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They're like goats, only fuzzier
Sheep playing in the "yard" at Chatsworth Greetings from the greenest place on Earth!! My stay in the UK has almost ended, but my last week in Tarvin (& area!) has been fabulous. Some highlights:
- Made a dent in a few of the traditional English country pubs with Kate & her friends
- Nearly getting run over by a few thousand pedestrians dressed to the nines on their way to the derby (or "darby" as it's pronounced here!)
- Riding the ferry to Liverpool & visiting the Beatles museum
- Afternoon champagne at the Grovenor ( . . . funny how I drink champagne once in a blue moon in Canada but have had it three times in one week here!)
- Gorgeous drive through the hilly countryside full of green fields filled with sheep as far as the eye can see
- Visiting an amazing "house" in Derbyshire (I kept calling it a castle but was quickly corrected!)
- Getting grilled by a few dozen seven year olds about bears, wolves, and disco bars in Canada.
- Becoming an expert in the art of tea
- Getting the crappy Eurovision song from Serbia stuck in my head so much that I was ready to
They're practically Canadian!!
Niki, Kate, "the Canadian," Lynn, & Jan throw myself out a moving vehicle
Kate and her lovely friends took me out for a night on the town in Frodsham (pronounced "Frodjm"!) on Friday . . . and all I can say is these girls can definitely give us Canadians a run for our money!! We had a fantastic night, and it seemed that most people in the pub knew me as "THE Canadian" by the end of the night and on multiple occasions I was asked whether I was from Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal (there can't possibly be any other cities worth living in, in between, can there?!)
After ringing up a few of our friends in Canada in the middle of the night, Kate and I eventually dragged our asses out of bed on Saturday and spent the day in Chester, which is a lovely Roman city full of tudor homes and roman walls that surround the city. We spent some time at the Chester Cathedral, which was magnificent, as there was a choir and orchestra practicing for a concert so we sat in on that for a while. As Kate showed me around the town, numerous stops were made for a "rest." I
Chester
Gorgeous town!! seemed to have a sign attached to my forehead that day that said "if you are weird, please come speak to me," as evidenced by the old guy who was staring at me while touching his chest and asking me if I was in the race or walking up the hill . . . ????!!!??
The girls were in a charity race on Sunday to raise money for cancer research, so I dutifully came along and sat on my ass and took photographs while they ran! Lynn lead the pack, but Niki & Kate finished in a respectable 38 mins and earned their well-deserved beers afterwards.
On Monday I was show-and-tell at Kate's school, and I absolutely fell in love with the kids!! They were staring at me like I was some sort of alien life-form, but when it was their turn to fire questions at me about Canada, the dialogue went something like this:
Children: Have you seen a bear?
Me: Yes.
Children: How many bears have you seen?
Me: Probably three.
Children: Were you scared?
Me: No, because I was in my car.
Children: What did you do when you saw the bear?
Me: I stayed
In my backyard
No, I don't just look posh; I really am that posh in my car.
Children: Have you ever been attacked by a bear?
Interjection by Mrs. Jones (Kate): Children, enough questions about bears. If you have other questions to ask Georgia about Canada, please go ahead.
Children: Have you seen a wolf?
Me: Yes.
Children: How many wolves have you seen?
Me: Lots.
Children: Have you ever been attacked by a wolf?
At the end of Question Period, Kate asked the children to tell her something new they had learned about CANADA today.
Boy: I learned that all people in Canada work for the police.
Girl: I learned that Georgia had two fish but they died.
After realizing I really didn't know much about my own country, I decided it was time to hop a ferry to Liverpool for the rest of the day. I, of course, visited the Beatles museum, which was brilliantly done, and isn't it smart of them to end the museum right in the gift shop?!!! I toiled along the docks of Liverpool for a while and actually learned some things as well . . . like Liverpool was the major port for immigrants on their way to Canada in the early 1900s, as well
Liverpool
Oh, do I loooovvveeee the Liverpool accent!!!!!! as where they brought over all the slaves from Africa (just wanted to throw that bit in for those of you, aka my parents, who think all I've been doing is drinking on this trip!)
I spent the day with Kate's parents yesterday, Anne & Sean, and besides the close-call of car sickness riding in the back while literally bouncing over hills and turns at about 120 kms/hr, it was a gorgeous day. After a few wrong turns and a closed hall, we eventually made our way to a place called Chatsworth, which literally made my mouth drop when I saw it. People do actually live like this!!!! It's a "home" owned by the Duke of Devonshire, which will, I'm quite certain, be passed down to my family at some point in the future! I felt super privileged to be there and experience someplace so awesome . . . but I also felt very poor and lowly and sad that I could not eat off of 24-karat gold plates every night underneath a Michaelangelo-type fresco while perched on top of a Roman antiquity from the time before Christ, being served by one of my sheep wearing a top hat
View from the top
Waterfall at Chatsworth . . . wouldn't it be fun to tube down this thing?!!! and speaking Latin . . . sorry, travel does not always expand your mind in the right ways, does it?!!!
My stay in this area has been more than I could have asked for, and Kate, her family & friends have all been so welcoming and kind to me, so it's made it easy!!! Tomorrow it's off to Greece (the motherland!), and although my cousin told me yesterday that it was 31 degrees celcius in Karditsa, I'm trying not to get too excited about it, as the crappy weather has managed to stuff its way into my backpack up to this point!
P.S. I have to say I really apologize for any spelling errors, et cetera, as this program doesn't have a spell check . . . just had to say that because you all know how lax and laid back I usually am about that sort of thing!!!
Happy May Long Weekend, everybody!!!!!!!
Georgia
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Nicole
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Soooooo Jealous!
Hey chicky, Just when I thought your trip couldnt get any better. I am sitting at work day dreaming of being there with you. I am also looking forward to the pics from Greece. I will be in Ontario when you get home however I will give you a ring when I am back as I want to hear the x-rated version.