Sunday Road Trip: Chepstow, Gloucester & Roast

Our goal is to do as much exploring as possible while the weather is nice so last Sunday off we went to explore a bit of Wales, which is literally right down the road from us. We started in Chepstow. Why? Cuz it looked like a good place to venture to and had a castle. The fun of this part of the world is you can just start driving and are bound to run into a castle, cathedral or other historic something in just about any direction!

First Stop: Chepstow

First, we had to cross the suspension bridge into Wales. Toll for the bridge was 6 GBP! But you only pay coming from England to Wales. The other direction is free. Apparently, the bridge was built by Wales.

Here's the cute little town of Chepstow. This bunting you see is very common in the little towns and villages. I'm curious to see if it's just a summer thing or if they change them with the seasons - maybe lights for Christmas?

And here's the castle. We only walked around the outside. Spent all our money crossing the bridge and it didn't seem like there was much to see inside.

Yep, we're in Wales alright - that's welsh language on the sign.

Second Stop: Gloucester
The plan was to follow the Wales coast and then around back into England to stop in Gloucester, but our Sat Nav didn't know the plan and took us back over the suspension bridge the way we came. So, we saw a bit less of Wales then planned, but still a very pretty drive.

The highlight of Gloucester is the cathedral. Well, that and the largest most convoluted roundabout we've seen to date! The cathedral is huge, beautiful and they charge to take photos! So, you'll get a view of the exterior. (Okay, we're not really that cheap, but I really get irritated when churches charge a tourist fee so out of principle I rarely pay it. We usually make a donation to light a candle for loved ones instead.)

An overcast day but I actually think it adds some drama to the photos. (Yeah, those are the kinds of excuses I will now start making regularly to cope with the UK weather! :)

We did have to sneak one inside photo as apparently part of one of the Harry Potter movies was filmed in this corridor!

Last Stop: Tortworth Court for Sunday Roast
One of the strong UK traditions is the Sunday Roast. It's a family roast lunch that probably followed church services back in the day and now is offered at most inns, pubs and restaurants on Sunday afternoons. We visited Tortworth at our letting agent's advice. She encouraged us to have our first at a 'proper restaurant' instead of a pub. The place was amazing and the food was a grand buffet with pork, beef, turkey and all the trimmings. We were stuffed and quite happy by the time we headed home.

They also serve afternoon tea in the atrium below - might have to come back some time.

And just to make the day perfect, we drove home in a rainstorm!

A Visit to Bristol Cathedral

When we first arrived in Bristol, we stayed in the city centre on Welsh Back which provided great access to the city. And it was mid July so the weather was perfect for exploring. So, while my husband, Brian, toiled away at work, I went to see what I could see. And on this particular day, that was the Bristol Cathedral. Have a look.

The Cathedral is right in the middle of town and I just kind of stumbled across it while wandering around. It sits on a beautiful square and I think is actually on the campus of Bristol University.

To be honest, the inside isn't all that spectacular (remember I've seen a lot of churches in my time and not long ago in Rome so my standards are pretty high these days) but still impressive. The main worship area is also a lot smaller than it looks from the outside.

This is the organ and where the choir sits. I came back that evening for evensong as there was a visiting guest choir from Texas. Founded in 1150, this is a Church of England cathedral, but the mass was very similar to Roman Catholic. (at least to my heathen ears it seemed to be!)

 

The real beauty of the place, however, is the gardens. Lush, green and so dense you forget you're in the middle of the city. A gorgeous place even on the overcast drizzly day of these photos.

I still sometimes can't believe we now live here. The history and the buildings are so old. And what a contrast after the new glitz and glamour of Abu Dhabi. Lots to explore!

The Bristol Balloon Fiesta

This past weekend was the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. An annual event and the highlight of Bristol tourism. Balloonists come from all over the globe for the 4 day fiesta and there are mass ascents where all the balloons take off at once, music, food, loads of people and an event they call after glow where the balloons are tethered to the ground but 'light up' after dark to music. We even had Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) visit Bristol for the event!

The real challenge for this festival is the weather. As you probably know, balloons are fragile and can't just take off whenever or wherever. The wind conditions are critical and Thursday and Friday ascents were cancelled as well as Saturday morning's ascent due to strong winds. Finally on Saturday night, things calmed down enough for the evening mass ascent and Sunday was fine.

We were busy getting settled and a bit put off by the estimated crowds and parking horror stories so didn't make it to the grounds themselves. However, on our way back from dinner downtown on Saturday, we were treated to a good sampling of the balloons from the evening ascent.

Terrible picture, but gives you a taste of how many were in the sky. Brian counted 14 (not all pictured).

The Tale of the New (rental) House Part 3

We moved in on 1 August - a Monday with only a bed and a chair in the whole place. Well, that and 2 cats and about 10 pieces of luggage! The plan was for our US shipment of furniture to arrive the next day, which I had tried several times to confirm with my Canadian contact. Tuesday came and went and I was informed they would arrive on Friday, the 5th. So I spent the time cleaning, unpacking a few suitcases and grocery shopping for items that don't require anything . . . no seriously, not a plate, fork or pan available so it was an adventure in creativity. At least we had a fridge for the cider! :)

Furniture did not arrive on Friday and after a long and very frustrating email/phone battle, we finally got our stuff on the 11th. I can't even describe how happy I was. First to have furniture at all, and second to have all of our old favourites from home with us again. And it all fit! A little cozy in some rooms, but we got everything in and it all looks great. The UAE stuff is scheduled to arrive in the next couple of weeks and then we'll have the whole plan come together.

Let's take a tour ...

Nice little kitchen. Actually much bigger than a lot of the places we saw. That's a double-stove!

And this is the washing machine . . . in the kitchen. Very common here. And just a washing machine - no dryer. We'll probably look for a combo unit like we had in Abu Dhabi once the weather makes it harder to hang clothes outside.

Any idea what this is? It's the fridge! And there's a twin freezer on the other side of the kitchen. Strange to have to kneel down to get your food, but we'll get used to it, I'm sure. Not too many big American fridge/freezers here - no room!

Here's the living room (and Rogue for perspective). Electric heater in the fireplace area, which should come in handy in winter. TV will be coming with the UAE shipment so just the stand for now.

And on the other side of the lounge is the dining room (diner). A little cozy, but it all fits. So happy to have our dining hutch (sideboard) back with us . . . and of course all the nice wine glasses!

This room could have been a bedroom, dining room or office. We've decided to make it the office/craft room. And it's the only place the breakfast table fits so I guess it's also the breakfast room. Office desk will be arriving with the UAE shipment.

This is the guest room . . . for guests . . . like you . . who should come visit us. I promise to unpack the rest of the clothes before you arrive!

And the front door - complete with mail slot! Yes, we have mail service again! Complete with daily doses of junk mail. I really did miss getting mail, but completely forgot how annoying all the junk mail is. Thank god there's recycling here too.

And our bedroom. A little cozy with all the big furniture, but very happy to have our bed and mattress back again. Haven't slept this well in years. And what a great window. That wide ledge is perfect for kitties who want to keep an eye on the neighbourhood.

And speaking of windows, here's a shot of the one in the lounge. Notice anything? No screens! How nice that we don't have mosquitoes or other pests that require screens, but how unfortunate for us as both cats can escape if open too wide. Believe me, we know from experience!

So that's the new place. A great neighbourhood as well with friendly folks and really quiet. There's also a nature reserve less than a block away with lots of walking trails and bike paths. It's been a good decision so far.

British Vocabulary Lesson (Household Items)

In our next British Vocabulary lesson, I thought I'd share various household items. How many had you heard before?

• Bin - receptacle for holding garbage (rubbish) or recyclables. Can also be used as a verb as in, "That sweater is so old, just bin it."
• Cooker - what you use to bake food (aka oven). I'm still not sure if cooker refers to the stove and burners (see Hob below) or just the oven part. More research needed clearly.
• Hob - the burners of the stove (err, cooker). You can have a gas or electric hob just like back home.
• Loo - bathroom, toilet, water closet. Actually usually refers to the toilet as in many of the older houses, the bathroom is truly a room with the bathtub as the toilet and washbasin were in a separate room. We even saw one house with a sink cabinet in one of the bedrooms! Old city with old houses.
• Garden - refers to the back yard in general. In the garden, you might find a vegetable plot, lawn, flowers, potting shed, etc.
• Hoover - the vaccuum. Can also be a verb as in, "I need to hoover every other day to stay ahead of all this cat hair!"
• Airing Cupboard - closet that houses the hot water boiler. Often, the closet is fitted with storage and you keep your linens in as they will stay dry due to the heat from the boiler. We have one in our new place and I'm sure it's going to be a favourite spot for the cats on cold winter days.
• Telly - television. I'm sure you've heard this one before, right?
• Cuppa - refers to a cup of tea. A common phrase between friends as in, "Come on in for a cuppa. OR What a day! I could use a cuppa." I'll probably refrain from using this one as it just doesn't sound right with an American accent.
• Kettle - what you use to brew that cuppa. Almost every home has an electric kettle to boil water quickly for that cup of tea. Our landlord left one with the property so we're all set for the neighbours to stop by for a cuppa.
• Washing - laundry. As in, "The weather is so nice today, I can hang my washing outside."
• Washing Up - doing the dishes. And the supermarkets carry 'washing up liquid'.
• Brolly - when the weather isn't so nice, you might need your brolly (umbrella). I suppose in an area of the world where you need it so often, you've got to find a shortcut word for it!

 Hope you've enjoyed today's lesson. Stay tuned for 'areas around town' in our next installment.

The Tale of the New (rental) House Part 2

After a long 10 days of house hunting, we found what we were looking for. Is it perfect? Of course not, but close enough and a whole lot better than the loser I first saw (see Part 1 for details). I called the letting agent for this house and was immediately impressed. She was actually friendly, helpful and seemed truly interested in showing me the property. It was advertised as furnished, but she encouraged me to come have a look as there may be some room for negotiation.

Brian and I went to see it on a Saturday and, as we now had a car, it was a much easier trip then what I had been doing by bus. This was the second house of the day and we liked it as soon as we turned into the neighborhood. The house is a bungalow (aka Ranch) home in a quiet residential community in the town of Bradley Stoke. It's not as big as we would have liked, but I think everything will fit (as of writing, I'm STILL waiting for furniture to arrive! Stay tuned for Part 3 of this tale.)

The process went pretty smoothly and we had the best letting agent. She's actually also the property manager and the landlord is a relative so that all probably helps and contributes to the great experience. We didn't originally tell her we had the cats, but instead let her fall in love with us ;) and then we let her and the landlord know. Risky, yes, but we were really worried we wouldn't even get a chance had they known from the beginning. Luckily, she has cats too and was able to convince the landlord we would be good and long term tenants.

A week of reference and credit checks and we had the keys - super smooth! And the longer we're here, the more we're sure we made the right decision and this is a great house for us. I'll share more details and inside photos in Part 3.

Seriously, how cute is this?

And a yard! Yeah, a bit of a blank slate, but that's okay.

Even a little storage shed! And garbage & recycle bins!

Hmmm, don't understand why landlords don't like cats.

The girls adjusted fairly quickly and will be even happier once we have furniture.

And a bike trail right next door! We actually bump up to a nature reserve with lots of biking and hiking trails.

Things I learned:

• You need a local bank account to rent a house and a rental agreement to open a local bank account. Huh?
• The UK has LOTS of regulations and laws designed to protect renters and landlords which make for a lot of paperwork and quite a bit of extra details.
• For example, an inventory clerk had to go through the property with a fine tooth comb noting all issues with the property before we moved in. Then, she had to walk us through that full inventory on the day we took the keys. And this inventory is THOROUGH! Every nail in the wall is noted, the condition of every floor and anything not perfect is on the list. Pretty handy actually, but that scrutiny isn't so fun when you're just moving in and excited about your new place. ;)
• Addresses here are similar to the US, but the reference point is postcode. Yes, we have a house number, street and city, but then we also have a postcode that refers to a group of about 10-15 houses in a small area. That's used in your sat nav, on registration forms and to refer to your location. Interesting.

The Tale of the New (rental) House Part 1

My biggest job upon arrival was to find us a place to live. We started in temp housing right in the middle of the city centre, which was great to get our bearings, be close to food and entertainment, but it was noisy and cramped. After a few days of 5am wake up caws from the sea gulls, we were ready to find something in the suburbs. Sure was a nice location though.

Pub literally right outside the front door!

Right on the river with some beautiful views.

Dangerously good burger & cider place less than a block away.

Did I mention the great views?

I started my house research online back in Abu Dhabi months ago so had a bit of an idea of prices and neighborhoods, but I quickly realised how creative photography can be. First a few basic differences in housing hunting that I noticed.

• No one is open on Sundays. Back in the US, Sundays are a prime time for open houses and showings, but not here. Everything happens between 9-6 Mon-Sat.
• There are very few open houses - everything is by appointment with a letting agent.
• The websites are very up to date and accurate. Unlike Abu Dhabi where you could find a place still listed months after it had been rented.
• The market was really busy in July. I would see a place in the morning on a website and by the time I called them that afternoon, it would be rented. Most the places I saw were rented after 2-3 viewings and typically by the first person who viewed the property!
• Because of the  market, the letting agents weren't very helpful or accommodating (except for our last one which we rented from). They just didn't have to try very hard and so they didn't.

My first brutal exposure to the process was a few days after we arrived. We didn't yet have a car, so I figured out the 60 min bus trip to get to this property. Along the way, I realised my Google map instructions were a bit off and the stop I was looking for didn't seem to be on the route. Okay, no problem, jumped off at a large shopping complex and checked Google again to see if I could walk it. I wasn't clear and it was getting close to the appointment time so I grabbed a taxi . . . who took me the equivalent of 3 blocks to get to the house! Ah well, only 5 GBP (minimum fare) and all part of the adventure.

And then it all came crashing down. The letting agent didn't even introduce herself - even after I stuck out my hand and gave her my name and a nice American hello. She just unlocked the door and pointed me inside. And the house! It was so small, so dirty, and so run down, I almost cried! It had looked so cute in the photos.  The whole thing lasted less than 5 minutes. I was crushed and now very worried about how this was all going to turn out!

Luckily, things did turn around the next day. I had two viewings and both were a little closer to town so only about 45 minutes on the bus (which I was starting to get the hang of) and the houses were in much nicer condition and both letting agents were at least friendly if not overly helpful.

The first place was in a cute little gated area and had a large garage and a decent back yard. The trouble was it was so small inside! I just couldn't picture getting our large American furniture in those tiny little rooms!

Cute house and a nice backyard but SMALL

Gated community of 6-7 houses - nice for security

The second place was an amazing location. One of those cute little idyllic villages you picture when you think of England. The house was cute too and while still quite small, I thought we might be able to fit everything in - okay and maybe store a few things in the garage! It also had a great backyard, but it was the neighborhood that had me sold. Sorry, I thought I had a photo or two of this one, but apparently not.

We put our name forward for the landlord to consider us because by this time, I had realised how quickly properties get snapped up. Unfortunately, they chose another couple who didn't have pets. So I blame our losing this house on the kitties. And ya know, they don't feel one bit guilty!

Through this experience, I learned how difficult it is to rent property here when you have pets. Because the market is so competitive, the landlords almost always have a choice to have someone without pets rent their property. And let's face it, who wouldn't prefer tenants without pets?! I actually even heard that some tenants are turned away because they have kids. So now we had a dilemma - do we tell the agent we have pets or leave that until later?

I visited 3 more properties in the next couple of days - all had their pros and cons. One place was in a great neighborhood and a nice park just steps away from the house, but it was one of those terraced houses that are all connected side by side and the only parking was on the street. Seemed like it would be a huge hassle.

Another was in a nice neighborhood again and the house had a great kitchen with eat in area, but no place for our dining table and hutch and there was no way the bed and dresser were getting up those stairs!

So did we find the place of our dreams - or at least something close enough for the next couple of years? Of course we did! But you'll have to wait for Part 2 to hear the details. ;)

Arnos Vale Cemetery Visit

We noticed the Arnos Vale Cemetery when we were buying our car (it's just down the road) and decided one Saturday afternoon to have a bit of a wander. Of course, it didn't hurt that it's right across the street from a Wine Warehouse that we also stumbled upon. ;)

I know it probably sounds strange to walk through a cemetery, but this one is advertised for just that purpose (as well as weddings - hmmm, not sure it's THAT pretty). It's quite old and a bit overgrown with some really nice little walking paths. It also houses the first crematorium in Bristol (no longer in use) and was used as a medical facility during World War I. Interesting place and on a gorgeous day, it was a nice little stroll.

 

I'm still giddy about how green everything is!