sad news

Sorry friends - I won't be able to blog for the rest ofNicholas Leonidas Xydes and I's trip. LCD screen on my laptop cracked while traveling from Krakow to Prague and I can't see anything.  a bit sad at the moment because i was having a lot of fun sharing our adventures with you all. Thanks for all the compliments though and following along

Why Poland?

When Nick and I told people where we were going for this 3 week trip, several people commented about how lovely some of the other cities would be (Budapest, Prague and Salzburg) but out of curiosity, many asked why we chose to visit Krakow (and Poland for that matter). The answer is plain and simple: while studying abroad in Spain, I met a girl in our hostel in Zurich, Switzerland who studied in Krakow and told me it was the most beautiful city in Europe since it was virtually untouched by WWII relative to other cities. Ever since, I've always wanted to go and explore this gorgeous central European city. After being here 2 days, I am so very glad I listened to her, because I think I've left a piece of my heart here (another piece is in Barcelona, Spain). I don't even think these pictures accurately capture the beauty and history of this city...but we tried as best we could.

On Wednesday morning, Nick and I took Ryanair from Manchester to Krakow, a 3 hour flight. We were new to Ryanair so weren't expecting much and it's very bare bones. Thankfully, our friend Dave got us there early and I was able to do some blogging beforehand at the airport. We both had a little snooze on the plane - this trip has helped us both learn to sleep in the most uncomfortable places when one is sleep deprived.  When we got off the plane, our AirBnB hosts arranged for someone to pick us up from the airport and drop us off at our Krakow home for the next 2 days.

For lunch, we stumbled upon one of of Krakow's oldest dining establishments - Jama Michalika. Upon entering the restaurant, we felt as though we had time traveled  back to the late 1800's - lush green velvet chairs, dark wood furniture, old fashioned lighting, etc. Turns out, this cafe has seen Krakow's actors, literary greats and cabaret artists drink coffee and absinthe since 1908. Apparently, when these artists were unable to pay their tabs, they would pay with their paintings/poems/drawings/etc which is why the walls are now decorated with caricatures of these cultural firebrands. The photos aren't the highest quality since we used the camera on our phones and it was quite dark - we forgot to bring the camera!

Inside Jama Michalika

Another interior view of the restaurant

Okay, so now on to the food - since this wouldn't be a blog written by me if it didn't have photos of the food. Nick and I ordered traditional Barszcz as our starter, which means "Borscht" in Polish. It's beet soup served hot with a strong garlic and onion flavor to it. I devoured it, Nick thought it was alright in small doses. For our main, we had pierogi or Polish ravioli stuffed with either mushroom and cheese or beef. It was so incredibly filling!

Polish Borscht..mmm delicious and garlic-y!

Polish ravioli filled with either meat and/or mushroom and cheese. 

 They were kind enough to give us a to go box (which I don't think most people ask for). Oh and last but not least - our meal cost less than $16! We could definitely have dined for less but this goes to show how far you can stretch your dollar and eat REALLY well in central Europe, unlike western and northern Europe where the exchange rate tends to hurt Americans.

With full bellies, we finished just in time to join one of the many free walking tours offered in Krakow. We chose to do the Old Town tour, which was excellent! Our guide walked us through all of old town, sharing historical tid bits and stories with us and it lasted 2.5 hours! Check out the photos from the walking tour.

The Oldest University in Krakow...gives Santa Clara a run for its money no?

Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow, looks over the entire city. 

Fire breathing dragon statue just oustide the castle. 

Gate as you enter the royal castle. 

Up close shot of the castle and its gorgeous gardens. Our jaws dropped when we saw this. 

The main square in old town. You see lots of horse drawn carriages taking tourists around. St. Mary's Basilica is on the right. 

A local artists sells his paintings. Nick and I are contemplating purchasing one! 

Another horse drawn chariot. This was my favorite! And I took this one :) 

One of my best photos I think. I love the italian style houses in the back - so colorful and beautiful 

Nick and I in front of St. Mary's Basilica. I think I've worn this outfit far too many times but it does get chilly at night here. 

View of the fountain, plaza homes, and St. Mary's Basilica. 

View of the Market/Merchant's hall on the left and clock tower in the middle-ish. 

Visitors enjoying their meal under the roof of Market/Merchant's hall. 

Nick and I in front of Market/Merchant's Hall. 

The clock tower in Krakow. 

The weather was absolutely incredible and it was such a wonderful way to welcome us to the city and get acquainted to the culture. Total step count per my fit bit: 19,872 steps in one day. Crazy!

The walking tour worked up our appetites as well, so we used the free map given to us by our guide, which has been a huge life saver. It has Polish phrases, customs, cultural nuances, and restaurant recommendations with discounts. We went with the closest one (Nick was really hungry and I never say no to food :) ) , which was Dorba Kasza Nasza. We were pleasantly surprised by how filling the buckwheat was. It was a very trendy, hipster restaurant (reminded us of Portland actually) and we had a liter of freshly squeezed Lemonade to complement the meal. I ordered the Curry Chicken which had olives, chicken, onions, along with a garlic sauce mixed in with the buckwheat grain (similar to quinoa in texture but a bit bigger) and Polish salad mixture. Nick ordered the pork with buckwheat.

Curry Chicken with Buckwheat! mmmm!! With freshly squeezed lemonade in the background. 

Polish salad - it's a mixture of different "cold salads" - sauerkraut, carrot, celery with raisins, etc. 

Not only was it incredibly delicious and filling, but very affordable. The whole meal came out to 50 PLN, or $14 USD.

We came back home, edited some photos, and quickly fell asleep. What a fabulous first day in Poland!

A Few of My Favorite Things About Stone

Hello again! 

As Nick and I left my grandmothers' on Wednesday morning, I thought it would be fun for you all to see my favorite things about Stone!

A bit of background: I first came to Stone when I was 6 years old and have come back every 2-3 years as I grew up. Each year, this charming little town has hardly changed with the exception of some new shops in town and perhaps some new neighbors, which is why I think I love it so much. It really is the ideal quaint little English town - let me show you in pictures some of my favorite things (queue the theme from "The Sound of Music")

1) Charming shops & shopkeepers of the high street
I absolutely adore how everytime I step into a shop, I am greeted with "allo duck!", "tara pet!" or "your welcome sweetheart". It warms my heart :)

The High Street on a Sunday afternoon (most of the shops are closed then) 

Stone Center, with one of my favorite pubs, Whetherspoon's in the back. 

2) The Stone Plot 
Nick and I went for a few walks here while we were visiting and the scenery just takes my breath away and calms me almost instantly. My stress just melts away at the sight of the lush green hills, wildflowers (dandelions shown below) and great big trees. I could walk for miles really, especially when the night is drawing in. It also helps that the plot is walking distance from my grannie's house.

The Plot at sunsest

Nick took this one, look at all the dandelions in the grass!

3) Friendly cows and sheep (especially the baby lambs!) 
 I think the friendliness from locals trickles down to the animals as well! They should alter the phrase "happy cows come from California" and make it "happy cows/sheep/dogs/cats come from Stone".

I was ready to take this little lamb with me...isn't it precious?!

Can't forget my favorite cat from princes street! 

Met this friendly 12 week old French bulldog while walking on the downs banks. Again, I was ready to pack this little guy with me. His name was Pablo :) 

4) Mesmerizing country lanes and scenery 
Need I say more? I'll let the photos do the talking!

5) And last, but certainly not least, visiting my grannie! 

Thanks for reading!

Popping into London to celebrate 9 years together

Cheerio Friends!

Nick and I popped into London for the day on Monday for a little taste of this beautiful city and to celebrate our anniversary.

We woke up at 9 am and walked down the town to the Stone Station but were greeted with cancellation notices for our trains due to electrical supply issues. Thankfully, the transit authority arranged for a shuttle to pick us up (and other passengers) from Stone station and take us to Stafford, the nearest station where trains were operating. We ended up benefiting because rather than take the economy train, we were able to take Virgin into London, which was excellent albeit a bit crowded.

Stone Train Station...isn't it gorgeous? 

We arrived in London at lunchtime and had lunch with our friend, Roger, who used to work with my dad. He took us to this wonderful restaurant that had an old Victorian theme and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We each had local fish as our main. I would have taken a photo but it was so delicious I couldn't bear to take out my camera as it would detract from the gastronomic experience.

After a lovely chat and fabulous lunch, Nick and I took off to walk around London and soak up the English sunshine (about 73 F that day). We had both been to London and seen the major sites, so we knew doing something indoors wouldn't satisfy us, so we just walked as we pleased and enjoyed the jaw droppingly beautiful city of London.

We started in Piccadilly circus then proceeded to Saint James Park. There were so many tourists walking about ! I commented to Nick how, when sitting on a bench, you could easily hear 10+ foreign languages being spoken in this park alone - the joys of city living no? And again, no trip to a gorgeous British park would be complete without some garden photos.

Piccadilly Circus in London 

Nick and I at Saint James' Park near Buckingham Palace. Look at that gorgeous pink flower in the back! 

Saint James' Park in London ....so lovely and green!

View of the lake in Saint James' Park - I think this was my favorite from the day!

 Thirty minutes into our walk, my food coma had subsided and I was craving a bit of chocolate. Nick knew what to do - 5 minutes later I was happily enjoying a chocolate magnum outside Buckingham Palace.

Chocolate magnums are my favorite!

Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. 

 Thanks to Roger's generosity, Nick and I were able to hop on and off the tube as we explored the town in the few hours we were there.

The London Eye and River Thames. 

Why hello there! 

On the way to see some sights, Nick found some colorful graffiti he thought was cool.

 We decided to check out a local market called Leadenhall market, a covered market that is one of the oldest in London (dates back to the 14th century!) and was used in several Harry Potter films (used to represent the area of London near the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley in Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone).

Leadenhall Market 

Originally a meat, game and poultry market, it stands on what was the center of Roman London. It was GORGEOUS - I will let the photos speak for themselves. We couldn't believe how beautiful this historical gem was..check out the architecture and the old-fashioned signs.

The pen shop..how darling!

Isn't it stunning? Nick and I were very impressed. 

Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and take the train back to Stone. We grabbed a dinner to go from Chop'd (a vendor in Leadenhall) and enjoyed it on the train ride back.

A splendid day indeed - certainly a memorable and fun way to celebrate our anniversary. Thank you again Roger for taking us to lunch and lending us the Oyster passes!

Back to Stone we go!

Nick took this one...I thought it was too good not to include. 

Bridgnorth

Hello friends! 

On Saturday, Nick and I went with our friends Ken and Carol to visit Bridgnorth, a quaint little town on a hill near Shropshire (about an hour away from my grannie's). We had never been before and so glad Ken and Carol surprised us with such a lovely day trip!

We parked the car, and walked up the (many) steps to high town to get some good views. We later learned that the steps were built for donkeys since they were the only way to get goods up to high town!

The picturesque town of Bridgnorth. "High Town" is on the left side of the river and "Low Town" on the left. 

View of "High Town"

After getting our bearings, we decided to ride England's shortest yet steepest funicular railway, the Cliff Railway. I've ridden similar railways but my I was impressed with this one. It has been in operation for over 100 years , linking low town with high town.

Nick took this one - excellent view of the railway car and low town. 

From left to right: Carol, Ken and myself ready for the ride up to high town. Yipee!!

Up we go! Look at that beautiful moss growing up on the side.

We were feeling a bit peckish after all the walking, so Ken suggested we have tea at the Winding House Tea Room located in the terminal of high town. It was a terrific choice! Ken had coffee cake, Carol had carrot cake, and Nick and I picked the cherry scones (to each his/her own) since when it comes to sweets, its hard for us to share.

Down we go for tea...can you tell I'm excited for tea and scones?

Delicious home baked cherry scone with clotted cream, locally made raspberry jam, and Darjeeling tea (apparently the champagne of teas!)

Now that was a tea to remember! Terrific service and lovely food. And when they brought out the menu, they had an ENTIRE page devoted to different kinds of tea (lots of loose leaf choices as well). Let's just say I was in tea heaven :) 

A view of one of the tables in the tea room overlooking the castle hill railway car. Photographer: yours truly! 

After refueling, we explored high town and browsed the many darling shops. I really don't think adorable describes this place enough - I felt as though someone had plopped me into the middle of a medieval English town. What's even nicer is that given its location, there hasn't been a lot of redevelopment, so the cobble stone streets and unique architecture are still here. 

Carol and I admiring the darling little shops - we enjoyed the retail therapy and catch-up ;)

While Carol and I browsed the shops, the boys found another way of entertaining themselves...indulging in some delicious ice cream! I believe the saying is "no vacation is complete without ice cream". 

The boys enjoying their ice cream at Bridgnorth

Nick captured this beautiful alley way in Bridgnorth. 

At this point, Nick essentially lost his camera. I just took it and started going wild taking photos of different things. In particular, I've developed a slight photographic obsession with colorful doors. Aren't these darling?! I call these the British painted ladies...like the painted ladies from San Francisco, just smaller (very British!). 

The British Painted Ladies. Look at the colors ! And the little sign...just charming, so so charming!

I love the contrast of the pink and blue doors (see below), and the little pots in the center. Doesn't this make you want to live here?! I know I was ready to hire a Uhaul truck and make this my getaway English cottage. 

Probably one of my favorite shots I've taken so far. 

On second thoughts, this would be my getaway cottage. Yellow is my favorite color :) 

Found this in one of the local markets. Don't ask why I laughed out loud when I read it...and contemplated buying it. ;-) 

After a terrific day trip, we headed back to the car and stopped once more to see the steam train. What a beauty it was! I'm so glad that there are volunteers that spend their time, money and resources on preserving such a beautiful piece of history. 

One of Britain's last functioning steam trains. Reminded us of the Hogwarts Express! 

Nick took this gorgeous shot on our way back from Bridgnorth. I think it captures the beauty of the English countryside, don't you?