Leicester

One of the days I was in Nottingham my friend and I popped over to the nearby city Leicester (pronounced "Lester"). In 2012, Leicester was in the news because a research team found the remains of King Richard III in a carpark near the cathedral. His body was originally buried in 1485 in Greyfriars church in Leicester but the church was later destroyed during the dissolution of monasteries by Henry VIII. 

In March 2015 Richard III's remains were reburied in Leicester Cathedral. The coffin which is buried under the floor was crafted by a direct descendant of his sister and the raised tomb is made of stone from a quarry in North Yorkshire, which is especially fitting as he was the last king of the House of York. 

Most museums in Leicester are free which meant we had low expectations but they ended up being really great! We started at the Newarke Houses Museum which is made up of two historic homes: Wygston's Chantry House and Skeffington House. The interior of the homes alone were well worth the visit.

The museum also had displays of storefronts from the 1950s. We had some questions about the way the prices were written but the museum staff weren't very helpful. Luckily, we ran into a man who was visiting the museum with his granddaughter who answered all of our questions and shared some of his memories of the old money system. I've already forgotten most of the details but I am glad farthings, shillings, and half pennies are no longer used because it sounded very complicated.

They also had this old punch clock with a warning that reads, "...any employee known to ring in or out any number other than their own will be liable to instant dismissal." This machine looks much more complicated than anything I've ever used to clock in for work. 

One of Leicester's most famous sights is the Jewry Wall which is part of the Roman town's public baths. It is one of the tallest original Roman walls in England.

Inside the Jewry Wall Museum we saw a really well preserved Roman mosaic floor and had a fascinating chat with the knowledgeable museum workers. 

My friend is studying Anglo Saxon literature so the museum worker made sure to show us the remains of an Anglo Saxon woman who was found on a construction site. I was impressed with how nice her teeth were but apparently the Anglo Saxons didn't eat refined sugars. 

The museum guys recommended we visit the Church of Saint Mary de Castro. There is some speculation that Geoffrey Chaucer married Philippa de Roet, a lady-in-waiting to Edward III's queen) in this church in 1366. Also, King Henry VI was knighted in this church as an infant. 

St Mary de Castro is unique in that it has two naves. The original chapel was exclusive to the royal family so another chapel and nave was added for others to worship. The original external wall is now an interior wall but received some renovations during Victorian times. 

Our last museum in Leicester was the Guildhall where we learned that the city suffered greatly during the outbreaks of the plague. I couldn't resist taking a selfie with this mask of a person with the plague, as horrifying as it was. 

I am so glad to have been able to visit Leicester. It was a great city and we enjoyed many lovely chats with people at the museums and churches. It was especially interesting to speak with people who took part in the reburial ceremony for Richard III since it feels like history is still being made. 

Nottingham

I just got back from a trip to Nottingham to visit a friend of mine who is studying at the university there. She is a big history fan like me and we had a great time touring around Nottingham and other nearby towns. 

I love when a town leans in to what most people associate it with, in this case Robin Hood. As we walked up to the castle we took Friar Lane and then turned onto Maid Marian Way. 

We also saw many shops with Robin Hood logos and selling related merchandise. The local travel card for busses and trams is also called Robin Hood. 

I had to go see the man himself, or at least a statue, as we headed up to the castle. The stories of Robin Hood were an oral tradition told by travelling storytellers dating back to the late-medieval period. 

Nottingham has more manmade caves than any other city in Britain with over 500 caves found so far. These have been used as homes, tanneries, pub cellars, store rooms, and air raid shelters during World War II. 

Walking the streets of Notts (as the locals call it) we came across so many exceptional buildings. I thought that the buildings in Nottingham looked well maintained and it was fun to see a Taco Bell in the lower part of a beautiful old building. 

The Lace Market was once the center of the world's lace industry and was full of warehouses and salesrooms. These have been converted to modern stores, flats, and restaurants and is a very trendy part of town. 

We went inside St Mary's Church which has parts of the current building that date back to the 14th century and the reign of Edward III. As is common with most old churches, it was renovated in Victorian times and the stained glass comes from that time period. It is currently under renovation again with loads of scaffolding and pieces of stained glass removed. It was still beautiful even under renovation, but it didn't photograph very well. 

One building I was really excited to see is Wollaton Hall, an Elizabethan manor built in 1588. It was used as Wayne Manor in the most recent Batman movies and is five miles away from Gotham, Nottinghamshire which is where some think Gotham City got its name.

The Prospect Room inside Wollaton Hall is situated above the Great Hall but has never been used in the history of the house. There is not an easy staircase to access the room, especially if one were dressed in a formal Elizabethan attire. We had to climb up a very small spiral staircase to enter. 

We went out on the roof on our tour and the guide told us that it was traditional for homeowners to throw parties on the flat roof. It fell out of style after people who had too much to drink fell over the side of the house. 

Wollaton Hall has a rich history including its use as a base for the U.S. 508th Parachute Regiment before they took part in the D-Day landings. Our guide said his mother used to tell stories about the American soldiers she met who were staying at Wollaton Hall. 

This beautiful building has survived many tragic damages including a fire in 1642 and attacks by Reform Act rioters in 1831. But it has been restored each time and stands as a wonderful example of Elizabethan architecture in a lovely part of England. 

I really enjoyed my time in Nottingham and I think it is because the city felt vibrant and bustling, the local people were really friendly, and I had a great hostess for my time in Notts!

Galentine's Day

As fans of Parks and Recreation know, February 13th is Galentine's Day, a day to celebrate your best girlfriends. I celebrated this year in the traditional way...eating waffles. In the words of Leslie Knope, the founder of Galentine's Day, "Friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn't matter, but work is third."

My favorite place for waffles that doesn't require a reservation months in advance is Electric Diner in Notting Hill. Although I've been a few times when the waffle iron is broken, they made sure it was in good repair for Galentine's Day!

Here I am with Lisa and Suzette...some of my favorite London gals

After brunch, Lisa and I went shopping on Regent Street and Covent Garden. We didn't end up buying anything because the sugar overload from the waffles made us feel slightly sluggish, but we did come across the end of a parade celebrating the Chinese New Year which was really cool.

All that walking around meant we were up for more sugar (a must when celebrating any holiday invented by Leslie Knope) so we went to Cereal Killer Cafe for their stacked hot chocolate. I tried the salted caramel and Lisa got the Nutella.

Here is a closer look at my salted caramel hot chocolate. It had chocolate chips, caramel flavored milk, a bite size millionaire bar, and loads of whipped cream and caramel sauce. Delicious!

I am lucky to have such amazing friends here, especially since I live far from my family and friends back home. I had a great time spending an entire day celebrating friendship.

Sisters Don't Shake Hands...Sisters Gotta Hug

Warren's sister came for a visit and we made the most of her time in London. We visited Windsor Castle and were able to see the semi-state rooms (only open September to March) which are my favorites. The semi-state rooms were the private apartments of King George IV and follow suit with his very expensive and lavish style. 

The next day Margo and I headed to Oxford where we toured the Bodlean Library and went inside the University Church of St Mary the Virgin (picture below). It was a lovely church with hardly any visitors so it felt very peaceful compared to the busy streets of Oxford. 

Then we ate some chips at The Eagle and Child pub, where the informal literary group "The Inklings" used to meet. I enjoyed sitting in the pub and imagining Tolkien and Lewis discussing books or troublesome students from the university.

Back in London, we went to the Albert Memorial in Hyde Park. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria after her beloved husband, Prince Albert, died of typhoid in 1861. It was raining really hard that day so we basically had the memorial to ourselves. 

Across from the Albert Memorial is Royal Albert Hall. We went on a guided tour of the inside of the concert hall which we both really enjoyed. I was surprised to learn that it cost the same amount of money to build the Prince Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall. On the tour we saw the theatre seats that are owned by the Queen as well as her private stairway and entrance. 

This part of town is sometimes called "Albertopolis" because the land was purchased using funds made from the Great Exhibition of 1851, which was mostly driven by Albert. The money made from the exhibition also funded the Victoria and Albert Museum. The photo below shows the chimney (no longer in use) for the Royal Albert Hall. I found it interesting that it is separate from the building and how tall it is. 

Later in the week, Margo and I traveled to Bath to escape the bustling city and "take the waters" (well, maybe not the latter). The Royal Crescent is always impressive. The architect John Wood designed and built the facade for these 30 townhouses. The person who purchased the townhouse was responsible for building the back part of the house. The view from behind Royal Crescent shows the different roof heights and doesn't have the uniformity that the front has. 

I always love a beautiful church and Bath Abbey is no exception. I've seen the outside before but this time I was able to go inside on a sunny day to see the stained glass in its full glory. 

Margo and I had afternoon tea at the Library Lounge in the County Hall Marriott one rainy afternoon. The food was delicious and we had a great view of the river. I especially loved the sweet and savory scones. The sweet ones come with a strawberry jam that is made specifically for the Library Lounge, and the savory scones have a cream cheese and chive spread. 

I enjoyed Margo's visit immensely! We really covered a lot of ground in a short time and it was wonderful to spend loads of time talking and catching up. 

So You Think You Know Britain Part 7

In America we have TJ Maxx, but in the UK it is called TK Maxx. It is the same store, just a slightly different name. 

Londoners hate pigeons. There are signs in the touristy parts of town reminding people to not feed them, because no self respecting Londoner would feed these nuisances. I had someone ask me why I had vermin on my phone case, referring to the picture of pigeons. 

Some homes actually use this type of key for a main lock, which I never saw used back home. I only know the American English term for it (a skeleton key) but I'm not sure what they are called in England (they probably just call it a key). To me it looks like the key they would use in The Secret Garden, not an everyday flat key. 

Waldo is called Wally here! The Where's Wally? book series originated in the UK so Wally is the original name but has different local names for international versions. I never thought of Waldo as local to North America, but what do I know? 

Leave it to the Brits to make everyday items look fancy. The red mailboxes here are much more decorative than the blue ones back home. This middle photo is a dog waste bin in Regent's Park, and the last photo is of a police call box that is no longer in use. 

When I think of pie, I think of apple, lemon meringue, or even pecan. But these pie dishes are intended for a savoury pie like steak and ale, chicken and ham, or mushroom and leeks. That's not to say that they don't like desserts here, they just call them puddings instead. 

The national minimum wage in the UK varies depending on a person's age. I was disappointed that it is currently only £6.70 per hour (under $10) for workers over 21, especially considering London is one of the most expensive cities in the world. In the US, the minimum wage is $7.25 but some larger cities have raised it due to the higher living costs.

I'm always impressed by how much money you can have in just coins in the UK and Europe. In the US, if you have a pocket full of coins it may only be worth $5 at the most. Any guesses as to how much this handful of coins is worth in US dollars? Answer next week in the comments section. 

After many road trips through America, I can say that the cheapest food is usually at a grocery store. I assumed it was the same here, but as you can see below, the can of soda purchased at a small convenient store was only 65 pence, but the same can costs 71 pence at the grocery store. I know it is only a difference of 6p, but it still took me off guard!

Queen's English As A Second Language Part 11

Push the boat out--splurge, as in "I think we can push the boat out and have champagne tonight."

Buckets--a lot, as in "I cried buckets when Matthew left the show."

Way out--exit (used in the Underground)

Flatmate--roommate. In America we use the term roommate regardless of whether you share an actual room, a flat, or a house. 

Pies--meat pies, not sweet
Savouries--salty snacks

Fire Brigade--Fire Department

This is one about pronunciation. If you said this in an American accent, it doesn't have the same cute meaning. It is said more like "tuh-may-dohs" instead of "tow-mah-toes".

I know I've done both "carrier bags" and "rubbish" in earlier posts but I thought this bag was cute. A carrier bag is a plastic bag and rubbish means bad.

Partner--significant other, as in "Remind me your partner's name..." In England they use the term "partner" to cover any situation including spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend (long or short term). In the US I wouldn't have called Warren my partner but I do here. 

Brilliant--a term to describe anything, including a way to agree. As in "If you follow me I'll show you to your table." "Brilliant." Or "Just enter your pin now." "Brilliant." This photo is a screenshot from a time I had to accept new terms and conditions for an app. 

Nan and Grandad--Grandma and Grandpa, as in "My grandad just turned 90!"

Half Term--school holiday or spring/winter break, as in "Why is the bus so crowded? Is it half term already?"

Car Park--parking lot, as in "It took me ages to find the car in the car park!" Also note "High Street". I've done that one before, but it means the main street with shops.

Swish--fashionable or posh, as in "We went to a swish hotel for our anniversary dinner."

Tipple--an alcoholic drink, as in "Sherry is her favourite tipple."

Jelly--gelatin as in "My mom always put oranges in the jelly when I was a kid." Jelly in America is a fruit spread similar to jam but a bit thicker. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are very popular there. 

The face you pull--the face you make, as in "She pulled a face when I told her I didn't want to go."

Faff--waste time, as in "We can't faff around forever!"