The Day We Have Been Waiting For...December 21

It's officially Winter Solstice!  The darkest day of the year!  Harrogate is surprisingly far north -  we are at 53 degrees latitude.  In comparison, Washington, DC is only 38 degrees.  This means that our days in summer are long (think sunset at 9 pm) and our days in winter are very short (think less than 6 hours a day of sunlight!).  Combine these short days with non-stop rain and clouds - and it can be a little dreary here.   What I did not take a photo of is our "Happy Lamp" - these are issued by the base to try and address some of the natural Seasonal Affect Disorder that is pretty rampant here.  We just finally turned ours on last week and we're both feeling a bit more happy as a result.  YAY!

That said - today is a day of celebration because tomorrow the days will become progressively longer and we'll be a bit closer to spring.

Right now, the sun is rising around 9 am and setting around 3:30 pm.  Sometimes that is hard to grasp how dark and how early, so I thought I would share a few looks out our window over the past week.
This is the view from our bedroom at about 8:45 am:

This is the view from my office around 3:30 that same day.  Crazy dark, right?

#LifeBucketList: Meeting Reindeer

Meeting a live reindeer had not originally been on my life bucket list, but after yesterday it certainly SHOULD have been.  Yesterday, we went to an event with a social group around here and I had the opportunity to volunteer to help with photos of Santa and his reindeer.  What's interesting is that here in England, Santa does not seem to go to the malls, but instead goes to outdoor events like Christmas Markets, Tree Lightings, and other holiday gatherings...and brings with him live reindeer!

Seeing a reindeer up-close-and-personal was the highlight of the 2015 holiday season.  Yesterday I met Axel and Diesel the reindeer - they were 3 and 8. One was born in Sweden and the other in the UK - they live on a farm near Harrogate along with 50 other reindeer.  During Christmas, they rotate who goes out events.  They were most awesome - they were very gentle and spent the evening eating hay and letting any small child (or their parent) pet them.  The only thing they don't like is being petted on their antlers or head...so you have to pet their shoulder, back or belly.  Their fur was much softer than I expected and they were just such calm animals, they sat there waiting to be petted and didn't seem to notice the screaming and excitement of all of the children.  I loved them!  One other note - they had ginormous feet and apparently this helps them to swim (did you know reindeer like to swim and can swim 6/mph???).

 

 

Christmas Has Arrived at Our House!

Christmas spirit is in full swing in our house!  Last weekend we decorated for Christmas and it has been non-stop carols on our speakers.  As some people know, I have longed for a Christmas tree for many years, but our house in Falls Church was just too small.  I am so excited to have a tree!

Over the past two weeks, we also went to two different work holiday parties - which were each fun and distinctly British.  Last night, as part of one of the parties, we went to see a pantomime, a British Christmas tradition.  It was a child-oriented play (in our case, Aladdin) that included major audience participation (lots of yelling from the audience) and lots of over exaggerated scenes.  It was very cute and a good time was had by all.

Our little Christmas tree, slowly, but surely being filled with ornaments from our travels

Our decorated mantel!  This is definitely my favorite part of having an elegant old house!

Christmas crackers and Christmas hats at the Christmas party - how very British! 

And, of course, our favorite Christmas elf helping to decorate:

Best Television of 2015

Just like the New York Times and Washington Post, I am continuing with my series of end of year round-ups about my favorite things of this year.  As some might know, before I met P, I watched almost no television (except Grey's Anatomy).  P has helped me embrace my couch potato ways and has introduced me to a lot of great television.  I bet we watch 10-15 different series at a time.  Lots of different genres - but below are my most favorite of this year.

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix):  This was the most light-hearted, hilarious show we watched.  It was so funny, we binge watched it in a weekend and enjoyed every minute of it.  The premise of the show is that Kimmy has been locked in a bunker for 15 years and when she emerges from middle of no where Indiana, she heads to New York City.  Her "first ever" experiences are hilarious - as is the cast - it includes cameos from Tina Fey.  Watch it. Now.

Master of None (Netflix): P and I both love Aziz Ansari.  We were huge fans of Parks and Rec, where he got famous and we've seen his stand-up live.  We loved this short series so much.  It follows his thirty-something life as he meets a girl and moves in with her.  Some of the scenes were very familiar (e.g., the fight about cleaning, but in reverse!). Excellent.

Modern Family (ABC): This has been one our favorites for years (along with the rest of America).  It is light-hearted, hilarious, and real.  We love it!  My favorite plot this season has been Hailey and Andy - my money is on it working out for them!  So cute and it ALWAYS has a happy ending.

Downton Abbey (BBC): We live in the land of Downton Abbey, so it's hard not to love it!  We love hearing the names of the small towns nestled around us and we love the manufactured, fake drama.  It is like a soap opera  We are anxiously awaiting the series finale on Christmas.  We're sad it's over, but thoroughly enjoyed it.

Best Books of 2015

I realized at the end of 2014, I had read very few books in the year.  This year, I made a resolution to read more and was rewarded with some truly beautiful books.  Below are a few of my favorites that I highly recommend to anyone:

All The Light We Cannot See: This is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read.  It has also won critical fame - it won a Pulitzer Prize and many amazing reviews for good reason. The book is spectacularly intricate and perfectly woven together.  It is historical fiction set in France in World War II, it shares the story of a young blind girl who is the daughter of a museum curator.  The book follows her through the war as she tries to keep a secret for her father and along the way meets many characters.  If you read one book in the new year - it should be this one.

The Nightingale: Another historical fiction book set in World War II.  It is also set in France - both Paris and the southern countryside.  It has very vivid imagery of one family's struggle with the occupation and quiet resistance.  This book is also beautifully written and I highly recommend.  I am not usually a historical fiction fan - but these two books are captivating.

Gang Leader for a Day: Set in Chicago in the early 2000's, this is the story of a PhD Sociology student at the University of Chicago who befriends a local gang leader for his dissertation research.  It's non-fiction, so a fascinating look into how a gang (and the community around it) works.  I couldn't put down the book - it feels like you're in the various apartment buildings and community center.  It also raises important ethical questions about how far is too far for research - if you are aware of a murder, but did not witness it, do you need to report it.  Really interesting take.

Everything I Never Told You: This story is set in the 1970's and walks through the intricate tale of how a teenager decided to commit suicide.  At the outset of the book, it seems very simple, but as you read, it is a very complex story that addresses societal changes, racism, and the pressure of being a teenager.  I read another similar fiction book on the topic of suicide this year - 13 Reasons Why - but found this story much more intriguing.

Check Off the Life Bucket List - German Christmas Markets!

Our final stop in Germany was Munich - what a fun city!  The architecture is lovely - they have a beautiful cuckoo clock in their town hall!   During our two day visit, we spent several hours in the Residenz and Treasury - which included all of their crown jewels and a look at the rooms inside their Bavarian urban palace.  It was stunning and I highly recommend. We visited the BMW museum as well which was interesting from a marketing perspective.  Talk about clear brand articulation.  In my current role, I am a bit jealous about how clearly they have articulated their brand and defined their niche.

We also spent time exploring their neat German cookware stores - a good opportunity to upgrade our cookie cutter collection.  Christmas baking, here we come.

Throughout our time, we happily wandered through their German Christmas Market.  This is an item on my personal life bucket list that was quickly checked off.  It totally lived up up to my expectations - amazing Christmas ornaments, yummy food, and mulled wine stalls at every turn.  It was magical and if you can plan a trip to the Christmas markets, I recommend it whole heartedly! Below are a few of the photos from Munich:

Townhall lit up:

My favorite little spot in the Christmas market - they had the best food:

A life-sized Christmas pyramid!!! My mom always had one of these on our kitchen table during the holidays (but about 1/100th of the size)

Adorable stall for mulled wine (Gluhwein)

If You Go: Oberammergau

I highly recommend staying in Oberammergau if you want to visit Bavaria.  It is such a great jumping off point to so many beautiful places.  Below are some of our recommendations - for this trip - we were traveling as a group of 6 (4 friends joined us) - so our recommendations are a bit slanted to accommodate a group:

Accommodations
AirBNB - House: We stayed at a beautiful chateau-like house near the center of town.  It had the most beautiful view of the mountains from floor to ceiling windows across the back of the house.  It also had three large bedrooms, two large bathrooms, and a huge sauna (we didn't use it, but a cool feature). We HIGHLY recommend this house!  This was the view from the breakfast table:

Restaurants

• Cafe Mundart: This was the most beautiful, inventive spot to eat.  While it was all locally sourced "German" food - it was not the traditional, heavy food that we had gotten used to.  I had a lovely cheese and vegetable plate as well as fresh gnocchi with grilled veggies.  Delicious - highly recommend.  It is a very small restaurant, so make a reservation 
• Ammergauer Maxbrau: We had our Thanksgiving Dinner here - it has traditional German food that is quite delicious. The ambiance is great - very warm with a modern rustic look.  Prasad was able to have Turkey Schnitzel in celebration and I enjoyed some amazing potato soup.  In addition, they had a beautiful German Apple Pancake for dessert that was almost as good as the one my mom makes:

Magical Oberammergau

Our second stop on our Germany adventure was in the mountain town of Oberammergau.  Nestled deep in the Alps, it is a classic Bavarian town - complete with German bakeries, many Christmas shops, and chalet-like architecture.  It's also a wonderful spot for jumping to other small towns and adventures - like Garmisch and Neuschwanstein Castle.  We spent three days and saw beautiful, snow covered sites.  I also got my most important souvenir - the fluffiest down parka you could imagine.  This came in handy during the crazy snow on the day we visited the castles!

This the little town of Oberammergau.  It has the most beautiful wood carving shops - with beautiful decorations for Christmas. It looks exactly how you'd picture a tiny Bavarian town to look!

This is a beautiful lake nestled in a National Forest outside of Garmisch - it looked exactly like a Tommy Hilfiger ad for Christmas!  The Chalet restaurant was beautiful!

We also visited 3 castles built by King Ludwig II.  He was crazy extravagant (to the point of being removed for spending money) - but the architecture is stunning.  We first visited Linderhof Castle - it is small, but an engineering wonder.  The dining table inside lifts down to the kitchen to be set from below and then brought up with food and settings.  Similarly, all of the rooms are heated from below - central heating before it really existed!

We then visited Hohenschuwangau Castle - which is where Ludwig II grew up and spent the majority of his reign.  A very impressive castle  set on a beautiful hill overlooking Bavaria - it has a strong theme of Swans throughout it for the Swan Knight:

Our final stop was Neuschwanstein Castle - which was by far the most elaborate castle I have been to - drip caves inside, a planned pool, and music hall.  The opulence is really indescribable!  It is also beautiful and was the inspiration for the Magic Kingdom.  While it was magical to visit the castles in heavy snow, it was also disappointing not to get the photos we would have liked...for much of the day it was too cloudy to get any real photos. 

We loved Bavaria and puffy coats.  We also were sad that we couldn't use this photo for our Christmas Card (darn APO deadlines for holiday mail!!!)

Lovely Bavaria - Tegernsee

We had the most lovely week in Germany!  It was wonderful to see good friends for Thanksgiving, view a snow covered Bavaria, and experience the magic of the Munich Christmas market.  Admittedly, Germany had not been on the top of my "must visit" list, but when our friends proposed a Thanksgiving meet-up, I was very excited....and was stunned by the beauty of the country.  We made three stops: Tegernsee (small lake town), Oberammergau (mountain town), and Munich. Each was different and special in its own way.

P and I made our way to Tegernsee for a night before the rest of the group arrived by way of an airline booking error - but boy I am glad we were able to see it!  It was one of the most picturesque places I have ever visited - the lake was completely crystal clear (you could see rocks at the bottom), but all around were the majestic alps.

We spent the day wandering the lake, taking photos of the scenery, and eating a crazy amount of German food.  It was wonderful and I highly suggest visiting.  What is interesting - but we didn't originally  know - the town was also a place that served as the infancy for the Nazi party in the 1920s.  Several high-ranking officials had summer homes on the lake.  While a sad history, it is understandable how powerful people could be attracted to a place of such immense natural beauty.

P taking photos on the perfectly reflective lake.  This is one of my favorite photos I have ever taken:

Perfect lakeside view:

We found this handsome pair...they were beautiful!  I had never seen swans before we went to Geneva in 2013 --- they are so incredibly graceful.

The view from our hotel room...incredible to wake up to this!

We drove across the lake which allowed us to see the town from afar (toward the left of the photo)

If You Go: Tegernsee

We had the opportunity to visit beautiful Tegernsee in late November - it was snow covered and beautiful!  It is just about an hour south of Munich and right at the gateway to the Alps.  If you make your way to Tegernsee, a few recommendations:

Hotel 

• Seehotel Luitpold:  Highly recommend this hotel - it has stunning lakeside views and beautiful rooms!  The underfloor heating felt fabulous in November and the breakfast was fabulous - a huge buffet of cheese, meats, cereal, and bread - plus made to order eggs (~$200/night)

Restaurant 

• Braustuber: This is a HUGE beer hall - there were over 1,700 seats including the patio!!!  For such a small town, it was crazy large.  Amazingly, we had two meals here as nothing was open on a Monday when we were trying to find something walkable.  If you like German food, this is the place for you - lots of sausage, pretzels, and other traditional Bavarian food.  The beer here is good and we actually found it several times in Munich - so it must be popular 

Things To Do 
We had less than a day here, so my recommendations are limited.  In the summer, swimming and spa-ing seem to be the hot ticket items!

• Walk the Beaches: Wow - the views were absolutely stunning.  Snow covered alps and a crystal clear lake, we walked about 2 hours through the town and over to the next lakeside town.  Truly beautiful! 
• Drive Around the Lake: Early the next morning, we drove around the lake, which provided other amazing panoramic views of the town and the surrounding areas.  Just beautiful! 

Thankful!

What a unique Thanksgiving this is...I miss my family, but am truly lucky to celebrate this holiday with friends in Germany! I am so grateful for so many things this year:

My amazing family: I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, supportive family who gives me the freedom to not feel guilty for "missing" Thanksgiving.  I am especially missing my niece and nephew and our Thanksgiving traditions.

Health:  Last year, we had a health scare this time of year for my Mom. Her health and ability to make Thanksgiving dinner this year makes me so grateful. I am also thankful that everyone close to me has been healthy this year. A true blessing.

Wonderful Friends : How lucky am I to have such wonderful close friends. They are the most lovely group who have been so amazing with this transition. 

The Freedom to Travel: I have literally been around the world this year. I have learned so much and seen so many incredible places.  I am grateful to live in a country that offers such freedom. 

There is no way to list everything,  but this holiday season I am grateful to my core!

Harrogate Christmas Market

This weekend the town was filled with people, good food, and good smells for the Harrogate Christmas market.  Alfie and I stopped by for a preview on Thursday and then P and I took a real visit on Saturday.  There were lots of traditional foods - German-style sausages, fudge, and mince pies (yuck!).  They also had many vendors of local Yorkshire goods (aka lots of wool and sheep skin things!).  Interestingly, they also had a children's area that had 5-6 small rides.

Tomorrow, we head to Germany and will visit the Munich Christmas Market, so it'll be very interesting to compare the two - though I imagine the original Christmas market will be much bigger!  Here are a few photos from this weekend -

The scene walking down to the Christmas market

Roasted Chestnuts - crazy - right?

Drinking chocolate... spiked.  There was WAY more alcohol there than I imagined - mulled wine and spiked cider to artisanal gin:

Here are the kids rides - how funny!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

It has been fun to watch the preparations for Christmas begin around Harrogate.  I have to say - there is a SERIOUS Christmas spirit here!  Preparations began pre-Halloween and the whole town is fully involved.  This weekend, the official start to Christmas arrives in Harrogate - the town Christmas Market began this morning (more on that in another post), Santa will officially arrive tonight, and the Mayor will flip on the town Christmas lights (which seem to be everywhere).  It is quite the scene - I love the festive spirit in the air.

A few observations about Christmas here:

• No Thanksgiving = Christmas Starts Earlier: I think the fact that there is not a major intervening holiday here (aka Thanksgiving) means that the Christmas season starts a bit earlier here.  The day after Halloween, preparation seemed to step in high gear 
• Darkness Requires a Festive Spirit: I am not sure if I have talked about this on the blog before, but it is seriously dark here.  Seasonal Affect Disorder is a real thing for people living here - as the sun is coming up ~9 am and setting ~3:30 pm.  So with few hours of sunlight, I think that the town needs some Christmas spirit to get through the dark.  Hooray for Christmas lights, hot chocolate, and decorations 
• Christmas Season over Holiday Season: In the United States, I think there is a lot of focus on an inclusive "holiday season" - I know P and I certainly subscribe to that sentiment with friends of many faiths.  Here, the population is a bit more homogeneous so everything is "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays."  Interesting nuance!   

Alfie and I stopped by the Christmas Market this morning for a sneak peek - I was impressed with the sheer volume of food, crafts, and merriment (including carnival rides).  I am looking forward to doing a bit of Christmas shopping and enjoying some delicious treats this weekend with P!

Alfie also wanted me to assure the blog world that he is feeling Christmas in his heart!  He is very pleased with his new little elf sweater - I have been calling him "Alfie the Elfie"

If You Go: Edinburgh

Original post - November 2015 /// Updated - August 2017

As always, below please find our recommendations and suggestions for Edinburgh!  We hope it'll help future friends to plan their trips to this very amazing city!

Hotel 

• Apex Waterloo: We LOVED this hotel!  It was right in the center of the city - a 2 minute walk from the train station, 5 minutes from the Royal Mile, and 10 minutes from Edinburgh Castle.  It was beautiful and modern - and had a lovely view of the city.  It also had a huge soaking tub!  Fabulous!  It was about ~$175 a night. 
• Apex Grassmarket: We love the Apex chain.  This is the same great service as the Apex Waterloo with potentially a slightly better location.  Five minute walk to everything.  Great modern conveniences and a view of Edinburgh Castle! 

Attractions 

• Edinburgh Castle: This was a beautiful, large castle that has been fully renovated.  Our favorite spots were the prisons (always fascinating) and the crown jewels.  Scotland has such a rich history and this was the start! 
• Britannia: The Queen's Royal Yacht from the 1950's - 1997.  The tour is incredibly well organized and you get to see everything from the state rooms to the kitchens to the sailor's quarters.  Highly recommend this tour...especially if you have access to a car (it's a bit outside of town, but once you're there - parking is easy and plentiful in a parking deck) 
• Shopping - Grassmarket & Royal Mile: There are two great spots for shopping!  Royal Mile has about three dozen shops for just about every version of plaid scarf you can imagine!  Grassmarket has a much more diverse group of shops - neat antique shops, boutiques, etc.  Very fun. 
• Elephant Cafe: This is the spot where JK Rowling started Harry Potter.  It is right around the corner from the Scottish National Museum.  We stopped and had a drink and an amazingly delicious shortbread cookie 
• National Museum of Scotland: This was a fascinating look at Scottish history.  An amazing set of architecture and well curated collection.  Best part  -  it's free!  Definitely recommend! 
• City of the Dead Ghost Tour: We heard that the thing to do in Edinburgh is a ghost tour.  We did NOT love this tour.  It was kind of hokey, the tour size was too large, and the weather was awful.  Maybe try a different ghost tour if you're interested.   

Restaurants

• Mussel and Steak: Great spot in the Grassmarket district.  GREAT service - super fast - and the food was delicious.  I had lobster and P had steak.  Yumm-o.  
• Laila's Bistro: We have been missing good Middle Eastern food!  We found delicious food here - I had yummy chicken skewers and P had yummy falafel! 
• Civerino's Pizza: We had an amazing pizza here and arancini.  Highly recommend! 

Everyday Adventure: Edinburgh

Despite some traditionally blustery, rainy weather, we had an excellent adventure to Edinburgh Scotland this weekend.  It is just a three hour train ride from Harrogate, so it was a great weekend trip.  Edinburgh is filled with stunning architecture and amazing history.  Similar to Venice, I often forget that Scotland was its own country for many years - filled with its own history and experience.  The most striking feature of the Edinburgh landscape is its beautiful castle that overlooks the entire city.  It is an extremely well-preserved castle and we had a chance to visit all of its nooks and crannies.

During our visit, we also went on a ghost tour in the underground passages of the city as well as visited the Scottish National Museum.  Each was a fascinating look into Scotland's history.  In addition, we went to the Elephant Cafe where JK Rowling started writing Harry Potter (one of our most favorite books!).

If you've read the Harry Potter series, a lot of the things you picture are much like Edinburgh.  Lots of people compare the Grass Market area to Diagon Alley!   Check out a few of our favorite photos from the weekend:

The beautiful Edinburgh Castle:

Amazing flowers inside the castle...still growing in November!

Check out the amazing guard in front of their War Memorial (also inside the castle!)

A view of the city from the castle: 

P looking a bit soggy

I had the most delicious lobster for dinner!  Yum!  Who knew that the cold waters off Scotland were good for lobsters!?!?! Makes sense when you think about Maine lobster:

The Elephant Cafe from Harry Potter (also note my new scarf...tartan is a serious thing there!)