Stratford Upon Avon

We travelled to the birth place of Shakespeare to escape London for the weekend and to help Anna celebrate her birthday.  Luckily for Anna she was only 29 and not the big 3 0 this year.  Im well jel.  The roady started off with a scenic lunch stop in Broadway, an old market village, which was just beautiful.  It helped that the sun was shining and we were soaking up the vitamin D.  On our drive we were slowed down by riders gathering on horse back for the start of a hunt.  We thought the good old english sport was illegal but we witnessed the whole pageantry first hand. 

We then arrived in Startford where we were bombarded with all things Shakepeare.  Where he was born, where he died, his tombstone, his mothers house, his wifes house, the pub where he drank, etc etc you get the picture. 

Sunday started off with a good hearty english breakfast at our B&B before we headed off to do the touristy sights of Anne Hathaway's cottage (Shakespeare's wife) and to exolpore the ruins of Kenilworth Castle.  The castle was built in the 13th century and hosted Queen Elizabeth in 1575.  Quickly becoming tradition with our weekend trips away we ended the weekend with an english afternoon tea of scones with clotted cream, naturally, cake and tea.  What a way to finish the weekend and prepare us for the drive back to London.  

Tallinn and Riga Girls Trip!

Thanks to it being Feb half term it was time for me to go on holiday again.  This time the boys were left at home as 8 girls from NLIS took to the streets of Tallinn and Riga.  Luckily the temperature in London had taken a dive before we flew out as this helped us acclimatise to the -10 temps of Tallinn.  The holiday got off to a good start when the hotel reception offered us free mulled wine upon arrival and then a top up of white or red after that.  From then on it was eating out with long lunches and delicious dinners with a spot of sight seeing thrown in around all the restuarant stops.  One of the highlights was a tour of the KGB museum.  In the Commy era a hotel in Tallinn was famous for being a tourist drawcard.  The hotel had 22 floors but the KGB operated on a secret 23rd floor of the hotel.  We heard some fascinating stories of how the KGB spied on people in the hotel and we got to see one of the rooms exactly as the KGB had left it. 

Free beer!

KGB spy equipment

Four of us were keen enough to take a 4 hour bus ride to the city of Riga.  The bus had free wifi, coffee and so much leg room I couldn't reach the footrest in front of me!!  We had fun looking around the city and discovering the Kiwi Bar where Lisa and I received a free pint for being Kiwi.  Nice.  We so nearly missed the bus back to Tallinn as we couldn't find the bus stop.  It turns out its not across the road from where it drops you off to head back in the other direction.  A frantic phone call and a mad dash across traffic and we found the bus waiting for us.  Thank you bus driver for waiting for us for 10 minutes.

Beautiful doll like buildings of Riga

We arrived back in Tallinn with it snowing and Lisa and I the only ones brave enough to face the cold.  We walked along the old city walls and walked to the other side of the old town to see the cathedral.  After we warmed up inside with a nice baileys hot chocolate and our final meal before heading back to London.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Looking out over Tallinn from the KGB museum

Yorkshire - Green Hammerton, Pateley Bridge, Knaresborough

Nathan and I had a fabulous weekend catching up with Helen and Chris, and most special of all meeting their new son Lewis.  He is the best baby in the world as he doesn't cry and is very relaxed about having visitors cuddle him.  He was very snuggly and unfortunately Helen wouldn't let me bring Lewis to London.  We had loads of laughs over the weekend and as usual with a stay at the McCullys we were taken on a couple of walks.  It was a beautiful weekend to be out of London and in the country side as it snowed and we got some amazing photographs.

Faithful Followers

To all my faithful followers I have decided to reward you for your diligent reading of my blog by posting some pics here that will not appear on facebook. Geez aren't you lucky!!  These photos were taken by Anna or Borrie on their camera on our winter road trip. 

Random graffiti wall in Berlin

Christmas tree infront of Brandenburg gate

New years celebrations in Krakow

Nussberg Hill, Vienna

Drinking Punsch in Vienna

Last night we had a successful planning mission of our Italy trip with Anna and Borrie.  We are going to have 2 days in Rome and then on the 3rd day take a day trip to Pompeii, before heading up to the Cinque Terre for 3 days of relaxing among the coastal villages.  The trip will be rounded off with two nights in Venice!!  It is going to be such a brilliant holiday but June seems such a long way off at the moment.  Luckily I have a trip to Tallinn and Morocco before then to tide me over. 
Currently we are looking for new flatmates.  Our current flatties are getting married next month and want to set up a love nest on their own.  We had a Kiwi couple come round and take a look this morning but I got the feeling they weren't keen.  Maybe the 75min bike ride to our place put them off!

Part II of Winter Road Trip

We are now back in London and have had 2 days back at work (3 for Nath - I love being a teacher!).  When we last left you we were in Vienna for Christmas.  From there we moved onto Slovakia to a little palce called Liptovsky Mikulas which is situated at the base of the biggest ski field in Slovakia, Jansa. We had two awesome days of skiing for a very reasonable price.  Even at the ski field beers were only 1 euro.  We were unsure how good the snow and facilities would be as Slovakia doens't have a reputation for skiing.  The snow was mostly good, much better than what we get at Ruapehu, and the chair lifts were cool and even had a gondola.  Overall better and cheaper than Ruapehu.

We then drove onto Krakow where we were to celebrate the New Year in the Old Town square.  The square was packed with people and fireworks were set off at midnight.  In previous years there is usually bands and DJs playing but not this year, the atmosphere was still good though.  While in Krakow we visited Wieliczka Salt Mine and the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau.   Nath and I got up early on the morning of the 1st and walked up the hill to Wawel Castle, where the Polish Royal Family used to live, and had a wander around the castle grounds. 

The last leg of our journey was a stop over in Wroclaw.  When we walked to the main square we could see a big stage being dismantled so we wonder if New Year celebrations moved from Krakow to Wroclaw and we didn't get the memo!
A fantastic road trip came to an end as we had to resume normal life and head back to work.  I have been eased into it and have 3 teacher only days this week with students starting back on Monday.  To ease the post holiday blues Nath and I have booked some flights and have plenty of travel lined up for 2012.  Bring it on! 

Winter Road Trip

Our Christmas road trip has begun. So far we have visited Berlin, Prague and Vienna, and stopped at some cute wee villages along the way. With the rental car we only have one speeding ticket, one incidence of driving on the wrong side of the road, and one ticket for not purchasing a road toll in Austria! A good start to driving in Europe I'd say. We have mastered the art of packing the boot, it's much like a jig saw puzzle, making sure we put the bags in in the right order.

Currently it is Christmas in NZ and through Skype I was able to watch Mum open her present from me, seems totally bizarre almost like I was there.
In Berlin we did a city walking tour which ended at an awesome pub where you pour your own beers and you pay by the ml. From our table we had a computer where we could order food, and then at the end our bill still had a service charge! Cheeky considering I poured my own beers and ordered my food without a waitress.
In Prague we went to visit the Castle, which is the biggest tourist attraction. After walking up the hill to the Castle we discovered it was closed due to an ex-president dying and lying in state at the castle. For some reason we got up the next morning, hiked up the hill, and yip you guessed it, same result!
We are now in Vienna for Christmas with Naths brother and his wife's family. It is so nice to see our 20 month old niece, last time we saw her she was 6 months old, she is a little sceptical of us, but to avoid going to bed tonight jumped up on the couch for us to read her a book, only problem was the book was in German, so we made up a story to go with the pictures.
Frohe Weihnachten, Merry Christmas!

Sporting Events

We have been to two massive sporting events recently.  #1 ATP Tour tennis finals to watch Djokovic play Ferrer at the O2 arena. #2 Chelsea play Valencia in the last game of pool play in the Champions League.  Chelsea had to win to make it through to the knock out round.  I love all the opportunities to watch big matches in London.  Unfortunately they come at a cost, but are usually worth it.  I really want to get to Wimbledon this coming Summer and of course there are also the Olympics to look forward to.  We have tickets for the Women's Football gold medal match and Mens Beach Volley quarterfinals.
This is our last weekend in London before embarking on our Christmas road trip.  We are planing on visiting Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park and I still need to buy some winter woolies to help keep me warm in the Northern Hemisphere winter.