacamole" and "pico de gallo." (yes I'm a dork) The food was great and I overheard a gem of a conversation too boot.  We were getting ready to leave from the restaurant when I overheard a conversation at table nearby. Three brits were eating at the table, a lady and two men. One of the guys asked the lady, in a very serious, matter of fact tone of voice, "So, when you were in America, did you have any of this stuff they call.....peach cobbler? I couldn't pick up much of her reply, other than she said "I've never met a pie in America that I didn't like."

Here's some things that I noticed but don't have time to write extensively on. I'm calling it quick bits, or British-isims:

Cultural things and British-isims
Retractable mirrors bulit into city vans for parking safely on the street. Clever!
The licence plates are obviously different, all yellow or white with numbers/letters and a EU sign if it's a euro car and a GB if its a British car
walking up the other side of the walkway/street/etc.
"Cheers" the thanks/farewell of choice
The word of choice for a man is "bloke" or "gentleman."
"Surf" (their version of tide) is how British people smell. Second place goes to cologne or fancy perfumes.
Booties are in high fashion with the female population here (ick)
Hearing British people say cuss words is bizarre. Can't get used to it!
Pronunciation is wonky, and if you didn't know the right way to say it, well....you know. Embarassing, right? :) Galen has trouble pronouncing "Gloucester" "Marylebone" and "Edingburgh." I have to keep correcting him or he'll pronounce it "glowchester" or "maryleebone" or "edinburg"

If I have internet there, I'll update from Scotland. We are planning to leave on a train for Edinburgh tomorrow!

Day One: Baker's Street, Harrod's, and the TUBE!

After my last post we left for 221 b Baker's street, home of the infamous Sherlock Holmes. The museum was incredible! Everything was so real that it looked as though time had stopped in Sherlock Holmes' era. Lots of things that Sherlock fans would appreciate! Here's his study.

We got there, of course, by way of the London underground, or, as the locals call it, the "tube." (said with a thick British accent, of course, so it sounds more like a sneeze.)

We decided that this, our first day hitting the streets, would be the practice round for all the tube rides we'd be taking throughout our trip. We started with buying an oystercard, a handy little card that you load with as much money as you'd like to use for your transportation and you simply scan the card before getting on your route and then scan again upon departure. No confusing tickets or carrying around money!

The Tube is convenient, on time, inexpensive, safe, and just plain fun to ride. I have yet to feel Ill at ease whilst riding one. It's also a great cultural experience, as the underground is the local's daily route to and from work.

Another pleasant surprise is how genuinely kind people are here. Of all the comings and goings we did today and of all the Londoners we dealt with or questioned on one thing or another, they were genuinely kind a helpful. From the underground officer who kindly steered us in the right direction regarding our route to the Scottish lady we met while riding the tube who helped us get around, everyone has been so nice. It's such a blessing! Of course, it doesn't help that they all have awesome accents to boot.

We also went to Harrod's, which is pretty much the world's biggest and ritziest department store. We just walked around and enjoyed looking, though Victoria was able to find a few things that wouldn't break the bank. :)

Now, on to some funny cultural things. When we were at a stoplight today, I noticed an old man was looking at us from what I perceived to be the driver side of his vehicle. When the light changed, I expressed my surprise that he was still looking out the window at us, even as he drove away down the street remarkably straight for someone not paying any attention. It was at that point that I realized it was because he WASN'T driving at all. Gotta love European driving!

It's also interesting working with a whole new currency. It's kind of thrilling when the lady rings up your lunch and rattles off some cryptic total like "that'll be four pounds & threpence, love" and you smile as you fumble around to make change best you know how.

Now it's off to get some rest. I have had about 2 minutes of sleep in the past 24 hours, which may or may not be a factor in my accidentally deleting the first draft of this post and having to re-write. :)

We Made It! :)

We are here! It's so surreal to finally be typing this as I sit in our apartment, having just settled in. It's 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Our adorable little apartment is across from an ancient Dickens-esque looking building turned into a shipping company and  the Christ Church Bentnick C of E Primary School. We can hear the sound of happy, cute British kids quite often as they play on the playground. I just heard the school bell ring too!

Also, as you read this post keep in mind I am somewhat loopy and sleep deprived and on about 50% brain power (I literally just wrote brain POWDER....sheesh.....) so bear with me. :)

So, backing up a bit for a recap on the flight. We made sure to get to our gate with lots of time to spare, so that, in turn, made plenty of time for some good old fashioned people watching, which kept us greatly amused. For some reason, we saw several guys wearing cowboy hats, an unusual item to be traveling with on a plane. The other interesting thing was that the ones we saw were either going to Sao Paulo or....get this.....Paris. Any French cowboys out there want to confess? A British guy put on a Boston accent when bringing his wife some coffee and a bagel. It was hilarious to hear, because we are always impersonating them and don't ever hear of them impersonating us.

Finally, we boarded our plane and we ended up a bit separated, due to the tickets being added at the last minute. Galen ended up being 2 rows behind us but Victoria and I got to sit together. The plane had rows of 2, 4, and 2. She and I were the sitting on the 4 row in the middle, flanked by British people. The guy I sat next to didn't talk much and mostly watched movies, but the lady that Victoria sat next to was quite nice and they chatted on and off.

The flight went well, though we didn't get any actual sleep due to the sheer uncomfortable-ness coupled with having strangers at our elbows. We rested, we just didn't sleep. We tried to watch a movie on Victoria's laptop, but we stopped because it started to make her a bit dizzy. I watched some of The Great Gatsby on the video player on the back of the seat, though I didn't get to finish it. I found the GPS graphic on the screen that showed us where we were flying over quite interesting. Seven hours later, we could see the rooftops of London in the windows. Once we touched down and got off the plane, we had to go through Customs and Border security, the only difficulty being the long wait to get to the checkpoint.

Then we rode the underground to get to the station nearest our apartment, which ended up being a good 20 minute jaunt down the streets of London. The thing I was struck by immediately was the architecture in this city!!! Even the little dinky apartments have such charm and details that you can't help but admire them. Think of the housetops that Burt the chimney sweep danced on top of in Mary Poppins-that's what the houses are like all over the city.

We had a big scare when we arrived to our apartment to find the one that we were supposed to be using occupied by someone else. Thankfully, Victoria was able to reach the apartment manager and she figured out that those people took the wrong flat, and we were supposed to be in #1 and they in #2.  We opted to stay in flat #2, which is virtually the same and which is where we are right now. I don't know what we would have done if our apartment had fallen through. The lodging here is booked months in advance! Tonight we are planning on taking a little trip to this little street by the name of Baker, so I will write about that later. Pictures to come! :)

We Are (not there) Yet!

As you would guess, I’m writing this post from my American computer in my American home.

Long story short, due to a discrepancy with the time of our flight departure, we arrived at the airport too late to go through security or check in our bags. We had missed our flight! There’s nothing like seeing that pop up on the check in screen. I think Victoria and I just stood there gaping for what seemed like an eternity but was really only about 2 minutes. Picture mouths wide open and holding up the line, with everything going in slow motion. Stunned, we managed to move our luggage over to wait for Mrs. Stringer to bring the car back around. Later, we both admitted that we both came close to tearing up but restrained ourselves. Later, when we talked to both Mr. Stringer and my Dad, they both said, “you SHOULD have cried! Tears are a great bargaining power!”

Galen broke the news to Mrs. Stringer, and she tried to see if anything could be done. With nothing to do but schedule a flight for the same time the next day, the disappointed travelers piled back into the car for another 2 ½ hour drive back home.

But, you know what? I am glad that this happened.

Why?

Because this experience is growing me SO much as a Christian.

Last week I was praying about a specific circumstance and I was convicted that I wanted things to go just as I had planned, and was controlling them to that end. I prayed, “God, I give up. I desire your will in this. You know what, while I’m at it, I also truly desire your will for every area of my life! Let your will be done!”

His will is better than anything we can devise on our own mental intellect.

But, the clincher is:

Do I really desire God’s will, even when it is hard, not expected, or what I have planned on my own little agenda? Even when it doesn’t make sense and we don’t understand why?

We had also been praying for a fruitful trip and a growing experience for all of us, personally and spiritually. I think that so far, it has been a success on that front!

Now, on to things I’ve learned so far:

1. It is possible to still be content in very disappointing circumstances. (Romans 8:28)
2. Panera’s salads are really fabulous. And the tea there is delicious too.
3. My brother is an extremely funny guy. I mean, I knew he was funny, but he regaled us with stories and such on the way back home. We laughed a lot, and it really helped keep our minds off the fact that we missed our flight.
4. Be nice to the people at the airport. They control your destiny (or is it…. your destination.)
5. You are practically invincible when you lean back and trust God!

So, Lord willing, we will leave Charlotte at 7:05 tonight. I can guarantee, with no level of uncertainty, that we will be the first people on that plane. :)

I just hope that customs won’t mind an exuberant happy dance from a certain crazy American when we finally arrive. Too bad if they do, because I'm still doing it.