Birmingham and Other Fun

It was a fun and busy week!  With only a few days left before coming home (as of today, just one week left) we felt like we needed to get as much London/England in as we can before heading back to the US!

 Reagent Street, Oxford Street, and Carnaby Street all had their lights on this past week.  These festive signs posted all the way up Reagent street have the Twelve Days of Christmas, one day on each sign.

 The window displays along Oxford street were so creative!  They had taken all sorts of household items and created different types of animals, a few examples shown above and below.  This is my kind of art, I love it!

 Christmas village window display 

All the shops, even Boots, the local drug store, get into the Christmas spirit.

Thursday Michelle's coworkers surprised her with a going away/you're having a baby party.  Our little guy now officially has his first two outfits and a darling pair of warm, fuzzy winter boots.  What a great team I have!  I have been truly blessed with wonderful friends and colleagues through this experience abroad.  

 Thursday night at the London Symphony Orchistra at the Barbican with Tamsin, Michelle's coworker.  A lovely evening of Berlioz. 

This weekend we went to the Christmas Markets in Birmingham.  There was lots and lots of beer and brats, as well as other German food treats and Christmas goods.  

 We passed on the 1/2 meter brat, but this thick, juicy brat was delicious enough, also leaving room for an ostrich burger, a chocolate filled donut, and a German treat (pictured below) that we don't know the name of, but was definitely the best find of the night.  So much food, if only our stomachs were larger!

 Nutcrackers

 The market itself went of for close to a mile, but this was the center point, near the town hall

 Beautiful English church near the market

 My favorite find at the market was this cute marionette giraffe.  We named him George.  I'm practicing to put on a show for our little one when he comes.

 Santa taking a snooze over the beer garden

 And these are the delicious German treats - wafer cookie, some sort of marshmallow and cream filling, covered in chocolate. Pure goodness!  The flavors below are marzipan and coconut.

 How do I fit my mouth around this goodness?!  Yummy :)

On Sunday, after coming home from Birmingham, we went for a walk in Hyde Park.  It's beautiful there right now (of course, it's always beautiful there).  The leaves are in full Autumnal color, the air is chili but not bitter cold, and the sun is golden.  While we were walking, a little girl, riding her scooter along side her mother, noticed Michelle's bulging belly.  She paused to look, then ran after her mother yelling, "that lady has a baby, mummy!  Mummy, that lady has a baby!"  We walked away with a chuckle.

Cotswolds

Last weekend we visited the Cotswolds.  The Cotswolds is a region of rolling hills in southwest England.  It is full of old English villages, many dating back to the 11th century.  There are homes, bridges, and other structures dating back to that time, still standing, and still inhabited.  If you're looking for the classic English cottages with the traditional thatched roofs, you'll find them here.  It's considered by many to be the most beautiful region in England.  We visited Burford, Bibury, Stow-on-the-wold, and Stratford-upon-Avon.

The town of Burford was granted it's charter as a trade village in the 11th century in this very building.  

 Burford Cathedral, surrounded by a cemetery, as most churches were.  It was beautiful!

 Burford main street.  The store in the center is an Orvis store, wish we had come here with Michelle's parents. 

This row of houses date back to the 13th century.  People still live there.  Certainly charming, but can you imagine the honey-do list on a house this old?!

From the top of the hill, looking down over the villlage.

 This row of cottages is in Bibury.  These date back to the 11th century.  Henry Ford thought these homes were so quaint and appealing, he tried to purchase the whole row and transport them to the US.  He was refused, and here they still stand in their original charm.

 We stopped at this pub, the Swan, for a delicious lunch of fresh trout, right from the trout farm. 

Stow-on-the-wold; the stone foot bridge in the distance is classic Cotswold scenery, so pretty! 

  Stratford-upon-Avon; this is the church where Shakespeare was buried

 Funky cotswold tree

  The home of Ann Hathaway. Shakespeare's daughter

 Where Shakespeare's house used to stand.  It was taken down in the 1800s because the man who lived there got so tired of answering to all the people wanting to come see Shakespeare's original home.  

 Classic Stratford-upon-Avon architecture

Shakespeare's birthplace

Covent Garden Lights On

Christmas has come to London and neighborhoods all throughout the city are having their lights on celebrations.  We started the season with Covent Garden's lights on. The streets were certainly decked and the main square had a big, beautiful Christmas tree.  They passed out free cookies as Christmas singers heralded the season.  We ate at Jamie Olivers (really delicious food!) to top off the evening.  

In 1605, a man named Guy Fawkes, along with a handful of co-conspirators, attempted to kill King James I by blowing up a portion of the Westminster Palace (the Parliament building).  The plot was discovered before any harm was done to the king and Fawkes was sentenced to death.  Ever since then, on the 5th of November, the day Fawkes's plot was discovered, England celebrates the escape of the king from this lethal plot.  They have bonfires and fireworks and all sorts of celebrations.  DJ and Michelle went to a Guy Fawkes celebration this Saturday, enjoying carnival like fun and food, followed by a fantastic firework show.

 The Carnival

 Though most of the rides were geared toward children, the ferris wheel is good for all ages!  Here is Michelle, just as we're boarding and ready to lift.

 The carnival from the top of the wheel. I'm sure this view is almost as good as the London eye. At least it was cheaper! 

Here we are at the very top, making our way around as they continue to board

The theme was superheros.  It was a two-fer night - two shows for one.  They had a kids firework display (that was pretty good in itself) and about an hour later, there was another show (the "adult" show) that they coordinated to the soundtrack of different super hero movies.  They had all the ones you would expect - Batman, Spiderman, Superman - plus a few, definitely British superheros - Austin Powers, Dr. Who, and, my personal favorite, the Pink Panther.  Finally Inspector Clouseau is getting the recognition he deserves! 

This is the famous poem British children learn in school commemorating Guy Fawkes day:

The Fifth of November

    Remember, remember!
    The fifth of November,
    The Gunpowder treason and plot;
    I know of no reason
    Why the Gunpowder treason
    Should ever be forgot!
    Guy Fawkes and his companions
    Did the scheme contrive,
    To blow the King and Parliament
    All up alive.
    Threescore barrels, laid below,
    To prove old England's overthrow.
    But, by God's providence, him they catch,
    With a dark lantern, lighting a match!
    A stick and a stake
    For King James's sake!
    If you won't give me one,
    I'll take two,
    The better for me,
    And the worse for you.
    A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,
    A penn'orth of cheese to choke him,
    A pint of beer to wash it down,
    And a jolly good fire to burn him.
    Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring!
    Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King!
    Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!