no longer foreigners...

Monday, November 22, 2010

London + Friends = Joy

Shelty is here!!!!

What a weekend! Nothing makes enjoying England better than enjoying it with good friends. On Friday, Janice and our new friend Lisa were able to come see Spencer and I in Canterbury. I was so happy to show them around the town we've been living in for the past few months. Coming from Spain, the girls were a little shocked by the cold weather here, but they were troopers and adjusted just fine. After a tasty pancake breakfast in our kitchen with a number of friends, we spent the rest of Friday exploring Canterbury and checking out some of my favorite parts of this town.

Stuck between traffic on Westminster Bridge

Big Ben, Janice, and my new raccoon hat :)

The next morning we left Canterbury (Spencer, Janice, Lisa, our English friend Doug, and I) for a full day in beautiful London. Spencer and I had a fun time playing "tour guide" since we had been to London before (of course, we had a bit of help since Doug is from England). We hit a number of the big sites: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, British Museum, Kings Cross, and the London Eye. However, one of my highlights of the day was our evening in Hyde Park at the annual Winter Wonderland. It was like a county fair on Christmas-filled steroids. We ate some chocolate covered waffles in the German Christmas market, and walked around the park, checking out all the attractions, rides, and shopping booths along the way. It was a wonderful day.

A night in Trafalgar square friends

Trafalgar Square

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park

Spencer, Doug, and me at Big Ben

On Sunday, we went to Hillsong London for church, which was an experience all on its own. The church was massive, and full of people from all over. After church, and a bit of strolling down the shops on Oxford Street, we had to say goodbye, one by one, to our friends Lisa, Janice, and Doug. The time with those friends was priceless and I am so glad I got to spend it with them in London. After our sad goodbyes, Spencer and I spent the evening going to random parts of London we had yet to see, since we had an all day Tube pass. We enjoyed each others company as we moseyed around the city, and saw places like Fleet Street, the Tower Bridge, and the famous Harrods department store. After wearing our feet to the bone, Spencer and I called it a night and went to our friend Miles' place. He was so kind to let us stay over for the night, because we'd be getting up early in the morning to pick up our friend Chelsea (Shelty) Price from the airport! We could barely sleep though; we were just too excited to see her.

Fleet Street

Tower Bridge

Shelty is Spencer's dear friend from high school who I have been blessed to have in my life as well. She came here all the way over from school in Nebraska to spend a week in England with us and I have been looking forward to it ever since she bought her ticket to London. We arrived with a small sign that read "Welcome Shelty Price" as she came running down the airport to us. It was unreal. We couldn't believe a great friend from home had come here. We had such a good day today in London, and I can't wait for everything we are going to do this week. I'll be sure to blog as often as possible because I know we will be doing a lot. Now, we are back in Canterbury, Shelty is recovering from her jet lag (I am so proud of her for staying awake all day today after a long flight), and I am ready to fall asleep as well. This weekend, I truly experienced God's gift of joy. Goodnight everyone!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Three Unique "Must-Do's" of Canterbury, England

As I have been enjoying some more down time in Canterbury, I've decided to share with you three small pleasures that have caught my attention in my time here. Although they might not be popular tourist attractions, they are things that I have found as a local of Canterbury to be some of my favorite experiences.

#1: Oxfam Bookstore - Oxfam is a charity company found throughout the UK working to raise money to fight poverty in the world. Not only are they a compassionate company, but their bookstore here in Canterbury is the best I've ever seen. From the outside, it doesn't look like much (as you can see in my picture), but it's in the quality and affordability of their book selection that I grabbed my attention. The shelves are stacked with classical treasures, written as far back as the early 1700's. Some of my favorite finds so far have been a collection of Charles Dickens books for the late 1800's, a Bible written in the original Greek from the mid 1800's, and of course multiple copies of the Harry Potter series in their British edition (which I have been collecting in my time here). In addition, these books only ran around £3-£6 (less than $10) each, much cheaper than anything I could find in La Jolla's famous old bookshop or those back in Long Beach. I could literally spend hours in Oxfam Books. If you ever find yourself in Canterbury, this bookstore is a must.

#2: Starbucks - You might be thinking, "Kevin, are you kidding me? Starbucks?" but think again. The Starbucks here in Canterbury isn't like any Starbucks I have seen. This one is found in one of the oldest buildings in Canterbury, just next door to the world famous Canterbury Cathedral. The coffee shop, built in 1437, is full of rooms where one could sit down with a nice book and coffee, or just chat it up with some friends. The best spots in the house are in the very back rooms, which have windows facing the Cathedral. It is almost unreal to sit in a Starbucks, something we see every 100 yards in California, and be able to look out on one of the most amazing church buildings in England. So, in answer to the question I'm sure you all first asked when you saw 'Starbucks' on my list: No I am not kidding. This is my favorite place to sit and relax in all of Canterbury.

#3: Galaxy Chocolate - OK, this is not exactly a Canterbury specialty, as you can find it in all of England, but it definitely deserves to be on the list. Those who know me, know well that when it comes to chocolate, I do not kid around. I almost always have some in supply, in case of chocolate-craving-emergencies, and my love for chocolate has become so evident, that some of my friends decided to get me a 10lbs chocolate bar for my birthday last year. I do have my favorites that you can get back at home (in order: Milka, Guittard, Ghirardelli, Lindt, and Cadbury), but Galaxy Chocolate (which we cannot get back in the States) is the only common-brand chocolate I have found that is on the same level as Milka to me. I am already deciding what clothes I must leave here so that I can fill my suitcase with Galaxy Chocolate bars. It is that good. I don't know how they do it, but the chocolate melts in your mouth better than any other brand I have eaten. They have milk, dark, cookie crumble, caramel, and more (my favorites are milk and cookie crumble). If you go to England, even if you are not the biggest lover of chocolate, you must get Galaxy chocolate.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Germany: Living with the Locals

This past weekend, Spencer and I journeyed to Bremen, Germany to visit our friend Felix. We met Felix this past summer through our friend Janice. Him and his family were so kind to let us stay with them for the weekend and show us Bremen through the eyes of a local. Amazingly, our flight was only 15 Pounds round trip, so it was a great deal for us to go.

Bremen Windmill

It was a beautiful train station

The Roland Statue

The first night we arrived, Felix and some of his friends took us for a night out, trying some Turkish food and stopping for some drinks down by the river. the next morning, we awoke to the smell of traditional German breakfast foods and got acquainted with Felix's family. That morning, as it was Sunday, Felix took us to a church he enjoys in Bremen that actually has English translators. It was such a great experience to be a part of a German church service. Some of the songs were actually in English too, which was nice for us. After a nice morning at church, Felix's mom took Spencer and I into town to get a nice tour of Bremen while Felix had to study for his big tests coming up that week. She was so wonderful, showing us all the wonderful parts of Bremen. I loved that town! It's not a big tourist destination, but I recommend it to anyone who travels through Germany. It has a very rich history without the overload of tourism, and it is full of friendly people, tasty food, and beautiful landscapes.

The Dom (church)

Awe inspiring stained glass, this one of Adam and Eve

Inside the church

The Schnoor district

We returned home that night to a tasty "Bremish" dinner that Felix's parents made for us. We had some of the best meat and potatoes I've ever had, along with some delicious red cabbage. Speaking of food, Germany is good at making it. I tried bratwursts, schnitzel, a pretzel, German chocolate, and (my favorite) Bremer Knippe, along with all the food Felix's family served us. The food was some of the best I've had in Europe.

Spencer with some bratwurst

Old fashioned German candy shop

One thing Bremen is most famous for is the story of "The Musicians," a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. In the story, 4 farm animals from Bremen were worried that because they were so old, the farmer would be getting rid of them soon. Therefore, they decided to run away together to try and begin a career as musicians. As they were traveling, they came across a house of thieves. Standing on top of each other to see into the window, the four began to "play their music" for the thieves inside. Thinking it was some witch or ghost outside, the thieves ran, leaving the house for the four musicians, who lived out the rest of their lives there. It was a fun little story, and there was a statue in the town center of the four musicians, which was fun to see.

The Musicians Statue

This trip was so different than those that I've been on before because it felt like a home away from home. It was so comforting to have a family styled dinner and a pseudo family here in Europe. It wasn't a cram-it-all-in whirlwind through a busy city, but it was a time to slow down and enjoy culture, food, history, and all that God has created in the German countryside.

On the train

Now I am back in Canterbury, currently sitting at Starbucks, looking out on the Cathedral towering over me as I enjoy the warmth of my peppermint mocha. It has been such a good day to recognize the blessings I have been given here. I have encountered so many interesting people and made some great friends so far here. My prayer today is that I continue to praise God for these blessings and see this not only as an adventure in Canterbury, but as an adventure in meeting God daily in new and interesting ways.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Harry Potter World Premiere!

Today was an amazing adventure in London! Spencer and I took a bus from Canterbury to London right after our morning class to try and get a look at the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 World Premiere in Leicester Square. Knowing that this would be one of the biggest premieres London has seen, I had no idea what to expect, especially since some people had been camping out there since the night before. As we arrived that afternoon, they were still setting the red carpet up and forming the walkways, so no one really knew where to go. After being moved around several times by the venue security as they were doing work, we miraculously found ourselves at the railing of the red carpet just before the theater entrance. We were amazed at how close we were! There were thousands of people there, and we got a spot at the theater entrance! Even though it was extremely cramped and difficult to get pictures, we managed to snatch some photos of some of the cast as they walked by. Spencer and I both even got James Phelps, who played Fred Weasley (one of the twins) to sign our copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows books.

Signed by James Phelps (Fred Weasley)

It was truly a day of epic proportions. I know some of my pictures aren't too clear, but when they would come over to autograph, we were close enough for conversation (sadly there wasn't much time for that). Thank you God for this amazing day!