An Extra Cool StrEAT Food Festival

This past weekend was a bank holiday in the UK - with lots of celebration before the school children head back to classes.  Locally, they had the first national food festival with ~40 food trucks from around the country descending on a nearby park.

Fun fact- the UK does not have open container laws.  This means you can easily bring a bottle of wine to a park for a picnic...just no "anti social behavior."  More on that below.  The StreEAT Food Festival had tons of delicious foods and drinks...and some of the vehicles were amazing!  For DC-ites, it was like Truckeroo on steroids...without the lines or frat boys.

Note the beer taps in this ski gondola!!!

Land Rover bar "the rovin bar" - a bit like one of my wedding events (HA!) 

Traditional VW buses as food trucks:

The festival also included beach chairs around the park...Alfie took full advantage:

On our way home...we saw lots of signage discouraging anti-social behavior (HA!)

Everyday Adventure: Art, Lochs, and Old Houses

Today we took an hour drive out Saltaire, an UNESCO World Heritage town.  Built in the 1700's, it is a huge factory and factory town that has been converted to an art gallery and boutique stores.  It was incredibly well converted...with cute restaurants, stunning ceilings, and amazing gothic architecture.  It's hard to believe it was ever a working, industrial town making linen.

Here is a view from the outside of the factory when we pulled up:

The area is where British artist David Hockney lived in the area, so it is filled with many of his originals.  Below is an exhibit called "Arrival of Spring" 

Beautiful chandelier

Afterwards, we visited a National Trust property - East Riddlesden Hall. Built in the 1600's, the furniture is original and impressive.  The gardens were beautiful....

...and amazing windows!

London Calling

Before Ben + Courtney came to visit us in Yorkshire, we went to London to see the sites with them!  It was like being in college again...we had a big flat (kind of like a dorm room), shared a bathroom with 4 people, and stayed up late!  Ben had never been ton London...so we showed him some standard things, but also got to see some new sites like the Globe, Borough Market, and the Tate Museum.  AND we saw a West End Show...super fun!  Some snaps below:

First stop...Kensington Palace where we saw the beautiful sunken gardens at the Palace in full bloom!  It was a perfect, cloudless day in London

We then walked through Green Park and caught the site of Royal Albert Hall...ready for proms!

Next stop...Harrod's! We stopped to pick up some tea for a colleague...before we leave, I want to eat in one of the cute restaurants in the food hall.  Seafood and champagne...yes please!

As evening fell, we strolled by Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park.  P was a trooper for hanging all weekend!

Check out this adorable "bird keepers cottage" in Hyde Park.  Looks like something out of a fairy tale...right in the middle of London.  Love!

Love this shot of Big Ben, Westminster, and the London Eye at dusk. Classic!

We continued our tour by walking across the Thames where P captured some really nice night shots:

Wakey Wakey, in the morning we went to the Tower of London and saw the iconic Tower Bridge.  Note our matching shirts that Ben made...and our awesome Selfie Stick pic.  #Us-ies

A new stop...a tour of the Globe.  The original Globe burnt down centuries ago, but this new Globe was built in 1993 and is a replica of the original thing (down to the fact they didn't use power tools for it!!!)

Last but not last...the Tate.  Loved this amazing skylight.  Amazing art

Our First Guests! Ben + Courtney Take on Yorkshire!

This week, we had our first guests in town!  It was so fun to show my college friends Ben and Courtney around Harrogate and Yorkshire and get to see its magic all of over again.  It validated to me that we really do live in one of the most beautiful places in the world...they were impressed with how perfectly manicured all of our gardens are maintained (of course...everything but my own front hedges.  They were here for 48 hours and I managed to pack in a crazy number of my favorite spots in Yorkshire.  We also lucked out and got the most beautiful weather (sunny and 60!).  It was such a lovely time !

Hint hint, anyone is welcome to visit...I promise a highlights tour!

When they arrived, we visited Valley Gardens - the amazing manicured garden in our town.  It really is beautiful.  Check out the perfect little tea house below:

So this is amusing... I have seen these flower arrangement many, many times...and even when I took this photo...didn't realize it, but more recently, I saw a painting and realized...this flower is in the shape of the White Rose of York (which is one every flag and sign around!).  You learn something new every day!

The next morning, Alfie and I took them to our favorite breakfast spot...Baltzerzen's!  We enjoyed an amazing waffle and perfect morning sunshine.  Check out how Alf is longingly looking at the waffle:

Then we went to Bolton Abbey...where Ben + Courtney started their visit with a walk across the stepping stones:

We got to the other side of the river to check out this amazing view of the Abbey:

Such perfect lighting and perfect weather for a day in the Yorkshire Dales and Bolton Abbey is a real treat!

Then we took them to Skipton Castle.  Last time we visited, Alfie didn't get to come, but he rode along in his bag this time and was happy to be one of the gang!

Ben and Courtney take on the castle!

We then stopped at Mama Doreen's for Afternoon Tea!  I had read great reviews of this spot, but had never visited.  What better excuse than guests!  It lived up to all expectations...the tea was crazy with so many little sandwiches and amazing sweets.  WOW!

A stunning raspberry meringue was just one of the treats!

Our whirlwind day ended in York where we saw the highlights by boat!  It was a nice little cruise around the city ... first up...Clifford's Tower:

And of course... York Minster! We were there to hear the 7 pm bells!  So beautiful!

The next day, we took Ben and Courtney to Harewood House.  It is such a crazy huge mansion with so many gardens...we didn't go in because we didn't have enough time, but the gardens along are just stunning:

...and of course, we found more stepping stones!

Alfie loved having guests...and loved the adventures he got to take!  Thanks Ben and Courtney...we loved having you visit!  Come back soon!

Peak District Pride + Prejudice Comes to Life

This past weekend we took an overnight roadtrip to the Peak District - about two hours south of home.  We visited Lyme Park - where the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice movie was filmed.  It was neat to see something that is so iconic in-person!  We also took a hike along the peak ridges of Mam Tor as well as stopped in a town turned tram museum.  We were lucky to enjoy some beautiful English summer weather that was fantastic for walking.  Alfie came along and enjoyed his own holiday with lots of great new sniffs.

Beautiful reflections of Lyme Park house....where is Mr. Darcy?!?!

The side of the house...with beautiful manicured gardens.  Perfection.

Another set of gardens...Italian-style

We then walked around the local deer park where this beautiful tower stood

We then took a beautiful hike up Mam Tor where we found these amazing sheep...with horns!

This road is what I envision from the song "May the Road Rise to Meet You"

Note that I am carrying Alfie in this photo...he decided it was too tough to go up stairs to the top of the mountain so I carried him up #superstrong #bichonmom

The next day, the tram museum was a neat stop.  Given that it's nearly an extinct form of transportation they have a huge collection.  Interestingly...there are four cities that still use them - Hong Kong, San Francisco, Lisbon and Amsterdam!  We have been all of them except Amsterdam....but we'll fix that before we leave Europe.  Hong Kong's "Ding Ding" is still my favorite

Alfie is a man of planes, trains, and automobiles... he got to join us for a tram ride so added to his list: of transport modes.  The last frontier is taking him on a double decker bus...that is my winter goal for him.

Belfast - Fascinating City and Amazing Landscape

Our trip to Belfast was incredibly memorable - the city has such a fascinating history of violence and the landscapes around the city are so incredibly dramatic.  As a kid, I remember thinking of Belfast as a dangerous place to go (true), but since the Good Friday Accords, the city has calmed and it was an interesting trip to learn about the history as well as continuing religious tensions.  We also had the opportunity to take a full day tour outside the city to some of the spots where the show Game of Thrones is filmed...that was an amazing treat and the scenery was just jaw dropping.  Enjoy the snaps!

There is public art everywhere in Belfast...check out the big fish and the crane in the background that says H&W (Harland & Wolff) is iconic as it's in the shipbuilding yards and is the same company that built the Titanic.

The architecture of the Titanic Museum was stunning

We stopped by the Crown Bar in Belfast...the most famous bar in Belfast that included amazing murals, stained glass, and wood carvings...as well as private booth "snugs" with a closing door!

One of the current political murals in Northern Belfast next to the Sinn Fein headquaters.  Note the barbed wire above it:

The Dark Hedges...famous for Game of Throne fans

Don't look down...from the rope bridge...but check out the amazing color of the water below.  It's like being in the Caribbean ...but the water is 32 degrees!!!

Another view of the bridge

Giant's Causeway is the basis of many Celtic legends...but this amazing set of stones was actually caused by a volcanic eruption eons ago:

The go into the ocean and are echoed on the other side of the sea...24 miles away on an island on the coast of Scotland