December = WINTER!!!

Recent Signs That It Is Winter -aka- Christmas Is Coming (And My Thoughts/Reactions Thereon)

1.  I woke up to frost on the deck/lawn this morning.  As I walked past cars with frost-covered windshields, I was once again happy that we don’t have one.

2.  Tonight, my dinner got cold before I could finish eating it.  This was a clear sign that I need to set the boiler to turn on a couple hours earlier these days!

3.  I put up my Christmas tree over the weekend!!  Seems I was not alone in my endeavours, as lots of Facebook statuses said the same thing.  However, I realised that most of those people were fellow Americans after I was scolded by several people here who said the tree can’t go up until December 1st at the earliest.  I asserted that where I come from, the rule is from Thanksgiving onwards.

4.  I’m quite comfortable, temperature wise, sitting around in a long sleeves, pajama pants, and slippers.  But my nose is cold, like there’s an icicle on my face.  I don’t like this.

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In other news, my lovely 104ians left yesterday morning… I was sad to see them go (especially since they had to do so in wind and heavy rain!), but I was and am so grateful for the time we had together.  I loved having them here and I’m REALLY happy that they got to cross so many items off of their ‘Things We Want To Do In London’ list!!

Here are some more photo highlights of their visit.

3 men with facial hair

Stephanie squared!

We were impressed with how Amsterdam creatively made the most of their space on a vertical scale – taaalllllllllll buildings obviously but also with entrances a few feet below street level.  My roommate knows how to pose making herself look slim and I very clearly and unfortunately don’t!!!  She said it comes from years of watching ‘America’s Next Top Model’.  That’s a sacrifice I’m not willing to make, I’m afraid! Tyra Banks drives me insane and I sorta want to punch her in the face whenever she speaks.

I think Travis was missing his new ladyfriend Awww…

This is a beautiful ‘definitely should be in a frame’ photo…

Aaaaaand, this is my adorably silly husband! (At Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.. a must-visit if you’re in London this season!)

(PS – I’m pleased to report that he made it all the way through Movember (as did I!!) and the tache is now GONE!!!  Never before has a bald top lip been SO beautiful to me!)

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Finally, this has nothing to do with winter or Christmas or friends visiting from America or moustaches…. BUT, I had a 20+ minute conversation with someone who knows hair about what to do with mine when it comes time for the chop.  She suggested an inch-or-two-longer version of Alice’s hair in ‘New Moon’…

I think that may be a bit too high maintenance for me with the many many layers.  My hair doesn’t really behave when straighteners are used.  It holds curl/wave better than it holds ’straight.’   I wonder whether a bit less Alice and a bit more Ashley might be better???

(click here for a side/back view)

Any thoughts???

I am continually realising (to my chagrin) just how much my self-security has become wrapped up in my long hair!  A chop will do me good in that respect, but it’s gonna hurt.  Still though, I just keep imagining that little girl with alopecia who will hopefully get to have a pretty long hairpiece that much sooner because of my donation! It’s so undoubtedly worth it.

Foreign thankfulness

It didn’t feel like Thanksgiving at all this year.   Well, it usually doesn’t, obviously, as I’m in the UK.  But it was especially so this year since I was even further away from any sort of American connections – despite being with American friends!! – in Amsterdam.  A beauuuuuutiful city with mazes of canals, thousands upon thousands of bicycles, and fantastically quirky and very ‘European’ architecture and general layout.  Oh, and also some great coffee shops. (Ugh, I said that in a really lame and loser-y way, I know, but it’s also a fact.  We did partake and it was fun! Totally legal and ‘not something I plan to do regularly so don’t worry Mom and Dad’ fun.)

The trip to Amsterdam was brilliant… and I particularly enjoyed the time spent with Stephanie, Brandon, and Travis.  Yes, we were there to sight see, but it was more relaxed than was the London ‘we must see everything’ frenzy.  We had some good talks and a lot of laughs.

Once we were shuttled to our hotel and settled in, we just meandered around the city and semi-familiarized ourselves with what was where.  (Or rather, Brandon and Travis did.  Steph and I followed.)  After a couple hours at La Tertulia, we stopped for dinner where we all tried a new dish – bitterballen.  It was yum!  We were sufficiently pooped after a long day of walking and headed back to the hotel.  On Thursday morning, once we were all up and ready to go, we went for a super delicious breakfast at a super cute little cafe and then to the Anne Frank House.  And next, as a complete reversal of shall we say tone, we headed over to the Red Light District.  Just for the sake of viewing (as opposed to experiencing, mind you) the other of the two major tourist draws that Amsterdam has to offer.  It didn’t take long.  One stroll down an alleyway and we’d seen enough! We also visited the Rijksmuseum, had a late lunch, and did some more wandering and window shopping.

We got back home around 11:30pm and Friday at work involved plenty of caffeine!  But I survived.  Photos to come, although they’ll be Stephanie’s, not mine.  I took one picture in Schipol airport and then my battery died. OOPS.

Anyway!  Back to Thanksgiving.

I’m genuinely thankful for so much it’s impossible to try and organise it all into words.  The usual of course – my family, my friends, our dogs, our health, our financial security.. Their status as ‘the usual’ absolutely does not lessen their value to me in any way shape or form.

I’m thankful in bold, italics, doubleunderline, and all caps.

Crimean Discovery: Days 1 to 3

When the taxi arrived to take us to the airport, I’ll admit, my blood pressure was probably a bit high. I was anxious. Wanting to get out on time but also make sure everything was ready for our friends aka dogsitters/housesitters but also make sure we didn’t forget anything for the trip.  So I admit that it was probably my fault that Toby was also on edge, scurrying about, following us up and down the flat, wondering what we were doing with those big box-like things filled with stuff.  It’s my fault that he let out a big ol’ whimper when we walked out the front door, a whimper that made me tear up and start to cry and feel like a complete jerk.

Not the greatest start to a vacation, but there you go!  I learned my lesson. (I hope!)

Anyway!  It got exponentially better from there!

It was a full flight to Greece, but I had a window seat and the sun was shining, my friends!!  Absolutely breathtaking views as we flew over France, Italy, Switzerland, Croatia, etc… I was once again brought to tears by the stunning beauty of the sky, of clouds, of the Earth as seen from an airplane.  (I was listening to “Tusk” as we flew over the Alps.  Seemed rather fitting!)  I thanked God over and over again for such beauty.

Despite arriving in Thessaloniki to a bit of rain, it soon cleared up and the air was warm, sweet, and lovely.

We read that The Calypso is the smallest in Thomson’s fleet.  I don’t know what we were expecting, but when we stepped through to the harbor and saw this big boy, our jaws dropped.  Clearly, we were cruise newbies.

We explored the ship, deciding we better carry our Deck Map with us because the ship was so huge.  (See? Newbies.)

I couldn’t resist:

We were shown to our room and were very pleasantly surprised at the location on the 4th deck and its unobscured window! (We got to wake up every morning and look out the window at a different country. Amazing!)
We embarked around 10:30pm that evening and waved goodbye to Thessaloniki.  We’ll see you again in a week!

Day 2 was our Day at Sea.  Oh man, the weather was stunningly lovely, the Med was shockingly blue, and we felt like the luckiest people in the world – spending the day sitting in the sun, reading, chatting, drinking mocktails, wandering around the ship (no longer need our Deck Map!) and planning our excursions for the week.

Ush wanted to go up to the top deck and grab a couple of sun loungers.  My version of sunbathing? Being covered in SPF 50, wearing a hat, tshirt, shorts, and with beach towel draped over my legs.  So I geared up, grabbed a book, and we headed on up.
My dear husband lasted approximately 8 1/2 minutes up on those sun loungers and then decided he was too hot.  An almighty, Screw this!  We went down to a more breezy, shaded spot and decided sunbathing is not for us.  (Or rather, I already knew it wasn’t for me.  He had to accept the truth as well.)

We took our first (of several throughout the week) afternoon siesta, and then got dressed for the evening’s formal ‘Captain’s Dinner’ at the ship’s main restaurant, L’Orchidee.

Table 41.  This is where we ate every night.  This is where we met our ‘cruise friends.’  More on them later

After dinner, we went up to one of the upper decks to secure a good spot, as we were soon going to be passing through Istanbul via the river Bosphorus, which splits the European and Asian sides of the city.

Night views never look as stunning on camera (or any camera I’ve ever owned) as they do in person.

Apparently the Calypso is the only ship in the fleet that can take this particular route because it’s the only one ’small’ enough to fit under that bridge!

We saw gorgeous views of the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and the Florence Nightingale Museum.  It made us so excited to visit the city later in the week!

On the morning of Day 3, we looked out our window and saw Nessebar, Bulgaria!
You know it’s going to be a good day when your husband wakes up giggling and can’t explain why!

We had chosen the excursion, “Nessebar & It’s Churches” and so, after some breakfast, we left the ship to join the tour group.

Nessebar is a tiny village filled with loads of old churches, only one or two which haven’t been turned into mini museums.  Our tour guide, Hristina, was very knowledgeable.

After the tour, we had some free time to wander around the little market town.  (We only had half a day in Nessebar because 1) the time was required to reach our next destination and 2) there really isn’t enough to do in Nessebar to fill a whole day!)

I bought a pretty lime green scarf/shawl that would be needed for our excursion the next day (which I’ll of course explain when we get there) and then, because it was only 10:30am but already so hot, we stopped in a little pub for a drink.

One beer cost 1.50 Bulgarian lev.  (£1 = 2.18 lev! The beer cost less than £1! Amazing.)

Continuing our wander around the city, we walked past an alley.  Aw, look! There’s our ‘little’ ship!

We had about a half hour left before it was time to return to the ship, and did I mention it was hot?  We decided to go down to the beach  and cool off a bit.

A couple people were sunbathing and/or swimming topless.  Which made me remember, “Oh yeahhh! We’re in Europe.”  Moving on!

That stuff that looks like sand is actually ground up sea shells, which I found incredibly beautiful. (And really good for callused feet.)

Interesting fact: Bulgarians shake their heads to say yes, and nod to say no.

Interesting and confusing!

We headed back to the ship, had some lunch and attempted to sit outside and read, but once again instead succumbed to the afternoon nap.  (It’s not a bad life, is it?!)

And again we joined our cruise friends in L’Orchidee for dinner (Quote of the day: “Take that to a chemist and you’ll get some hemorrhoid cream!”) and then to the Festival Lounge for “Pop Goes the West End!” where the entertainment crew gave performances from Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Little Shop of Horrors, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and We Will Rock You.

Alrighty, that’s enough for today.  Next time I’ll cover at least days 4 and 5 – Ukraine and Romania.  I’ve been sitting here for far too long, though, and have lost half my Saturday!

Before I go, I just have to point out again how really NOT small The Calypso is!!!

No spoilers, don’t worry

The cruise was fantastic.  A really great vacation.  I kept a journal each day and of course we took a load and a half of pictures, so I’ll do a post one of these days.  Maybe.

Life is basically back to normal except for the half-unpacked suitcases that have spewed their contents all over the spare room and the mountain of laundry that is waiting to be done and the long to-do list that might never get done.  (Oh wait, that last one IS normal life.)  Ho hum!

I WENT TO SEE HARRY POTTER TONIGHT!  It was 60% awesome, 40% disappointing.  Which I guess is to be expected, because a film is NEVER going to be as good as the book.   (If you can think of an example where film>book, please let me know!)

I thought I’d lost my travel card so started turning the house upside down to look for it.  In the process I tidied up the shoe rack (in the process, threw away about 5 pairs of shoes and bagged up another 5-6 pairs for charity. Ridiculous, really.) and organised the scarves/gloves/hats box in the closet.  Found the travel card, which is a HUGE relief.   That thing is gold dust.

Anyway!  Just because it’s funny…

Whoops!

What? I have a blog?!!

You see, having gone back to work this week (and therefore not home during the day to commandeer the desktop PC), I have been relegated back down to the EeePC.  Further encumbered by a silly ethernet cable/cord thingy because our wireless card is being moody.  And I don’t particularly enjoy sitting in this room listening to Ush and his WoW buddies be nerds together.  So I quickly check email and then go back to the rooms I enjoy – the kitchen, the lounge.  And, apparently, in doing so, I forget that I have a blog.

Apologies.

Um, in other news, we’re going on holiday next week!  We’re taking an eastern Mediterranean cruise, ‘Crimean Discovery’.  Remember last year, when Ush won that award through work? This is us cashing in on that award.

We’ll fly to Thessaloniki, in Greece, and the ship launches (is that what ships do? Launch? Take off? Embark? Set sail?) leaves that night and we spend the whole next day at sea.  Then we spend a day in cities in each of the following countries:- Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, Turkey (Istanbul! Most excited about this one), Limnos (Greek isles), and back to Thessaloniki for half a day before flying back to London.

We leave on Monday, so this weekend will involve lots of shopping for the trip and cleaning for the sake of our friends who are moving in for the week to house-sit and doggy-sit!

Just like a white wing dove

Unpacking is so much easier when listening to Stevie’s soulful voice singing her heart out.

I now possess the greatest hits of both Fleetwood Mac (The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac - which sadly and unbelievably doesn’t have “Gold Dust Woman” on it, but thankfully I already have Rumours, so I just added that to the playlist) and Stevie Nicks (Crystal Visions) and I will have them on repeat for the foreseeable future.

Sidenote: Ush got me a tshirt similar to this one (when he heard that I hadn’t bought one at the concert because they were so expensive! Aw!) except it’s a different silhouette of her and doesn’t have her name underneath.  I loves it!

Praha

We’ve been in Prague for nearly a week now, and I love it here.

The city is breathtaking.

You’re just walking along, popping into a pharmacy or a shoe shop, and you step out – hello, there’s a castle!  Amazing.

I’ll take the Vltava over the Thames any day

We’ve taken over 400 photos already, so it will take me some time to compose a nice photo post for you when we get back.

(I’m writing this from the home of our friend (and official tour guide) Joe.  It’s awesome seeing Prague from a local’s point of view!)

We’re here til Thursday, and I’m back to work on Friday.  So I’ll hopefully get a post up for you this weekend.

Ahoj!