English Christmas

As Erica and I were home in November (see above), and I got to partake in Thanksgiving we decided to experience an English Christmas. With visions created by Dickens we had Great Expectations, and we were not disappointed.

We had a nice two week official holiday; the University was closed from the 23rd to the 5th. We partook in Christmas week in Guildford (pronounced Guilford) and were invited to dinner near Basingstoke.

We ate so much delicious food and tried new Christmas day treats such as ginger wine; elderflower wine; roast lamb; pork and chestnut stuffing, which was rich and flavorful along with being breadcrumb free;  crackers (inedible but fun and toy/gift included!); and trifle, a layered dessert consisting of sponge cake, jams, and custard. A few brisk morning jogs along the River Wey helped burn off the calories. For Boxing Day we went shopping and played games. On Saturday when non-merchandising locations reopened, we took a trip to Stonehenge and the best Indian curry in the South East. Stonehenge was exceptional since it was only 5 days after the solstice and the stones framed the sunset.

So much good food!

Our friends exploring Woodhenge, a nearby and associated neolithic site.

After parting goodbye to our wonderful hosts and fellow lodger, we hired a car, and I drove us back up north to frolic in the snow covered Peak District surrounding Thor's cave.

Climbing deeper into the cave. One cannot go very deep.

The next day we went to see the Ewloe castle hidden in the woods, and explore Flint—namely the English castle, Aldi, and a Polish foods store.

The Welsh castle.

The shopping was for New Year's Eve dinner with our friend Sohan, who travelled down from Edinburgh. After dinner we partook in fireworks by the Liverpool docks. After a late night we rested on the first day of 2015 before heading to York and Newcastle.

In York, we wandered the Shambles and went to the Yorkshire museum before enjoying Evensong at the York Minster, our first Anglican service. By the way, the Yorkshire puddings are really delicious (imagine combining aspects of waffles, crepe, and pizza dough) and nothing like American pudding, including bread pudding. Before Newcastle, we surveyed the Roman bath at Chester's Roman fort. Sohan and I concluded that is was well-designed and well-situated in front of the River Tyne. We got some great pictures of Hadrian's wall with frost-covered grass and a full moon. After a brief survey of Newcastle's castle and bridges, we dined at an excellent Japanese restaurant (St. Sushi). The next day we saw the Tynemouth castle and priory before leaving Sohan at the train station and driving back to Liverpool.