Jacqueline Gets a "Ka"!!

My driving over here still needs some work (those confusing round-a-bouts still get me sometimes!), but it's good enough now that we felt confident getting a car for me. We bought a 2000 Ford Ka (we're not sure if it's prounced "K-A" or "Ka" like from New Jersey - we're going with "Ka" from NJ because it's more fun!) that I can use to get around town. You'll notice it's very small to make it easier for me to get through the tiny streets and into the tiny parking spots. Now I just have to hope that Lilo can fit into the backseat! =) For those who are wondering, I did get a manual - it'll be weird to shift with my left hand, but I'm hoping I'll get used to it soon! Here's a photo of me with the car:

We are picking it up Thursday after it has been detailed. Of course, this is assuming that I can get car insurance over here before then. I'm a little nervous because of my guardrail incident last year... Wish me luck!

First Home-Made Meal and Grocery Shopping in the UK

Although we aren't living in our new house just yet, we were able to cook in our kitchen last night for the first time. We haven't cooked in almost 6 weeks because of the move so it was definitely a big deal for us! We made a spaghetti bolognese with a small side salad and fresh garlic bread. Yum!

To prepare for our dinner, we made our first major grocery run here. In the States, we used to go shopping every week or couple of weeks and stock up. Here people go every couple of DAYS! I think it's because 1) our fridge and pantry space aren't that big and 2) they have great fresh markets here twice a week so people like to take advantage of those. In the grocery stores, you get nasty looks if you don't bring your own environment-friendly bags and you have to bag the groceries yourself. You can do a lot of grocery shopping online here too though and have everything delivered directly to your door free-of-charge.

Learning the different products and brand names is going to take some time. We didn't really think about the fact that you can't get what we're used to over here! Here are some of our interesting grocery store observations from the UK:

• The stores have a selection of "trolley sizes" - they even have charts that help you determine which size you might need depending on the shopping you're doing (we'll get a picture of this later to post).


• The ice cream selection is very limited. They have Ben & Jerry's, but it is very expensive!


• The eggs are not refrigerated.


• Milk comes in TINY little jugs to fit the TINY little fridges. They also have a big section of long-lasting liquid milk that is not even refrigerated (weird!).


• They have HUGE sections devoted to tea.


• At least where we were, we couldn't find sticks of butter - we had to get a big slab of it.


• They have so many different kinds of mayo, it's scary (I believe it is the favorite condiment of this country!).

We are making meal #2 tonight - we'll be having Indian food, of course! =)

Eating in Bury St. Edmunds

As a result of living in a hotel for a month, we have gotten to know the restaurants of Bury (and surrounding towns!) very well. Contrary to what people may think (and to what I thought after visiting London last year), the food here is actually really good. We think there's only a few restaurants that are actually chains here in town, and even those are still really good. Everything is always fresh, probably because the farms aren't that far away!

One of the most interesting things we have found about the restaurants here is that they are very big on reservations. You actually call ahead and can reserve a specific table, and you don't have to put a time. When you reserve a table, it is for the night. That's really frustrating when you have forgotten to make a reservation, you see tons of empty tables, and they won't let you sit down! We are learning though.

Our favorites so far have been:

• The Fox, a pub right near our house with great food and drinks
• Orissa, a trendy yet comfortable Indian restaurant in town
• Brassiere Gerard, a great French restaurant with amazing food and a really chic atmosphere
• Zen Noodle Bar, a casual place where you can get great noodle and rish dishes

Indian food is HUGE over here, and luckily Brian and I are both big fans. The one cuisine we really haven't found over here is Mexican. We are both already craving Chipotle or Tijuana Flats, so you can guess where we will want to go out to dinner when we are in town. Oh yeah, and if anyone wants to fly over a Chick-fil-A sandwich, we would be most appreciative! =) Can't wait for people to visit so we can take you to our favorite places in town!

What a Week...

Wow, it has been one of those weeks in the UK as we continue to try to get settled!

We had a small scare with the house. Turns out the landlord's agent put incorrect information in our lease about having 2 parking spaces. We only have 1, which wouldn't have been a big deal except for the fact that I have decided to get a car to get around town with during the day. We thought we might even have to move, but our home agent found great permit parking right across the street from us so it should all work out OK. We are receiving our first furniture delivery today, and with any luck, we will have internet and TV there soon so we can actually check out of the hotel! =)

Learning to live in a UK house is definitely an adventure. We should have taken video of the first time we did laundry here! We have a washer/dryer combination unit in our kitchen that was so foreign to us. I think we've figured it out, but it's definitely a huge change from the large appliances we have at home! I can wash a few things at a time, and even then it takes HOURS!!! As a result, I now have a huge drying rack that will be used very often.

We also went shopping for household cleaners, etc., at the local equivalent of a Wal-Mart, ASDA (it was the only thing open at night!) It's so weird to be trying different brands when you have used Tide or Clorox your entire life. Oh well, it's all part of the adventure, right? =)

Pictures of the new house will be posted soon.

It's Official - We Have an UK Address

The last few days have been extremely busy! We finally signed the lease on the home we mentioned before and are in the process of moving in now. Now that we have an address, we can actually start doing stuff! We are finally working on getting our UK bank account; we received our stuff from the States; and we have started to order furniture since the place is currently empty. Setting up phone and cable has been a real pain though, so because of that (and because our furniture won't arrive for at least a week or two), we are still living in the hotel. We are spending most evenings/weekend time at the house though just trying to get organized and settled. There have definitely been some hiccups that have come up as we have transitioned to a British home, but we will write about those later. =)

In the meantime, here are some photos from our move-in so far. =) Brian was crushing boxes and paper, in case you were wondering. And the other photo is King Albert I - can you believe we found an Orange and Blue Gator in this small English town? The Gator Nation really is everywhere. =)

Suffolk Coach Tour

Brian was in the Bury St. Edmunds Visitor Center last time he was over here, and he saw a flyer for a "Suffolk Coach Tour" (basically a bus tour through the Suffolk county where we now live). He convinced me it would be a great way to spend a Saturday so we could explore this new area. As we started walking to the bus station yesterday morning, we joked that we would probably be the youngest ones on the tour. We were definitely right - we were the youngest by about 50 years! =) We became known as the "young American friends" to the bus full of Suffolk senior citizens out for a joyous ride through the country. Our tour consisted of almost 6 hours of driving through rural areas. It wasn't quite what we expected, but it was fun nevertheless and everyone was so nice to us. We did make a few stops at an old church from the 1300s and a small town called Flatford. Here are some photos from yesterday's adventure: Suffolk Coach Tour Photos

Note - They are having another coach tour in June - anyone want to go? =)

Culture Shock

We've been here for almost 2 weeks and thought it would be fun to share our favorite differences between the US and UK so far:

1. The most obvious one is the driving. Not only do they drive on the other side of the road, but their way of driving is completely different! They don’t do stop lights or stop signs; they do crazy round-a-bouts, and you’d better know what you’re doing! They don’t really post speed limits; you’re supposed to know based on the type of road you’re on. And they have funny road signs that we love, including “Warning – Weak Bridge Ahead,” “Caution – Hidden Dips,” and “Elderly People.” I am getting better with the driving though, and we are most likely going to go ahead and get two cars so I can drive around while Brian is working.

2. Eating here is different, not just because of the food. We usually go out around 7, and most times we are some of the only ones in the restaurant. They definitely like to eat later, after they’ve had a chance to hang out in the pub for a while! =) Also, they eat EVERYTHING with a fork and knife. So many times we just want to pick stuff up with our hands like we would normally do, but we’re trying to be good and adapt. Because of staying in the hotel, we’ve had a chance to try out almost every restaurant throughout town. Indian is definitely a favorite over here, and they do it really well. We also love a French place near us. (But if you’re wondering, the restaurants we miss most from home right now are Chipotle, Tijuana Flats, Publix (subs), and Chick-fil-A!) =)

3. The other big immediate difference is the weather. It actually hasn’t rained very much at all (we’re in a drier part of England), but I’m FREEZING!! We’re in pants and sweaters/jackets/etc. every day. I’m hoping I start to adapt, especially before winter! But please don’t let this deter any visits – I’m a complete baby when it comes to cold weather! Brian doesn't think it's too bad. =)

We read an article the other day that said, "Culture shock is a gift. It shakes up our small world and forces us to question and reappraise what we thought we knew." We're going to remember this quote every time we hit a speed bump (or a curb!). =)

We Found a Home!

So we are in the process of the paperwork to finalize our home, but it is not the place we thought it was going to be! We met with our agent on Friday to talk about the older Victorian place that was going to be updated, and we ran into a few issues. The owner was going to do a lot to the house, but they weren't going to let us paint the bedrooms. If the bedrooms had been neutral colors, it wouldn't have been a problem. But the master bedroom was baby pink, and the guest room was a horrible yellow! So needless to say, that was a deal-breaker, and we moved on to the more modern place. It is slightly out of town, but not nearly as bad as I thought it was. I can walk to the center of town in about 10 minutes (and I will be in better shape living in this place!).

Below is a photo of our new house. We are going to be the orange door on the far right (those cars shouldn't be parked there). It's a 3-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath house with a beautiful deck and all the modern amenities. It's even right across the street from a nice park for Lilo. We have spent the weekend looking for furniture since we don't have anything! We will make sure to upload photos ASAP, including photos of the awesome loft guestroom with its own private bathroom for any visitors (hint hint!).

Opening of Bury Festival

Today marked the beginning of the 24th Bury St. Edmunds Annual Festival here in town. Everyone came out for the opening ceremonies tonight, which included performances by the Band of the Royal Parachute Regiment and the Swamp Circus (think Cirque du Soleil)! See video for some of the festivities:

During the festival, they will have drive-in movies, musical performances, and other theater/comedy shows. On the 24th, they even have a Prom Night that will end up a "fantastic firework display." There's definitely a great atmosphere in town!

As we left the festival, we saw a little piece of home as the band boarded what appeared to be a Florida Gators bus. =)

Settling In

We've been in Bury St. Edmunds for about a week now, and things are going great! We went house hunting on Friday and are negotiating for a place right now. It's a great 3-story house (we would call it a townhome in the states) that is located right in the center of town. We love the layout, but it definitely needs some updating (think 1950s British granny!) The owner is willing to paint, redo bathrooms, etc., so hopefully we will sign on something and be in a place soon. Until then, we are staying at the Angel Hotel (see picture below). It's nice having people clean up and cook for you, but it'll also be nice to be in our own place and be able to cook (oh yeah, and have more than one room!) =)

In the meantime, here are some photos from around town. It has so much character and history (but also shopping and modern conveniences!) =)

Welcome to our blog!

Welcome to our blog! We are so excited to share our experiences and adventures with you. Don't forget to join our email subscription in the upper right corner so you know when we make new posts. And please leave comments or email us at brian.lorenzetti@gmail.com or jacqueline.lorenzetti@gmail.com. You can also find us on Skype at brian.jacqueline.lorenzetti or call us at 407.545.6050. This will ring straight through to our computer so we can keep in touch (but please remember to view the time zone clocks before you call since we are 5 hours ahead of Florida!)