Me in Melange

Euro Adventure 2019: Day 38 The English Life & Double Mexican

Such a lovely and mellow day.  We rolled out of the house late in the morning, in no particular hurry.  It was a little cooler than yesterday which was nice, and we were only headed about 25 minutes away to a town called Cheltenham which is more of a town, not a village (about 150k live there), to have lunch and stroll around.  I really wanted to see Bristol, but we knew the kids weren't going to be down with the drive that was over an hour long. They've reached their car limit for sure.  I'm adding Bristol to places I want to see when we come back.

Cheltenham is really a city, with newer buildings and it doesn't feel touristy at all.  It's on the edge of the Cotswolds, and while I don't think it is a "destination" unto itself necessarily (not a lot there), we had fun walking around, looking for birthday gifts for friends and family (why is everyone's birthday in August??) We had Mexican for lunch at this little place that was like what Chipotle would be if it wasn't a chain.  Delicious food, and it was SO good that the kids all decided they wanted to get take out before we left and literally eat the same thing for dinner.  Totally fine by me because it was one of the few meals that we've had where everyone cleaned their plates entirely, and it was less than 30 pounds.  That just doesn't ever happen.

I found one birthday gift, so I felt like that was a solid win, and John (who only recently has found a real appreciation for clothes) found some great pieces (Ted Baker is super affordable here)!  

Our short drive home is where it took a 180 degree turn and went temporarily south.  There was no less than a 15 minute argument/ yelling match over the air conditioning system and whether it would be faster to use the foot cooling system, a combo, or exclusively the upper system.  No joke.  It sounds like it could have almost been a real scientific debate on the flow of air and temps, but it wasn't that.  "You are so stupid, I can't believe how stupid you are."  "I'm going to kill you when I get home, get ready to get your face scratched." "Turn it on NOWWWWW."  "You should just leave this family you are so stupid, I wish you'd never been born." "I'm dying of the heat and it's all your fault."   "Why aren't you guys doing anything, you are terrible parents." Yeah, it was fun.  Gia ended up losing her iPad for the rest of the day and any t.v. time.  She's been quick to fly out of control lately, and moody.  She use to let things roll off her back with her sister's taunting, but now she just gets fighting mad.

Big sigh.  It can't all be smooth, that's asking too much.

Later in evening, due to boredom, lack of iPad, and the call of a beanbag and lovely warm evening, Gia read to Romeo outside.  See, they sometimes DO get along well too.

Packing up is so sad.  I will say it again, I love it here.  LOVE. The English are SO friendly too, and genuinely friendly, not fake we just want your tourist dollars.  I think the friendliest of all the places we've been.  They must like their life here too.

Signed, ME {lv}

 

Euro Adventure 2019: Day 37 Oxford, Tree Caves, & Train Stations

We dropped Ava at the Moreton-in-Marsh train station (I just love these crazy names), and she was off to London.  I spoke with the mother of the friend she was going to stay with to make sure that she knew Ava was coming, what train she was coming on, and that she was going to be watching the girls.  Forget that.  She's a London mom, which apparently also means that she's very carefree and keeps the briefest of tabs on her daughter.  She is all about self-responsibility.  Maybe it's just that kids grow up faster here.  Natasha is 17, so she's a little bit older than Ava, but not by much.  Her mom wasn't really clear about any of the plans that the girls had made, but she was fine with them, and even though I think I had mentioned "wanting to make sure someone was meeting Ava at the train station," it was also clear that SHE wasn't doing that, but maybe Natasha was (or if not, 'the kids take uber here, it's very safe'.) Guess there's no reason to start being a helicopter mom now.  We later found out Ava took an Uber, but she did get there safe and sound.  We also know from her GPS phone app that she didn't leave the house until after 11:00 p.m. to 'hit the town'.  Coming home to reality is going to be real tough, because that's not how we roll in Oregon and I'm pretty sure the fake ID she's using on her PHONE (no joke, she pulls it up on her phone, some kind of international fake ID), is not going to work in the states, so at least we have that going for us.  

The rest of us went to Oxford which is super beautiful.  The university makes me wish I had studied more, and the town was bustling with young people, and tour groups of young people (they must organize programs thru the university.) It was beautiful, love Oxford and definitely didn't get enough time there because come mid-afternoon, they kids poop out because of the heat (or possible laziness.)  We had a great lunch though, and it was an around smooth day, filled with me trying to imagine ways to come back to the area next summer.  I think I almost have it figured out.

I'm glad the heat we're getting is while we're here instead of London, which is currently having a more serious heat wave with temps around 102 degrees.  London in that heat sounds horrible.  It's been upper 80's here, which is plenty hot, but we're in the country and that gives us a little buffer with all the space, greenery and air.  Apparently the London heat wave will be over by the time we arrive Friday and temps drop to upper 70's which will be perfect.

We stopped at a small town on our way where I bought a book in a little café/bookstore that is all about the science of sleep and it's GREAT so far, "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker.  Seriously, I've only read 10 pages but I already want to sleep a LOT more. 

I took pictures of the tree caves, many of the little roads that interconnect the larger roads have this canopy of trees across the top, they look like tree caves.  They are incredible, and we found them all over the place lending a mysterious air to these small roads. Also snapped a picture of the "inner city" graveyard.  We've seen this a couple of times now, where they have invited these really old graveyards that sit in the middle of a town to become almost a green space.  I saw people sitting in it, as if it was a park, chatting with friends, eating lunch etc.

I'm already sad we're leaving this place and we still have a day left, I'm going to be crying after that.  

Signed, ME {lv}

Euro Adventure 2019 Day 36 Golden Years, Kid Cause, Lightening & Cutest Villages Ever

I'm moving.  I'm going to live in the Cotswolds, on a big estate of land with fields of wheat, beautiful English gardens, maybe some sheep roaming the hillside.  I'm going to drink afternoon tea, go on long walks, maybe get a small English looking dog, one that doesn't shed and preferably doesn't poop either (ok, I can waiver on the last requirement), I'm also going to read all the classics that I didn't read, and then the ones I did,  again.  I'm going to garden, read, write, cook, paint, ride horses, get a Peloton to stay fit when the weather sucks, and maybe I'll get my masters online.  Not sure when I'm doing that, but it's now on my bucket list.  

On our way to our van this morning a man outside his house (where we were parked in front)  made a comment to John about how big the van was.  John replied, 'yeah, well, we've got four kids so we need a big van."  The man's reply, with a big smile, was, "you figured out what's causing all those kids yet?"   I thought that was pretty cute. 

We visited two villages today,  Bourton-on-the-Water, and Stow-on-the-Wold.  Both within 30 minutes from us in the same direction.  It's too much adorableness for one day.  One darling cottage after another, just like out of a movie.  The villages were busier, but not insane, but I will note that the average age of people seemed to hover around 70'ish.  Every other car is luxury or a cool old Defender, so I'm thinking that it's just an affluent area that attracts older people who can live the country lifestyle at the price range that comes with the Cotswolds.  Everyone seems incredibly friendly though, it's been super pleasant to be in a country where people actually don't seem to resent you being there.  It's not that the French, Spanish or Portuguese were unfriendly, they weren't, but sometimes you could feel this veiled "tolerance" to our presence, our ignorance in their country, our lack of language.  Being in England feels like coming home, but totally different at the same time.

We just spent the day walking around both towns, investigating old bookstores (there are a lot of bookstores), and sweet little Tea Houses (ton of those too.)  Things seem more affordable than France for sure, groceries, restaurants etc.  Groceries for example are less expensive here than in the U.S.

We ate a long lunch outside, and then bought more groceries for dinner.  The house is an easy place to come back to in the late afternoon to relax.  There is plenty of shade in the backyard and it's nice enough that you want to be there to relax.  It's much hotter than normal here, and the temp was in the high 80's today, but tomorrow is suppose to only be 77 degrees (which I think is more average for the area.)  Per John, who is trying to ground my new love for the place, explained to me that it gets less sun hours per year than where we are in Oregon, approximately 1500 and we get 1900.  Provence was up at like 2700 or something like that.  It rains here frequently, hence the lushness, and the temps are generally cooler in the summer.  That's fine by me to be honest, I"m not a huge hot weather fan.  A handful of 90 degree days is enough for me, the rest can be a nice mellow 78.  I've never been here in the dreary winter, but being tucked away in a beautiful stone house with fireplaces in every room sounds pretty cozy.

We took a long walk in the evening and got caught in a little rain shower, but walking in the country was just perfect (once we got off the narrow and dangerous road.)  The hills were full of sheep and goats, everything lush and green, the air felt clean and smelled like warm hay.  Later in the evening, around midnight there was a huge thunderstorm that sprang up.  The violent and sudden onset was intense, and the thunder and lightening were something amazing to watch.   It's unlike what we have in the NW, more much. intense.  The littles woke up, and we all had trouble sleeping during it because the rain was beating down so hard, the thunder cracked and the sky kept flashing big blue bolts of light.  It seemed to be a personification of the edginess that the countryside has, which contrasts to it's visual gentleness.  It has this almost mournful undercurrent to it, coupled with the pedigree and manicured wild. There is a broodiness just under the surface that you feel more when the weather darkens and the skies open up, like it might lull you to sleep and then swallow you whole.  I like that contrast. 

Ava has somehow managed to maneuver going to London tomorrow morning via a train, to meet another school friend and spend the next two nights with her (until we arrive on Friday.)  The country is too mellow for her, she doesn't have a lower energy setting.  

Signed, ME {lv}