Blogs from Carlisle, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 2

After the lovely day yesterday, it was a miserable rainy day today. Our hosts told us there is no bad weather around here, only inappropriate clothing! As Mel was in excruciating pain last night and today, we went to the hospital – twice. The first time they had a bit of a look and told us it was an inflamed disc and should settle down on its own. They gave Mel some pain killers and set us free. After about 4 hours it was getting worse and her leg was going numb so we went back again. They had a better look this time but with the same verdict. Some more pain killers and a range of other drugs had the nurses joking about Mel rattling while she walked with so many pills! It seemed to ... read more

Packing up and saying our goodbyes to Paul & Sharon, we went to meet Nicola and Alice at their playgroup to join in. Em had fun drawing and playing with the other kids. Then we moved on to Carlisle, our base for the next few days to explore the Lake District, land of fels, tarns and Beatrix Potter. We found the apartment which is a converted barn beside an old windmill. The owners welcomed us with a wonderful lunch and chocolate and raspberry cake and even a present for Em – a colouring book and magic pens which she immediately set to work on. Apparently the local fish and chip shop is a bit of an award winner so we tried it out – not bad but I think award winning might be stretching a bit! ... read more

An diesem Tag bin ich von Carlisle zum Hadrian's Wall gefahren, also der alten römischen Grenzbefestigung. Dort habe ich mir Housesteads Roman Fort angesehen. Das war schon sehr sehenswert. Anschließend bin ich wieder nach Carlisle zurückgekehrt und war in der Hotelbar.... read more

Less than two weeks to go now and still a few things to finalise. Our final team meal last week gave us a chance to have a last catch up before Christmas and New Year. Talk so far has focussed on our vocational days, what to pack, how the presentation is looking and our nerves about leaving our normal lives behind for a whole month! Meeting up regularly has given us all the opportunity to get to know each other. We have also been sending lots of texts and e-mails amongst ourselves as we become friendlier. The group dynamics are changing all of the times and I’m sure that they will continue to do so as we spend more time together and learn more about each other. Some of us have e-mailed our hosts and had ... read more

For somebody who has four jobs, this is a rather difficult question to answer! An even more challenging task is trying to accommodate the different vocational goals of four people within an itinerary packed full of cultural visits; Rotary projects, meetings and presentations; travelling; and time spent with host families. We were therefore very excited to receive the details of our vocational visits yesterday. A great amount of effort has been made to arrange the visits, which include a yoga centre and ayurvedic spa for me; a farm and an agricultural college for Emily; a hotel and a bakery for Nicola; and a newspaper office and a PR department for Tracy. A few queries have been raised about some of the visits and the prompt and positive responses are much appreciated. I look forward to receiving ... read more