Visiting the Rhine Region of Germany with Kelleigh

Brian and I were so excited to be able to return to one of our favorite parts of Germany, and to be able to take Kelleigh there!  This area is very special to me because it is where my mom was born and where she and my dad met and married.  We stayed in the small town of Bacharach - our hotel was actually located within the ancient walls of the city. 

Our amazing hotel within the ancient walls of Bacharach

We explored Rudesheim am Rhein, another beautiful town along the Rhine River so that Kelleigh could experience some of our favorite parts of Germany, including Doner Kebab, German desserts, and of course traditional dinners.  =)  We also took her on the cable car up over the vineyards to the Niederwald Monument overlooking the Rhine.  We got lucky too because the sun finally made an appearance while we were up there!

Yummy Doner Kebabs!  =)

Schnapps (and grapes for the pregnant one!) after dinner  =)

"SHHHH!!!  Don't scare the sun away!!!"

The next day, we ventured to Lorelei, which marks the narrowest spot of the Rhine.  We went up to the highest point overlooking the water - it was so beautiful!

Overlooking the narrowest part of the Rhine River

On one of the many car ferries crossing the Rhine River

Overall, this was an amazing trip, and it was so special to be able to share one of our favorite countries and experiences with Kelleigh.  =)

Hanging out in Germany

Adventures in York and London with Kelleigh

My childhood friend Kelleigh came over to visit for her first international trip.  It was just in time too because as soon as she arrived, we found out that she was actually pregnant!  She was such a trooper and we had an amazing time traveling with her.  We also had fun coming up with nicknames for her growing baby.  We will always have a softspot for "LG" or "Large Grape."  =)

Brian and Kelleigh with large grapes  =)

We started off our trip by doing a roadtrip over to York, a well-known walled city in England with an amazing cathedral.  In fact, York Cathedral is one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe.  It was definitely one of the most impressive ones we have seen, which says a lot because cathedrals are everywhere around Europe! 

Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and it was rainy and cold all weekend.  I felt awful because the weather in England hadn't been bad, so I told Kelleigh just to pack a light jacket which definitely wasn't enough.  We ended up touring the charity shops of York and finding new coats to help us survive the weekend.  We made the most if it though and still managed to explore a lot of the city and walk the ancient walls.  Here are some of our favorite pictures from the weekend.

Brian and I in front of York Cathedral

Walking the ancient walls

Brian playing on the ancient walls in York

With our constant accessories that weekend - umbrellas!

Taking a break from the rain

After York, Kelleigh and I did a quick trip over to London where we explored Buckingham Palace (I had only been once before because the palace is only open certain weeks each year), the Tower of London, St. James' Park, and of course the Parliament/Big Ben area.  We also decided at the last minute to see Wicked.  We had both seen it before, but there was an afternoon matinee available and we just couldn't resist seeing it again. 

Kelleigh and I exploring London

Kelleigh and I in front of the London Eye

After London, we headed back to Bury to get ready for the final part of Kelleigh's trip to Germany.  More on that adventure tomorrow!

Eating Healthy in the UK

One of the things Brian and I have loved most about living here in the UK is how much easier it is to eat well compared to being at home in the States.  Firstly, Bury St. Edmunds doesn't have any drive-thrus, which means even if we are craving a Big Mac, we have to walk our butts into town to get it which helps off-set the caloric intake.  Secondly, our local pubs use fresh, local ingredients to make their meals.  It's so great to be able to walk into a pub and check out the specials board that changes all the time.  Most of the pubs also have seasonal menus that rotate depending on what is in season.  Combine that with the fact that portion sizes here are much smaller and more manageable, and you have a great recipe! 

Fresh butternut squash and asparagus with goat's cheese

Even when grocery shopping to eat at home, it's much easier to make healthier choices here.  We buy a lot more fresh produce than we ever have; in fact, 9 times out of 10 we skip the frozen section altogether.  And the UK has a great thing in the grocery stores called Traffic Light Labeling that helps you quickly glance at a product and know the nutritional value (or lack thereof) on 4 categories: Fat, Saturates, Sugars, and Salt. 

Rather than trying to figure out a bunch of numbers and what they mean, this system lets you easily look at something and decide whether it's something you want to buy.  Obviously if you see all Red, you should put down the product and move away as quickly as possible!  =)  I feel like this has definitely helped us become more aware and conscious of the foods we buy.  I sincerely hope this concept makes its way throughout the US soon - especially for busy working people who don't have a ton of time to grocery shop, I think it could be really helpful in choosing foods to buy.

My 28th Birthday in the Alps

After the training adventure with my dad, we ended up in Salzburg, Austria, and spent a few days on the German/Austrian border.  Brian was able to fly out and meet us too, which worked out very well since it was also my 28th birthday that weekend.  =)

We started out this part of the adventure by visiting Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden.  This is a mountain retreat home with historical significance - it was actually built for Hitler as a gift for his 50th birthday.  Now it's a restaurant with breathtaking views over Germany.  Special buses take you on the winding mountain road up more than 2,500 feet to the house - it's so dangerous that the roads are shut down beginning in October until the end of winter.  Once at the top, you make your way through a 400-foot-long tunnel and then take an elevator up the final 500 feet to reach the summit.  Unfortunately the views from the top weren't great that day because it was very cloudy and raining, but we still were glad to have been able to see it and make the adventure up there.


Bus ride up to Eagle's Nest

The tunnel leading up to Eagle's Nest (at the very top)

View from Eagle's Nest

The next day (my birthday!), we attempted to go up again by taking a cable car up to the top of the Untersberg mountain.  It's almost a 10-minute ride on the cable car from the town to a height of almost 6,000 feet.  There were still clouds that day, but they would break at certain times and reveal the beautiful landscape below, including the city of Salzburg and the Salzburg airport.  We were having such a good time that we stayed on top of the mountain for my birthday lunch. 

Cable car up to Untersberg Mountain

On the cable car making our way up to Untersberg Mountain

My "birthday cake" - Apple Strudel in Austria

On top of the Untersberg

Boat ride along Lake Konigssee

We ended this part of the trip by exploring Salzburg, a city I have always wanted to visit because of my love for the Sound of Music.  The architecture there was amazing, and we were able to appreciate it all the more because of the BEAUTIFUL, sunny weather.  We ended the day by exploring the Hohensalzburg Castle, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.  Afterwards, we took our final train from Salzburg to Munich, which was again a beautiful journey through mountains and overlooking some beautiful European scenery.  That night, Brian and I flew back to London and my dad stayed in Munich to fly back home to Orlando the following day.  This was definitely a trip, and a birthday, I will never forget. 

At Hohensalzburg Fortress in Salzburg, Austria

Beautiful Salzburg

"Training" with my Dad From England to Austria

When we began planning my dad's trip over here, we knew he would fly into England and that he then wanted to go to the Salzburg area to see Berchtesgaden, Germany, which is right on the border.  I of course started coordinating the easy 2-hour flight between England and Salzburg.  However, when I went out for a run, my dad called back and talked to Brian to ask if it were possible to take trains all the way there.  What you might not know about my dad is that he LOVES European trains, so for him, that was the ultimate adventure.  Of course it is possible, so somehow I ended up taking trains with my dad all the way from Bury St. Edmunds, England, to Salzburg, Austria.  Here was the breakdown...  =)


Me with my dad

On the Tuesday morning after my dad arrived, we began the adventure by taking a 2-hour train ride from Bury into central London.  (As a quick side note, there was a HUGE tube strike that day that caused a bit of chaos for us - of course it had to happen that day!)  After a quick lunch break, we then took the Eurostar through the Chunnel over to Paris where we stayed for the night.  As another side note, Paris was a bit rough.  The hotel I had chosen for us near the train station wasn't great and a big fight (with punches thrown and cops called) erupted at the restaurant where we were eating dinner, but at least it gave us some funny stories!  My dad was definitely a trooper.

The next morning, we continued our adventure early and took a 5 1/2-hour train ride through France into Switzerland to make a stop in Zurich.  I thought that it was going to be too big for me since it is such a major European capital, but I absolutely fell in love with it.  The architecture was amazing, and it had a great, small-town feel.  After enjoying 1 1/2 days in Zurich, we made our final train journey to Salzburg.  It was another 5 1/2-hour train ride, but we had upgraded to First Class on a really great Swiss train so the ride wasn't bad at all!  More on the Salzburg part of our trip tomorrow.

Shopping in the cute streets of Zurich

Beautiful Zurich

Largest clockface in Europe, located in Zurich

Overall, our training adventure definitely took more time than a flight would have, but we got to see some amazing scenery and sights as we made our way through Europe on the rails.

Battle of Britain Air Show

I grew up going to air shows as a kid with my dad and my brother, who both really enjoy flying.  I hadn't been to one in a while though before last month when we attended the 70th Annual Battle of Britain Air Show at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, which is about 30 minutes from our house.  The air show was extra special because my dad was in town so we actually got to go with him.

Historic aircraft flying at the Battle of Britain: A Lancaster flanked by a Spitfire and a Hurricane

Yummy lunch at the air show

Tens of thousands of people attended the event, which made traffic a nightmare.  In fact, there was a 9-mile long queue the first day, which we waited in for almost 2 hours before giving up and returning home.  (It was a good thing we did too because news articles later that day said the event had reached capacity!)  The next day, we tried again, this time leaving a lot earlier and we were finally able to make it into the event. 

The show commemorates the flight battle that was a strategic turning point in World War II.  It featured historic aircraft and the Royal Air Force Red Arrows, which is an acrobatic flight team similar to the Blue Angels in the United States.  The Red Arrows started the show with an amazing flight routine, and then a fighter jet did its own display before the historic aircraft came out for their turns. 

The Red Arrows

A Belgian F16 puts on its brakes

Before and after the show, we also toured more of the Imperial War Museum that has an actual Concorde you can walk in plus an entire hangar devoted to American aircraft.  My dad and Brian enjoyed getting out the big cameras to get cool pictures, and they put me on video camera duty for the day.  It definitely wasn't the best weather for an air show, but we enjoyed it nonetheless and were happy that we finally got in the second day! 

Camera duty as we entered the Concorde!  =)