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Safe in loving arms again of family and friends! Glad to be back. This is the last post so don't bother checking in again! Contact my cell or message me on Facebook if you wanna hang out and catch up:)

Seafood by the Sea

We had a great day in Alnwick and around the castle. I took Kari on a tour of the state rooms and also showed her the Alnwick Gardens. This evening we spent with Richard and Carol out in Low Newton. We took a nice coastal walk before having an incredible lobster dinner at the Ship. We brought some flower and Rice Krispy treats for them. At the end of the meal, I presented them with a small handwritten cookbook of some of my favorite dishes. It's really the perfect gift for them as they love to cook. Overall, it's been a most wonderful day:) 

Garden Picnic

Our stunning view last night. I love Northumbrian sunsets! One of the many things I will miss...

We had a wonderful time at the church picnic this afternoon. The food was delightful and the weather was sunny. At the end, Kari and I were given a farewell card. How thoughtful of them. Going to St. Michael's during my stay in Alnwick has been such a blessing to me. It's amazing how many great relationships I have built with the locals. Going home means joy in reuniting with family and friends but I am also leaving loved ones behind in Alnwick. 

Tonight, Kari and I made pans of rice crispy bars as gifts for some close friends of mine. Just a small way to show a big thank you. 

At the castle

Here we are back in my old home! Chris and Mary picked us up from the station and had us over for tea. Now, we are getting settled in! It's great to be back in Alnwick! 

Bath, Salisbury, and Stonehedge

We had our bus tour out to western England. We toured the Roman Baths, Salisbury Cathedral, and Stonehenge. It was a great day out and our tour guides were excellent. After returning to London, we took our final evening walk from Victoria to Leicester Square. 

Tomorrow, we are seeing the British Museum, Regents Park, and Finsbury Park before leaving at Kings Cross Station mid afternoon. 

A World City

We split up for the morning as I had my Royal Opera House tour while Kari viewed the Crown Jewels and Tower of London. Then, we met up and went for a 4 hour walk from Tower Bridge along Southwark, over to St. Paul's, to Trafalgar Square, through the Mall and Hyde Park. We attended evening song at Westminster Abbey. Afterward, we went on another long walk in the warm, breezy evening before eating near Piccadilly Circus. Another fine day in a great city! Did I mentioned how much I love London?:) 

London:)

Arriving in London was great and I had no need of a map! I know this place like the back of my own hand. I was bursting with happiness as I gave Kari a tour around Westminster despite our lack of sleep. Kari and I booked the last two tickets for touring the Royal Opera House/Royal Ballet. Kari had her tour today and I have mine tomorrow morning. While she was there, I toured the Household Cavalry, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The temperature was great and we did a lot of walking around through St. James' Park to Buckingham Palace. We also attended evening prayer at St. Margaret's. Our hostel is quite far from the central part of London but its easily accessible via the underground. Plus, paying 60 pounds for three nights in London for two people is an amazing deal! There is even breakfast included! We are excited about tomorrow's activities and I am just re-falling in love with London all over again:) 

Enjoying the view from Nelson's Column!

My washed out but happy face:) 

Versailles

After so many miles of walking yesterday, we slept in until 8am! By noon, we were enjoying the Musical Gardens of Versailles! They were so extensive and beautiful. Later on, we toured the palace which was equally impressive in extravagance. 

Last night, we took a night bus from Paris to London. So, we are very tired today as we didn't get much sleep. Thank goodness for coffee. In just one week we will be leaving for the states. It's exciting to be able to show Kari all London has to offer before heading to Alnwick for a final goodbye on Saturday. 

Paris

Left our hotel before 8 am and came back at midnight. We had a full day exploring Paris. We visited Notre Dame, toured the Louve, sat in gardens, walked for miles, and took in the Eiffel Tower by nightfall. I would love to go into more detail, but I am just far too exhausted! 

The last day of Eurail

Made it to Paris fine on our last train covered by Eurail. Excited for what the next two days hold! 

Unexpected Delays

Well, we had planned to catch a train earlier this morning and be in Paris by noon. At the station, we found out that it wouldn't be possible. Instead, we will be arriving just before 11pm. Unfortunately, we lose a day in Paris, but we get another afternoon in Cologne. 

Kalkriese and Bremen

Today, we spent four hours in Kalkriese learning about how Herman and Germanic tribesmen defeated three Roman legions in 9 AD. We really enjoyed the exhibits and also were able to walk around the ancient battle site in the forest. 

The evening we spent in Bremen. Kari recently did some research and found that both Kalthoff and Bandemer graves were there. We visited Friedhof Riensberg first where there were eight Kalthoffs buried. Once we arrived, it was a little sad because the information building was closed and the cemetery was so huge that there was little hope in finding any Kalthoffs. However, on the bright side, the cemetery was gorgeous and we enjoyed a picnic there in the sun (which we haven't seen in awhile). Of course, we looked around a little but no luck. Next up, Friedhof Huckelriede to search for the four Bandemers. Same story. Too big but very beautiful. However, we did find a Brandenburg grave. Even though we were not able to locate any of the graves we came to see, we were very glad we tried and still embraced the nice weather. 

Last night, we skyped the family back home which was a great time. However, tonight, we are getting ready to leave for Paris in the morning. Tomorrow is our last day to use our month long Eurail pass. We have definitely made the most of it. 

Cologne

We had a great time exploring this city. Our ancestors came from this general area of Germany so it was neat to see where they may have lived or visited. Sometimes people came up to us speaking German. Even though we look it, we are sadly clueless when it comes to speaking German. The cathedral was very impressive and we walked around the old town.  We also toured a Roman German museum dedicated to displaying artifacts of the area both from German and Celtic background and those influenced by the Romans since the early AD centuries. We went out to eat at a traditional tavern before catching a train to go further north to Dortmund. Tomorrow, we are going just north of Osnabruck to go to a museum about Herman the German. 

Luxembourg

We had a day of scenic train rides from Frankfurt through Luxembourg to Liege, Belgium. Tomorrow, we go to Koln! 

Frankfurt

Got here about 5pm. Stayed in the train station at the Starbucks and got wifi to locate a hostel. We found a nice affordable hostel just 100m in front of the station. They serve free pasta suppers and free breakfast in the morning. Frankfurt in general I can't really say many positive things about. We have found it to have a fairly uncomfortable feel to it.

Tonight was very frustrating as we tried to plan out the remainder of the trip. We hit many roadblocks. After several hours, we have completed booking hostels for the rest of our nights. A decent accomplishment. Tomorrow: we are going to Luxembourg. Friday: we hope to spend in Cologne. Saturday: we are planning to visit a museum about the Varus Battle and Herman the German. Sunday: we travel to Paris and maybe tour Versailles. It's going to be a crazy four days. I hope we enjoy it. But right now, I am drained and ready for bed. 

Hrensko

Yesterday morning, we booked a hotel in the northern part of the Czech Republic, deep in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. 

It took a half a day to get there. We got checked in and were impressed by our nice room. By 4:30, we were out on the trails. It was rainy and foggy which added to the mystical feel of the lush mountainous landscape. We hiked to the natural stone bridge, which was filmed for the opening scene of the Narnia movies. It was truly a majestic sight to take in. The way back to the hotel was less enjoyable as the wind and rain became more harsh. 

This morning, we got up at 5:00 to go hiking in the Kamenice river gorge. It was a long, cold, rainy walk to get there, but it was so worth leaving our warm beds. Between last night and this morning, we hiked 20 kilometers. Just a indicator about the beauty of this area and our determination to see it during our short stay. At 8:00, we enjoyed the hotel's breakfast and planned out our route. Now, we have just completed our long day of travel from Hrensko, Czech Republic to Frankfurt, Germany. We are both excited to explore the area where our ancestors are from over the next few days before going to Paris on Sunday. 

Prague

Yesterday, we took a 4 hour free city tour around Prague learning about the history and culture. It was a fantastic way to experience the city and our tour guide Andrea was superb! Later on, we went out for beer and embraced the Czech way of life! 

Flying high

Today we had a nice breakfast with Sue and Ant who housed us last night. We went to church and then headed off for the airport. The flight to Prague was only two hours and we arrived a little before 8.

Our hostel is in a very nice part of Prague. We already love it here.

Ceiling of our dorm room!!

Street of Prague near Charles Bridge

Lady Melissa Percy's Wedding

Today was spectacular, truly magical! It has been my favorite day abroad so far. We got the perfect spots for viewing all the guests walking to and from the church. We got to see everyone in their finest clothing and hats. We got to see many famous guests, including William, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Pippa Middleton, Chelsy Davy, Eugene, Beatrice, Duke Ralph, Duchess Jane, Earl George, Lord Max, Lady Katie, Lady Melissa (the Bride) and her groom Thomas Van Straubenzee. It was a marvelous wedding. They really went all out and the firework display this evening really topped off the night! 

The big day for Lady Melissa!

The energy is high in town! We are looking forward to seeing all the famous guests in their fancy clothes and celebrating with the Alnwick community! Should be a great time! Met up with Chris and Mary by chance at the post office so we went out for coffees! Now just waiting for the excitement to start. O wait,

I am already there:)