No Place Like Home for the Holidays

I was so glad to go home for Christmas, and it was completely worth the long flights and jet lag!

I wanted to just share two pictures that made me smile while I was going through them this week:

I brought home one English tradition that I've enjoyed in London - the Christmas Crackers.  I even made some tissue paper crowns that people wore with different reactions:

Sorry Mom and Dad and Grandpa for the candid photo!

And as always, on Christmas morning, Checkers was quite excited to open her presents (even in her old age).  She's still one of the cutest dogs I've ever seen!

Shopping and Christmas Dinners

In anticipation of a busy week with lots of Christmas parties and a few visitors, I laid low (for me at least) this last weekend.  On Friday, I checked something off my bucket list and went to see a movie by myself!  I saw 50/50 which I had been told was excellent.  I laughed and cried more than I expected, and it lived up to its reviews.

On Saturday, I met up with Karen at the brand new mall just a couple stops outside of central London, as I needed a dress for one of the Christmas parties that has a “black tie” dress code – I didn’t think to bring a cocktail dress with me!  I know what you’re thinking – a mall?!?  My mom called while I was there and said she expected me to be shopping someplace more exciting or picturesque, but I have to say, shopping in London is never boring!  It was busier than I’ve ever seen a mall in the US, with people filling every space you looked.  It had all of the UK shops that I wanted to look into, and it was nice to be inside on one of the colder days we’ve had so far.  It was a successful shopping day, though my highlight may have been the fountain drink with ice

That night, I had a Christmas dinner with a group I met through church. We had reservations for 35 at a small little restaurant, and luckily we had our own corner, as it turned into quite a party!  The food was excellent (I had the duck) and I made sure to get the traditional Christmas pudding (a first), which was rich but very delicious!  I was probably the only person who was quite so enthusiastic about the Crackers (another first for me) as the jokes were terrible, but I wore my crown proudly!


On Sunday, I rented my first “Boris” bike – a rental scheme supported by the Mayor of London – and rode not too far to the Museum of London.  It has been on my list to see with every visit, and I’m glad I finally got there.  It recounts the history of London from its pre-civilization history, through the Roman period, past the Fire of 1666, to modern day.  A lot of the older history is where they continue to make changes – they are constantly updating to reflect what they find at new building sites around London.  It was very cool to see history through such a specific angle, and I will definitely go back again if I can!

During the week, I had a few Christmas parties for work - two with the client, and an Accenture one for the entire UK Finance group, which was the black tie affair.  I was glad I had picked up a cocktail dress - everyone dressed up, with only a hint of sarcasm.  It was quite formal for an Accenture party - champagne, a full sit down meal, and fake casino games after dinner, but it was just as fun as any in the US!  The best part of the night was seeing all of the people who I've worked with in the past, but haven't seen in years (if ever).

With all of the celebrating, I'm getting really excited to go home to St. Louis for Christmas!

Edinburgh

One of the few places I had really wanted to visit during my study abroad in London seven years ago was Edinburgh, but as it neared the weekend people were planning to go, I got really sick and so missed out.  Needless to say, it was on top of my list of places I’d like to spend time while I was over here this winter.

The train to Edinburgh leaves just one Tube stop away from where I work, so I brought my bag to work with me on Friday and got one of the last trains out on Friday night. The train was full of people heading north for the weekend and had a party atmosphere unlike any train ride I had taken before! Because of how late I was going to get in, the owner of the bed and breakfast left the keys hidden in a flower pot for me, so I let myself in and settled in for the night without a thought!  Come to find out, I was the only visitor at the bed and breakfast that weekend, so I got great personal attention from the owner.

Holyroodhouse Palace

On Saturday morning I was off after breakfast to the center of Edinburgh.  I was staying about a 20 minute bus ride from the main touristy area, but the busses were so frequent and door to door that it wasn’t even a concern.  I started off visiting the National Gallery of Scotland.  Their collection of art was very broad, and it was set up in such a way that you felt like you were visiting someone’s home collection instead of being in a major gallery.  I particularly liked some of the Scottish paintings, as I had never seen anything by those artists before.  Next I walked down the entire “Royal Mile” – from the Edinburgh Castle (now mostly a museum and war memorial) to Holyroodhouse Palace (the Queen’s home in Edinburgh).  I toured the Palace, getting to see both the historic living quarters of Mary Queen of Scots and the current rooms used for official events and ceremonies.  It was amazing how well preserved so much of the Palace was, and how it is still a very much working ‘home’ for the royal family.  I finished off my day by wandering around the Christmas market and festival in the very heart of Edinburgh, and enjoying a mug of hot mulled wine as the temperature dropped.

Christmas Festival

Arthur's Seat

Edinburgh Castle

Sunday I woke up to snow, the first of the season.  It was just over freezing all day, so most of the snow melted, but could be seen on the mountains that surround the city.  I spent the majority of the day inside Edinburgh Castle.   I was surprised by how many different areas there were inside the castle to visit!  There was a war museum, and separate war memorial, but I spent the majority of my time inside the section of the castle where the Scottish honors (crown jewels) are held and where the royal apartments and great hall are.  There were also some beautiful vistas from the Castle, as it is on top of one of the tallest hills around, but I was glad to finish my visit before sundown, as it bordered on the eerie at times, especially when the crowd thinned at times.  Come to find out later, Edinburgh, and the castle in particular, are known to be some of the most haunted places in Europe.  Anyone who knows me well knows it’s a good thing I found that out AFTERWARDS, otherwise I would have never slept!     Even without knowing that, my visit to the Scotch Whisky Experience (learning plus a tasting) was a perfect way to wind down from my weekend and relax on the train ride home.

Tasting Scotch!