London Southern Belle

Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles

I arrived home from Germany in the wee hours of Monday and continue to bubble with complete elation over my visit. Traveling to all places new is a very surreal experience for this small town girl from Mississippi and I find it increasingly difficult to not smile like a complete 'wally' in the airports before departure to my European destinations. I smile infectiously because I never in a million years thought my life would consist of seeing Europe for myself rather than in glossy over-sized (and over priced) hardbacks. I remember as a teenager sipping flavored coffee at the local bookstore chain, tracing photo outlines of the Eiffel tower longing for a sense of freedom from cotton fields and my normality. I was complacent and bored, aware of awaiting adventures.

Germany is a fantastic place. Unfortunately, words fail me in description of such a treasure. I have added a few items to my 'favorite things' - one being Schnitzel. Despite the semi-vegetarian lifestyle I have led for nearly 10 years now, I have reintroduced pork into my diet. What a better way to do so with German Schnitzel. It is divine.

The quaintness of German villages is straight from storybooks and tales in dreams. Gingerbread houses placed neatly in green hills, children's toys handmade from wood, stone laid walkways, cuckoo clocks and bowing flowers perched in flower boxes of every window. The streets eluded sheer magic as my feet followed winding cobble meeting those with salutations of 'Guten tag'. I refrain from newly German words and stifled the gestures of tipping a hat to them. Something within me wanted my legs to skip freely, shouting 'hallo! guten tag!' to the top of my lungs, bowing to the locals and tipping my hat. I suppose the fresh air and space went to my head a little. If I were a kitten, I would purr.

And then there is the aspect of being reunited with an old friend. While I possessed complete adoration in touring and being apart of her new life I could not help but remember our days as college students and reminiscing days where an adventure to us was a picture show at the local drive-in. To think how far we've come (literally) of uprooting and facing newness in places so unfamiliar yet, now our homes. I marveled at her life as a military wife, the braveness she musters and felt so proud of what she had become. Distance, years and even silence hasn't dampened our friendship in the slightest and to me that is what having a true friend is all about. My favorite recent memory with her was touring the oldest city in Germany called Trier with an doubled scoop Italian ice cream in hand and experiencing the sites of something new for us two southern belles. As ice cream trickled down the cone and over my fingers, I murmured the words, 'I want this moment to last' while she replied, 'just take it all in.' I did just that.

Life's journeys can truly be marvelous if you dare to allow life to take you along.

Auf Wiedersehen Deutchland!

I am home from my escapades in Germany and I cannot wait to tell you all about it. Soon, very soon. Firstly, I must catch up on some much needed rest! Excitement is exhausting!

Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore

Our mini excursion to Brighton turned out to be as pleasant as ever. Whilst it was far from strolls on the beach with bare feet and traveling ice-creams in hand, it was a break from every day living and a change of scenery. We excitedly & blindly packed our bags with no worries of what we were actually packing and left the snow behind us. It was a beautiful drive of snow capped hillsides and what looked to be frozen sheep. brrr!
 

Upon arrival to our bed & breakfast at the Five Hotel, I was first captivated by the Victorian styled homes along the beach front. There was a mixture of urban and chic but not enough to take away from the history of the town.  We settled into our quaint room of crisp linens and satins and quickly found our bearings to begin our tour of all things new and exciting.
 

A quick stroll down The Lanes where I 'oooh'd & ahhhh'd' over Karen Millen fashion, DUNE shoes and Cath Kidston delights and later stumbled upon The Royal Pavillion [which is breathtaking]. We snuggled nicely into a local cafe for lunch and coffees and eventually made our way back to our room to defrost under the duvet and watch the end of 'Wizard of Oz'. Later that evening, we braved the North Winds and took a walk along the pier, watched the carousel of horses by the sea and winced at the brave  souls that rode the winding roller coasters. How people find the courage to ride a roller coaster suspended over a freezing ocean, I do not know.

Dinner was Mediteranian perfection in the restruant, Pomegranate. This jewel is tucked away on Manchester Street in the heart of Kemp Town. Exposed brickwork, wooden floors and modern darkwood furniture give the restaurant a cosy yet modern feel. I was sold as we sipped gorgeous wine while music by Madeline Peroux gently played. The food was superb! Nicely presented on large white plates and very tasty.  For mains I had Chicken Breast stuffed with feta and sundried tomatoes on Taglietelle in a cream sauce, and my handsome man 'o mine had chicken kabobs and rice with grilled aubergine and corgettes (erm, Zucchini!) served on a spicy pitta yoghurt mint sauce. Almost every dish was delicately decorated with a few ruby red pomegranate seeds, which is a nice touch hence the name. Friendly and hospitable, Pomegranate is certainly the kind of place you could stop by for a glass of wine and be sure of some company.

We awoke to squawking seagulls (boy, are they noisy!) and later had a lovely true English organic breakfast of eggs, grilled tomato & mushrooms, bacon, baked beans, toast and fresh orange.

We then made our way down the pebbled beach where we took an electric train along the coast to the marine where handsome man 'o mine contracted the 'glassy eyes syndrome', drooling over yachts and how we would like to be millionaires. We often play the 'what if we won the lottery' game and go through our lists of what we would purchase, which holidays we would plan first and how we would share our money with friends and family. I suppose a yacht will now have to be added to the list. Handsome man 'o mine was mesmerized. And, I feel sailing & boating fits him to perfection. Someday.

We reluctantly left Brighton late this afternoon and  laughed over missing our cats. Here I sit hunkered under my own duvet, a patchwork quilt made by my great grandmother and two purring cats at the foot of my bed. I really would not trade it for anything. Not even the seaside.

Bags packed!

Handsome man o' mine booked a getaway for next weekend.  I look forward to a weekend of secluded sandy covers, lovely moors, pristine sand and unspoilt villages. I suppose the biggest feat will be a weekend with no rain and instead warm breezes and mild climate. Please little island, do not let us down.

Sailing, [perhaps surfing], photography, a trip to our B&B's "healing room" for a holistic massage sounds close to perfection. We may squeeze in pony trek and a trip to St Michaels Mount [pictured above, which can be seen from our balcony].

I cannot wait.

Parlez-vous anglais?

Can you guess where I am off to tomorrow morning....?

One of my most favourite places on earth. Dare I say, that I have agreed to take part in a trip to Paris? Sounds great, right? And, being that I adore France I would never in a million years pass up such a delightful offer! French wine and cheese, manic driving, pizza, museums, shopping, European cutour, espresso to die for and need I say scenery to take your breath away? Please add 200 college students and 19 half-bonkers lecturers, Mickey Mouse (and don't forget Minnie!)  and that is what I shall experience this week. Disneyland Paris. Thankfully, I am only technically in charge of my students who are little cherubs and are simply going for the lesson on "diversity", using the french language (not well might I add but, they do try!) and not going to booze up in the hotel, buy duty-free cigarettes and cause mayhem. *gasp* Let's hope not.

No, I have not forgotten and shall write up all the baby-goodness details now that you all now know that we are adopting. Wow, was that a hard secret to keep! I promise to update you all until your little hearts are content. May I also add that my little heart shall be just as content as my best friend is flying over from America (Starkville, Mississippi to be exact) and will be here. In my home. On Saturday. I am terribly excited! To top that off (as if it could get better!) my parents will be here the first week of April and I will finally get to show them the sights and sounds of Londontown, too.  Also, sweet man o' man and I will head back to Paris with my mom and dad in toe to show them all things chic and ooooo la la!

Paris twice in a month? Life is hard.

Updates and oodles of photos in the near future little hearts. Happy Spring!

Au revoir!

At least there were rainbows

At least there were rainbows

Our trip to the coast of England was spectacular. The sun is never guaranteed in England and while on holiday it rarely peeked through the gray clouds. Nonetheless, we made the best of it, but I must admit it was rather strange wearing coats in July.

 

The first few evenings we spent time relaxing and site seeing. While the seaside was not at its full potential, it was breathtaking. Darren and I walked along the beaches and took in the scenery, mainly enjoying our first holiday together since we married.

 

 

 

 

Pictured above is Darren getting a closer look at the boats passing......

My summers in America were often spent with my family in our condo in Destin, Florida. I didn't realize how different the beaches here in England would be compared to those I experienced in Florida all of those years. I have memories of the sand burning under my feet, volleyball and the sand only a few feet from our back door. That wasn't quite the case here in England. Most of the beaches are not sandy. In fact, the ocean is lined with millions of pebbles. I have never seen anything like it. The shapes and colors of each pebble were all so different and distinct. I brought a few home with me. I just could not resist. The make a wonderful addition to our candle garden in the living room.

 

 

 

 

Mid-week we ventured out to surrounding villages and towns. We made a stop in Torquay, which is known as the "English Rivera." Minus the English accents, I felt as if we were walking the streets of Spain.

 

 

 

 

 

When I wasn't walking around looking like a complete tourist with my camera in one hand and my jaw dragging the cobble stone streets, we were gazing at butterflies,  choo-choo'ing at steam engine trains along the countryside and begging my husband to let me take home a baby otter.

 

My favorite detour was to Buckfast Abbey which is the home of a Roman Catholic Community of Benedictine monks. The first monastery was founded in 1018, but was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1539. It was re founded in 1882. The Abbey Church was rebuilt by the monks themselves. Pictured to the right is the Blessed Sacrament Chapel which was added to provide a place for quiet prayer. The glass depicts Christ at the Last Supper and was designed and made by Abbey's monks.   

Cast in solid bronze by Bernhard Witte, the baptismal font is a replica of the masterpiece in Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany. The figures on the side of the font, modeled in high relief, give a graphical account of the doctrine of Christian Baptism - for example, the Israelites passing through the Red Sea, and the baptism of Christ in the River Jordan.  At the base of the font, there are four kneeling figures. These figures are the symbols of the four great rivers of paradise, Gihon, Tigris, Phison and Euphrates. The font weighs 317 kg. The heavy cover is raised by means of a system of counterweights above the ceiling.

On our way home I was finally able to see Stonehenge. This is something I have always wanted to see and wasn't in the slightest disappointed.  The rain subsided long enough for us to take a few photographs.

 

 

On the days that it was absolutely pouring with rain, we thumbed wrestled (I am the champion), had our noses in books, and put together a puzzle (which turned out to be more comical than anticipated). Turns out, when one sits down with a Brit to put together a puzzle...every other word is, "bit"!!    "I think this bit goes there..."  ...."oh, what about this bit," ..."here's a bit!"....."that bit doesn't fit"......"where is that bloody bit?"  Good grief, if I heard I heard it once, I heard it five dozen times. Too funny. They should be "puzzle bits" instead of  "puzzle pieces."

I am a bit dissapointed in the lack of sunshine last week and the quality of my photographs due to the lack of good light. But, over all we had an amazing time. My life was enriched with new experiences which is always exciting for me. I will long for the sounds of the ocean until I see the waves once more....