Visiting Stoke on Trent

We were lucky enough to be invited to an area of the country that is well known for producing some of the world's best china. The area produced massive amounts of fine china for companies such as Spode, Royal Doulton, Wedgwood, Straffordshire, Portermerion, and many others. Some of the bottle kilns that they used to fire the china are still standing there and several china companies including Spode are still there. Our friend's Janet and Graham own a flat there and took us up for the day. Their area is also well know for its coal pit mines which are now being reclaimed as parks, forests, and even housing. The mines in the area have all been closed now. We did a short hike up a slag heap that is in the process of being reforested to get a great view of the area. We wandered through the town, saw the bottle kilns, and had a delicious Sunday Roast at Spode on some fine china. Above you will see Janet, Graham, and Brian with the town behind them. On this day we also learned all about Cricket. It was the last day of the fourth test match (England vs. Australia) and England managed to win the match. Graham patiently explained the game to Brian and I, and answered the many questions I kept asking. The game is quite complicated and very British. Cricket seems to have been fading here as many more people watch and play football (soccer) but this series has captured the attention of the country and it is again popular.

The Scottish Highlands & Loch Ness

We spent a few days in the Highlands visiting various area and enjoying the hill walking (their word for hiking). We went to Loch Katrin and took a steam ship to the far end of the the loch. We then rented bikes and cycled back the 14 miles, up some very tough hills to where we started. The views were outstanding and we finished the ride by hiking up a mountain for more amazing views of where we had just been. The heather that grows here is so pretty and it makes the hills/ mountains look pink. We also visited Loch Ness, but where unable to find the monster! The area is great and we'd like to get back up here later in the year, maybe early next summer. I understand the winters are very harsh. We only had about two hours of rain on one afternoon while we were here.

Fringe Festival in Edinburgh

After our early morning hike we decided to explore the city. We walked along the Royal Mile, visited the castle, ate lunch at a delightful outdoor cafe, and explored the fringe festival. The Fringe Festival is one of many festivals(a film festival, jazz festival, a military band festival, etc.) that take place in Edinburgh during August. The Fringe Festival last for 4 weeks and is really a performing arts festival. It includes art, music, comedy, dance, and theatre. You can buy very cheap tickets to lots of performances or wander the streets and enjoy the street performances for free. We did a bit of both. We saw an acrobat who rode a 6 foot tall unicycle on a hilly cobble stone road while balancing a glass of water on his head and juggling 3 metal baseball bats! Be sure to get a good image of that in your head because the picture doesn't catch it all. We also heard Scottish folk tunes, watched Irish Dancers, magicians, and many other amazing performances. We had lots of fun.

Park in Edinburgh, Scotland

After visiting the seaside we headed for Edinburgh, Scotland. The town is located on a firth. We stayed near Holyrood Park which isn't a typical city park. It has a rocky abuttment called Arthur's seat that rises high above the city and crags (sheer rocky cliffs that jut sharply from a grassy hill). These rocky areas are actually remains of an old volcano and provide a great area for a breathtaking hike. Our first morning there we headed straight to the top where we had great views of Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace (the Queen's official residence while in Scotland, the city, and the surrounding water. It was great but we don't have many pictures because the camera batteries died when we reached the top.

A Trip North

We decided to take off and head north now while the weather was more likely to be good. We got the fantastic weather we were looking for and saw many beautiful parts of this country. We started by visiting some friends in Rauhns and lunch withthem. They gave us some maps and lots of advice and then we headed toward the northern sea coast in England. We stayed in a great Bed and Breakfast overlooking the Norrth Sea in Sandsend, just north of Whitby. This is a rugged coast and the water was sooo cold, but it is a beautiful area. We went to see the Whitby Abbey and saw many neat towns along the coast. We even saw several castles.

We've arrived!
We flew across the pond on Aug. 10 and landed here the next day. My head teacher, principal, Richard met us at the airport and took us to our flat. It is small we have a living room with a kitchen at one end, a bed room, a bathroom, and a short hall. The whole thing is not much bigger than my living room in Wenonah. This is to be my home for the next year. We love on the edge of Enfield Town which is a very busy area. We live on the third floor, here it is called the second floor- don't be fooled it is on the third floor. We can walk a few blocks and be in town where we can get everything we need. The post office, bank, grocery store, hairdresser, mall, etc. Are all just a 5 minute walk from our flat. As you can see our town is quite nice and people walk everywhere.