Amber and Matt's European Adventures

REFLECTIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:02:00 +0000

As we were pulling out of the driveway headed to Heathrow airport, it was hard to believe two years had come and gone. It seems just like yesterday Amber and I were discussing travelling overseas and here we are, been there-done that-back home. As I reflect on the experience, there were many highs and some lows. I won’t dwell on the lows, that’s boring and depressing; besides they were mainly just frustrating adjustments to international life. I will focus on the highs. I think the highs for me were one part professional and one part personal. From a professional perspective, I will be forever grateful for the opportunity that was provided to me and also that my loving wife was willing enough to take the plunge. It was an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to partake in setting up the shared service center and I learned so much from it, met so many wonderful people, and will have many lasting memories. From a personal perspective, the travel was unbeatable and the expanded view of the world is something you will never get in the US. It is so expensive to travel to Europe from the US, takes so much time, and really, until you live there, you don’t know all the secrets to getting around. We were fortunate to be stationed in London with cheap flights and the ability to leave on a whim and travel somewhere new and exciting. I think the most memorable places had to be Italy because it was the first big trip and also the France/Germany trip we took in the summer of 2008. Other memorable experiences were visiting the Youngs in Amsterdam and our parents’ visits in London. I never thought I would be the translator for my parents in an English speaking country. They aren’t even old yet!!! And it was really cool that Amber was able to surprise her Mom and take her to Paris (which was my suggestion by the way). Also, me surprising Amber by taking her to Vienna for her 30th birthday was exciting!

Living overseas also expanded my view of the world tremendously. Sitting in the US, you just never appreciate the differences of the others living on this globe, nor can you really understand. Many things came to life living in Europe. Europe is full of history, many different cultures and customs, languages, and ways of conducting business. While I am truly enjoying being back in the US with all we are afforded here, I am appreciative of the different perspective I gained living in Europe.

Most of all, I am happy to be back with my friends and family, which were too far away while we were there!!!!

~Matt

I can't add much to what Matt said. It was an experience that has changed us forever and we are so grateful for that opportunity. It was tough at times, especially when Matt was away for work and I was on my own in England, but our relationship is stronger for it. There were so many emotions throughout the whole process. I said that if we could make it through that we could make it through anything. I can't imagine seeing the world with anyone else! I look forward to future international adventures - and there definitely will be more! Maybe South America next...!

We want to thank our family and friends for all the love and support they've given us while abroad. We also want our new friends in Europe to know that we will never forget them and hope that our paths cross again in the future!

~Amber

Shhhh…Matt turned 30!

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:58:00 +0000

Shortly after returning to the States, we were on a plane again – this time we would be vacationing in Hawaii for two weeks to celebrate Matt’s milestone birthday.

Yes, for my 30th Birthday, I asked Amber to take me to Hawaii as a gift. It was a nice surprise and was very thoughtful of her to pick it out! No, really, we had wanted to go to Hawaii for some time now and we thought it would be a good time to go during the transition back to the US.

The only downside to our trip was that we were still fighting with various things related to our move back home and my lost golf clubs on the way to Hawaii. Whatever you do, don’t use FedEx for shipping boxes between UK and the US. They will royally (no pun intended) mess up your order from start to finish. Be prepared to get aggravated and spend a lot of time on the phone with various people, though. Okay, moving on to the fun stuff in Hawaii.

We took off on Wednesday for 2 weeks, looking forward to lots of fun! Wednesday was pretty shot with travelling from Denver to Honolulu and then on to Maui, our final destination. We were staying with my Uncle John, so he met us at the airport and took us back to the house up in Kula for a nice dinner with him and our new Aunt Boonta. Kula is located high up in the mountains at about 4,000 feet above sea level, and the views are tremendous. You get a complete view of the North and West shores from the house. The living arrangements were fantastic as we had our own bedroom and bath suite separate from the main house. We spent about 12 days in Maui and then another day in Honolulu before heading back to Denver. We had a fantastic time in Hawaii and thanks so much to Uncle John and Aunt Boonta for the wonderful hospitality and recommendations they provided during our stay!

Some of the highlights of our trip include:

-Helicopter tour: On my birthday, we took a tour of the whole island including the crater area, wetlands, and saw all of the celebrity homes. Amber and I got to sit in the front seats by the pilot and had great panoramic views of the scenery.

-Whale watching tour: We took a boat tour to go and watch the whales jumping out of the water. We were there towards the end of the whale season, though, so most of them had already started migrating back to Alaska. We found out it takes them about 60 days to travel from Hawaii to Alaska and they do it in one full swim, no stopping.

-Golf: I had the opportunity to go out and golf with my PGA tour capable uncle and some of his friends. Unfortunately, I am the farthest from PGA capable and it showed. I played a fair amount in England, but it went out the window. I swear the views caused my swing to mess up, so it wasn’t my entire fault. Meanwhile, they shot somewhere in the Tiger range and taught me some lessons.

-Road to Hana: This is a long windy road that leads from downtown Maui to the little town of Hana. The best thing about the drive is not the destination, but the scenery along the way. We traded our crappy Dodge Caliber rental car for a Subaru and put the all wheel drive to the test. We left Maui about 7am and without much traffic on the road, we ended up in Hana about 8:30am. It was supposed to take closer to 4 hours to get there with summertime traffic. With me driving - and if it had actually taken 4 hours - we would have arrived in a state of divorce, so Amber was partially glad for the shorter drive time, but her stomach was trying to catch up for a while. On the way back, we stopped for lunch at a roadside BBQ and it was one of those meals where you cannot stop smiling because the food was so good. (Matt was literally squealing with delight. ~Amber)

-Mama’s Fish House: For my birthday celebration, we went out to the famous Mama’s Fish House on the North Shore. The food was really good, but a little pricey, and we had great views while eating in the open air near the ocean.

-Parasailing: On our way back to Denver, we stopped in Honolulu for a day and went parasailing. It was a tandem parasail and we were the first to go up, so we didn’t have time to get scared beforehand. It was really fun and you could see a lot that high up. They even dipped us in the water on the way back down before landing in the boat.

-Pearl Harbor: Also while in Honolulu, we took the trip out to Pearl Harbor. It was nothing of what I expected; it turns out I was completely ignorant what to expect. It is a very sombering and moving experience going there. I have said before and will say again, to learn history you need to visit history and this is another point blank case of US history you cannot learn in a classroom. I would highly recommend the visit if you are in Honolulu, it is a must see thing to do. The ship is still buried in the water where it was shot down and a memorial bridge has been built above it to commemorate the fallen soldiers. Every so often you can see little oil droplets coming up from the ship and some say it is the ‘blood’ of the soldiers, a very moving place.

-Honorable Mentions: Haleakala Crater, watching the surfers on the North Shore, laying on the beach, snorkeling, Jazz night with David Benoit (he is incredible)

One Last Visitor

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:49:00 +0000

Our first European visitor was Bartosz...but sadly he was the last in our home abroad.

Bartosz, one of my team members out in Poland, came to visit us for a weekend in London. Bartosz hadn’t been to London before, so it was a good opportunity for him to get out and see the city. And since Bartosz has one of the most brutal jobs on the project team in dealing with all the IT stuff in all the countries, I figured the least I could do is give him somewhere to sleep and introduce him to London.

Dining at Vapiano
In the London Underground

On the train back to Basildon

He arrived on Friday, but we spent the day in the lovely Basildon office. Compared to the Poland office, Basildon looks like it originated in the 1800s, so he wasn’t too impressed. On Saturday, we ventured into London for the day. We ended up splitting up and doing some sightseeing on our own before meeting back up for dinner. I think he got to see quite a bit of London while we were there; he didn’t mess around. While we were in Germany during the project, we ate several times at the Vapiano restaurant, so we decided to eat at the newly opened London restaurant. It is a pizza/pasta/salad type place where they cook in front of you with all fresh ingredients. It is really good and on the cheap side pricewise. I introduced Bartosz to Belgium beer, which is one of my favorites. Then on Saturday, we took him out to Chelmsford to meet up with some of our British friends for lunch at a Spanish tapas restaurant. He got to see some of the countryside of England on the way there. Then it was back to work on Monday. Unfortunately, he had to hitch a ride to the airport with some weird guy named Paul who leaves at 3:30 in the morning for a 6:30 flight when the airport is only 30 minutes away. Sorry Bartosz, that wasn’t my fault! We enjoyed having you and are looking forward to your visit to Colorado in the summer.

Matt

With the Buckleys at La Tasca

Our Dear Friends in Poland!

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:48:00 +0000

So, in Europe they want to say goodbye to you with a big bang. My office sent me off with a bowling party, Matt’s office sent him off with a dance party, and we said our final goodbyes to other friends in England.

Last dinner with my friend Ela

Unbeknownst to me, my ‘Leaving Do’ started out with a Sushi dinner with the Poland SSC leadership team. There was a huge sushi boat platter enjoyed by all! Amber doesn’t like sushi, so when I travel, I love to go out and get my fill. The guys in Poland love sushi and so we always have a good time.

Then afterwards, I was told we were going to a bar to have some drinks (well, something along those lines). It was earlier than normal that evening when we ate, so something didn’t feel right. We ended up parking our car near Sopot (seaside resort town), which has a lot of clubs and bars, and started walking towards the beach. Then we walked into a bar I hadn’t been to before. As we walked in, I noticed the DJ, who was near the door area, was staring right at me. I have always been conscience when walking around Europe, but I couldn’t figure out why she was staring directly at me. Then I took a few more steps and………the whole room erupted. Many of my colleagues had come to dance (with me of course) and party the night away. I had many fun nights dancing (no, I cannot dance, I just pretend and have fun) and partying with the team in Poland and this night was added to the memories. I will definitely miss those guys and I just have to say that the memories will never leave me!!!

The only picture from our Farewell Party

I can never thank the team in Poland enough, especially Mr. February (who asked not to be mentioned in this blog), for the absolutely unforgettable experience I had there over the last two years. It was more than I could have ever imagined and wished for. I am definitely inspired by such a young group of hard working team members and look forward to getting back to visit. Keep up the hard work, stay young, party some more, and remember me when I return. I will need a place to sleep!!!

Amber with Management Team

And for some last parting memories, I wish to leave some messages for my colleagues:

Mr Luty-drink some milk, it will stop your mouth from burning!
Mr Izydorczyk-can I borrow your small software?
Mr Twarowski-we all know you had a baby boy last year…you can stop smiling now!
Ms Rakiej-can you ask them to highlight the numbers and put some footnotes?
Mr Andryszak-Those German footballers are good!
Mr Wanagos-I found the printer receipt in Warsaw, should I send it over?
Mr Lutkiewicz-We are still anxious to meet your assistant!

Matt and Management Team

To the UK team-I still have my VIB membership, wanna bowl?
To the German team-Excuse me guys, but the other residents would like to sleep!
To the Baltic team-You are not invited to bowl with the UK team and me; I learned my lesson!

To all: Dziękuję & Do Widzenia!

Matt

BBWCVS

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:47:00 +0000

I did not mention this before, but I got a job back in the fall. I was volunteering with projects through the Volunteer Centre at Basildon, Billericay and Wickford Council for Voluntary Services (BBWCVS) since the summer of 2007 and had gotten to know the staff pretty well. Last summer they had a couple of people leave and when the new Chief Officer arrived I volunteered to fill in temporarily until they hired someone new or until we moved back. It was great returning to work and what was even better was that my schedule was flexible and part-time, so I was still able to travel and volunteer.

Volunteering at the Basildon Library (taken for the Yellow Advertiser)

Shortly before the end of my employment, a colleague and myself had planned an ‘Away Day’ for staff and volunteers but the day happened to fall during the week of the blizzard. We had planned a day out in London, which would have been fabulous, but had to change the location to somewhere local. We ended up going to Festival Leisure Park for bowling and lunch. It was a great day and we were grateful that the entire staff was able to make it as well as a couple of volunteers.

Some of my BBWCVS colleagues

Staff Members and Chief Officer (l to r)

My last day of work was at the end of February and for my ‘Leaving Do’ we returned to Festival Leisure Park for bowling and dinner. It was such a fun evening and it was hard saying goodbye to my colleagues. I do hope we can all keep in touch – especially since most of us are on Facebook!

Matt in Athens!

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:51:00 +0000

Matt doesn’t get mentioned often on the blog as he is always traveling for work - and about the only thing he gets to see is his office, hotel room, or restaurant for the evening – so we thought he should write a little more about one of those experiences.

Before my European stint ended, I had the opportunity to visit the last remaining country where First Data has major operations in Europe…Athens, Greece. Our actual offices are on the outskirts of Athens, but our hotel was in Athens. I had been reluctant to want to go to Greece for work or pleasure, but was pleasantly surprised on both fronts after being there. Our hotel wasn’t directly in the city centre, but was quite close so we were able to go in each night for dinner. Our first night, we arrived late from London, and ventured out to find a Greek diner that was still serving dinner. I had always heard that Greeks eat quite late, but evidently not on Sundays (other days it was true). We found a lovely diner tucked back off one of the streets, and took the Chefs’ recommendation for a mixed grill platter. Even by American standards, it was a lot to eat, so we ended up wobbling back to the hotel after eating some chicken, sausage, pork chops, hot dogs, and salad. Oh yeah, and the Alpha beer wasn’t too bad either. I had not previously liked Greek salads (b/c of the Feta cheese), but really enjoyed them in Athens as it is pretty typical at dinner. Later during the week, I had the opportunity to eat at two different restaurants overlooking the ‘lit up’ Acropolis. At one of the restaurants (The Filistron in Thissio), we were sharing the main room with a birthday party group and they had a small live singing band, so we got a taste of live Greek music. I got some good pictures at the other restaurant which had better views of the Acropolis, but unfortunately, they didn’t turn out. I just have to say that each night we had something wonderful for dinner; it was very tasty food, well prepared, and lots to eat. And the scenery was excellent!

The Filistron

Acropolis at night

On the business front, our offices in Greece do a lot of printing for various clients. They print anything from credit card statements to electricity statements to gambling tickets. Yes, gambling tickets!!! I think that is the only place in Europe (and the US probably) that we print gambling tickets. It was neat to see. We also got to see some of the up and coming custom credit card statements they were printing where you have targeted advertisements on each statement based on user aspects. Being in accounting, you don’t typically get to see the operational areas, so it was a unique experience getting to see it up close and personal. Thanks to Errikos for the time he took to take us on the tour! And thanks to everyone in the office there for the wonderful hospitality!!

Also, for some of you that don’t know, I used to cook in a Greek/Italian restaurant when I was in high school. The restaurant was partially owned by a Greek family and so I had been exposed to Greek customs a long time ago. It was really interesting to see the resemblance of various things that I saw in them during my visit to Athens. I will just say this - a Greek is a Greek is a Greek. It’s all good though!!!

Oh, and in case it sounds like all I did was eat, that is correct. We were working long days getting a project done, so we didn’t have time for anything else. I had a wonderful time in Greece and hope to go back and take Amber with me. I hear the islands are also wonderful to visit, so something additional to go back for.

Matt

More Visitors!

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:20:00 +0000

Carol, Me, and Liz

January did not pass without another set of visitors. This time Matt and I hosted Liz and her sister Carol. (Liz is my sorority sister and was active in the Denver Alumnae Association before she and her family moved to Wisconsin.) They flew over for a long weekend and arrived in Basildon on a Friday evening. They wanted an authentic British pub experience and we gave them one! Our first choice for always taking guests happened to be reserved/booked for the whole evening, so we went to another good spot that was crazy busy. Saturday they went into London on their own and then we all went in together on Sunday. That is one of my favorite parts of going into London, the train ride. There really isn’t anything special about it, but since we don’t use public transportation often in Colorado it is just a different experience. I love seeing the city come into view!

Liz and Carol had a few things planned for themselves, including a special tour of Buckingham Palace, so Matt and I went to Greenwich to the Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory. We were supposed to meet up with them at Trafalgar Square but their tour ran over and they were quite late. It was freezing cold and started to snow so we took cover in the lobby of a restaurant near one of the underground entrances of Charing Cross. Amazingly, the girls came out right in front of us! The snow was coming down pretty heavy at that time so we decided not to trek out to another restaurant and settled for dinner where we were. On the train ride home we could tell that it was going to be quite a snowfall when it was all said and done. Luckily we made it home because some of the later trains were cancelled.

standing in two hemispheres at one time

Prime Meridian in Greenwich

National Maritime Museum

I woke early in the morning because I was anxious to check the weather for Liz and Carol as they were flying back home that day. The news was reporting about ‘Blizzard Britain’ and stated that parts of the underground were closed as were national rail lines. Well, so much for Liz and Carol taking the train and tube to the airport. They were up by this time preparing to head out with plenty of time to catch their flight. I broke the news to them about the weather and told them that Matt and I would take them to the airport. We really didn’t mind doing this and actually the motorways were quite good compared to other parts of the region. We got them there with hours to spare! The next big question was whether their flight got out, which it did and was one of the few.

First night of snowfall

They thought they left the snow behind in Chicago...

Matt throwing snowballs

Cheyenne loves the snow!

Apparently, this was the biggest snowstorm in 18 years! Businesses and transportation routes were closed down and people were urged to stay home and off the roads. Of course, there was great controversy over the preparedness of the city of London but give them some credit, they only deal with this once every 20 years or so and did their best given the situation!

Kathleen was here!

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 04:32:00 +0000

January was quite the busy month for me. My good friend, and former coworker, Kathleen was in London recently with her husband Sean. Sean had to travel for work and he surprised Kathleen at Christmas with a plane ticket to join him. Boy was I surprised and excited when she called me up and said “would you like to have lunch next week?” What?! She was going to be in London?! Of course, I had to see her. She and I we were office mates for a couple of years, before I changed jobs in Denver, and became great friends. She and Sean moved from Colorado to Michigan shortly before Matt and I moved to England.

I met her in London one day and we hopped on a train at Waterloo Station to go out to Hampton Court Palace and visit one of King Henry VIII’s palaces. It was a grand site and we enjoyed an official tour and stroll through some of the gardens. Afterward, we savored a Tudor-style lunch in the Privy Kitchen. We ended the day having pizza and ice cream in Harrod’s!

Our delicious lunch from the Privy Kitchen

Two days later Kathleen ventured out to my neck of the woods – about a 25 minute train ride east of the city – for dinner and a drive through the country. After a mix up at the train station that had us both waiting in different areas for 45 minutes, we finally met up and I drove her to one of my favorite Italian places. We enjoyed a lovely dinner and then went to my house. She had a brief time to say hello to Cheyenne and take a look around before we had to get her back to the train station for the last train into London that evening. While I would have been happy for her to stay overnight, I know she wanted to get back to the city.

Kathleen, it was so wonderful to see you! Thank you for including me in your plans during your first visit to London!

It took 12.5 years…

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 04:26:00 +0000

…but I finally visited my friend Sonja in Berlin! Sonja was an exchange student in my high school when I was a junior. We played on the volleyball team together and became fast friends. When she returned to Germany I vowed to stay in touch with her and one day visit. The two of us moved several times over the years and stayed in contact through letters and emails. I knew that I could not return to the States without visiting her and with only a couple of months to spare I finally made the journey to her hometown. She is quite the busy woman now as she is a doctor, but I appreciate the time she was able to spend with me during my visit.

These pictures were taken quite early in the morning - Sonja had to go to work and I had to head to the airport.

I was graciously invited to stay with her and her boyfriend at their new flat. The first evening we went out with some of her friends, but surprisingly I was too insecure to try my newly learned German language skills on them. What was more interesting is that Sonja’s boyfriend is from Spain, so throughout the weekend she went from Spanish to German to English quite effortlessly. Sonja and Rafa showed me around the city a bit and it was nice to see areas that Matt and I did not visit during our previous trip. It is always nice to experience the local’s way of life too. The visit may have only been a few short days but it meant the world to me to finally say that I made good on my promise. Now, if only I can get them out to Colorado in the next 12 years!

Sanssouci Palace gardens, Potsdam

Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin

Day Trip to Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 04:19:00 +0000

My great friend, Angela, and I took the Eurostar to Paris for a day! This was my third trip to the city but Angela’s first. I was excited to able to share the experience with her. Cheyenne and I stayed over at her place Monday night and then on Tuesday she and I caught the train from Ebbsfleet around 6:00am. We arrived in Paris just over two hours later. Can you believe the weather high was 16 degrees Fahrenheit that day?! There was ice and snow on the ground, but it was all very beautiful. I can’t lie and say we were snug in our clothes b/c we were not quite prepared for that temperature, but we didn’t let that ruin our day. We did not intend to go into any of the museums or anything since we were only there for a ‘whistle-stop’ but we did make it around the city to see many of the sights. I do feel sorry for the American couple who was turned away at the Eiffel Tower b/c it was closed due to ice.

Sacré-Coeur Basilica

We first went up to Montmartre to see the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and a panoramic view of the city. Near the basilica was Tetre Square – full of street artists where we had our portraits drawn. Of course, we made our way along the Seine River past many of the historic sights to the Eiffel Tower, did some window shopping along the Champs-Élysées, and walked the grounds around the Louvre at night. We wined and dined in a couple of quaint restaurants to complete our Parisian experience. We ended our fabulous day around 9:00pm when we had to catch the train back to England.

Musée du Louvre

New Year’s Eve Masked Ball

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:52:00 +0000

We broke from tradition this year and rang in the New Year with friends at a private bash in Rochester, Kent. Angela and Alan invited us to their members club – The Roffen – for an evening of dancing, drinks, and dining. As most of you know, Matt and I usually go out to eat at a Japanese hibachi steakhouse and then spend the rest of the night at home watching all of the crazy festivities on television. It may not sound like your idea of a fun evening, but it is the perfect way to celebrate the ending of one year and the beginning of another.

We thought that since it was our last holiday in Europe we would go out with a bang. The evening included a dinner buffet, two floors of dancing, cooked breakfast, and masks were provided late in the evening before midnight.

Cheyenne was able to spend some time with her new friend, Jesse, while the parents were partying it up!

Thanks for a great evening, Angela and Alan!

Christmas Day

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:59:00 +0000

Christmas Day was pretty low-key as well. We did not exchange gifts this year, rather decided to go shopping together and buy things on our day out. A couple of weeks ago we bought new Oakley sunglasses. My first pair of sunglasses that were over $50 dollars (way over that amount actually)! But apparently once you get Oakleys you can never wear anything else. Matt swears by them and has had about 4-5 pairs since we were in college. (He tends to lose them on the slopes or in the river or in a foreign country.) We were going to go shopping today to see what bargains were in the stores but decided to wait until this weekend. I'm hoping to pick up a few things off my wish list!

Santa Claus did make a quick visit for Cheyenne, though. Here she is unwrapping her gift!

Matt and I made Christmas dinner, which was the perfect time together. As you can see from the pictures we had Gammon (ham), beans & mushrooms, mash potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and yorkshire pudding (not dessert pudding, but rather british "bread" of sorts made from batter). We filled ourselves silly.

In the evening we went to a friend's home to enjoy sweets with her family. There were a few extra treats for Cheyenne. Her daughters had a gift package waiting for Cheyenne and of course she loved it. (They been trying to talk their Mom into getting a dog, as a companion to their cat.) The treats kept her entertained while we talked and played board games. It was a lovely, stress-free evening. Thank you Sharon, Eric, Millie, and Rosina for having us over!

Christmas Eve in the Outback...

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 05:41:00 +0000

...Steakhouse that is. Christmas Eve was quite an uneventful day. We lounged around for a bit and then went to the grocery store to pick up some last minute things, since the stores would be closed the next two days. We took Cheyenne on a walk and then started to settle in for an evening at home. Matt was bored and decided to go on a run...but when he came home he got into his mind that we needed to go out to eat. He had run by Outback Steakhouse and said that it smelled so good he wanted to go out instead of make dinner at home. So, we both got ready and headed over there. The funny thing was that we did not end up getting steak or anything you'd really expect at a steakhouse - we ended up with crispy chicken tender salad! Boy was it good, though.

Anyway, I know that wasn't too exciting but hey, it is what it is. The pictures above are when we returned home. We have our paper crowns on, which is a standard item in a British 'Christmas Cracker'. Doesn't take much to thrill us apparently!

Christmas Crackers from Wikipedia:

Christmas crackers or bon-bons are an integral part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, other Commonwealth countries and Ireland. A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper, making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is pulled by two people, and, much in the manner of a wishbone, the cracker splits unevenly. The split is accompanied by a small bang produced by the effect of friction on a chemically impregnated card strip (similar to that used in a cap gun).

In one version of the tradition the person with the larger portion of cracker empties the contents from the tube and keeps them. In another each person will have their own cracker and will keep its contents regardless of whose end they were in. Typically these contents are a coloured paper hat or crown; a small toy or other trinket and a motto, a joke or piece of trivia on a small strip of paper. Crackers are often pulled after Christmas dinner or at parties.

Happy Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:32:00 +0000

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

As surprising as it may be to some of you, Matt and I will be spending the holidays in our home in England. Nope, no big getaway planned. Oh, we thought about it and even thought of driving over to France with Cheyenne for the week, but we just didn't book anything in time. I didn't even put any decorations up because I thought we weren't going to be here. So, thank you to all those who sent Christmas cards because they are the only festive decorations we have.

On a happier note, one of my coworkers invited us over for Tea on Christmas Day. Sharon and I have become quite good friends over the last year and it was very sweet of her to invite us to join her family. We will be having dinner (lunch) here at home first, as traditional as I can get it, and will then go over around 6:00pm. Tea in England usually means the beverage, of course, and cakes and biscuits (i.e. cookies). She has two teenage daughters who are looking forward to Cheyenne coming over and I am looking forward to spending the evening with friends.

On New Year's Eve Matt and I will be joining another friend and her husband at a NYE gala in Rochester, Kent. This will be mine and Matt's first New Year's Eve party, as we usually dine out at a Japanese Hibachi restaurant on NYE and spend a quiet evening at home - our own tradition. Andrea and I became friends last year when she moved from Charleston, SC to join her English hubby in Rochester. It has been great to have another American friend over here to talk about the differences and know that someone else understands what you are going through. (It isn't all fun and games, you know.) She and I will be taking a day trip to Paris via the Eurostar on January 6th to celebrate her birthday, which falls between Christmas and the New Year.

January will be quite a busy month for us. I will be visiting an old friend in Berlin mid-month and a sorority sister and her sister will be visiting us at the end of the month. Matt will be off again to one country or another for work and I will be missing him all the more. After that I am sure the time will fly by and we will be back in Denver before we know it. We still don't have an exact move date, but it should be no later than April. We will keep everyone posted!

We hope to hear from you and see pictures from your holiday celebrations!

Größ Gott!

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:09:00 +0000

I'm sure you are all dying to know where Matt took me for my birthday...if you haven't heard already...It was Vienna, Austria!

The adventure began on the Friday before my birthday when we left our house at 4am to head to the airport. Matt checked us in and I did not find out our destination until we got to the gate. We flew into Bratislava, Slovakia and took a one hour bus ride into Vienna. Matt has been to both Bratislava and Vienna for work but this was my first time in the cities.

After checking into the hotel we headed out to explore the city. As it was raining, we tried to stay inside as much as we could. We toured the Staatsoper and Opern Museum (State Opera and museum), spent time in Starbucks enjoying a warm drink and peoplewatching, and ended the day with a meal in a traditional Austrian style restaurant.

Wien Staatsoper

Over the weekend it was quite freezing, literally, as it snowed both days but all the more to keep us snuggling. On Saturday we went on a self-guided tram tour (thanks to Rick Steves again) and took a ride on the Riesenrad, which is like a ferris wheel, for panoramic views of the city. We also took a bus through the wine-growing area and thought we might end up there for the night as the snow was really accumulating. But, the bus trudged on and we were able to enjoy a glass of wine in one of the many wine cafes. We then headed back to Vienna and stopped by Starbucks before heading to dinner. On Sunday all shops were closed but luckily the Hofburg Palace was open. We toured the winter residence of the Hapsburgs, along with the treasury. It was really cold outside, so we stopped by Starbucks for a hot drink. Following that we walked through the Christmas Market at City Hall. (Leading up to Christmas, many european cities host Christmas markets where vendors from all around sell christmas ornaments, decorations, and gifts.) The main market was at City Hall, but there were many other smaller markets around the city as well.

About to embark on our tram tour

Riesenrad

On the bus through wine region

Christmas Market

Hofburg Palace

On Monday, my birthday, we did a lot of window shopping through the Old Town and around St Stephan's Cathedral. In late afternoon we went on a horse buggy ride from Hofburg Palace, past City Hall, through Old Town, and back. It was very romantic as Matt and I were snuggled up in the carriage, it was snowing outside, and we were riding past all of the old buildings lit up for the holidays. Another special treat was going to the Opera. We heard about standing-room tickets earlier so went about an hour before the show and bought them for 4 euros each, which I think would be around $5. The opera being performed that evening was Strauss's 'Salome' in German. I tried to put my german lessons to use but was not that successful. I think I could put the main story line together, but couldn't get the 'dialogue', if you will. We only stayed for 30 minutes, since it isn't very pleasant in the crowded standing-room balcony. But, what an experience! We can say that while in Vienna, the city of music, we went to the Opera. To end the evening, we had a romantic dinner at a seafood restaurant Matt recommended from one of his previous work visits. For dessert I had the best tiramisu I've ever eaten! And somewhere along the day, we went to Starbucks.

St Stephan's Cathedral

Horse & Carriage

Rathaus / City Hall

Opera, lower balcony is standing-room

On Tuesday, we did a bit of shopping before catching a train back to Bratislava. Unfortunately we got into Bratislave after dark, and had a bit of a time figuring out how to get to the city centre from the train station, but we still managed to walk around the old town and take in the quaint streets and shops. We had a wonderful meal at an Argentinan steakhouse before heading to the airport. Our flight out was around 10:30 at night and by the time we got home it was about 1:00am. I had to be up at 7:30 for repairmen to work on our water heater, but I didn't mind at all as I fell asleep quickly with happy thoughts from my celebratory trip. This day, we forgot to visit Starbucks.

On train to Bratislava

Guy in manhole - not sure why this is special but it is on postcards and everything

I want to thank my wonderful and thoughtful hubby for this fabulous surprise trip for my 30th birthday! I love you, Matt!

Also, in case I didn't mention it enough, we went to Starbucks a lot on this trip. That has become our new ritual here and around Europe, because we never went there back in the States. I like the Chai Tea Lattes and Matt likes the hot chocolates and we just enjoy the peoplewatching more than anything. Plus, it was quite cold in Vienna so we needed something to keep us warm. Otherwise, Matt would have been enjoying the Weissbeer if it was warmer.

Matt with his Weisbier

On a special note, I received a lovely ring from my in-laws for my birthday. When they were visiting us in April we had all gone to a local antique store and I had my eye on a particular ring. However, at the time I didn't want to pay the asking price and was not able to haggle the price lower. Well, Mom & Dad Biviano remembered it all this time and sent Matt to pick it up. None of them could really remember what the ring looked like, but the same guy was there and knew exactly which one it was. When Matt gave it to me on our trip and I opened the box, I knew exactly what it was and felt honored to receive it. Thanks Mom & Dad!

My birthday gift

Happy Birthday, Cheyenne!

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:18:00 +0000

Cheyenne celebrated her 6th birthday on Thanksgiving! What a precious furbaby she is! I wish I had pictures of her as a puppy to post, but they are all back in Denver. When we moved to England we knew we could not leave her behind and so now she is an international pup!

R.I.P. Zachariah Chaplin

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:53:00 +0000

Today I found out that a childhood friend recently passed away. My mother and I moved around a lot when I was younger and even after moving to and settling in Batesburg-Leesville, SC in 4th grade we still held several residences until my graduation. In middle school I lived on the same street as Zach and Amanda Chaplin and even in high school when we moved again to an apartment complex they too were there. Zach was two years ahead of me and Amanda was in the same class. After graduation I lost touch with both of them, but thanks to the wonders of the internet and MySpace I got back in touch with them a couple of years ago.

Zach and his daughter

My prayers are with his family at this time. Even though he is no longer with us here on earth, he will live on in our hearts and memories forever.

http://obit.barr-price.com/obitdisplay.html?id=603859&clientid=barr-price&listing=Current

http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/589178.html

http://www.wistv.com/global/story.asp?s=9088584

Day Out With A New Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:45:00 +0000

Angela and I met through an Americans in London meetup group. We only actually communicated online in the beginning, as she was still in the US but preparing to move to England. She married an Englishman last year and moved over this October. While neither of us actually live in the city of London, we are just short train rides away. Shortly after she arrived and got settled in we were able to get together for some retail therapy and recently met up for a day out in London. It is great to be able to share all of the experiences (and emotions) with another American living abroad. Of course, I am like the mentor now that I've been here a year and a half. I have a lot of observations and such to share. I also love being a tour guide and was happy to show her around London. We covered a lot of ground, but there is still so much more to see!

HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge

We met in Trafalgar Square to attend the Annie Leibovitz exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. After viewing the exhibit we walked through Leicester Square to Soho and Chinatown. We had lunch at one of the many chinese restaurants, but unfortunately the food left much to be desired. From there we walked to Whitehall and the City of Westminster. Of course, I pointed out the major attractions as we passed. We walked along the river all the way down to the Tower Hill area. I'm sure you wouldn't quite understand the distance if you've never been, but there were so many things to see along the way - the London Eye, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, HMS Belfast, the Golden Hinde, Tower of London and Tower Bridge. We decided to stay in town for dinner and wait for the after-work rush to pass (4pm-7pm). We dined at a great Italian restaurant in a little harbor near the Tower Bridge. We had a wonderful day out and I can't wait for another one! (Thanks, Angela!)

Tower Bridge

Our view while sipping on Chai Tea Lattes from Starbucks

Return to Dublin

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:37:00 +0000

Guess I better update this blog, especially since we are going away this weekend for my birthday and I'm sure I'll have lots to tell when we return. Well, I returned to Dublin back in early October to continue my family research. It has been such a special thing for me to undertake. Both sets of grandparents died when I was young and so did my father. So, the more I can find out about any branch of my family tree the better. I am tracing my maternal grandfather's family, whose parents immigrated to Pennsylvania from Ireland sometime between 1902-1910. I have been fortunate to find birth records, one showing that I share a birthday with a great-great uncle (November 24). On this recent trip, I also found land records pertaining to the land my family occupied at the time of my earliest records. It appears that the land on which they lived from the mid-1800s is still in the family today! I even have a land map showing the plots. My dream would be to go to the townland of Fahy, in the parish of Clifden in Galway County, and walk the ground that my ancestors did. I'm sure I share dreams of many family researchers when I imagine going to the "homeland" and meeting people that share the same family ties.

Irish Life Center

Unfortunately, I only allowed myself one day longer than the last trip. I'm sure I can make a couple weeks or more out of it, though. One place and record leads you to another place and then back to somewhere you've already been before, and around it goes. Even though I was on my own, I did not have to spend the evenings holed up in my hotel room. Matt's company has an office in Dublin and I've previously met some of his colleagues from the city. The first night I met up with Vanessa, who is from Denver like ourselves. The second night I met up with Marta, who is from Poland. She and I went to a Cajun-Creole restaurant near the Temple Bar area, for something new and different. On my last evening, Vanessa invited me to her home in Booterstown to dine with her family. Booterstown is basically a suburb of Dublin and just a short tram ride away. I had a lovely time all around and hope it isn't the last time I see them or visit Dublin.

Yummm. Buttermilk pancakes and bacon! (No I didn't eat all of that bacon.)

View from my hotel room - Tanta Zoe's (Cajun-Creole Restaurant)

Arriving in Booterstown

Stratford-Upon-Avon

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:52:00 +0000

On Saturday, September 20th we found ourselves on the road again. We had cabin fever and decided to drive to Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shakespeare's Birthplace, for the afternoon. I don't know why we do this, but we end up sitting around all morning debating what to do then finally decide after lunch, which inevitably includes a drive of more than an hour. From there we scramble to shower and such and then jump in the car. Our drive to Stratford-upon-Avon, not to be confused with Stratford, was about a two-hour drive one way. Once we got there we parked near the town centre and strolled through the high street, stopping at Shakespeare's birth home, and continuing to the riverfront.

At the riverfront we decided to hire (a.k.a. rent) a boat for a while. Our options were a row boat or a motorized boat. Feeling adventurous, and wanting to save a bit of money, we chose the row boat for an hour. Our plan was that Matt would row for the first half hour and I would for the second half. Well, it definitely looks easier than it is. Matt did a great job getting us around but when I took over we were still in practically the same spot after five minutes and heading towards moored canal boats. Oops! So, Matt graciously rowed us back to the dock. Unfortunately we only managed to use about 35 minutes of our time, but we had great fun doing it. When stepping out of the boat Matt told the guy "that he ran out of gas"! Haha! Cheyenne enjoyed the ride as she watched all of the swans floating about. Given the chance, she would have jumped out of the boat and swam after them! So, now we can say we rowed the River Avon! You know, it doesn't take much to entertain me and I am a sucker for any boat ride or carriage ride. Whatever new city we go to I always try to talk Matt into one or the other or both. Usually he just responds with " if you've seen/done one, you've seen/done them all". I would disagree, of course.

A Home away from Home away from Home

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:39:00 +0000

You read that right, Matt now has a flat in Gdansk. He has taken on a new role within the company and will be in Gdansk even more often now. Actually, this started back in August/September, but I am just now getting around to posting about it. On our August trip we went flat-hunting and in early September we moved into the flat. I say 'we' only because I was there for the first week (Sept 6-12) and the housewarming party, but it really is Matt's place and I have not been there since. This is a company flat and I believe that they may keep it on even after Matt's departure. It is within walking distance from the office and Matt says that from the time he gets on the elevator at work to the time he is entering the flat building it is 6 minutes.

So, not only do we have a home in England away from our home in Colorado, we now have a home in Poland. (Our heart still lies with the one in Colorado.) It definitely makes those weekly travels easier on Matt because he has his own place to go back to after a long day at work, rather than any given hotel for the week. Plus, it is a pretty nice place overall and is a new build. In fact, the complex is a gated community and is still in development.

Matt has really fallen for Poland. Well, all we've seen really is the Tri-City area, but the people are friendly and happy, the food is wonderful, and he has a great relationship with his colleagues. I think it will be hard for him to leave next year. Hopefully we'll always have friends in the area and can return for a visit.

Okay, it is too early to get emotional about leaving, so I'll talk about our housewarming party. Apparently this is quite a tradition and some of his colleagues were disappointed that he did not have a party scheduled. So, with just a day notice we invited everyone over on a Saturday evening. There are about 100 people in his office, so we had no idea how many people would actually show up. Our flat is very tiny, as you would expect, so that was the only thing we were nervouse about. In the end, I think there were 30 or so people there. It just so happened, though, that it was the warmest night in a while and it was quite warm in the place even with windows and doors open. At about 1:30am when most of the guest were gone, the few stragglers invited us out to continue the party in Sopot. We hailed taxis and went to a bar/club in Sopot. It wasn't what I was expecting, but we ended up dancing and drinking until about 3:30am. Matt and I finally said our goodbyes and went home to sleep. We left all of the cleaning up for the morning!

I flew in that Saturday morning and we had just enough time to do a bit of grocery shopping (quite interesting), tidy up the flat, and prepare the bits of food we purchased. Of course we served Polish Kielbasa! We knew our guests would probably bring lots of vodka and wine, so we didn't purchase much of that. There is still beer, wine, and vodka left in the flat. We'll need to throw another party just to get rid of it! Unfortunately we can't bring it all back with us.

Vacation in France & Germany (+Austria)

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 13:55:00 +0000

Hello all,

Since Amber has been slacking off lately with the blog, I decided to write something about our trip in August to France, Germany and Austria.

Just to start off, I have to say that I didn't turn my blackberry on the entire time, so I was able to thoroughly enjoy the trip!!!

Train at Ebbsfleet

We started off taking the train from London to Paris; it was an early departure at 6:30am, but meant we had a full day in Paris. The Eurostar travels at about 185 MPH between the two cities, but so smooth that I slept the whole way for the 2 hour journey. After checking into our quaint hotel (with a 'view' of the Eiffel tower.....if you hang out the window far enough), we started by checking out one of the most visited attractions in Paris. We decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator up to the 1st and 2nd levels to avoid the long lines, but the walk wasn't so bad. From the 2nd level, you can oversee much of Paris and really get a good panoramic view of Paris. We had lunch on the 2nd level before descending back for a bus tour of Paris and to head back for a nap before our bike tour that evening. I also stopped by the local grocery store to buy some food for dinner and forgot to weigh the bananas before getting to the checkout. It was one of those embarrasing moments where the clerk was trying to tell me in French that I needed to weigh the bananas while lots of people were behind me in line, but I had no clue what he was saying. Luckily, I figured out the fruit weighing machine and made my way on. That evening, we decided to do a 'Fat Tire' bike tour. It is run by American students and mainly contains only American tourists and they take you all over Paris on beach cruiser bikes. It was 4 hours long, but included stops along the way to look at various sites, a ride on a river boat cruise along the Seine, and also a stop for ice cream at a famous Paris parlor. The distance wasn't very long for me as an avid bicyclist, but needless to say, Amber wasn't able to walk very well the next day due to the stair climb and the bike ride. It was really fun, though, and I would recommend it as a way to see new cities.

View from our Hotel

Eiffel Tower at Night

One of the other main highlights of our trip to Paris was a day trip to the Palace of Versailles. It included the castle of King Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette and also on the grounds was the chateau of Marie and several other homes and a large garden area and ponds. We had lunch sitting by the pond and watching tourists paddling boats around the pond. The gardens were quite large and for the horticulturists out there, I image it is a splendid site to visit.

Palace and Gardens in Versaille

Other stops in Paris included the Louvre (former palace now an art gallery), Champs-Elysées (the famous street mall), Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, and many other sites we saw on the bike and bus tours, and river cruise.

At the Louvre

The next part of our adventure took us off to Berlin. We decided that we enjoyed training so much in Italy that we would train as much as possible on this trip as well, so we took the overnight train from Paris to Berlin. We left Paris at about 8pm and ended up in Berlin the next morning at 8am. We had our own private room with 2 bunkbeds and to be honest, it was really relaxing and enjoyable. I had my doubts about it and it was a little pricey, but I would definitely do it again.

In the train sleeper car

Once in Berlin, we were able to start using some of the German we had learned. Amber and I took lessons for about 8 months and I spent about 8 months travelling to Germany for work, so we know some of the language. Berlin is full of historical sites and quite a unique city. You can also still notice the differences between east and west Berlin. Our visits included the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag/Bundestag (government building), Checkpoint Charlie (one of the entry points controlled by the US), and the Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe. We also did a bus tour and quite a bit of walking around the city. While there, I intoduced Amber to one of the favorite German restuarants, Vapiano. It is really Italian food, but they are based in Germany. While spending my time in Frankfurt, the team I was with enjoyed visiting the restaurant as the food is really good and the atmosphere as well. It is a mix between upscale fast food and casual dining with a custom made pizza, pasta, and salad bar where they make your food to order. Their website says 100 are coming to the US, so I am looking forward to going there when we move back.

Night view of the Brandenburg Gate

After Berlin, we made our way to Munich. This was the part of the trip I was looking forward to the most. Munich is known for their weissbeer (white beer). In a tight race with Belgium beers, weissbeer is one of my favorite beers. They also serve it in 1 liter mugs and so Amber insisted I try at least 1 liter per day, but may days, the 1st wasn't good enough, so I got a 2nd. Munich has the largest beergarden (Hofbrauhaus) in the world and of course we had to visit it. We only had a mug of beer and a pretzel while there, but it was a site nonetheless to see. We also tried German meatloaf, which is really a huge slab of Bologna, which was a disappointment for us considering we were looking forward to 'American' meatloaf.

Litre of beer at the Hofbrauhaus

While in Munich, we visited the memorial site setup at Dachau which was the first concentration camp during WWII. It was a somber experience, but really brought the history we learned into perspective. Definitely something you have to see before you truly have a sense for what happened during the times. The memorial is setup really well and tells the history of what happened through the camps timeperiod, but also some of the buildings are still there on the actual site, and you can go through them.

Entry to Dachau Memorial Site

Also from Munich, we took a day trip to Salzburg, Austria, again by train. Amber wanted to do the Sound of Music tour, so we made our way to famous Salzburg to check out the sites. We took a guided tour of the sites made famous by the movies. We used the Bob's Special Tours and they use 8 passenger vans instead of the big buses, so the experience was very personable. I didn't know this, but the Sound of Music is the 3rd best selling movie of all time domestically (behind Gone with the Wind and Star Wars -- adjusted for inflation), but many Austrians have never seen or heard of it and don't really know what all the hoopla in their town is all about (according to our guide). I like Austria (have visited Vienna several times for work) and have seen the movie, so it was actually interesting for me as well. Oh and by the way, there was weissbeer along the way, so that is all I needed to be happy. The tour not only took us around the town of Salzburg, but also up into the mountains surrounding Salzburg and into the Lake District for some wonderful views of the lakes. We saw the HQ of Red Bull which sits in the middle of a pond on concrete pods overlooking the lakes, what an inspiring view.

Lake District near Salzburg

Other attractions in Munich included visits to the Olympic village from 1972, the BMW manufacturing site, the Chinese Pagoda (with really good bratwurst curry and more beer), the English gardens, and the Museum of Transportation.

Meal at the Chinese Pagoda

Finally at the end of the Munich trip, we had to head back to London to collect our daughter and begin work again. It was a really enjoyable trip with lots of memorable destinations. Our next trip will be for Amber's 30th birthday in November and we are going to............not so fast, it's a surprise, so you'll have to wait and see in November. Be sure to check out the rest of the pictures in the photo books.

View of the Castle in Salzburg

Matt

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE PHOTO ALBUMS FROM THE TRIP! Link to Picasa Web Albums on the left hand side of the page.

Shakespeare Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:50:00 +0000

Matt and I returned to Gdansk the week of August 4th-8th. He was there for work, of course, but I was looking forward to the Shakespeare Festival and Saint Dominic's Fair as well as sites that I did not see during my trip in the spring. We were staying in Gdansk this time, as opposed to Sopot in March. This was a great base for exploring the city and getting around, especially since our hotel was so close to the main train station and main shopping street.

Dominican Fair

Living Statues

This one is for the ADPIs!

On my list of things to see this time were The Roads to Freedom exhibit and the Westerplatte (where WWII began), mentioned in more detail below. I strolled through the Dominican Fair one day on my way to the waterfront. Old town was packed with street stalls, buskers, entertainers, and of course loads of tourists/bargain hunters. At the waterfront, I purchased a return ticket on one of the touristy pirate ships that takes visitors to the Westerplatte. The ride to the Westerplatte was about 30 minutes long and took us along the coast while the captain pointed out the Gdansk shipyard and many other interesting sites. I spent an hour on the Westerplatte before returning.

Entry to The Roads to Freedom exhibit

The pirate ship to Westerplatte

Gdansk Shipyard

Bunker on Westerplatte

One evening I made plans with my polish friend, Elzbieta, to see one of the Shakespeare Performances. We chose Romeo & Juliet being performed by Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London. We chose an English performance since that was the only language I would be able to understand, although I was never quite sure how old English could translate to other languages. Also, the performance was set outside in a park in Gdynia. It wasn't your traditional stage performance, which made the production even more interesting. After the play, we strolled along the sea to Gdynia pier and then found our way to a Thai? restaurant for dinner. (My memory fails me now and can't remember if it was Thai or Indian or something.) We took the train back toward Gdansk and parted ways for the evening.

Romeo & Juliet stage

Gdynia Beach

Me and Elzbieta "Ela"

It is always a pleasure joining Matt in Poland as I generally get to see his colleagues in the Gdansk office. I have formed a friendship with a couple of them, since they were on the original UK team and training here in Basildon last year. (The Shared Service Center in Gdansk is celebrating its one-year anniversary this month!) Ela is one of those special friends and I hope we can will remain in touch even after I return to the States.

To know more about items mentioned above, please continue reading. Excerpts taken from Gdansk In Your Pocket.

Roads to Freedom exhibit. Charting the course of events that began with the sacrifice of Poland to the Soviets at the end of WWII and leading through to the formation of the 3rd Polish Republic in 1989, this subterranean exhibition does a very good job of explaining the events that influenced and shaped the people of Poland and which resulted in the incredible movement that was Solidarity.

Westerplatte. A large protective arm smothering Gdanks's Nowy Port to its south, the peninsula of Westerplatte first sprang to fame as a popular health resort in the middle of the 19th century, although it's as a military zone and the place where the opening shots of WWII were fired that Westerplatte is more notoriously rememberd. Shortly before five o'clock in the morning on September 1, 1939, the gErman warship Schleiswig-Holstein, supposedly visiting Gdansk on a good-will mission, opened fire on Westerplatte, and the rest as they say is history.

Shakespeare Festival. August sees the annual Shakespeare Festival which has developed quite a tradition and reputation both in Poland and abroad. It begins on the first Saturday of August and is a tribute to England's great bard. In this 12th edition of the festival, artists from different cultures and continents from the UK to Japan, USA, France, spain, Romania, Armenia, Ukraine, Zambia and Poland met in Gdansk. The main events took place in Gdansk, including workshops, lectures and meetings, and as the nights wore on there were further meetings and concerts around the Tri-city.

Saint Dominic's Fair. The Dominican Fair is the largest outdoor trade fair in Oland, and drawing some 150,000 visitors daily it's also one of the most popular in Europe. The event dates from 1260 when Pope Alexander IV granted the Dominican Order the power to absolve the sins of whoever made donations to the church of the poor. This annual event soon became a religious hoiday for the people of Gdansk, and a trade fair soon built up around it.

Woburn Safari Park

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:47:00 +0000

I almost forgot to mention our day out at the Woburn Safari Park! We are always looking for something new and entertaining to do on the weekends and have been considering a safari park. Woburn is about 1.5 hours from our house so we decided to drive there one Saturday in June. The concept is that you can drive your own vehicle through an African Safari (4 miles). Most of the animals are allowed to roam freely and others are only separated by cables. You are prohibited from getting out of your cars and are asked to keep your windows closed at all times. There is an area at the end of the drive - Australian Walkabout - where you can park your car and have a picnic, but more importantly/interestingly walk around and "interact" with some of the smaller animals.

I was very psyched about this little trip but it takes more to impress Matt. He was a little skeptical about it, especially since we heard that when you enter the monkey area that they jump on your car and mess with your antenna and stuff. (You have the option of bypassing that area.) Also, I think he was hoping for more of an authentic safari where you can ride in a jeep among the animals - you know, reach out and touch them. (This is the guy who was upset that we didn't encounter any black bears while camping in Yellowstone.) But, I prefer to stay safe and sound in my car and not rub noses with the bears, lions, tigers, etc. However, it has to be said that you can pay extra to ride in a jeep with one of the rangers and get in closer contact with some of the animals.

Overall, I enjoyed our outing. It was cool to see some of the animals walking right next to the car. My pictures aren't necessarily that great because I had to take them through the window, but I hope it gives you an idea of the park. We happened to catch a lot of the animals during their afternoon nap so there wasn't a lot of action. You have the ability to drive through the trail as many times as you like but we only opted for once. The trail is one-way and there is enough room for two cars - most people got the concept that one side is used for stopping and viewing while the other lane is used for passing. Well, that all worked pretty well until we got into the monkey enclosure. There were two lanes of bumper to bumper traffic. The problem was that the monkeys seemed to be the only ones who weren't down for a nap and were out for a lot of games. They were jumping from car to car. So, basically people were either stopped b/c there was a monkey on their car and they thought it was cute or stopped b/c they were trying to take pictures of one on another car. We just wanted to keep slowly moving through. We were in a rental afterall and didn't think it would be "cute" if a monkey broke an antenna or windshield wiper. So, we are watching all of this happening and were in the lane that was slowly moving and it was pretty much inevitable that we'd have one of the jovial creatures on our car. It leapt from the car in front of us directly onto our windshield! It was staring me in the face! It made it's way across the roof of the car and who knows what it was doing. Matt was having none of this so started honking the car horn for the person in front of us to move out of the way so we could get out. I reminded him that the only time we should honk our horn was in case of an emergency - so I have to say that I was a bit embarassed. Haha! It was rather frustrating how you were "trapped" and at the mercy of the car(s) in front of you. Between that and the "lack of activity" of the other animals, Matt was done after the first drive through. We did both agree that it would probably be a lot more fun with children, though. It was all quite an experience!

PITTSBURGH

noreply@blogger.com (Amber and Matt) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:22:00 +0000

I recently returned from a two-week trip to see my family in Pittsburgh. I haven't spent two weeks with them since I was in college. Matt was not able to join me on this trip due to work commitments and I probably would have stayed longer had we not had Cheyenne back in the UK to pick up from the carers. My family told me the visit went by too quickly and that I should stay for a week longer! Who knows the next time I'll get to stay that long. Most of our visits are 4-6 days long, once every 1 - 1.5 years. My cousin promises to bring her boys out to Denver next summer, if we've returned to the States by then.

with my Mom

with Aunt Rosanne (a.k.a. RoRo)

So, during my stay I spent plenty of quality time (although there never is enough) with my Mom, Aunt, and my cousin and her family. I was hoping to spend a bit of time each day in the pool, but everyone said I brought the rain with me so the weather was quite a bit cooler than it had been prior to my arrival. I hear it is back up in the 90s again.

The DiPippas - Tino, Zach, Chaily, Justin, Adrian

We did quite a bit of shopping, although for me it was window shopping for the most part. We had a big family day out at Kennywood Amusement Park, which I haven't been to since I worked there the summer of 2000 during college. When I was little we used to go there every summer and it will always be my favorite. I have such fond memories of being there with my grandmother and still get a little teary-eyed on the Whip, which was one of her favorite rides. Sappy, I know. Anyway, I took the boys to a pottery painting place for some bonding time. I got to see the two youngest play tee ball and several of us went to a Pirates baseball game.

The Skycoaster! Amber, Donna, and Tino

The family (minus my Mom) at the end of a long day at Kennywood

My cousin, Chaily, hosted a family reunion on the 4th of July. She and her husband, Adrian, have worked very hard on their house over the years. Last year she started home schooling the boys, for a number of reasons, and so they converted their basement from a Steelers-themed game room to a classroom. Also, the week before the party they started building a deck out back. Adrian had all but one quarter of it completed and it suited us well for a group our size. They have been such gracious hosts over the years now, inviting family members over for holiday functions throughout the year. I only wish Matt and I could be there more often to share in the festivities. It was quite a tearful goodbye with everyone as I never really know when I'll see them next. I'm very close to my family and it saddens me to think about all the things that I miss out on, but I have to look on the brighter side of life and hope that they remain in good health and spirits until my next visit.

All of the cousins! It wasn't the best picture, but that was almost inevitable with that many kids.

Many more pictures at

http://picasaweb.google.com/amber.biviano/PittsburghSummer2008