Kathleen was here!

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…

…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

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

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

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've 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...

...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!

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!

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!

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!

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