woke up in Plymouth and visited the steps that the Pilgrims left on. Very mossy and old. Next we went to Penzance and saw the island where they believe Camelot was. The ocean is not as blue as the caribbean but the color of light denim.
We then traveled to St. Ives where we had to walk down at least 200 steps to a beach city. It was filled with cobblestone streets and it is a Cornish town. We are actually in Cromwell. As you know Prince Charles and Camilla are the Duke and Duchess of Cromwell. We were told that this is more important that being the Prince of Wales because the property in Cromwell that came with the tile brings him over 30 million a year in income.
They are very big on cornish pasties and cornish ice cream. I hope to never again see a pastry. The ice cream was really good although. The cows in Cornwall produce a heavy cream milk unlike other cows in England. They use this cream to make the clotted cream for the scones. It tastes like a mixture of whipping cream and butter my two favorites. This has not been good for the hips.
We are back in Plymouth again for the night and tomorrow we are visiting Queen Victoria and Alberts summer residence on the Isle of Wright and seeing Stonehedge. We will be in Portsmouth for the night and then back to London. Yah and Nay!!!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
South East England
We saw another castle today from the Norman Invaders of 1100. It was then given over to King James around 1600's and it was all redone. I think all the girls would have fallen down the stairs in those dresses.
We arrived in Cheddar, like the cheese because this is where it came from. We tried several cheese and bread combos. It was really tasty. We wanted to bring some home but only hard cheese can travel and they were all really sharp. If we brought home soft cheese they said it would be green and mushy.
We arrived in Bath where we went to the roman ruins and saw the hot mineral baths. So much water runs through the ground you can fill a bathtub in 8 seconds. No one is allowed to touch the water today because of all the lead in the water. We then shopped in the plaza and once again ate scones with cream and jam. Yummy!
Next was Bristol where we spent the night. Kayla and I walked to the harbor and had seafood. It was not what we expected. The lobster was so small Kay finished it off in three bites. They dont give you a bowl for butter but dribble it on before they serve it. Needless to say we once again survived because of dessert. We viewed the Georgian period architecture and saw where they filmed sense and senseability/notting hill/emma.
We went to Wells this morning the site of yet another Abby that Henry VIII destroyed. There was an open air market and Kayla bought yarn. I guess she is now going to knit!!
Then off to Glouchester where we saw the burial site of King Arthur and Gwenaviere. Apparently they were dug up and moved up the hill to the St. Joseph cathedral where Jesus and his appostle Joseph worked. The Abby is ruin today because of Henry VIII.
We arrived in Plymouth. Very modern and concrete. It was completly destroyed in WWII by Hitler because it was the home to the royal navy. We traveled by ferry across the bay to dinner with the group. After dinner I noticed an earls house was next door and wish we had done that tour instead. Dinners are not very good, we are tired of eating mushy veggies usually filled with cabbage. Yorkshire pudding. Boiled potatoes. Pork. and warm water. If you dont drink beer, excuse me Ale or wine you have no other choices. We are already planning to find an Italian restaurant tomorrow night for pizza. We have not seen one Mexican restaurant. We have seen Indian food, an occasional chinese restaurant and sometimes a KFC, McD. or B. King but only bums eat there.
Tomorrow we are going to drive to the steps where the pilgrims left from and then to the farthest south west point of England called St. ives.
We arrived in Cheddar, like the cheese because this is where it came from. We tried several cheese and bread combos. It was really tasty. We wanted to bring some home but only hard cheese can travel and they were all really sharp. If we brought home soft cheese they said it would be green and mushy.
We arrived in Bath where we went to the roman ruins and saw the hot mineral baths. So much water runs through the ground you can fill a bathtub in 8 seconds. No one is allowed to touch the water today because of all the lead in the water. We then shopped in the plaza and once again ate scones with cream and jam. Yummy!
Next was Bristol where we spent the night. Kayla and I walked to the harbor and had seafood. It was not what we expected. The lobster was so small Kay finished it off in three bites. They dont give you a bowl for butter but dribble it on before they serve it. Needless to say we once again survived because of dessert. We viewed the Georgian period architecture and saw where they filmed sense and senseability/notting hill/emma.
We went to Wells this morning the site of yet another Abby that Henry VIII destroyed. There was an open air market and Kayla bought yarn. I guess she is now going to knit!!
Then off to Glouchester where we saw the burial site of King Arthur and Gwenaviere. Apparently they were dug up and moved up the hill to the St. Joseph cathedral where Jesus and his appostle Joseph worked. The Abby is ruin today because of Henry VIII.
We arrived in Plymouth. Very modern and concrete. It was completly destroyed in WWII by Hitler because it was the home to the royal navy. We traveled by ferry across the bay to dinner with the group. After dinner I noticed an earls house was next door and wish we had done that tour instead. Dinners are not very good, we are tired of eating mushy veggies usually filled with cabbage. Yorkshire pudding. Boiled potatoes. Pork. and warm water. If you dont drink beer, excuse me Ale or wine you have no other choices. We are already planning to find an Italian restaurant tomorrow night for pizza. We have not seen one Mexican restaurant. We have seen Indian food, an occasional chinese restaurant and sometimes a KFC, McD. or B. King but only bums eat there.
Tomorrow we are going to drive to the steps where the pilgrims left from and then to the farthest south west point of England called St. ives.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Liverpool
We got to liverpool yesterday and had dinner at the hotel. Once again the food was just "ehhh." The hotel we are staying at is literally the "it" spot in liverpool. There was tons and tons of Hen parties, which in America are known as Bachelor/Bachelorette parties. Only over here the girls and guys have to dress up. The girl who was getting married was in a firefighter halloween costume, and the boy was in a pink wig and yellow ballerina skirt. The hotel had people running in the halls all night, and some of them pulled the fire alarm, so the alarm went off at night. Some of the people in our tour even said that the people were knocking on their doors at night. DRUNK PEOPLE.
Mom and I sat in the lobby watching some of the parties going on. We realized that girls are way more into their hair here. The have perfect haircuts and no hair goes undone when going out for a night on the town. We went to bed pretty early though because we had to be up at 6am for our tour! All of the old people in our group were commenting about how short the girls dresses were, and all I could think about is..."wow, if they could only see vegas on a friday night."
Today we went to a a few small villages and shopped and ate. There wasn't much for shopping today, because when its Sunday in England the whole country pretty much shuts down all of the stores, etc. It really is a holy day over here.
We also got to go to a Castle today. It was amazing. It was our second favorite after Warwick. This castle was huge. It was still in good condition...for the medieval days that is. It was like a maze inside, and it was pretty fun to climb all around it and explore. Mom and I took so many pictures! There were little hidden pathways all over the castle, and you best believe that we found them all! We even found the "old toilets."
Then we traveled down to the Island that Kate and William live. We got to shop in the local store, but we didn't get to see as much as we would have liked. We kept hoping to see them strolling down the street, but we were not so lucky. We kept guessing which house we thought was theirs, but once again our luck was not so good. We have a few good guesses though! We saw a huge one on the water and thats our guess ;).
We got back to the hotel early tonight and for once we didn't have an included dinner with our tour group. It was sooooo nice! Mom and I had dinner early, walked around the city, took a shower, and got ready for bed all before 7p.m. They are all just getting back from their tour now, and we have already completed our night! We are getting a little tired of sitting on a bus everywhere, so it was nice getting to walk all around the city.
On the way to dinner I spotted a man running. I pointed him out to mom and we realized that a few cops where chasing him. We got to see a real police chase in the streets of Liverpool! We don't know why he was running, but it was exciting to see. The cops were getting tired, and the man running from the cops saw that they had a back-up car, so he just stopped and the cops that were chasing him threw him on the ground. The all handcuffed him and threw him in the back of the car. Mom and I took pictures of it. It was pretty exciting cause the man running away ran right in front of us. Never saw one of those before!
Then we ate at this AMAZING Italian place for dinner. The food was soooo good, for once! Mom and I kept ordering meal after meal because we finally had our tummies full with some good food! Then we hunted down a movie theater, because we were in dyer need for some salty popcorn. There popcorn was not freshly popped, but it wasn't as greasy as our either. When you order popcorn here you get a choice of salty or sweet. They also had beer available to drink, a candy store filled from ceiling to floor, and a ben n' jerry's ice cream. So different from home!
We just got back to the hotel now and we are going to try and skype a few and watch tv. We have an early start in the morning. So far we really like Liverpool. Can't wait to see the South of Wales tomorrow.
Kayla and Sandy Ornelas
Mom and I sat in the lobby watching some of the parties going on. We realized that girls are way more into their hair here. The have perfect haircuts and no hair goes undone when going out for a night on the town. We went to bed pretty early though because we had to be up at 6am for our tour! All of the old people in our group were commenting about how short the girls dresses were, and all I could think about is..."wow, if they could only see vegas on a friday night."
Today we went to a a few small villages and shopped and ate. There wasn't much for shopping today, because when its Sunday in England the whole country pretty much shuts down all of the stores, etc. It really is a holy day over here.
We also got to go to a Castle today. It was amazing. It was our second favorite after Warwick. This castle was huge. It was still in good condition...for the medieval days that is. It was like a maze inside, and it was pretty fun to climb all around it and explore. Mom and I took so many pictures! There were little hidden pathways all over the castle, and you best believe that we found them all! We even found the "old toilets."
Then we traveled down to the Island that Kate and William live. We got to shop in the local store, but we didn't get to see as much as we would have liked. We kept hoping to see them strolling down the street, but we were not so lucky. We kept guessing which house we thought was theirs, but once again our luck was not so good. We have a few good guesses though! We saw a huge one on the water and thats our guess ;).
We got back to the hotel early tonight and for once we didn't have an included dinner with our tour group. It was sooooo nice! Mom and I had dinner early, walked around the city, took a shower, and got ready for bed all before 7p.m. They are all just getting back from their tour now, and we have already completed our night! We are getting a little tired of sitting on a bus everywhere, so it was nice getting to walk all around the city.
On the way to dinner I spotted a man running. I pointed him out to mom and we realized that a few cops where chasing him. We got to see a real police chase in the streets of Liverpool! We don't know why he was running, but it was exciting to see. The cops were getting tired, and the man running from the cops saw that they had a back-up car, so he just stopped and the cops that were chasing him threw him on the ground. The all handcuffed him and threw him in the back of the car. Mom and I took pictures of it. It was pretty exciting cause the man running away ran right in front of us. Never saw one of those before!
Then we ate at this AMAZING Italian place for dinner. The food was soooo good, for once! Mom and I kept ordering meal after meal because we finally had our tummies full with some good food! Then we hunted down a movie theater, because we were in dyer need for some salty popcorn. There popcorn was not freshly popped, but it wasn't as greasy as our either. When you order popcorn here you get a choice of salty or sweet. They also had beer available to drink, a candy store filled from ceiling to floor, and a ben n' jerry's ice cream. So different from home!
We just got back to the hotel now and we are going to try and skype a few and watch tv. We have an early start in the morning. So far we really like Liverpool. Can't wait to see the South of Wales tomorrow.
Kayla and Sandy Ornelas
Friday, June 3, 2011
Today
We posted Blogs from the last 3 days today, because we didn't have internet at the hotel. If you want to catch up on the last 3 days make sure to read the 2 prior to this post!
Glasgow, Scotland
We drove down the west coast of Scotland today and saw the battle groundsof Glencoe where the McDonalds (us) were slaughterd by the Campbells. We also went on a boat ride on Loch Lomond where Rbo Roy stayed. There is a beautiful castle hotel on the loch for future use. We had lunch and bought surprises today in Fort Williams. This was an english stronghold in the middle of Scotland when they were destroying the clans. Kay had Ceaser Salad for lunch which consisted of old limp lettuce and chunks of chicken with a mayo type dressing. She shared my just as horrible chicken sandwhich. Fish and Chips have bones and skin, not like home!!
Glasgow is a large city with old buildings. It reminds me of downtown LA but is packed with people. Tomorrow we are going to Gretna Green ( like vegas) this is where couples came and eloped hundreds of years ago. Then we are off to Liverpool, hello Beatles.
Kayla and Sandy Ornelas
Glasgow, Scotland
We drove down the west coast of Scotland today and saw the battle groundsof Glencoe where the McDonalds (us) were slaughterd by the Campbells. We also went on a boat ride on Loch Lomond where Rbo Roy stayed. There is a beautiful castle hotel on the loch for future use. We had lunch and bought surprises today in Fort Williams. This was an english stronghold in the middle of Scotland when they were destroying the clans. Kay had Ceaser Salad for lunch which consisted of old limp lettuce and chunks of chicken with a mayo type dressing. She shared my just as horrible chicken sandwhich. Fish and Chips have bones and skin, not like home!!
Glasgow is a large city with old buildings. It reminds me of downtown LA but is packed with people. Tomorrow we are going to Gretna Green ( like vegas) this is where couples came and eloped hundreds of years ago. Then we are off to Liverpool, hello Beatles.
Kayla and Sandy Ornelas
Post from yesterday!
Yesterday we stayed at a hotel that had no internet, no shower (only a bath), no telephone, and only 5 stations on the t.v. Apparently Skye is still very primitive, and they didn't even get television until 1970! It was literally like being transported back into time! The hotel was not that nice...mom and I had a horrible night sleep. We could hear the people above us walking around all night! Every time someone moved we would hear "creeeek."
Yesterday we woke up and drove all the way to the Isle of Skye. It was a really long drive. Lunch was horrible, so the bus driver took us to a little village and everyone loaded up on panini's, ice cream , smoothies, and bread. If its one thing that Britain sucks at....its their food. It is so bland, the sauces are all wrong, and its the same thing to eat day after day. We can't wait to go home and have a good meal. Its not like we are starving either! Our new diet consist of bread, ice cream, and cookies in order to keep full. THey don't have any veggies here besides potatoes, and salad is a foreign language to most of the places we go. We are dying for a good ceaser salad!
Then we had a bus tour and we saw where Flora MacDonald's grave was. It was so windy out that we were literally being blown away. We basically just looked around at the atmosphere at all day and tok pictures. We think its a lot like Canada.
We took a walk after dinner. It was really pretty because we stayed right on a harbor. It never got dark all night, so the whole group took a walk at 10 at night...it was so bright out. We had to close the curtain to sleep at night, and it was still extremely bright out!
Tomorrow we head back to England!
P.S. We learned that people from other countries like to travel to America to eat, because we have "SUCH BIG PORTIONS."
Yesterday we woke up and drove all the way to the Isle of Skye. It was a really long drive. Lunch was horrible, so the bus driver took us to a little village and everyone loaded up on panini's, ice cream , smoothies, and bread. If its one thing that Britain sucks at....its their food. It is so bland, the sauces are all wrong, and its the same thing to eat day after day. We can't wait to go home and have a good meal. Its not like we are starving either! Our new diet consist of bread, ice cream, and cookies in order to keep full. THey don't have any veggies here besides potatoes, and salad is a foreign language to most of the places we go. We are dying for a good ceaser salad!
Then we had a bus tour and we saw where Flora MacDonald's grave was. It was so windy out that we were literally being blown away. We basically just looked around at the atmosphere at all day and tok pictures. We think its a lot like Canada.
We took a walk after dinner. It was really pretty because we stayed right on a harbor. It never got dark all night, so the whole group took a walk at 10 at night...it was so bright out. We had to close the curtain to sleep at night, and it was still extremely bright out!
Tomorrow we head back to England!
P.S. We learned that people from other countries like to travel to America to eat, because we have "SUCH BIG PORTIONS."
Post from 2 days ago!
Today we woke up and went to St. Andrews University and Cathedral. We got to see the town that William and Kate fell in love. We also got to see the beach where William was photographed surfing, as well as the St. Andrews golf course. Mom and I took a picture next to the 18th hole, and we went inside the golf shop to get a few things. Then we went to a café and had scones and hot chocolate with marshmallows as we over looked the ocean. It was really pretty.
We got back inside the bus and drove down to Perth where we had time to eat some lunch. It was really yummy food! We got to eat at this place called “McKays,” which was right next door to “MacDonalds” ironically. I ordered Macaroni and Cheese. It really hit the spot. I haven’t had anything that I thought was really amazing in a while, so I ate it all up. Mom didn’t have anything. We shopped in the town for a little before leaving for our tour.
Then we went to Blair Castle. It wasn’t like we thought it was going to be, but it was pretty fascinating to see. It was Georgian architecture. So many different Dukes had remodeled it that the style kept changing, and in the end that’s the style it ended up being left. Warwick Castle is still our favorite. We wish all of the Castles were like that one. We think that Blair would have been just as good if they would have left the style Medieval.
Then we got to our hotel and slept until dinner. They had us out so late for the Scottish Dinner that we were exhausted today. We slept on the bus most of the time, which is no easy task. The rest of the group did a side excursion to a sheep farm to see dogs herd sheep, but we opted not to do that specific tour. Not our cup of tea…I guess you can say. Plus, we already saw it on the way over to Scotland the first day by chance.
We just finished another 3 -course dinner at our hotel and now we are going to bed. We left everyone down there to enjoy the rest of the night. Mom and I are the youngest, and always the first ones to sleep. The rest of the “old people” stay up until 2 a.m. In the morning and still get up at 6 a.m. Last night all the woman sent their husbands to bed, and the woman stayed up drinking in the bar until the “weee” hours of the morning. Or at least that’s what we heard in the morning. I guess you can say we feel older than the old people.
The two Filipino people we had dinner with are friends with “Baby’s” sister-in-law. Once we said his name…there faces changed just like everyone does when we mention his name.
Well tomorrow is “Nessie” and the Isle of Sky. Just what we have been waiting for!
Kayla and Sandy Ornelas
We got back inside the bus and drove down to Perth where we had time to eat some lunch. It was really yummy food! We got to eat at this place called “McKays,” which was right next door to “MacDonalds” ironically. I ordered Macaroni and Cheese. It really hit the spot. I haven’t had anything that I thought was really amazing in a while, so I ate it all up. Mom didn’t have anything. We shopped in the town for a little before leaving for our tour.
Then we went to Blair Castle. It wasn’t like we thought it was going to be, but it was pretty fascinating to see. It was Georgian architecture. So many different Dukes had remodeled it that the style kept changing, and in the end that’s the style it ended up being left. Warwick Castle is still our favorite. We wish all of the Castles were like that one. We think that Blair would have been just as good if they would have left the style Medieval.
Then we got to our hotel and slept until dinner. They had us out so late for the Scottish Dinner that we were exhausted today. We slept on the bus most of the time, which is no easy task. The rest of the group did a side excursion to a sheep farm to see dogs herd sheep, but we opted not to do that specific tour. Not our cup of tea…I guess you can say. Plus, we already saw it on the way over to Scotland the first day by chance.
We just finished another 3 -course dinner at our hotel and now we are going to bed. We left everyone down there to enjoy the rest of the night. Mom and I are the youngest, and always the first ones to sleep. The rest of the “old people” stay up until 2 a.m. In the morning and still get up at 6 a.m. Last night all the woman sent their husbands to bed, and the woman stayed up drinking in the bar until the “weee” hours of the morning. Or at least that’s what we heard in the morning. I guess you can say we feel older than the old people.
The two Filipino people we had dinner with are friends with “Baby’s” sister-in-law. Once we said his name…there faces changed just like everyone does when we mention his name.
Well tomorrow is “Nessie” and the Isle of Sky. Just what we have been waiting for!
Kayla and Sandy Ornelas
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Fun in Euro
This morning we woke up and did a tour all through-out Edinburgh. We saw the "new" and "old" towns, as well as Princess Street. We had a Scottish tour guide and he was wearing the famous kilt. He was a wonderful tour guide and told us so many interesting facts!
He took us up the Castle where we had tea, and we got to see the crown and sword of the king from long, long ago. There was seven gates that we had to pass through in order to just reach the castle. This was to keep the invaders out of their territory. It was only taken over once by surprise. So far Warwick Castle is our favorite, because this one was turned into more of a museum, but we still have Blair Castle tomorrow, so that should be fun!
Then we went to the Royal Brittania Yacht. It wasn't as spectacular as we thought it was going to be, but it was amazing to know that we walked in the same footsteps as some of the royals. We also got to see the bed that Charles and Diana slept in on their honeymoon. The style inside of it was British Cottage. It had a 40's look to it. It wouldn't be my choice of style, but then again I don't own a yacht.
We did learn some interesting things about their time aboard the yacht though. We learned that the staff had to measure all of the silverware each night before dinning because it had to be exact, if the royals came in a room where help wasn't suppose to be seen the "help" had to freeze and stare straight ahead until the royals left, if the royals got tired of saluting sailors then the sailors had to take off their hats (because then they were not in uniform) and the royals no longer have salute, etc...I would feel bad living like that and having others take care of me, but I guess I don't have to worry about that.
We had some downtime to shop in the city, so found a family heritage building and looked up our family heritage. We learned that the last name "Houston" comes from the MacDonald Clan. We are highlanders!
Tonight we went to a scottish dinner show. We had dinner in a huge banquet room. It reminded mom and I of being at a wedding reception. Mom tried Haggis...yuck!!!! I wouldn't/couldn't do it! The show was really nice. They had dancers, bagpipers, comedians/dancers, etc... The dancing had a story line behind it, which was related to the MacDonald Clan, so that was pretty cool to see. They even had our "clan tartan" kilt on during the show.
The Motto's that the Scottish go by are "If you hit me, I will hit you." This is posted on one of their castles. The Scottish don't mess around!
We also learned that when the people in the "olden days" use to throw poop out the window...the pigs would be let out, and the would eat all of the sewage of the people. Yuck!
The Scottish tour director today said "Elton John is like a jolly fat man, with sausages for fingers." He then continued on to call him a "rich fruitcake." They have no comment sensors out here! Its pretty obvious that the scottish don't like the English either! They make fun of them pretty constant.
We didn't get to go into the Holyrood House, because the Queen is suppose to be in town in 5 days, so they have all of her staff/security down here getting it ready for her. Must be nice! It was really pretty though!
P.S. At breakfast a days ago. Mom and I noticed that they still sit the Blacks/Whites on different sides of the restaurant. It was pretty noticeable! I am not sure if everyone noticed, but was for sure done on purpose. Can't believe they still do that out here at some places!
Tomorrow is St.Andrews, Perth, and Blair Castle.
Kayla and Sandy Ornelas
He took us up the Castle where we had tea, and we got to see the crown and sword of the king from long, long ago. There was seven gates that we had to pass through in order to just reach the castle. This was to keep the invaders out of their territory. It was only taken over once by surprise. So far Warwick Castle is our favorite, because this one was turned into more of a museum, but we still have Blair Castle tomorrow, so that should be fun!
Then we went to the Royal Brittania Yacht. It wasn't as spectacular as we thought it was going to be, but it was amazing to know that we walked in the same footsteps as some of the royals. We also got to see the bed that Charles and Diana slept in on their honeymoon. The style inside of it was British Cottage. It had a 40's look to it. It wouldn't be my choice of style, but then again I don't own a yacht.
We did learn some interesting things about their time aboard the yacht though. We learned that the staff had to measure all of the silverware each night before dinning because it had to be exact, if the royals came in a room where help wasn't suppose to be seen the "help" had to freeze and stare straight ahead until the royals left, if the royals got tired of saluting sailors then the sailors had to take off their hats (because then they were not in uniform) and the royals no longer have salute, etc...I would feel bad living like that and having others take care of me, but I guess I don't have to worry about that.
We had some downtime to shop in the city, so found a family heritage building and looked up our family heritage. We learned that the last name "Houston" comes from the MacDonald Clan. We are highlanders!
Tonight we went to a scottish dinner show. We had dinner in a huge banquet room. It reminded mom and I of being at a wedding reception. Mom tried Haggis...yuck!!!! I wouldn't/couldn't do it! The show was really nice. They had dancers, bagpipers, comedians/dancers, etc... The dancing had a story line behind it, which was related to the MacDonald Clan, so that was pretty cool to see. They even had our "clan tartan" kilt on during the show.
The Motto's that the Scottish go by are "If you hit me, I will hit you." This is posted on one of their castles. The Scottish don't mess around!
We also learned that when the people in the "olden days" use to throw poop out the window...the pigs would be let out, and the would eat all of the sewage of the people. Yuck!
The Scottish tour director today said "Elton John is like a jolly fat man, with sausages for fingers." He then continued on to call him a "rich fruitcake." They have no comment sensors out here! Its pretty obvious that the scottish don't like the English either! They make fun of them pretty constant.
We didn't get to go into the Holyrood House, because the Queen is suppose to be in town in 5 days, so they have all of her staff/security down here getting it ready for her. Must be nice! It was really pretty though!
P.S. At breakfast a days ago. Mom and I noticed that they still sit the Blacks/Whites on different sides of the restaurant. It was pretty noticeable! I am not sure if everyone noticed, but was for sure done on purpose. Can't believe they still do that out here at some places!
Tomorrow is St.Andrews, Perth, and Blair Castle.
Kayla and Sandy Ornelas
Monday, May 30, 2011
Super Scotland
We left York today (our hotel was next door to York Downs) horse race course. We traveled to Durham and saw the cathedral they filmed Harry Potter in. It was built in1038!
Next up was Hadrians Wall built by the Romans in 289 AD to keep the Picts out. The Picts is another name for Painted People or Scotts. Think Blue Paint and Braveheart. It was 15 feet high and 10 feet thick but now its about 3 feet high and 1 foot thick. As you look around you can find houses and churches built from stone. Gee I wonder where the stone came from??
We then walked down the street to a pub called The Swan. Kay and I had our first 1/2 pint of ale. Warm and strong, only had about two swigs. So much for being scottish.
Next we drove the country roads to Scotland, I never saw so many sheep in my life. We watched Border Collies rounding up the herd and saw acres of green rolling hills with babbling brooks filled with salmon. Every now and then a castle or old stone cottag would pop up. As we came over the ridge a big stone was engraved Scotland and a man in a kilt was standing there playing the bag pipes. There was nothing around on the old road but him but it was bloody jolly!
Ate dinner with the group on the North Sea overlooking a bridge that looked like the Golden Gate.
Tomorrow its a tour of Edinburgh and the royal yacht Brittania.
Next up was Hadrians Wall built by the Romans in 289 AD to keep the Picts out. The Picts is another name for Painted People or Scotts. Think Blue Paint and Braveheart. It was 15 feet high and 10 feet thick but now its about 3 feet high and 1 foot thick. As you look around you can find houses and churches built from stone. Gee I wonder where the stone came from??
We then walked down the street to a pub called The Swan. Kay and I had our first 1/2 pint of ale. Warm and strong, only had about two swigs. So much for being scottish.
Next we drove the country roads to Scotland, I never saw so many sheep in my life. We watched Border Collies rounding up the herd and saw acres of green rolling hills with babbling brooks filled with salmon. Every now and then a castle or old stone cottag would pop up. As we came over the ridge a big stone was engraved Scotland and a man in a kilt was standing there playing the bag pipes. There was nothing around on the old road but him but it was bloody jolly!
Ate dinner with the group on the North Sea overlooking a bridge that looked like the Golden Gate.
Tomorrow its a tour of Edinburgh and the royal yacht Brittania.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Enjoying England
Above is the Oldest Gothic Church in the World, Mom and I at a "London phone Booth," Warwick Castle, and the Oxford College.
So…we didn’t get a chance to write yesterday because we didn’t get internet, so we are doing two days in one blog.
OXFORD-STRATFORD-AVON-WARWICK
Oxford: We visited the Oxford Colleges and they were really amazing! The architecture and the history of it is brilliant. They told us that “Harry Potter” was filmed at that college, so all you Harry Potter fans…be jealous! Then we saw the spot where the Bishop of Canterbury was burned to death, because Queen Mary sentenced him to death over religion. We also learned that King Henry burned over 70,000 people over religion, which was a bigger number than we thought. However, Queen Mary boiled and burned people. I told mom that “Henry may have burned more people, but Mary did it worse and way harsher.” Just goes to show when girls want something done we make sure that it’s done right. We also had some extra time to visit a museum with tons of artifacts from different cultures.
We learned that Hitler wanted to save Oxford and Windsor castle, because he wanted Oxford to be his main headquarters and he wanted to go to Windsor Castle for Christmas dinner. So those are two places in England that were untouched by him and his followers as far as destruction is concerned.
Avon: Avon means “river” and Stratford means “straight across.” The city means “straight across the river.”
Then we got to tour Shakesphere’s Birthplace, and where he attended school. We found a really small café and they had wonderful food. They had panini’s, soup, and scones. It was just the place we were looking for! It was filled with local flare. Then we went to Anne Hathoways house. We took a group photo in front of it. We also got to visit Winston Churchhills grave. There was a funeral going on, on the grounds so we made it a quick visit.
Then we just drove to through the country-side until we reached Warwick.
We learned that the English call the English channel a “Pond.” What a big pond that is!!!!
Warwick: This has been our favorite touring site yet! I can’t even explain how much fun we had at this site! When we first arrived we drove up a huge driveway. We entered the gates and there was a huge castle. We walked inside and walked 10 minutes to the River to see a jousting fight. Then we walked back up to the castle and went inside all of the rooms. They had actors role playing like we were castle guests and we were attending a ball at the castle later that night. They told mom “she must be available for dinner tonight with King Henry, because she was wearing red, and red meant that she was available.” We thought it was really neat. They had those clothes on and everything. Then we climbed the castle towers, which consisted of over 530 steps! We didn’t realize how many steps there were or we probably wouldn’t have climbed all of them! The majority of them were all up a spiral staircase, and the steps were smaller than our foot could grasp. By step 200 mom was on her hands and knees climbing the stairs due to shaky legs! The way down was not a to easy either!
At the end of the walk there were real people down in a dungeon and we got to feel the gear that the men fought in. The armor just around their chest was about 30 pounds. No wonder they had to be in good shape!
They also had people role -playing as servant girls and people in medieval gear eating lunch at a table.
At lunch Mom and I ordered “Lemonade” and we received “Sprite.” We asked the Australian ladies on the trip with us what they call Lemonade and they said Lemonade to them is Sprite also, and that they call it “Lemon Squash.” So….I tried order that today and I had no such luck. Apparently, they don’t have lemonade in England. They basically drink wine, beer, water, tea, and coffee. Barely any soda…no fruit punch or ice tea…and for sure no ice in any of their drinks! The one time I asked for ice in my drink they laughed at me and said “we don’t have any ice at this restaurant.” I have stopped asking! Hahah.
Then we got back to the hotel and had a nice dinner. We sat with the two Australian ladies and had a great chat with them about “Aussie.” It is two sisters who left their husbands for 12 days and it turned into a 7 week trip! Their husbands must think they will never return!
I got an amazing Ice cream out here as well. It is like the Alta Dena ice cream at the Pomona Fair only 10 times more creamy. It was literally like eating whip cream. Shannon would have loved it! I wanted to send her a cone through mail…guess it would melt a little ☹.
Another thing…toilets here are different. You have to pump the toilet to get it to flush. For the first two days mom and I thought that you could only pee once an hour for the toilet to flush, but then we realized when we called the front desk concerned about our toilet that it had to be pumped. After each pump and flush is a huge “eeeerrrrrrrrrrr” noise. It sounds like a cruise ship is about the leave dock! We could not stop laughing.
They have something here called “round-a-bouts” in the streets. They make us soooo sick! Its huge circles like every mile and you have to turn around the circle to get the street that you want. They are not our favorite, and we are for once happy about the streets in California.
COVENTRY-YORK
Coventry: In the morning we left for York but the tour guide decided to take us on an unscheduled journey. He took us to the town of Coventry where Lady Godiva rode naked through the streets. Supposedly she did this to make her husband stop charging the village people so many taxes. It worked! There is a clock in town somewhat like Small World at Disney where she rides out on a horse and then a second window opens and out pops “Peeping Tom” to ogle her.
It seems Hitler bombed this town to ruins during WWII so most of the buildings are very modern. There is one remaining ruin of a church built during the 1300’s that was burned but still regal. When we asked why they didn’t build the new one as beautiful I could tell they don’t appreciate the old building the way we do. They stated change is nice!
YORK: Love York!! This is what we wanted to see. The Duke of York built huge walls around his castle and today the city is built within those walls. The streets are cobblestone and maybe 10 feet wide. The shops are still standing from the 1300’s but today house restaurants and shops. We chose an authentic Italian restaurant run by Italians fresh off the boat. The pizza was great! Kayla was once again upset, NO ICE!!
There was special section called The Shambles, this is where the merchants within the castle walls worked such as the blacksmiths, leather makers, etc. The buildings were small, whitewashed, with wood planking and leaded windows. The doorways in the old buildings are maybe 6 feet high. We then took a Peter Pan type ride that took you through an authentic Viking settlement. The air was scented with all the smells of the period, such as cooking stew, fish, horse hay, fires burning etc. They also used real skulls from the 1100’s and recreated the wax figures so you could see there faces, (very bold and sharp features, blonde hair and blue eyes. The museum had dug up bones showing the battle wounds such as sword cuts, arrow punctures, and axe breaks. Skulls were smashed, legs broken and pelvic stab wounds really morbid but neat to see.
Finally, since it was Sunday (ha ha) I took Kayla to church. Actually we just wanted to see inside so we figured why not. The church was started in the 1000’s by the Normans and it took 250 years to build. It is the largest and oldest Gothic church in the world. It really did take our breath away. The service had choir boys singing and we expected to see Kate and William walk by. Privately we agree she chose the wrong church.
The wind was blowing so strong today it almost knocked us over and if you weren’t in the sun it was bitterly cold. I think we have walked 100 miles already.
It’s off to Durham and Edinburgh tomorrow.
Kayla and Sandy Ornelas
Friday, May 27, 2011
Lucky and London
Where in the world do we start!?
Well first off I am going to start by saying that we made it onto our flight to London. The flight was really nice and smooth. We had yummy food and my mom and I each got to sleep for about an hour to two each. Luckily, when my mom woke up her headache was gone. From all the stress, lack of sleep, and little amount of food we got we were feeling a little under the weather to say the least.
While we were in the airport we meet two ladies who were also traveling to London. One lived permanently in Whales and the other was meeting two girlfriends here for a tour just like us, only not our tour. We were telling the story to the elderly lady at the airport (72 years old), and she was telling us how it was her first flight to Boston and probably her last because she hated flying. As we continued to tell her our story she started feeling bad for us and offered her grandson up to drive us to "catch-up" with the bus. We just laughed and said "it was sweet, but we think we could manage." That was just the first encounter we had with nice and helpful people.
As the plane landed (ON TIME) we made our way to the subway and took an hour subway ride to South Kensington Street. Then we got off of the subway and tried to track down a taxi, which was a little harder than people made it out to be. First off...the taxi lines are in the middle of the streets, and you have to try and catch one without people in it. We stood there for a good 20 minutes with no luck, so we started walking our way down the street. With no luggage might I add. Did I forget to mention that the airplane lost our luggage!!?? While we were on our way to Boston..our luggage decided to travel to New York and take a sightseeing detour. Naughty luggage!
Once we finally caught a cab after walking a good 6 blocks we had it take us straight to our Hotel! We got out and were excited to finally have a room to stay in and shower. After all...we didn't get to shower or sleep for 3 days while we were hoping from one plane to the next. Apparently airports are homes, but showers are NOT apart of their 5 star accommodations package! Back to the point...we went to the front desk all ready to get a room...and the hotel canceled our reservations because we were a day late...EVEN THOUGH we called and told them! It ended up being ok because they got us a room, but we had to wait 2 hours to get it!
Since we didn't have any luggage we went down the street to a "Westfield Shopping Center" and bought ourselves some new clothes. Based on our luck on the trip so far we were NOT taking ANY chances! We were able to buy some new "knickers" a.k.a "underwear" and some new clothes. The airport has to pay us back for them too! :)
Once we got back to the hotel we were surprised to not see our luggage there, because the airport had promised that they were re-routing our luggage and it should be at our hotel shortly. We spent the next few hours with them on the phone and they said that the luggage was in fact at the airport, but they were not able to locate it and we needed to come down. So the hotel got us a personal driver and took us BACK to the airport (our best friend), and we had to be escorted by security to find our bags. Being completely pestimistic at this point we figured that everything had gone wrong and there was no way it would be there. It just was not in our cards; however, the minute we opened up the doors I spotted my luggage and ran to it with full force! My mom then noticed her luggage and we jumped up and down together in excitement! The security was laughing at us, but we were to excited to care!
Before leaving for the airport to see if we could find our luggage...a lady on a different tour than us offered my mom half her clothes and one of her luggages. She said she had overpacked and she wanted mom to have clothes to wear. That was the second gesture that just showed how awesome people can really be in a time of need.
After one terrible thing happening after the other....there really was no more going south. We had an optimistic attitude the whole time and it ended up paying off. We got out luggage, we are in London, and we are about the have a trip of a lifetime.
We are off to dinner now and then bed to hopefully get some rest for tomorrow.
Tomorrow we will be in Oxford, Avon-Stratford, and Warwick.
Hopefully the worst of the trip is over and it is all fun from here on out.
UNtil then....
Kayla and Sandy
Cheerios!
BTW...subways here are called "TUBES" and elevators "LIFTS" who knew?
Well first off I am going to start by saying that we made it onto our flight to London. The flight was really nice and smooth. We had yummy food and my mom and I each got to sleep for about an hour to two each. Luckily, when my mom woke up her headache was gone. From all the stress, lack of sleep, and little amount of food we got we were feeling a little under the weather to say the least.
While we were in the airport we meet two ladies who were also traveling to London. One lived permanently in Whales and the other was meeting two girlfriends here for a tour just like us, only not our tour. We were telling the story to the elderly lady at the airport (72 years old), and she was telling us how it was her first flight to Boston and probably her last because she hated flying. As we continued to tell her our story she started feeling bad for us and offered her grandson up to drive us to "catch-up" with the bus. We just laughed and said "it was sweet, but we think we could manage." That was just the first encounter we had with nice and helpful people.
As the plane landed (ON TIME) we made our way to the subway and took an hour subway ride to South Kensington Street. Then we got off of the subway and tried to track down a taxi, which was a little harder than people made it out to be. First off...the taxi lines are in the middle of the streets, and you have to try and catch one without people in it. We stood there for a good 20 minutes with no luck, so we started walking our way down the street. With no luggage might I add. Did I forget to mention that the airplane lost our luggage!!?? While we were on our way to Boston..our luggage decided to travel to New York and take a sightseeing detour. Naughty luggage!
Once we finally caught a cab after walking a good 6 blocks we had it take us straight to our Hotel! We got out and were excited to finally have a room to stay in and shower. After all...we didn't get to shower or sleep for 3 days while we were hoping from one plane to the next. Apparently airports are homes, but showers are NOT apart of their 5 star accommodations package! Back to the point...we went to the front desk all ready to get a room...and the hotel canceled our reservations because we were a day late...EVEN THOUGH we called and told them! It ended up being ok because they got us a room, but we had to wait 2 hours to get it!
Since we didn't have any luggage we went down the street to a "Westfield Shopping Center" and bought ourselves some new clothes. Based on our luck on the trip so far we were NOT taking ANY chances! We were able to buy some new "knickers" a.k.a "underwear" and some new clothes. The airport has to pay us back for them too! :)
Once we got back to the hotel we were surprised to not see our luggage there, because the airport had promised that they were re-routing our luggage and it should be at our hotel shortly. We spent the next few hours with them on the phone and they said that the luggage was in fact at the airport, but they were not able to locate it and we needed to come down. So the hotel got us a personal driver and took us BACK to the airport (our best friend), and we had to be escorted by security to find our bags. Being completely pestimistic at this point we figured that everything had gone wrong and there was no way it would be there. It just was not in our cards; however, the minute we opened up the doors I spotted my luggage and ran to it with full force! My mom then noticed her luggage and we jumped up and down together in excitement! The security was laughing at us, but we were to excited to care!
Before leaving for the airport to see if we could find our luggage...a lady on a different tour than us offered my mom half her clothes and one of her luggages. She said she had overpacked and she wanted mom to have clothes to wear. That was the second gesture that just showed how awesome people can really be in a time of need.
After one terrible thing happening after the other....there really was no more going south. We had an optimistic attitude the whole time and it ended up paying off. We got out luggage, we are in London, and we are about the have a trip of a lifetime.
We are off to dinner now and then bed to hopefully get some rest for tomorrow.
Tomorrow we will be in Oxford, Avon-Stratford, and Warwick.
Hopefully the worst of the trip is over and it is all fun from here on out.
UNtil then....
Kayla and Sandy
Cheerios!
BTW...subways here are called "TUBES" and elevators "LIFTS" who knew?
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Braving it in Boston
Where do we begin?
It is currently 12:30 p.m. in Boston and we are sitting in the airport trying to get some rest. In the last 24 hours we have slept a total of 3 hours on and off. We hadn't eaten anything in 24 hours, so we just had our first meal at "Fuddruckers" at the airport. Guess what? They serve breakfast! Who knew! It was pretty bomb too!
Our airplane doesn't leave until 6 p.m. tonight, so we are sleeping on the hard floor in the airport. I am charging my computer, because we don't know if our plug adaptors will work, so it might be out last chance to charge up the computer for a while!
When we arrive in London the bus leaves at 8a.m. and we are arriving at the airport at 6:25 a.m. Depending on how long it will take us to get through customs we MIGHT just make it. Otherwise, the first part of our trip will consist of getting a taxi to try and catch up with the bus tour that we are on.
We are trying to get upgraded to Business class due to all of the troubles we have been having with DELTA, but so far we are having no luck.
Luckily, we have been able to skype a few people at home and let them know what has been happening! We just keep looking at our watches and saying to ourselves...."we should be checking in at the hotel..." and "we should be shopping in the streets right about now..." On a positive note, we are so slap happy and delusional that we think sleeping on the floor in the airport is pretty funny...
My mom is sleeping on my silk computer cover and saying "wow, a five star resort...silk pillows" ..."oh and the bathrooms hold 5!" hahaha The airports have become one home after the next...
We are hoping that our luggage makes it there with all of the flight changes and delays. We had to describe our luggage to get it on the plane, and the attendants said that if our luggage didn't make it to london that we wouldn't get it, because they wont send our luggage international without us. Just our luck! I pray its there when we get off!
Until next time...
Kayla Ornelas
P.S. My mom and I were on the plane with a Boston Celtic...don't know which one it was, but it was one! lol
It is currently 12:30 p.m. in Boston and we are sitting in the airport trying to get some rest. In the last 24 hours we have slept a total of 3 hours on and off. We hadn't eaten anything in 24 hours, so we just had our first meal at "Fuddruckers" at the airport. Guess what? They serve breakfast! Who knew! It was pretty bomb too!
Our airplane doesn't leave until 6 p.m. tonight, so we are sleeping on the hard floor in the airport. I am charging my computer, because we don't know if our plug adaptors will work, so it might be out last chance to charge up the computer for a while!
When we arrive in London the bus leaves at 8a.m. and we are arriving at the airport at 6:25 a.m. Depending on how long it will take us to get through customs we MIGHT just make it. Otherwise, the first part of our trip will consist of getting a taxi to try and catch up with the bus tour that we are on.
We are trying to get upgraded to Business class due to all of the troubles we have been having with DELTA, but so far we are having no luck.
Luckily, we have been able to skype a few people at home and let them know what has been happening! We just keep looking at our watches and saying to ourselves...."we should be checking in at the hotel..." and "we should be shopping in the streets right about now..." On a positive note, we are so slap happy and delusional that we think sleeping on the floor in the airport is pretty funny...
My mom is sleeping on my silk computer cover and saying "wow, a five star resort...silk pillows" ..."oh and the bathrooms hold 5!" hahaha The airports have become one home after the next...
We are hoping that our luggage makes it there with all of the flight changes and delays. We had to describe our luggage to get it on the plane, and the attendants said that if our luggage didn't make it to london that we wouldn't get it, because they wont send our luggage international without us. Just our luck! I pray its there when we get off!
Until next time...
Kayla Ornelas
P.S. My mom and I were on the plane with a Boston Celtic...don't know which one it was, but it was one! lol
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Stuck In Minneapolis
Well our plane in LAX was delayed by 2 hours. We were suppose to leave at 2:55p.m. and the plane didn't take off until 4:55 p.m. The plane from Minneapolis to London took off at 9:45 p.m. and we didn't land in Minneapolis until 9:45 p.m. Basically we missed our flight by 6 minutes!
It is now midnight and we still trying to work our way out of this place to getting the next available flight. None of which are leaving to night, so it looks like we are spending the night in the airport where the tornado's just hit!
I had a coughing attack from running full speed trying to make the plane to London and my mom is now extremely tired. Hey at least the airport gave us toothbrushes, blankets, pillows, and an old cushion used by millions!
Kristen H. just booked us for a flight at 7 a.m. so it looks like the airport is our new home.
The next time we blog is when we land in London....Lets hope we don't miss our tour....otherwise we will be coming back later!
Oh, p.s. we don't get our bags until we arrive in London because they are in hold. If we wanted them we would have to wait 2 hours....sucks for us.
pray my mom doesnt get sick and I have enough patience to get through tomorrow!!!
see ya in london!
kayla and sandy
It is now midnight and we still trying to work our way out of this place to getting the next available flight. None of which are leaving to night, so it looks like we are spending the night in the airport where the tornado's just hit!
I had a coughing attack from running full speed trying to make the plane to London and my mom is now extremely tired. Hey at least the airport gave us toothbrushes, blankets, pillows, and an old cushion used by millions!
Kristen H. just booked us for a flight at 7 a.m. so it looks like the airport is our new home.
The next time we blog is when we land in London....Lets hope we don't miss our tour....otherwise we will be coming back later!
Oh, p.s. we don't get our bags until we arrive in London because they are in hold. If we wanted them we would have to wait 2 hours....sucks for us.
pray my mom doesnt get sick and I have enough patience to get through tomorrow!!!
see ya in london!
kayla and sandy
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Getting ready for Europe
Hello everyone...
So we had a slight scare about the trip being canceled due to the erupting volcano in Iceland. We still don't know if the plane is for sure taking off until 3 p.m. today due to the ash plume. I hope that everything is a go and we have a safe and speedy flight.
The weather is going to be a little colder than we originally thought! It was suppose to be in the 70's, and when we checked the weather today it was more like in the 50's and 60's. I guess we are going to have to rethink our outfits!
Tonight we plan on taking it easy, packing, and making sure that out last minute details are all figured out! Then we are headed for the airport at noon tomorrow for our flight to London (hopefully)! Still keeping our fingers crossed!
Once we arrive we will blog about our days adventures, so make sure to keep updated on the blogs and take our "European Expedition" trip with us! We will try and post pictures, videos, etc. but we will definitely be posting each night before we sleep!
Look forward to taking this journey with everyone!
Kayla and Sandy Ornelas
So we had a slight scare about the trip being canceled due to the erupting volcano in Iceland. We still don't know if the plane is for sure taking off until 3 p.m. today due to the ash plume. I hope that everything is a go and we have a safe and speedy flight.
The weather is going to be a little colder than we originally thought! It was suppose to be in the 70's, and when we checked the weather today it was more like in the 50's and 60's. I guess we are going to have to rethink our outfits!
Tonight we plan on taking it easy, packing, and making sure that out last minute details are all figured out! Then we are headed for the airport at noon tomorrow for our flight to London (hopefully)! Still keeping our fingers crossed!
Once we arrive we will blog about our days adventures, so make sure to keep updated on the blogs and take our "European Expedition" trip with us! We will try and post pictures, videos, etc. but we will definitely be posting each night before we sleep!
Look forward to taking this journey with everyone!
Kayla and Sandy Ornelas
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