In the new Flat - Finally!!!!

Just a quick note -

Finally made it into the Flat.  It is near the center of town at the top of the hill just off Lower Daganol street.  Two bedroom, two bath so plenty of room.  So nice to finally unpack.

Farmer's Market in Harperden

This Sunday I went to my first Farmer's Market in the UK.  Peter took me to the one in his town of Harpenden.  It was bigger then I expected but I soon learned that it basically travels between the various small villages/cities in the area.  They have them on different Sunday's of the month.

There was tons of fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, olives, bread, jams, etc.  We picked up some fruit, bread, and Sausage Rolls for later.  I was to be introduced to "pickle" as well.

First Oil Painting

For a long time I have enjoyed watching Bob Ross and his show about oil painting on PBS in the US.  I have wanted to try his method of paainting for over 20 years and when I got the opportunity to come to the UK I decided to send along my unused painting supplies rather then putting them into storage.


On a whim last week I decided to do a search on Google for "Bob Ross Certified Instructor St. Albans" and found Linda Peacock at Hidden-Talents who offers a class once a month.  I decided to sign up and today was finally the day to do my first Bob Ross oil painting, and my first oil painting that wasn't paint by numbers!

When I arrived I had all my supplies but had decided to not bring a lunch as it was only 6 hours and I had a Full English for breakfast.  When I arrived Linda asked if I had brought my "Kitchen Roll".  I didn't understand.  I asked Dana today what she thought a "Kitchen Roll" was and she got it right so clearly I'm just dense.

I thought they meant a roll, you know the kind you eat.  So I told Linda, "No I didn't bring a Kitchen Roll as I'm not hungry.  I had a full breakfast".  After much back and forth she finally went and got an example of a "Kitchen Roll".  Turns out it is a roll of paper towels.  So we had a good laugh about me being to hungry to bring my Kitchen Roll.

I thought my painting came out pretty good for the first time.

Definitly not PC

Nothing much happening this week as I am mostly just working.  I did want to make an observation though.  The UK is NOT PC.  It is refreshing watching the news.  People say what they think, if a politician doesn't like another politician they say so.

Watching the latest scandal around the phone hacking incident, I have seen their debates in the House of Commons.  When someone is speaking and makes a statement, if people in the audience disagree they make grumbling sounds.  It is so funny to watch, yet it also makes me think.

In the US we talk about our "Free Speech" yet often most of us are not free in our speech choosing instead to moderate it to not offend.  Our Congress acts like stuffy old men and women.  Yet we have this impression of the English as being the stuffy ones.  It must be the accent!

The other thing I have noticed.  Not only are people polite and apologize, but so does the police, companies, and government.  In a recent case a woman was killed by her x-boyfriend.  She had sought help from the police and courts but they moved to slow.  The police department actually apologized to her family and stated they were investigating.  In the US this wouldn't happen for fear of admitting responsibility and liability.

Chess Club

Part of experiencing a new country is the people.  So I decided that I wanted to play some Cricket and see if there any chess players in the area.  I sent an email to the St. Albans Cricket Club who invited me out next week to watch some games.  I also found the St. Albans Chess Club, and today went to their weekly meeting at the   White Lion Pub.

It was fun to play face to face again, and while my board vision needs drastic improvement, I did much better then I expected.  Several times I had to repeat myself as they couldn't understand my accent.  It was funny being the one with the foreign accent.   Was a good way to spend a Monday evening, drinking a pint and playing some chess!

Highland Festival

On Saturday Peter told me about the Harpenden Highland Gathering which was going on today.  I needed to do laundry but before I did I caught the train to Harpenden and walked over to Rothamsten Park for the fun.

I just missed the entry of the massed bands and opening ceremony which included the pipe corp.  I tracked down Peter and the girls at the main stage.  Maria and Anna's dance studio were putting on a performance of Wizard of Oz.  They looked so cute in their costumes.  Maria was a faerie and Anna was a flying monkey. 


While the dance performance was going on, The Black Watch with their traditional uniforms and black powder muskets marched into one of the arena's and put on a show of marching and firing their muskets.

The other arena had all the traditional Highland games including Putting the Stone, Weight Over the Bar, Weight for Distance, Tossing the Sheaf, The Caber, and Hammer Throwing.  The Caber is the most recognized of the Scottish games which is tossing a large log.  I always thought it was tossed for distance, but it is actually a precision throw which is judge by where the log lands in relation to the thrower.


Before Peter left he introduced me to the "99".  It was quite good, the UK whipped ice cream is more like a thicker whipped cream then US soft serve ice cream.

They had a solo pipe competition going on during the festival and I was able to catch a few of those in the afternoon.  I love the sound of bagpipes.  Bagpipes make such a unique sound that I have always found it gets my blood pumping.  Images of the highlanders charging into battle with the pipes blowing are always conjured up whenever I hear them.

Westminster and BBQ

Big Ben

I woke up early for a Saturday.  Several people from Serena were visiting this week and we were all going to go into London today.  Ron and I had planned to have breakfast before we left at 8:30 and then meet everyone at the train station at 9:00.  As it turns out the Comfort Inn doesn't serve breakfast on the weekends until 9:00. 

Off to the train station we went.  We met Ruben, Olga, Vincent, and Kim at the station and to save money we got a group ticket for the day saving us about 3 pounds each.  We got lucky and got the express train from St. Albans to London, this would be true the rest of the day, I don't think we waited longer then 2 minutes for the train or Underground all day.  It only stopped once before arriving at St. Pancreas.

The underground station we got off for the abbey was right across from Big Ben and Parliament.  We headed past these to Westminster Abbey arriving just as it opened.  Even this early the queue (line) was still about a 15 minute wait.  I got in the cash only queue, and the rest joined the credit queue.  I actually got into the Cathedral a few minutes before the others.  Just long enough to get into trouble.  I didn't see the "No Photos" sign and started to take a picture with my phone of the entry stain glass.  Several of the volunteer's rushed me shouting "No Photo's sir".

Westminster Abbey

Westminster is impressive, especially when you see where all the King and Queens have been buried and read about all the coronations, weddings, and funerals for the Royal Family that have been conducted here.  Items like the Coronation Chair built by King Edward the 1st to hold the Stone of Scone from Scotland add to history.

Places like Westminster Abbey, British Museum, and Buckingham Palace immerse me in the history and tradition of England.  I know I blather on about it in most of my posts, but these places humble me whenever I think about it.

As I had just seen the Royal Wedding on TV, many of the places I saw in Westminster were at least familiar to me.  Seeing the exact spot where Prince William and Princess Kate got married was kind of fun.

After we finished at Westminster, Ron took us on a bit of a walk to a restaurant called Jamie's Italian in Covent Garden.  All the pasta and sauces are made from scratch in the restaurant.  I had the lamb ravioli and it was delicious.  Afterwards we headed to past the Royal Opera House where Olga made a quick trip in to grab a brochure.

We walked down to the waterfront along the Thames and strolled back towards Big Ben and Westminster.  Along the waterfront is a statue that looks like it has been defaced.  The marble block it sits on is chipped and the bronze statue has holes in it.  This is actual bomb damage from World War I, when a bomb hit the street nearby and damaged it ... incredible feeling standing there for me.

We headed over to Marble Arch and Hyde park catching the Central Line of the underground.  We didn't get to see much as it was getting on in the afternoon and we all were headed to Peter's house for his annual BBQ.

The BBQ was a lot of fun.  I had my first introduction to a Spanish Tortilla which is made with diced potato's, onions, and egg.  Apparently we were the second shift, as they had already had all of their neighbors and people from the girls school over (100+) in the early afternoon.  It was a good turnout and nice to socialize with people from the office.  I felt for Peter and Imma having to prep all that food.  The food was all delicious, and Peter having eaten at place like 5 Guys in the US knows how to BBQ a good hamburger.

British Museum - Finally!

Russell Square

So today I took the day off and finally made it to the British Museum.  Ruben and family are over from the states and we all made the trip into London.  Initially we had discussed going to the Tower of London, as Cassandra highly recommended it for the Crown Jewels alone.  Once the day arrived though, it was raining, and not knowing how much of the Tower is outside we decided to go to the museum instead.

When I visited Ruben in the past we have gone on some history explorations ourselves so I knew he would enjoy it.  We got off the Tube at the Russell Square station and made a quick walk through the square to the museum.  It was absolutely pouring and being from Oregon I of course did not have an umbrella.  I got a few strange looks as we walked through the rain.

The museum was pretty crowded because of the rain.  It is very impressive.  The center courtyard has been entirely covered and there are more then 100 rooms inside, some the size of other museums just in themselves.  I know I have stated it in the past, but the history here is almost overwhelming.  The British Empire spanned the globe and this museum is where they store many of the treasures brought back from around the world.

We started in the Egyptian room.  First thing through the door is the Rosetta Stone which unlocked our understanding of ancient Egyptian life.  In addition complete statues, tomb false doors, art work, mummies from as far back as 2800BC.  Think about that, over 4800 YEARS ago.  From Egypt we moved into Assyria.

They have reconstructed the gates to the palace of Balawat from the remains of the bronze hinges.  It stood 30 feet high and 12 feet across.  When I think about how impressive that would have been for visiting people from other regions and how intimidating.  Olga noticed an interesting feature of the Assyrian Mosaics.  Nearly all the guardian figures were carrying HANDBAGS.  It was true though, if you go keep an eye out for that.  She also pointed out the detailed scroll work on the shoes.  One of my favorite exhibits was a full Lycian Tomb.  I had never heard of the Lycian's before.  Located in the mountains of Turkey you can see the ancient Greece influence.

After lunch we returned to the Museum and went through the mummies and the Greece/Roman rooms.  I'm still in awe of the level of technology the Romans's achieved more then 2000 years ago.  In one display was an ancient two chamber piston water pump.  Sometimes I try to image how much farther we would be today without the Dark Ages.  So much was lost and had to be reinvented.

Watching Vincent as we went through the Museum provided some entertainment.  He is old enough to appreciate it, but young enough to be impatient.  I was reminded of visiting museums with my parents when I was younger.  I would race ahead, read something and then go back and tell them about it, hoping it would speed them up.  As I have gotten older I try to imagine the life represented by the artifacts, or I'm just slower at reading then I used to be!

Around 3:00pm we decided to leave the museum and go see some other sights.  We had only got through about 40% of the museum so I will be heading back at some later date, maybe I'll take Dana when she visits.   I took them to the little church in Mayfair and then we headed over to Speakers Corner in Hyde Park.  After sitting and resting for a bit we decided to head down to the Palace as they had not seen that yet.

Lykian Tomb

After the Palace we headed out of London.  It was after 7:00 and had been a very full day.  Ruben estimated we walked 5+ miles.  They took me to dinner at Zizzi's in St. Albans where I had a pizza baked in a brick over.  It was very, very good.   Definitely a good day!

Pizza and Beer

Hollybush Pub

Today Lee took Ron and myself to the Hollybush which is a very nice Pub located out in the countryside.  I had my first "Ploughman's" lunch, though I got a non traditional one with Brie instead of the traditional cheddar.  We ate outside and Ruben "accidentally" drank my lemonade along with his own drink.

I had no plans for the evening.  Ron was in town from Hillsboro but he was heading to dinner with a former employee.  Then Peter invited me over for some Pizza and Beer at his house.  They were hosting Ruben and Olga as well.  I decided not to walk to the Train Station, take the train, then walk to Peter's house but instead took a taxi.  It turned out to be not that bad for the 6-7 mile trip to Harpenden, costing only 12 pounds.

Hollybush Pub Garden

Imma, Ruben, and Olga engaged in some conversation in Spanish, and while I don't speak it very well, I understood enough to get the gist.  Turns out Ruben has some Basque blood in him.  Maria, Anna and Vincente gave me my first introduction to Little Big Planet 2.  I have read about the game, with most reviewers saying it is a good reason to buy a PS3.  I would have to agree even though I was quite bad at it.  Anna was the only one that would wait for me so I died quite often.  I didn't die first though!

We had dinner from Pizza Express which turned out to be quite good.  I found out later that Vincente ate my meat pizza with the stuffed crust. (Noticing a Rosales Trend here?)  Then it was a taxi back to the hotel and off to bed as tomorrow I am taking the day off and going into London with the Rosales family.

The Snug

Where to eat?

Since I was finally feeling well enough to actually eat some real food, I decided to walk around the hotel and look for someplace I have not eaten at before.  Ruben and Olga recommended Zizzi's but I didn't feel like Italian tonight.

A sign for 2 for 1 Cocktails happy hour caught my eye at a place called The Snug.   Those of you that know me, know I do like myself some fruity drinks.  This place sounded perfect, and it was.  I had a Watermelon Cooler which was really refreshing and light.  Not only were the drinks good, but the food was as well.

I had the French Onion Soup which was very good and a Bacon Blue Burger which was also very good.  Definitely a place to check out if you get over here.

Sick

As a quick update, the reason nothing is posted about my weekend trip to London is ... because it didn't happen sadly.

I was quite sick all weekend, or as they say over here.  Feeling a bit rough.  Back at work today, but my weekend excursion to the British Museum will be delayed.  This weekend is Westminster Abbey.  In addition Ruben and his family arrived in St. Albans today.  I'll try to play guide!

Finally the Weekend

St. Albans Downtown

Been a busy week at work.  Most of the Dimensions CM Management team will be in Red Wood City next week for a strategy off site.  In addition we had a patch release this week and the additional work around strategizing for our Suites.

So I didn't really go anywhere besides work and the hotel.  On Wednesday Peter had me over for dinner at his house.  Met his family which was nice to finally meet the people he has talked about so much.  His daughters Maria and Anna were very nice, and I loved their English Accents.  Mari is quite the artist, and Anna has a "Trustworthy" friend in Liz.

I had my first experience with Crispy Duck, which is quite good.  You make a burrito with a pancake like thingy, some sauce, and the duck.  Delicious. 

One thing to note is that most American financial institutions treat you like a criminal if you dare to login from a foreign IP address.  I spent a good 3-4 hours trying to purchase something using my PayPal account to verify my security, and in the end had to give up.

Tonight I went to an Indian restaurant here in St. Albans called Veer Dharma.  It was so good, some of the best Indian food I have ever had.  A bit on the pricey side, but I'll be going back to try something else.  There was so much good food on the menu, I took over 20 minutes just deciding what to eat.

Tomorrow I am making the trip back into London.  My plan is to visit the British Museum which should consume my whole day based on what I can see.  The British Empire was kind enough to gather a good sampling of the worlds archaeological treasures into one place.  I'm especially looking forward to seeing the Rosetta Stone which unlocked so much of our current understanding of Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

Some Translations:

Look Close, No Birds Allowed

Shopping Cart = Trolley

Potato Chips = Crisps

Fries = Chips

Ice Cream Bars = Lollies

Stairs = Apple and Pears