OFF IN A DREAM...

I’ve been having these dreams,
And so it seems,
I’m headed to a land far, far away,
For three months ago, I was sent there to stay.
Off on a jet, clear across the pond.
To the British Isles, where I would grow quite fond.

I’d settled into my flat and found my way ‘round town,
To Chichester, down south, with a cathedral of its own.
At Autumn, publishing kid’s books, was where I would be
In a barn mostly full of ladies with lovely accents unlike me.

Over weekends I'd venture out to places not so far.
Whether by train or a plane on a bike or via car…
To Sweden, Ireland, France, Italy and Wales,
Visiting friends, seeing architecture and learning historical tales.

It all seemed to go by so fast,
This fairytale of a girl in a dream is now past.
For off on a jet, I’m afraid I must go.
And where it takes me next, only in a dream I will know.

Cardiff, the Capital City of Wales

Merry-go-round at Mermaid Quay

Cardiff Castle

After my little soiré night out with the ladies from work, I decided to take advantage of the long Easter weekend and head to Wales.  Cardiff is only 4 hours by train from Chichester and is the capital of Wales, so I bought my ticket and off I went.  I stayed at The Royal Hotel, right in the heart of City Centre.  It was a great hotel and I recommend it to anyone heading out to Cardiff!  Just a short walk from the train station, I checked in and headed off to wander the city streets!  Just down High Street you can see the 2000 year old Cardiff Castle.  It is simply breathtaking and is surrounded by Bute Park, a gorgeously serene area where everyone goes to wind down, read a book or enjoy a nice picnic lunch.

The shopping here is another top notch experience. All along High Street, you can find yourself meandering through historic arcades, fashionable stores and along Mill Lane, the best in outdoor terrace restaurant dining! The Millennium Stadium is also here, home of the Wales Rugby team and a beautiful landmark resting alongside the River Taff.

Millennium Stadium

Although there is a bus that takes you from City Center to Mermaid Quay, I decided to take a nice morning run along the River Taff bike trail.  Just about 2 miles away, sitting on Cardiff Bay, is none other than the chic, sophisticated and beautiful waterfront, Mermaid Quay.  In the skyline is St David's Hotel, one of the city's most plush hotels, while along the bay, the Mermaid Quay hosts shops, restaurants, bars and cafés all suitable for entertaining my people watching hobby.  This, I have to say was my favorite area of Cardiff.  It's no secret I love the water and anything that is near it!  Mermaid Quay isn't just a beautiful bay, but a host of history, heritage and culture as well, with the Norwegian Church, the Millennium Centre and Pierhead to enjoy.

Mermaid Quay

It was such a gorgeous weekend and I'm so glad to have been able to experience this small bit of beauty in Wales.  Being here made me feel so thankful for my life and relish in the true meaning of Easter, God's gift of not just life, but eternal life.

My Going Away Soiré with the Autumn Ladies

I can't believe it's here.  Three months have gone by so fast, yet I feel like I've been gone forever.  It's bitter/sweet of course as I will miss all these lovely ladies I've grown so accustomed to seeing every day.  They organized a 'night out' for me that included a mini bus into Portsmouth and drinks (thanks to the CEO and of course, Sarah!).  We all had so much fun!  I even rode the mechanical bull!  It's crazy to think that this might be the last time I see these girls... although I hope not!  What a wonderful experience it has been to live and work in England over the past 90 days.

I have been so fortunate to get to explore England and even beyond, to Paris, Ireland, Wales and my last stop before home being Italy this coming Saturday!  The weather has been beautiful and warm here these past few weeks, making it even harder to say good-bye! Oh, how I'm going to miss the lovely people, the delightfully posh accents, the serene walks and the gorgeous train rides into London!

Only a few days left, and the Royal Wedding, of course, and then I'm off with all my bags, headed to Heathrow Airport...

Bike ride to Bosham

Another gloriously beautiful day in England and the forecast looks like it's going to stay that way over the Easter weekend as well!  After work today, I decided to jump on my bike and head over to Bosham, just two miles to the west of where I live.  I'm so glad I decided to go!  The weather was great... sandals and a tank top, a warm breeze and amazing scenery along the way!  Bosham is such a cute place!  Sitting along the water across from Del Quay and Chichester Bay, it's so picturesque.  I can't believe I only have ten more days left living in this beautiful country!  Time has flown by.  I'm off to Wales for Easter weekend, so stay tuned!

Visiting Old Friends in Ireland!

Dunguaire Castle, Ireland

This weekend I took RyanAir from London Gatwick Airport to Dublin, Ireland to see my long-time friends Claire and Cormac near Galway.  It was so great to get to hang out with them again and see the countryside of Ireland!  It has been six years since we last saw each other, but when I got there it seemed like just yesterday!  I was so fortunate to have such great hosts for my quick weekend trip to Ireland.  They took me around the west coast from Galway to Lahinch.  It was all very beautiful and I was so grateful for the nice weather as well.

Cliffs of Moher

I got into Dublin on Friday night and took the Citylink bus across the country to the west coast.  Lucky me, Claire found a 1 Euro each-way deal on the bus online, so it was very cheap transport for a 3 hour trip!  Cormac picked me up at the bus stop and we grabbed a pint of Guinness at a little local pub with a thatched roof in Oranmore.  After that, we headed back to his and Claire's place.  Late night to bed, but early to rise to get in some good site seeing and get Cormac to Lahinch to catch some good waves.  On the way, we stopped to see the Dunguaire Castle near Kinvarra and take a few photos. While Cormac surfed his little heart out, Claire and I ventured up to the Cliffs of Moher.  What a beautiful view on a beautiful day!  We grabbed a nice lunch in Lahinch and then headed back to Oranmore to rest up for a little bit, have some home cooked chicken curry for dinner and then head into Galway for some drinks with a bunch of Claire and Cormacs friends.  It was a great night and so much fun to get to hang out and meet all of their friends.

Guinness =)

The next morning was nice to sleep in a little bit before heading into town to see Galway during the day.  We wandered around town and over to Salthill, where they have a nice beach walk and town and then headed across the way to grab lunch with some friends at an amazing place on the water looking across the water towards Galway.  As if we weren't all stuffed from eating crab cakes, baked crab and Guinness, we decided to check out a local home made ice cream at a farm nearby.  It was so good, but I was officially stuffed!  We toured around the Finavarra Tower, an old British fort nearby as well.

Salthill, Ireland

The weekend flew by fast and before I knew it, Sunday evening was here.  Claire made some spaghetti bolognese and we lounged around before heading off to bed.  I was off, back to England on Monday morning, but it was such a great trip.  Ireland is beautiful and my friends are amazing hosts!  I can't wait to someday host them out in California.  Claire and Cormac, thank you so much for showing me such a good time and I wish the best for you both in your upcoming wedding!!!

Spring Has Sprung in England!

Arundel Castle

This past weekend was hands down the sunniest and warmest weekend in England since I've been here! I was fortunate to have my friend Dominic in town to visit, so I decided to take advantage of the company and amazing weather and head out to Arundel to finally check out the castle I've been gawking at from the train window over the past two months.  For some reason my train instincts failed me and it was a bit of a jigsaw ride on and off the trains to finally make it to the Arundel stop!  Oh well.  It was an adventure!  

The walk to the castle was beautiful, and Dom and I even stopped to enjoy an ice cream cone on the way!  We saw everyone else with them, so decided to follow suit!  Do as the Romans do, right? Ha! I had the most amazing honeycomb ice cream!  

Once we got to the castle and paid the fare, we entered the gates and gazed in awe at the enchanting, massive castle that was over 1000 years old!  The gardens were all in full bloom and I saw flowers I've never seen before in my life.  Spring was finally here! It was such a great day, wandering through the castle, learning the history and soaking in all the beauty. 

After Arundel, Dominic and I headed back into Chichester to change and grab a coat before jumping on the train into Portsmouth Harbour for an amazing Italian meal at Zizi on the Gunwharf Quays.  We made it in time to watch the sun setting over the water.  What a beautiful day!

Earl Gardens at Arundel

Sunday morning I enjoyed a home cooked breakfast by Dominic, and some incredible Buck's fizz (a sparkling wine drink infused with orange juice). Since it was such a gorgeous day I convinced Dominic to go on a run along the Centurion Way trail towards Goodwood.  After about 5 miles, we realized we were going in the wrong direction and Dom was probably ready to shoot me for taking him on such a long run, so we decided to stop for lunch at a cute restaurant called The Earl of March.  We sat out on the patio and enjoyed some mussels, chips and salad and even had an amazing view of Goodwood race tracks in the distance!  

Centurion Way

We had to call a cab to get us back to my flat so we had time to go to the store to get stuff for our mexican fiesta later that evening.  Tesco closes at 4pm on Sundays, and we made it back just in time to purchase our feast for the evening.  Dominic took over the kitchen and chopped up some amazing pico de gallo and cooked up a delicious assortment of fish and beef tacos, beans and rice.  What goes better with a mexican meal than margaritas!  What a great dinner!  And awesome company!  This weekend was a great start to my first spring in England!  I was off to the London Book fair the next morning for a few days and so grateful for the beautiful weekend filled with great company and amazing weather!