jump to navigation

Saturday In Bath May 22, 2010

Posted by tiffany in : Bath , add a comment

So today was a lovely sunny day in Bath (and pretty hot) and we spent most of it in the city. We took a tour of the Roman Baths that are in the heart of the town and people watched for most of the early afternoon. Afterward we went to a garden party.

While in Bath it is interestinig to think that the city looks pretty and very old, but we were informed that the city was bombed in WWII and so only half of the old city remains. Bloomfield, the B&B we’re staying in, was not hit directly, but all of the windows facing towards the town were blown out. However, the city has made a great recovery since through its tourist industry (four million tourists a year). The houses in the old part of town are extremely expensive and there is the Royal Crescent which is possibly the most upscale you could get in Bath (an attic apartment costs around 600,000 Pounds).  Nicolas Cage and Johnny Depp both own houses around Bath.

I have been to the Roman Baths before but Chris had not, so we took an audio guided tour. It was amazing (even seeing it a second time)! However the audio guide was a bit lacking from what I remember the commentary being a couple of years back. A great example is the origins of the wishing well which came from the men throwing coins into the pool to watch the young boy swim after them as a form of entertainment (this has been changed to an offering to the gods).

This Roman Bath is situated on the only natural hot spring in the UK  and it became not only a place for recreation but also a temple for Minerva.  Many people came to the Bath for healing or,for military personnel, to ask for victory (Minerva is well known for being fond of battle). It was all very interesting and they have made tons of progress in the way of excavating artifacts from the bottom of the main Bath (people were notorious for throwing curses etched in a soft metal or “gifts” to the gods into the waters). Before the Romans, there were the indigenous people who didn’t live near the hot spring but the archeologists have found arrowheads and other small tools in and around the area of the hot spring.

After we found a nice coffee shoppe near the Baths and sipped at tea while people watching. It was hilarious! Some of the people looked as though their three year old dressed them and a hand full of others were in costumes! The people in costumes were looking for donations, so would make sense that they were trying to be eye catching. There were cow costumes, The Mario brothers, Bumble Bees, and many more.

Our host, Rob, has told us about a town near here that would be perfect for an afternoon of people watching. The people who inhabit it are apparently quite daft in the way of dressing. He said that they wear very Harry Potter-esque clothing (with the pointy hats and what not). That should be an interesting thing to see.

The garden party was lovely and primarily a social gathering (it was like a private picnic with only deserts). Our hosts for the evening were nice people. The man originally came from Holland and has the same interest in computers as Chris (they Geek-ed it up a bit talking about the conference Chris was just at in London) and his flatmate, a lovely young lady who is about to finish her degree in language studies.

Our hosts have given us the weekend off to explore and relax (also because Bloomfield becomes completely booked every weekend and so they don’t think they can get much of anything done while taking care of the guests). So, for tomorrow we have no plans yet but we’re thinking about visiting Stonehenge or perhaps one of the other rich and beautiful towns near here.

London To Bath May 19, 2010

Posted by tiffany in : Bath, London , add a comment

Day three in London was nice. While Chris was at his conference I went to Ikea to see what they are like outside of the US. I got very lost for about 30 minutes after exiting the Tube station that the ad said it was at. I have since learned that when they offer a shuttle from another station, take it or be prepared to walk for an indefinite amount of time. It was interesting to see because the building was perhaps larger than the one I’m used to in Houston, and since European cities are always short on space, it was was amazing. The prices were even lower there too. I picked up a “Tea Towel” for 17 Pence which is a good size and I think it’ll come in handy for Picnics and such.

After three lovely days in London we headed to Bath, England to do some more Workaway. The place we’re staying at is a very nice and spacious B&B. The building itself is over 200 years old and is considered a historical sight. Our hosts are constantly working towards being eco friendly and encourage others to do the same.  Chris will be working on their website and possibly when we leave he will have another company to do SEO work remotely. There are some other opportunities for Chris to work his computer magichere long after we have continued our travels. It sounds promising but we shall see.

First Day In London May 18, 2010

Posted by tiffany in : London , 1 comment so far

The Ferry ride to the UK was quite the experience. I figured it would be a flat boat with cars and people intermingling with nothing to do for the long trip across the Channel. I was dead wrong! It was a full- blown cruise ship with four movie theaters, a couple of restaurants, and classes (like cooking and craft classes). There were even cabins people could rent. I was impressed. However, everything costs money, so I suppose, it was more like a moving shopping mall and hotel.

Today is the first official day in London but we arrived yesterday afternoon. We were going to go straight to the hotel and maybe walk around the area near the hotel, but while we were waiting in line to buy a one way Tube ticket, a lady approached us asking,”do you need zones 1 and 2?” and we confirmed. She gave us two day passes that she said she didn’t need. So, happy as a pair of clowns, we thanked her and went around the intercity for the rest of the day.

I am on my own today, for Chris is at his conference for most of the day. I went to Hyde Park and saw the chicks with their mothers (the Swans take great pride in their young and love to show them off). Besides the swans there is also the Egyptian Geese with their young (they looked really lazy and didn’t mind that I was practically hovering over them). The Egyptian geese chicks ran right up to me when I put my hand out which was adorable. I talked to a woman at the park and she said there were Coot chicks (little black fluff balls about the size of a Ping Pong ball) but I didn’t see them. It was quite lovely.

Looking to London May 14, 2010

Posted by tiffany in : Normandy , 1 comment so far

So sorry for not posting in a while, we’ve been very busy between digging the pond and being social. The neighbors, Jeff and Lin, are currently hosting their first work away (he’s from Australia and this is his first work away job), so they have been coming over for tea or dinner. A nice lady from London, Alice, has joined us in our digging and it is her first work away experience also. So, needless to say there are a lot of laughs and stories of travel.

We’ve been experiencing new things with our hosts. They’ve introduced us to Jeeves And Wooster which is a comical show about a rich clumsy man(Hue Lorey) and his genius butler, Jeeves, who always has to fix the social problems that sprout up whenever Wooster is around (if you like Keeping Up Appearances, then you’ll love it). It’s hysterical! Then, there is a game called Tri-ominoes that we have been playing with Bob and Cory. It’s basically three sided dominoes which makes it a bit trickier. It’s a lot of fun though.

After a week’s work on the pond, we’ve finished digging and put the dam in place. We’ve had a lot of laughs in the pond (either get irritated at the amount of mud you get splashed with or you find some humor in the situation). This morning a duck came to inspect our work; it swam around a bit and left. I hope it tells its friends.

There were other animals we have seen while here, such as the Nutria. Also the dairy cows that make famous Normandy cheese (the main culprit of the pond filling with debris). I’ve been keeping my eye out for the cold-footed chicken and the sleeping sheep combination (let’s face it, they were made for each other), but it is just not happening for me.

We’re leaving on Sunday for London via the ferry and then a bus. The trip in total will be about seven hours and it costs around 100 pounds. Compared to the train (400 pounds), it is a good deal.

I can genuinely say I’m going to miss this place. Friendly people, beautiful scenery, and great food. We’ve been given two jars of Cory’s home made Chili Jam (think Chutney and we love it!), two bottles of pure Lavender oil, an oil burner, and a sachet of Lavender as parting gifts which we are mailing home. Somehow I get the feeling we’ve been spoiled which makes me sad for the next people we work for. I just can’t imagine how the next place could top this one, but we’ll see.

P.S. Happy belated Mother’s Day! And happy birthday to my mother. I hope it’s a good one!

Funny Surprises in Normandy May 8, 2010

Posted by Chris in : Normandy , 2comments

Today we went into town with Cory, our hostess, for some groceries and were told that it is a bank holiday. She gave us a tour of the town and in the middle of the tour we noticed that there was a bunch of young Marines unloading from a bus in the main square. They were in full uniform, including their large guns. It was hilarious because we figured they would march around, twirl their guns, or something, but nothing happened. They got into formation, their uniforms were inspected and adjusted (their leader reminded us of their mother, if their mother was a big well-decorated man), they moved  about twenty feet, and stood there for some time until we got bored and went into the grocery store.

So when we got back we headed out to the pond for some digging. Today we made a lot more progress than yesterday, but we also got stuck more too. The most memorable of the times was when Chris got stuck and went sideways into the mud and I went to help him, when my boot sank into the mud. He got out just fine, but I was pretty trapped because I wouldn’t put any weight on my right leg, for it would have sank too. So there I was knee-deep in the pond and Chris came to rescue me now. I grabbed onto his arm and pulled and out came my foot, no boot attached. So we spent about twenty minutes trying to dig my boot out while I did the flamingo in the pond. Then my other boot starts sinking… Needless to say, one of my socks is now very muddy.

For dinner tonight we had Curry  Chicken,which was very delicious and after we watched Cricket with Bob. We’re slowly beginning to understand how the game is played. They shared with us how the usual matches last for five days and when one goes to one is it for the social gathering more than the game. However, there is a new version that is much faster to gain the appeal of the younger crowd. Cricket is very complicated; everything about it is very specific down to which side of the ball is shined.Tonight the match was between South Africa and England (England won).

Sorry again about the no pictures in the post. We still haven’t figured out what is wrong; the Flicker button has disappeared.

Beautiful Normandy May 7, 2010

Posted by Chris in : Uncategorized , add a comment

We arrived in Flers, Normandy a couple of days ago and were and are stunned by the beauty of the region.  Yesterday, we spent a decent part of the day weeding the lavender gardens, a necessary chore to keep them growing at their best.  While weeding the gardens, we saw that there are two neighbors with sheep, Tiffany was ecstatic.  Near the end of our day, I glanced up and saw, in the field with 1 sheep and 2 lambs, that the adult sheep had a chicken perched on its back.

After we finished work yesterday, we had dinner and were informed that we would probably be cleaning out their pond today; the pond has become filled up with silt and other sediments flowing downstream.

Note: We are having some technical difficulties with inserting images
so we will be updating this post with images and further tales as soon
as we have that solved.

Two Days Left In Carassai May 2, 2010

Posted by tiffany in : Carassai, Uncategorized , add a comment

So Tuesday we should be moving forward to Normandy, France where we will be working at a lavender farm. The trip will take 10 hours over night for a total of 300 euro (the most expensive night we’ve ever spent here, considering it’s like a mobile hotel). We thought about flying there but the inflation is pretty bad (not to mention many of them are fully booked).

We’re pretty excited about the Workaway and this was a good experience for us, not to mention we’ve been talking to these people for about a week now and they seem pretty nice. They run a lavender farm that produces oil that are sold at a local shop.

So today was pretty much a day off. We kind of lounged around and watched  Doctor Who. Lunch was Spaghetti Carbonara with bacon, followed by salad and rabbit. It was delicious and we ate lunch with the whole family. It was special because we had rabbit that was raised at their house. Giuseppe was surprised to find his rabbits had multiplied.

We will probably take a walk down to the creek near here later this afternoon, so expect pictures! Ciao for now!

Besides Working April 28, 2010

Posted by tiffany in : Carassai , 1 comment so far

Working with the grape vines has a tranquil effect and fAgriturismo La Cicalaor meditative purposes, it is wonderful . Today is another beautiful day with minimal cloud coverage and high visibility, which makes today a great day to work outside. Yesterday was the same way and all of the critters came out to soak up some sun.  We have been invited back in September to see the fruit of our labor- the grapes. I hope we can make it because if I enjoy pruning the vines then I would probably love picking (and probably tasting) the grapes!The common flowering plants around here are very lovely. There are Poppies all over the place, which are nice because they accent the countryside and up close the flower buds look like irritated skin (while I find it interesting, some people may not). There are many others that I don’t know the names of, but they help to mane this place very colorful.

Agriturismo La CicalaAgriturismo La Cicala

Giuseppe told us that there is a castle in town that we will be checking out soon. He showed us a picture and it is not some ruins with a sign; it is very grand. We shall see!

Also there is the beach, which apparently the water is cold but it is getting hotter here. So perhaps on Sunday we will go with the family to the beach and hopefully the water is comfortable. If we can’t stand the water, a city is near by so we can walk around there.

Agriturismo La Cicala

The cute town on the hill is Cassarai, by the way.

Working in Italy April 25, 2010

Posted by Chris in : Carassai , 2comments

As you guys know, we’re staying and working at Agriturismo la Cicala, a vineyard on the East coast of Italy.  Despite the inclement weather of the past few days, today has been a gorgeous, sunny day.  The weather is warming back up and our skin is loving the sun.

Agriturismo La CicalaWe didn’t get started with work until around 11 this morning but we handled the same amount of work as we did on Thursday in about half the time, clearly we are getting more skilled in tending grapes!  Despite our growing skill, today the fields are muddy and pack onto our shoes quickly, making us feel like we’re wearing 10 lb. platform shoes.

After Giuseppe or I (Chris), clip the rogue shoots of the grape vines and tend to them, Tiffany comes through and ties the grape vines onto the poles, helping the grapes to grow straight and in the right direction.

Agriturismo La CicalaThe lack of rain gives us the stunning views we saw on our first day here but which has been blocked by the low clouds and fog since then.  The countryside around Agriturismo La Cicala is absolutely beautiful, a wonderful change to the city scapes we’ve gotten used to seeing.

Rainy Day April 23, 2010

Posted by tiffany in : Carassai , add a comment

All is quiet on the farm. None of the neighboring farms are being worked on. The entire countryside is quiet. When is drizzles here no one works. Days like today are days off for people around here and good days for staying inside.

We spent the majority of the day inside the farm house. Chris and Guiseppe worked on the website while I did research for our next part of our trip. We went to his house today (they don’t live at the farm house) and met his youngest son who is 13 years old.

Magda made three home made pizzas for us for lunch. They had the popular Italian toppings for this area; Marinara, Olive oil with Rose Marry and Garlic, and Marinara with a local fish. It was good but not at all what I expected.

Today was a very lazy day in rural Italy or at least for us. Tomorrow’s forecast is sunny with minimal cloud coverage and a high of around 65 F (typical weather here). So we will be back in the fields working with the young grapes.