More Visitors!

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!

Day Out With A New Friend

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

Girls' Weekend in Germany!

Oh boy, do I have a lot of time to make up for! Well, I finally planned an ADPI Girls' Trip for sisters living in Europe. I've always wanted to getaway with the girls and am envious every time my Zeta Phi chapter sisters plan a weekend out of town. This trip was especially exciting because those who attended had never met each other until then. So, on the weekend of 11-13 April four of us had a wonderful visit in Mainz, Germany (near Frankfurt). Two sisters, Andrea and Gina, live within an hour away of the city, Colleen flew from Naples, Italy, and of course I arrived from London. It seemed like we were old friends and conversation flowed easily. Ahhh, the bond and joys of sisterhood!

Amber, Colleen, Andrea, Gina

While I arranged the hotel details, Andrea planned most of our activities for the weekend as she has been living in Germany for quite a few years now and is the most familiar with the area. On Friday evening, Gina and I were the first to arrive and dined alone near the hotel. Unfortunately, Colleen had some transportation problems and did not meet up with us until later in the evening. Andrea was finishing up work for her graduate class and did not arrive until Saturday morning.

After enjoying a delicious german buffet breakfast, we met up with Andrea at the Gutenberg Museum Workshop. (The Gutenberg Museum is one of the oldest museums of printing in the world.) We probably spent a couple of hours in the shop creating ADPI prints. I have to say that the children caught on much faster than we did and had many more prints by the end. Afterward we did a quick tour of the Museum to see the Gutenberg Bible and other "treasures". We strolled through the local market before meeting up for a guided walking tour of the city. Our guide spoke in both German and English, but it was obvious that the german dialogue was much more detailed than the one we received in English. Apparently the version given to us was a bit embellished and after deciding our attention was not being captivated we decided to duck out early and see a few sites of our own before moving on to our next "appointment".

Working one of the presses

Our finished product

Andrea very wisely made arrangements for us to join the wine tour (only in German) at Kupferberg Wine Cellar - a specialist producer of sparkling wine ("Sekt"). After a tour of the cellars we were treated to a wine tasting of three varieties of Sekt (again dialogue in german). Needless to say we were all very giddy after that activity. We were released into the gift shop where we all proceeded to buy several bottles of Sekt. Andrea took my bottles back to her place, in hopes that I would come visit to collect! Hopefully I'll make it there before she moves back to the States at the end of the summer! Otherwise, she'll have to mail them to me. Anyway, after getting drunk for "free" we headed to dinner. We went to an authentic Mexican restaurant, for more drinks...and oh, dinner. (I have not seen another authentic Mexican restaurant anywhere in Europe. ) Oh, but the night was not over yet!!! Germany is known for its spas and thermal baths, so of course we had to experience this for ourselves. We drove across the river (thanks Gina!) into Wiesbaden to one of the spas and enjoyed an hour or so in the large "heated pool". Now by this time it is about 10:00pm or so. We eventually returned to the hotel, sadly putting an end to our fabulous day.

Enjoying our Sekt!

Our "souvenirs"

Sunday morning, we took a stroll around the hotel along the Rhine River and said our goodbyes. What a wonderful weekend it was! I will treasure the memories and the new friendships I've formed. I hope I can get in a few more girls' trips around Europe before returning to the States.

Beautiful girls!

ALL Pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/amber.biviano/Germany

P.S. I learned that Andrea and I are only four days apart in age (I'm older) and Colleen and I share wedding anniversaries (I married in 2001, she married just last year in 2007)!!!

April Visitors

Me, Kelsey, and Melissa

I was blessed to have two friends visit me this past week. Kelsey and Melissa were members of the Alpha Omicron Pi chapter I advised at the University of Northern Colorado. They have since graduated and are currently visiting Europe. Their first stop was to see me in England! They arrived on Tuesday and made their way from the London airport by underground and train. I picked them up at the train station on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, they toured the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. On Thursday all of us enjoyed a trip into the city. First, I had free show tickets for the live taping of Loose Women, which is sort of the British version of The View, but much "saucier". Afterwards, we took a guided tour inside Westminster Abbey and then took photographs around the Palace of Westminster. That evening after returning to Basildon, we enjoyed a traditional british dinner at my favorite local pub & restaurant. (Kelsey had "bangers & mash" and Melissa and I had "fish & chips".) Friday they were on their own again, and toured St. Paul's Cathedral and Greenwich. Sadly, on Saturday they headed in to London for the last time - this time to stay over night to prepare for an early departure. This morning they were to head out to Paris on the Eurostar. I can't wait to hear about the rest of their travels and see all of the pictures!

Kelsey and Melissa in the College Garden on the Westminster Abbey grounds


Saying goodbye at the Billericay Train Station


The train arrives to take them away :-(

Girlfriends!

Picture 1: Some of my Alpha Delta Pi Alumnae Sisters

Picture 2: Two of my former coworkers from the University of Denver (celebrating @ an English Pub)

Picture 3: Some of the Alpha Omicron Pi Advisers for the Epsilon Gamma Chapter @ UNC

Since moving to Denver in December 2001 I have met so many wonderful people and have developed friendships with a number of great women. It was hard for me to move across the country and not know anyone in the area. But my new friends helped me to settle right in. Through a number of other opportunities I was able to meet even more women and am grateful for all of the girlfriends I have in my life now - those old and new! I'll be starting all over again in England but I will never forget my friends in Colorado, or South Carolina for that matter, and hope to remain in touch with all of you just as I have in the past. I will be just an email message away! I love you all! Amber

All I Need to Know About Life I Learned From My Girlfriends

• Good times are even better when they're shared.
• A good long talk can cure almost anything.
• Everyone needs someone with whom to share their secrets.
• Listening is just as important as talking.
• An understanding friend is better than a therapist; and cheaper, too!
• Laughter makes the world a happier place.
• Friends are like wine; they get better with age.
• Sometimes you just need a shoulder to cry on.
• Great minds think alike, especially when they are female!
• When it comes to "bonding," females do it better.
• It's important to make time to do "girl things."
• Calories don't count when having lunch (or any other food) with your girlfriends.
• You can never have too many shoes or girlfriends.
• GEMS MAY BE PRECIOUS, BUT FRIENDSHIP IS PRICELESS!!!!!