Salzburg- a city of Christmas cheer, baroque music, and where the hills are alive!

Back in November my mom came out to visit me and to celebrate Thanksgiving.  At the beginning of her stay we took a side trip to the City of Salt aka Salzburg, Austria.

Originally we decided to go to Salzburg because of their famous Christmas Markets.  I already knew that I wasn't going to be in Michigan for Christmas.   The season was already was going to be a hard season for us since it would be the first Christmas without my Grandpa.   He was a man who loved Christmas.  Everyday he would use a chalk board to countdown the days to Christmas and, with my dad's help, came up with the idea to have a room dedicated to Christmas 365 days a year.  Each Christmas Eve we'd gather around the piano and candle light tree to sing Christmas carols and listen to him play a very special version of Stille Nacht.  Christmas without Grandpa was going to be hard, but in order to celebrate his life we were going to Austria to immerse ourselves in Christmas cheer.

Two city plazas were filled with the market.  As we wandered the smells of mulled wine, cinnamon from handmade ornaments, and pine from the decorated wreaths kept us warm despite the rain.  Well, maybe I was kept warm by  rum spiked tea that was actually hot rum with a dash of tea.   There were groups singing carols and bells ringing in the hour.  It was the perfect way to welcome in the Christmas season.

The next day we went on a Sound of Music bus tour.  This tour was amazing!  I would recommend the tour even if you don't like the Sound of Music.  Actually, if you HATED the songs from Sound of Music you'd want to skip the tour.  Between stops they play the music and people just maybe sing along.  They taught us all about the history of Salzburg, the real Von Trapp family, and also visited two small cities in the mountain region.  First stop was where I was Singing in the Rain.  Oh wait, wrong movie.  I was 16 Going on 17.

Did I mentioned it rained in Salzburg?  

Warning: If you go outside of England we me IT WILL RAIN!  Sorry I'm cursed.

Next we stopped at the lake from the canoe scene where the kids are wearing drapes.  You might notice the house in the background looks nothing like the house in the movie.  That's because it isn't!  All the scenes towards the house were shot at a location down the street at another location.

Next we went up to the mountains and that is where I fell in love with Austria.  The valleys in between the mountain peeks were filled with lakes.  In the summer you can kayak between quite mountain towns and in the winter the farmers carve cross-country ski trails across their fields for the locals to use.  It was even was cold enough for the rain to turn into snow.  Eureka!! 

Our last stop was at the church where Maria and the Captain were married.  It was a beautiful church with a surprise on the inside.  Above the alter there seems to be 5 mummies.  In fact the mummy in the center is real!  I believe he was the first priest or cardinal of this church!!

My mom and I had a wonderful time in Austria.  I'm so glad she was able to come out and celebrate an early Christmas with me!

PS I forgot to mention why I have baroque music in the title of this post.  Mozart was born here and we toured his childhood home!

Crazy Exciting American Road Trip!

At the end of December I took a break from Europe and flew home to celebrate my birthday, Christmas and New Year.  Mike and I packed up the car and hit the open road less than 24 hours after I had arrived in Denver!  Here is our fabulous adventure across to the Wild West:

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” 

– Jawaharial Nehru

Food Adventures - Jellied Eels

Over the last few months I've had a couple of friends (Hi Ray and Joe!) come an visit me and I took them to my favorite fish and chips shop: Poppies.  It is an amazing diner in Spitalfields with a 1950's vibe and a variety of fish to choose from.

http://hereisthecity.com/

First off:  the fish is amazing.  The appetizers (UK: entrees) on the other hand are less desirable.  Joe and I tried Jellied Eels the last time I frequented this purveyor of fish.  We didn't know jellied eels was a dish that originated in the 18th century and had been a favorite fast food in the East End for hundreds of years.  What we got was a bowl full of fishy jelly with bits of eel and a bottle of chili vinegar to put on top.  The waitress explained you cut up the slimy freshwater eel and boil it for hours.  The slime from the eel turns the water into a gelatinous mixture once it cools.  Yum?

Learning to Speak British

Growing up in the US I thought I knew how to speak English.  I even knew that there were two ways of pronouncing "Z" thanks to the Canadian Broadcasting Channel's version of Sesame Street.  Now that I'm living in the UK I have learnt that British English and American English are two different things entirely.

When I first came to the UK I kept avoiding foods with "aubergine" because I thought it was some kind of sardine fish.   I didn't figure out what aubergines (UK: eggplants) were until I went to a "You-Pick Farm" (UK: Pick-your-own).  I wandered the fields until I came upon as posted sign stating what type of vegetable was actually planted in the field.

UK   =   US
aubergine = eggplant
bangers = sausage
biscuit = cookie
brown sauce = steak sauce (HP Sauce)
chips = french fries
courgette = zucchini
coriander = cilantro
crisps = potato chips
digestive = round cookie
entree = appetizer
jacket potato = baked potato
marrow = squash
pudding = dessert
red sauce = ketchup
rocket = arugula
spring onion = green onion
swede = rutabaga

Once I figured out the proper name for food I felt fairly confident in my British English.  That was until I started playing Monkey-in-the-Middle (UK: Pig-in-the-Middle) with my roommate's niece (Age: 10) and nephew (Age: 7).  Both the kids where in their pajamas (UK: jim-jams) and the little boy started to overheat.  I bent down and suggested he, "...roll up his pants."  Immediately, he had a look of horror on his face and his sister burst out into laughter saying, "She means trousers, Louie, trousers!"  Little did I know but I had just suggested he roll up his underwear!  The rest of the night was spent quizzing me on how I said things or giggling at my accent.  :)

UK   =   US
budgie smuggler = men's speedo
jumper = sweater
pants = underwear
pinafore = jumper
tartan = plaid
trainers = gym shoes
trousers = pants
stockings = tights/nylons
sweater = sweatshirt
wellies = rubber boots
Y-fronts = men's briefs

London Weather

People always ask me how the weather is in London.  It really isn't that bad.  Of course it is cloudy and damp, but then you always know what to expect.  Since moving to London I now talk about the weather on a daily basis.  Is it warm and cloudy, cool and rainy, mild and sunny, or is it cold and the rain is coming down at a 45 degree angle which no umbrella has a chance of stopping?  It seems to be that 45 degree angled rain only occurs when I am on my 15 minute walk from the train station to work or in another country in Europe.  Actually, it rains every time I leave England.  Every time.

When it rains it's only for an hour or so, but it is always a good idea to have an umbrella with you.  I was just looking through my pictures and most of the pictures in England have blue or partially cloudy skies.  Only one has an umbrella!

Cool and rainy:

The evening to day temperature swings are usually about 10F and this week the high has been in the low 50F rather than -15F that most of the US has been experiencing.  Sure most of the winter is in the 40/50s and spring/fall is in the 50/60s, but that's what summer is for!  For a week it might even make it up to the 80s!

Cool and Cloudy:

Mild and Sunny:

Looks like I still need a warm and sunny picture!  :)