Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Home Sweet Home

Pittsburgh, PA!-- Well, despite all the delays and terrible service from Delta, we made it back home safe and sound. Our four month trip is over. That reality has still not set in yet. It's an odd feeling, a combination of sadness to see our journey end, as well as joy and excitement to come home to America and Pittsburgh. The melancholy gives way however when I think that we come back to a bright future.

We ended our trip on a high note- at a real British Pub, established 100years before we were born, for our last dinner abroad. The barman, a humorous and affable chap, befriended me as I ordered our Fish n Chips and veggie Sausage and Mash. I told him to have "one for himself," attempting to tip him the English way  by buying him a drink. He laughed at my attempt at British social culture saying that was "Very kind of you, Sir!" We scarfed down the delicious (though very heavy) food and bitters while we reminisced about the last four months. On the way out, we told the barman that it was our last night abroad and he replied "Oh No!" We laughed and he added "Good luck." Good luck getting home and good luck with the rest of our lives.
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Thank you all for following our trip over the last four plus months. We've enjoyed sharing it with you immensely and it's wonderful to know that even though we were very far away, that so many people still care about us.

Here is a list of links for all our albums, including the New one: England!
Cote d'Azur: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2522250&id=5726231&l=5911a3941d


Israel: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2529445&id=5726231&l=185b133fb0


Southwest France: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2535471&id=5726231&l=1874dcd590


May in Paris: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2540454&id=5726231&l=bc4b67e5b2


Alsace and Switzerland: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2553676&id=5726231&l=8fba89b90a


The Loire, Lyon and Normandy: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2556567&id=5726231&l=8b408adf23


England (new): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2562817&id=5726231&l=482366beeb

Sunday, July 4, 2010

London Blogging

London, England-- Sorry to have been a bit neglectful of the blog, but this past week has been one of our busiest (and most expensive) yet. As you probably know, our ferry made it to Portsmouth, England just fine. We didn't get to see too much of the city itself, aside from the 2.5 mile walk from the port to the hotel. By the time we had checked in it was already getting late, but we did manage to find some delicious, enormous helpings of fish and chips.

The next morning we took a bus to Salisbury (of Peter Gabriel fame). The small, pretty town became our home base for three days, which was great. We found a nice Indian restaurant and went to a surprisingly quiet pub to watch the Spain/Portugal World Cup match. Staying in Salisbury also allowed us to take two day trips. The first was to Stonehenge, or StoneHENGE, as our audio guide pronounced it, and it was incredible. I was really excited to see one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and also impressed with how well preserved, cared for, and respected it is.

The next day we trained to Bath, a beautifully planned city in the middle of the English countryside (which, by the way, looks a lot like Normandy's...). Situated on natural hot springs, Bath was home to a Roman bath house and has been a fashionable spa retreat for hundreds of years. Ben forced me to try some of the "all-healing" hot spring water (they sell it in the spa restaurant). Even the guidebook described it as "horrible," but I actually kind of liked it and had no trouble finishing my glass!

It was great to relax a little in Salisbury because we knew when we got to London we'd go into supertourist mode again. After arriving on Friday and suffering through a hot, crowded Underground ride, we hit the streets, first for a tour of architect John Soane's house (who Ben says is "completely nutters!") and then for a sight-studded walk down the River Thames. First it was the Tower Bridge, the Tate Modern, St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, before we turned north for our hotel past Trafalgar Square and the British Museum. I was thrilled.

We've continued to walk a ton the past couple days, partly because it's free and partly because the weather has been uncharacteristically gorgeous. After the Changing of the Guard, we had a picnic in Hyde Park, before walking to Regent's Park via the raucous gay pride parade on Regent's street. Today we explored the street markets at Covent Garden, Spitalfield, and Brick Lane before Ben completed his 49th drawing(!). We can only hope the weather holds for tomorrow, our last day abroad.