Shakespeare Festival

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

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

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

Port Talbot, Wales

The Friday before our seventh wedding anniversary we decided to go out of town for the weekend (May 10-11). We had not been to Wales yet and decided that might be a good place to go for a short break. I found a hotel that allows dogs and was quite surprised to find that it was right on the beach. We hit the road late Saturday morning and were there in about 3.5 hours. We checked in to the hotel, which was the only one on the beachfront, and quickly set out to stroll the beach. It was not tourist season yet so the beach was quite unpopulated, but I tell you the water was too darn cold to go swimming...although it didn't stop some of the locals. Honestly, there wasn't much to do around the beach, especially with a dog, but it was still a pleasant day. On Sunday we headed home, but not before stopping in Cardiff to pick up a souvenir hurricane glass for me at the Hard Rock Cafe. We also stopped and did some shopping at Outlet stores along the way. On Monday, our anniversary, we ate at one of our favorite Italian restaurants - Ask - in Billericay, near home. I can't believe we have been married for 7 years! And, May 16 marked the tenth anniversary of when we started dating. My how time flies! We were just kids then!

Mom & Dad Biviano

Mom and Dad, Covent Garden

Matt's parents made their first trip abroad to visit us in April. They were here for almost two weeks (April 22 - May 2), but I'll save you the day-by-day replay. We were really looking forward to their visit and showing them around England. It also helped that their visit meant that Matt would be home for two weeks straight!

Mom, Matt, Amber - Southend

Contrary to popular belief, I did not have their itinerary planned by the minute. They had a few things in mind they wanted to see and do but otherwise were happy to hear our suggestions. We divided up the days by going into London, traveling the countryside, and hanging out at home. Of course, we took them to our favorite pub for fish 'n chips, but we couldn't completely give up the comforts of American cooking and customed Outback Steakhouse and TGI Friday's. (Yes, they have those here.) We went to Southend-on-Sea for a stroll along the coast, to Canterbury to see the Cathedral, and to Portsmouth to visit the historic dockyard. We took the train into London on two days, but split up to do sightseeing. Matt and I had already seen most of the usual suspects, so left Matt's parents to explore the Tower of London and such. We all went to Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace and stayed for the entire ceremony in the rain.

Amber, Matt, Dad in London

Dad's proof we went to church, in Canterbury

One especially nice thing about having his parents with us is that they wanted to take as many pictures during their visit as I did, so Matt could not escape the cameras! After 10 years together you think Matt would learn and adapt, but yet he still runs from a camera or scowls for most of the pictures. I am and will always be a picture taker...but sometimes I want to be in them too! Sadly, out of the hundreds of pictures we took between us we did not get even one with the four of us together.

We truly enjoyed their visit and it was so nice having them to ourselves for a bit. With a large family like the Bivianos' it is sometimes difficult to get quality time on a small, more personal level. Mom and Dad, we are so grateful for the time we got to spend with you. Thank you for making the trip across the pond to see us!

Mom and Dad, Portsmouth

Complete Album

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

AMSTERDAM

Matt and I had the pleasure of meeting up with friends from Denver in Amsterdam, the weekend of April 18-20. Mike and his family were visiting his in-laws for the week and generously volunteered to show us around town that weekend. It was quite a busy week for the two of us, especially for Matt who was first in Poland and then Austria before arriving in Amsterdam.

Hilton Amsterdam

View from our hotel room

I flew out Friday morning and the day started out well because when I arrived at the airport I was very early for my flight, so they offered to put me on the earlier flight (7:45am) which I accepted. After arriving at the Amsterdam airport, I took the tram into town and went directly to the hotel. We were using our points to stay at the Hilton and I was pleasantly surprised on arrival to be told that we were given a free upgrade to an executive room! The room was great and had a fabulous view of the city. We were also given access to the executive level dining room, where we had breakfast Saturday morning. After freshening up, I took the tram into the main part of town and wandered around a bit armed with a trusty guidebook and map. I pre-booked admission online to the Anne Frank House and toured the house later in the afternoon. It was quite an experience to imagine what it would have been like for 8 people to live in those cramped quarters and be hidden away for so long. It is truly sad to think what happened to all of them in the end. After that tour, I met up with our friends from Denver, Mike and Natasha. Natasha was born in Amsterdam and they were there visiting her family. On this evening, the kids were not out but we had drinks with her parents and two of their oldest friends. From there we moved on to dinner at a nice Italian place, after much walking around trying to find the place. During dinner Mike got a text from Matt that he had arrived at the hotel. Since it was around 10:00pm, if I recall, he was just going to stay in and go to bed. I showed up soon afterward.

Anne Frank House

Natasha and Mike

Following breakfast Saturday morning, we headed back into town to meet up with Mike and Natasha. While waiting for them, we watched an interesting street performer. Nothing was too different about his skills, but the language he used was horrendous. I guess that is Amsterdam for you?! Most of the day we spent wandering around and taking in the sites, stopping for beer at several locations. We went to the Heineken Brewery for a tour but unfortunately it was closed for renovations. One of the must-eat items of Amsterdam is the fries. They are served with a great mayo sauce or other toppings, but they are fabulous. We also went on a canal tour and stroll through the Red Light District. At first glance the main thoroughfare through the RLD looks like any other busy tourist area, but walking through you can be amazed by how many windows and doors there are that lead to "sinful pleasures". We ended the day having dinner with Natasha's aunts at a Thai restaurant.

Red Light District

Canal Boat Ride

Sunday morning we decided to have some of the much-spoken-about pancakes at a local pancake cafe. There were so many choices! We had a pleasant breakfast and then returned to the hotel to pack and check out. After checking out we decided to head to the train station to put our bags in lockers and get Matt's ticket to Germany. This was a lot of back and forth travel for us, but we decided to do it this way instead of leaving our bags with the concierge and having to go back once again. We couldn't quite figure out the kiosk at the train station so had to wait almost an hour in line for Matt to purchase his ticket at the counter. Not exactly how we wanted to spend our last few hours, but something that had to be done. Once that was taken care of we walked through the RLD again, which was much different yet still as sinful in the daylight, and went back to Dam Square for me to ride one of the rides I was thinking about since I saw it on Friday (as shown in pictures in my web album, you know where to find them). At around 4:30pm we sadly parted ways at the station. I got on a train to the airport and Matt boarded a train to Germany. Since then he has been gone every week, except the period of time that his parents were in town later in April. We don't like things that way, but it is just something we have to deal with right now. We are thankful for the time we do get to spend together and all of the leisure travel we've been able to do since moving abroad.

Yummy Pancakes

Booster Maxxx! Awesome ride!

Carnival in Dam Square

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 - the Month of Madness

Okay, not really madness but it was quite busy. I started the month off with visitors from Colorado, as mentioned in a previous post. The weekend of the 11th was my fabulous girls' trip to Germany. That was our first, and hopefully not the last, of our ADPI trips for sisters living in Europe. There was mention of a trip to Naples, Italy later this year! The following weekend Matt and I met friends from Denver in Amsterdam. It was such a great city and I was a little sad that we only had a weekend to spend in the city. Immediately following our Amsterdam trip, Matt's parents arrived for a two-week stay. It was great having them here and showing them around the English countryside.

We are back to "normal" life for now. Matt is in Germany again, a part of his weekly travels. I think he'll be off to Latvia sometime this month. Also, we will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary on Monday 12th. No big plans for that day as of yet.

More details and pictures of these adventures will follow in the next week!

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Matt in his new business suit

Matt turned 29 yesterday! However, he's not quite an old man yet, despite what some of your voice messages said! Unfortunately, he was battling a sinus infection and was not feeling well so we didn't do anything big to celebrate. His long working hours and frequent business trips really take a toll on him. When he is home he is either sleeping or working! I made him a steak dinner for a quiet evening at home. He's off again in the morning to Germany and then Poland. We won't get another whole week together until his parents arrive at the end of the month! I'm looking forward to that time!

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 :-(