Mom and Dad come to town

Cardiff Bay

My parents came to visit and although Kevin and I had to work during part of their stay, we still thoroughly enjoyed the time and took advantage of their rental car.  We drove to Cardiff for a day trip to the coast and a small taste of the Welsh culture.  We found the country to be beautiful and filled with kind and friendly people.  I don't think I'll pick up the language any time soon, though.  "Hello" is simple enough with "helo", but "exit" is "ymadael" and "bathroom" is "ystafell ymolchi".  I would not like to be stuck in a place with a full bladder!

Monkfish, Halibut, and Pasta in Cardiff

The Lake District is a popular vacation destination for the English.  The area is more than 5 hours from London, but with a few days off from work, Kevin, my parents, and I made the trek up north.  The land was more beautiful than we could've expected!  The green grass was nearly iridescent with patches of white, black, and grey were the sheep could be found grazing.  There were trees, bare trees, budding trees, and trees covered with pine needles.  The lakes were absolutely breathtaking seemingly affected only by the wind and boats ruffling the surface.  There's just one thing I would change about the lake district.  The roads.  I have never seen such narrow roads in my life and they were "two-way".  Driving may not have been so bad if not for the stone walls lining the roads.  The skill it took to drive was far beyond anything my mother or I pretend to have, so my dad and Kevin were left with full responsibility. They did a fantastic job with not even a scratch to tell the tale of the treacherous roads.

 

While in the lake district, we took one day exploring the coast.  We went to Maryport, a small fishing village along the sea which boasted of a Roman museum and aquarium.  We looked at both, but decided that the outside was a sufficient enough experience and did not venture inside.  From Maryport, we headed toward Carlisle to see Hadrian's Wall (the wall built by the Romans to keep the Scotsman out of England).  Sadly, we didn't get to see the Wall, but we did set foot in Scotland and bought some chocolate.

On the way back to London, we detoured through York to see the spectacular York Minster.  The time in York was brief but beautiful.

It was wonderful to have my parents here.  I can't believe how quickly the time went.  We saw and did so many interesting things.  We even ventured into the kitchen to make scones and cupcakes, but most importantly enjoyed time with each other.  I am very fortunate to have the parents that I do.  They are models for me of loving parents and faithful christians.

Spring continues to bloom

The last 3 days have been absolutely spectacular!  People are soaking in the rays of the sun while reading, playing, and socializing.

Today, I had to change into shorts before spending time wandering through the neighborhood admiring the intricate detail of our God's creation as well as the superb gardening skills of my neighbors.  I even learned a bit by chatting with a gardner.


He informed me that tulip trees are the same as magnolia trees...

and that using a virus to infect the bulb of a tulip can result in the streaking of colors (see the red and white tulip below).

I am amazed by the diversity of color, texture, and shape of the flowers.  Every color on the spectrum is represented.  Our God is creative!

 

The sheer number of flowers leave me in awe of those people that plant, water, and carefully maintain the beauty.

 

However, it's almost as though the flowers are invading as they spill over retaining walls and declare their authority from atop the walls.

I've heard that the British Spring brings 2 spectacular weeks and the Fall offers 2 more for a total of 4 weeks of beautiful weather out of the year.  I have every intention of taking full advantage.  Too bad the golf clubs are collecting dust in storage.  I should've listened to my husband and agreed to bring them along.

Hola Espana

The bear and Strawberry tree
is the symbol for Madrid.

I hope my high school and college Spanish teachers do not read this blog for they would be terribly disappointed.  The most common phrases I used during our escapade to Spain were "Donde esta del Prado?",  "No hablo espanol" and "No gracias".  I was thankful for the prevalent use of my only language English.  The only time we found ourselves limited by the language was when pork broth and fried anchovies were served for lunch.

Kevin is holding the "Boqueros Fritos".
"Frito Lay" or "Deep fried anchovies"? 

Other than the anchovy lunch experience, we thoroughly enjoyed the Spanish food.  I was thankful to spend some time with an old friend who directed us to some places to eat and tapas to order.  Overall, we had fantastic wine and tapas in the evening as well as cafe, chocolate and churros in the morning.

My friend, Dawn, and me after a fantastic meal.

Brie cheese and pork chops, shredded pork,
crab cakes, tomato, mozzarella and pesto
(Plaza Santa Ana)

Shredded crab, diced pork, fried chicken
with the best Sangria
(La Latina)

Chocolate and Churros
(aka breakfast)

Despite being a city of about 4 million people, we were able to see much using the metro and a good pair of walking shoes.  Our favorite site was the "Plaza Mayor" where we saw a Flamingo dancer, painters, and several street performers.  The "Palacio Real" was also quite impressive and seeing the "Cathedral" lit up was absolutely stunning.

Plaza Mayor

Road in front of Palacio Real
(see the palace to the left)

Palacio Real

Cathedral

Retiro park and the Prado museum were also highlights.  Walking through the park brought a sense of peace and serenity as the familiar melody of "When the Saints go Marching in" streamed through the trees.  Though not the most sophisticated art critics, we stood in awe of the work of Rembrandt and decided that the classic Spanish artists (ie Goya and Velazquez) were okay.

DMV??

Toledo was the capital of medieval Spain until 1560 and is located approximately 74 km southwest of Madrid.  It's a popular day trip and is known for its steel with many shops boasting of swords, coat of arms and chain mail.  We were reminded of the United States DMV as we waited in line for train tickets, but the wait was well worth the purchase of a sword.   Our visit to Spain was complete.

Don't mess with the best

Spain was a wonderful country and made for an excellent beginning to what we hope will be many more excursions to Europe.  If we return to Spain, we'll certainly have to practicar espanol or perhaps it'll be off to France next, parlez vous anglais?