Learning the lingo and dangerous activities

Well, what a week settling in. I have to say I never want to live in a hotel again and have a few more weeks to go but things could be a lot worse! However, after walking Luke to the boat, to make sure he gets on it to go to work,

at least I get to come back to a ‘lovely’ breakfast. Even if I am there , on my own, with a very strange concoction of food to ensure I try all the local combinations.

The other diners must thing I am slightly odd. Especially when I get out my kids textbook

multicoloured flashcards and start muttering to myself!! In addition to perking up every time I hear anyone speak english. I think I may have to keep an eye on myself before I start following english speakers around the hotel!

Yet when I do venture out of the hotel I have been able to explore the local areas and it is beautiful. I have even discovered my new favourite restaurant called Lyst .

The food is delicious, the interior is all wooden, colourful and modern, it is always busy and I love the candles they put outside to welcome people in. Maybe it could be a new trend for Bollington? Although I am not sure if my street would go for that. It could be a bit obvious to any potential burglars if no one is in when the candles are not lit!

We have also ventured to the cinema. It was quite easy as it was  only with Norwegian subtitles (it was a bit like a more interesting version of my Norwegian ‘teach yourself’ lessons). However, the whole experience was a little bit odd. Think of a leisure centre that has been split into different small compartments and has had a massive tv put on the walls, which is then surrounded by squeaking curtains. Add about forty seats, if you are feeling generous, and that is pretty much the cinema. It was a little bit strange especially at one point. It was a really serious, dark, emotional part in our movie and suddenly there was a loud shout of ’Yippie ka-ay Mother …’. Apparently, next door were watching Bruce Willis. It didn’t quite go with our film, although it did put a rather alternative slant on the scene we were watching.

The rest of the time I have been looking for a job and realising not knowing Norwegian may be more of a problem than I was told but I am learning. Slowly. All the Norwegian people are being very nice to me and really giving me time to pluck up the courage to speak to them in Norwegian, only to answer me in English. I think may have to work on my accent! I also have to work on a slight addiction I seem to have developed after a colleague suggested I try them. The item in question – Bamsemums.

Yes, they may well look cute but they should come with a warning!

They are a gorgeously gooey marshmallow bears covered in crispy chocolate.

It got a little bit ridiculous as I worked my way through a family sized bag so, for the sake of not having to buy new clothes, I asked Luke to help wean me off them by hiding the rest of the bag. So what does Luke do to try to hide them? he sneaks around the room in a not-so-subtly way and then, when he thought he had found the perfect place, he hid them. The only problem with this is that I was still in the room, but with my eyes closed, and instead of moving stealthy I could tell where he was going and to top it all off? he really rustled the bag into the hiding place. It was a little bit of a giveaway! So alas, that particular bag of bears did not make it to the end of the week.

Luckily, we went for a death-defying walk, with one of Luke’s colleagues, in the ice up to Aksla the next day so I think I wont need new clothes just yet. It was a great walk except for the bits were there was a sheet of ice with a fairly large drop on the other side. However, we made it without slipping and got to enjoy the amazing view and have a peek in the sentry post/ pill boxes from WWII.

It was then time to hug the railings on the way down as we passed a sign saying ‘slippery stairs’ and it wasn’t lying!

I still am amazed none of us fell over on the way down! I just kept hugging the railings.

We survived and were able to go for a huge cross-country ski on Sunday. Well, short by Norwegian standard but huge by ours. Especially as we ae stupidly cross-country(ing) in alpine ski wear so it is like being in a sauna as soon as you clamber up your first hill. Still, it was really enjoyable. I had thought I was getting better untill I went down a particularly steep hill and fell over for my first time. Luckily, Luke was there to console me. He did this by swerving to avoid me and ending up flat on his back with the skis in the air. There is nothing like a bit of solidarity between couples! However, this act of unintentional kindness was wiped out when Luke stopped too quickly later on causing me to ski straight into the back of him, and flat on my face. I supposed I deserved that though for being secretly glad he had fallen over at the same time as me earlier on. Well, I didn’t want to be the odd one out!

There was a few more scary bits this time as we were skiing around the a lake. Well , I thought we were skiing around it and Luke and I spent a lot of time discussing whether we were skiing around the lake or on it. It wasn’t untill we passed lots of boat houses quite far away from us, and with their entrances pointing towards us, that it became crystal clear we were actually skiing on the lake. This did wonders for our skiing time as we quickly tried to get off the lake. Another near death situation, well not really near death but a small chance it could have been, was when Luke’s love of skiing down very steep hills saw him snow plough his way down one and then came the moment of realisation that the hill was cut in half by a road. This became apparent as Luke sped towards it, just as a car came driving along it. Meanwhile, I was walking sideways down the hill as I still valued my life. Luckily, the car was faster than Luke and he glided, as gracefully as one can in a snow plough, to a halt. I guess he is fearless for going down the hills, but we will try to check if there are any roads first next time.

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• Skis, Snow Boots and Snow (lhgardener1988.wordpress.com)
• The Norge adventure continues! (lhgardener1988.wordpress.com)
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• Top 10 – Unusual Places To Ski (essentialtravel.co.uk)

 

Skis, Snow Boots and Snow

So, day two and we certainly kept busy. I managed to drag Luke to the gym before breakfast and that went well, untill the lights went off and we couldn’t find the switches. We got a few funny looks from other people who entered the gym later and found us, working out on the cross-trainers, in total darkness. Oh well, we can just tell them it is a new English craze! We then went to breakfast and I decided to have a mixture of all of the items that would make up a typical norwegian breakfast, big mistake! I swiftly retreated to my bread and peanut butter after I rapidly discovered that gherkins, ham, sardines in tomato sauce and Brunost did not make a great mixture early in the morning, if indeed at any time! I think I shall give myself, and what is left of my confused taste buds, more time to settle in before I carry out another tasting onslaught like that again! Then, with the taste of sardines still lingering, we met up with one of our ‘guides’ who, whilst driving on roads that would have seen the whole of the UK shut down with warnings of not driving unless it was absolutely necessary, took us to the police station and tax office.

Both places were different to their UK counterparts as they were very efficient and punctual. Dead on nine am and the police office rolled up its shutters and we were able to gain Norwegian residency. Not only was this different but the gentleman at the tax office was very friendly! it was a bit of a shock! It was then time for me to have another different experience as I attended the spouse club for expats. Never mind the small fact of not being a spouse yet, or having any children to bring to the meeting, but I really enjoyed it. Everyone was lovely and their was lots of useful information ( which bread to buy, where to shop, what to do etc), cake and of coffee (which they do remarkably well over here, so well in fact that by the time I got to the spouse’s club I had already had about four cups of strong coffee I don’t think I will be able to sleep ever again!).

It was then time to do a quick room swap in the hotel. Don’t worry, we had asked first and we were both moving rooms together! all we had to do was scuttle across to the older building and take all of our belongings with us. It was a bit like a scene out of a fast forwarded old movie with different characters chasing each other around a building. Luke took the suitcases and I followed him behind with items he had dropped or left. I think the hotel staff were wondering who they had let themselves in for! It was then time for lunch and we went to an amazing cafe, which appears to have a strong love of Tzatsiki, and indulged in a massive lunch.

We then felt that we needed to do something sporty after such a big lunch so, we went shopping.

Well, it is almost a sport and it was shopping in a sports shop so it does count, kind of. We were able to track down winter boots

spikes for my running

and then moved on to the cross-country skis. This proved a little bit more difficult as the assistant asked for  our heights. He looked at me and almost visibly winced whilst trying not to laugh. It then took him a while to work out which length skis I should have, before declaring they didn’t have any short enough and I would just have to settle for the size up. I know the shop is called XXL

but honestly! I didn’t expect them to only cater for giants and Nordic gods. Well, ok then, just non vertically challenged people. He did assure me that the couple of centimetres wouldn’t make a difference but if I end up falling over lots, or Luke is better at cross country skiing than me, then those additional centimetres will almost certainly be at fault. Although, they did seem fine as we did a bit of indoor skiing. I promise this is not a code for anything, Luke did actually mean he wanted to test out his skis in our hotel room. I couldn’t let him gain an advantage over me so as the saying goes, if you can’t beat them then join them! It could be a new sporting event? Eddy the eagle move over- here come the LuLu’s live from the Quality Hotel!

It was then off to swap our car. We had previously got stuck on a hill, skidded, made it to the top and then became stuck behind an OAP vehicle (yes, they have them here too).

Therefore, we decided to get another car. I stayed in our previous car whilst Luke went to choose.

I was kept amused by watching people dig their way into their cars after disembarking from their flights but I wasn’t amused for long as Luke came back with the new car. Which one does Luke choose? Which one did he think would be best for tackling San Franscio style hills made of pure slippery ice? Why, a Beetle of course!

Yes, it is cute, but it hardly screams ‘Look at me, I can take on any amount of ice or snow you can throw at me’. I don’t think I shall be driving it yet (and yes mum, I know to drive on the other side of the road!) We carried on our debate about the merits of the car over a quick dinner in a local inn.

I began to wonder why my mouth was on fire when I learnt that Norwegian have chilli sauce in the english version of tomato ketchup bottles!!! I almost had to go outside and get some snow for my tongue but I chose to have a drink instead. We then decided the Beetle would stay as it had seat warmers (heaven) and Luke is convinced that, with winter tires and his excellent driving (HAHAHA), that the car will be fine. We shall see.

However, it did do well as we went flat searching this morning. I have to admit I was intrigued by the flats but I am not sure if they were right. One was huge with enough beds and sofas to rival DFS and the other was quite a bit smaller but with a stunning view. We have decided to continue the search and, who knows, maybe I will end up getting Luke to build a longship instead! In the meantime we will enjoy having lovely waiters, and a restaurant to ourselves, followed by a lovely walk around the town before heading back to the hotel.

This whole relocation is not so bad really…

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Perils Of Packing

We are off again! This time to the land famous for its fish, the invention of paper clips, open sandwiches, the northern lights and A-HA. Yes, we are moving to Norway. Now the big problem for me is, with less than a week to go, what do I need to pack. I have asked Luke to advise me on what sort of clothes they wear but, as is often the case with the male species, his reply was an unhelpful grunt along the lines of “the same as we wear in the UK“.  This is probably true yet we don’t usually get feets of snow, blizzards or freezing temperatures. However, the past month of English weather may have helped to prepare me. Therefore, I have had to work out for myself what clothes will be essential and so far all I have decided is that thermals were a priority even if they will make me look like a member of the Blue Man Group, especially when my face turns blue in the cold.

I did do a spot of forward planning for the packing and sent Luke over with a suitcase filled with food that I didn’t think I would be able to get in Norway. This caused great amusement for Luke and his colleagues when he transferred the contents into another case for storage. Apparently they do have baked beans (yes, even of the Heinz variety), cream eggs, Jaffa cakes and mustard. This may not have helped me make the best first impressions although my saving grace was the huge jar of Marmite, which still remains a true british product. This meant that it was worth Luke lugging the heavy suitcase on three planes, to various hotels and up lots of stairs even if he might disagree somewhat as he just happens to be a member of the ‘hater’ club when it comes to Marmite. Somehow I don’t think he shares in my happiness that we at least have a jar of Marmite to welcome us when we arrive in Norway.

This whole exercise has also shown me that the packing skills, which I thought had been expertly honed from all our previous travels, is not quite up to scratch. Luke kindly informed me that this became abundantly clear when  the contents of my huge suitcase, which he had struggled with all week, were transferred comfortably into a suitcase half the size. Therefore, I have changed the packing game plan and have repacked various suitcases to ensure everything is squished down and every bit of space has been used. I also have a new mantra whilst packing and that is that we are not moving to another planet and they will have things like toothpaste, towels and shower gel in Norway so just pack the essentials. So before I approach the suitcase I can now be heard to mutter “pack the essentials, pack the essentials, pack the essentials”. I had hoped this would work but then again how do you decide what is essential? Is a jar of peanut butter essential? for me yes, for Luke not so much; Are lots and lots of jumpers essential? for me yes, for Luke he can just take a few and he is happy.I have realised that I am not quite as light at packing as I want to be. I always end up looking more like a bag lady than an experienced traveller, and that is just if I am going away for a weekend. Luke’s face fills with horror at the thought of all the various bags I will have to take with us for a ‘trip’ that will last at least a couple of years.

I have discovered a few packing tips which should help me, in theory.

• Roll or fold. Doing both will take up more room (although, deciding on which technique to use is tricky)
• Only take what you can carry on the plane (so there goes all my extra bags).
• Stick to the luggage allowance to save landing a hefty surcharge.
• Remembering that you will be able to buy things over there and you do not have to pack up your whole house (or in my case items that are classed a ‘just-in-case’ for example a dog bowl or monopoly board, which I have now removed from my suitcase and hidden away so they won’t find their way back into the case).
• Everyone packs differently. I pack weeks before but then end up repacking to make sure I have everything. Luke is still packing an hour before we are due at the airport. (I am planning to be out f the house whilst he packs as it will either make me jealous of the ease with which he packs or, if he flapps around looking for the elusive sock or missing charger, I will find it incredibly hard to resist informing him that he should have packed sooner. No one likes to hear that when they are stuck under the sopha trying to look for the missing items).
• If you pack a suitcase early try to store it in a safe place which is easily accessible. (not balance precariously on top of each other so that they fall on top of you, which in my defense has only happened a few times, or that it is like a massive game of Jenga when you realise you have packed items that you still need).

Now all I need to do is find somewhere to unpack all the suitcases, once we arrive in Norway, as we have a slight problem in that we still do not have anywhere to live. We could always put Luke’s love of, or slight addiction to, building flatpack furniture to good use and he can build us a Viking Longship. How hard can that be?

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Back To Blighty

We boarded the plane and luckily had managed to get seats together. However we were then informed that they needed to fix something on the nose of the plane before we could take off. Well that was reassuring ,especially for my two nervous companions who hate flying. Thankfully the nose stayed intact on take off and we settled in to enjoy the dinner that was served on the plane, which was surprising because it was actually quite a pleasant assortment of chicken, rice and puddings.

Once we were fed there was an unsucsessful attempt to get to sleep. Well I was the only one unsuccessful as I found out when I glanced down my row and saw my sister  and mum peacefully sleeping. I would say they were quietly sleeping as well but there was some definite snoring going on but I can’t name any names whilst I still value my life. So instead of happily snoring away I occupied myself with a book and people watching. I began to worry as the lady sat across from me kept on going to the restrooms every five minutes. I was really hoping that there was nothing seriously wrong with her and I began to regret ever watching Contagion. However, we made it safely through the rest of the journey and eventually landed on English soil. It was then I raced to the baggage area expecting to find my suitcase, with the huge hole in it, replaces with a mound of all my clothes strewn across the conveyor belt.

I was more than a little relieved to see that my suitcase was intact. The relief was short lived when we found out we needed a pound to get a suitcase trolley. None of us had a pound so we had to manoeuvre our way to departures, which was easier said then done as we were juggling five suitcases and various bags. We struggled outside and finally saw my dad as he strode across the road and over to meet us. He faltered a bit at the sight of all of our bags but we were soon hugging hello . My dad and I abandoned my mum and sister and left them to get a taxi as we took some of the bags home. I rather liked being the prodigal daughter but im sure the preferential treatment wont last once I talk my dad’s ear off.

It was very odd being back in England. I had to remember which side of the car to get into and it was a novelty to see a roundabout again. I was amused to count how many corners there were on the way back home as well as traffic lights. There were no stop signs or crossroads in sight! It was also a lot more grey, yet I couldn’t be happier to be home. I actually get to stay in a house with stairs again. No getting the lift to zoom me up twenty-two floors to my apartment. Although the house felt smaller because the ceilings were lower but at my hobbit height that wasn’t too noticeable and I shouldn’t think that this will be a problem.

What was also smaller was the cooker and fridge. They were like minature ones compared to the ones in Indy. As are the English bottles of Diet Coke! I thought my dad was joking when he informed me they hadn’t been downsized. It was all rather confusing for me. I was also dazed as I wondered around Morrisons later that evening. Not only had the shop sprung up in my local town but it was rather English. No pumpkins and Halloween decorations haunting your shop. Instead there was an array of things I had been missing for the past six months like Marmite, ingredients that you can use to make a meal instead of having to buy a pre-made meal, normal red / green and blue  topped milk and of course Cadburys (Sorry America although you own Cadburys the bars you sell in America are nowhere near as good as the English bar!).

I got over the shock at hearing English accents again and not being welcomed everywhere I went. We returned home to make a ‘spag bol‘ and have a catch up around the kitchen table over a bowl of pasta. I just can’t believe we all lasted without any sleep. To avoid jet lag I tried to stay awake untill a normal English bedtime which meant staying awake for well over twenty-four hours. I kept myself busy unpacking and reorganising things but after some food and a glass of wine I was very much in need of a sleep. I just made it to bed before my eyes shut and I got to enjoy my first nights sleep back in blighty.

 

Au Revoir Hoosiers

So I began counting down the hours untill my departure from the US and what better way to do this than to revisit my favourite place and drag my mum along with me. This place was of course the library. I thought I would reward my mum for helping me spring clean the flat as I don’t really trust Luke to clean it properly once I have left. Men, in general, seem to have the absurd idea that cleaning incorporates a quick hover and maybe a wipe down of the surfaces if you are lucky. This implies that they think the dusting, mopping, cleaning the toilet and the oven are all conducted by the magic house elves. I wish!

We arrived at the library as it was going dark and it was beautifully lit up. I thought my mum would never want to leave the child’s section, especially when I popped her into an egg for a sit down. We then rented some scary themed DVDs for our ‘Halloween‘ night and I took mum to the sixth floor of the library, to see the view of the skyline, before leaving this place for the last time. It is not nice saying goodbye to things but luckily we had been to the Flying Cupcake Bakery before so I was hoping that a cupcake would soften the blow.

We then arrived back to the flat to find that my sister had decorated the table in Halloween style and was playing a Halloween soundtrack (0) .

My favourite being the Werewolves of London which always conjures up images of my dad bopping away to it. However my sister did not see why this was a scary song. Well she lives in London so maybe she has seen some Werewolves?

We then tucked into a bowl of chilli whilst being watched by our friendly ghost companions.

Afterwards we settled down to watch our scary films. However, no-one else appreciated the Jeckyll and Hyde movie I had rented. They seemed to miss the artistic quality of watching a black and white silent movie with words in bubbles popping up. Oh well, I did try. It was then time to re-weigh the suitcases and have our final sleep in Indianapolis.

After a restless sleep it was up early and time to load up the car. Luke was very, very happy that he had changed the car as we just about squeezed all six suitcases and various bags into the boot. With the car sufficiently weighed down it was straight onto the highway to Chicago. There was a slight blip when we had a police escort

so we took a detour into what looked like the set of a wild west movie. I kept expecting to see some tumbleweed but after crossing a few train tracks we were back onto the open road.

After a quick Subway we made it to the airport and struggled to get all of bags to the check out desk. I was praying that the bags were the right weight and the hole in one of mine did not get any bigger. We began to get worried as the airport lady tutted at the couple in front informing them they were a stone over weight on each of their suitcases and that it would cost an extra one-hundred and thirty dollars! I gulped as we approached the desk, especially as she informed us they could be no more than twenty-one kilograms when we were sure it was twenty-three however I thought it was best not to argue. The first suitcase went on and was a pound overweight. She let us off on this one but informed us that none of the others could be the slightest overweight. She was slightly scary, and a bit of a ball-breaker, and Luke and I nervously placed the other suitcases on. I couldn’t believe my luck. Two were forty-nine pounds when the limit was fifty! I’m glad I took some extra shoes out before we entered the airport. I just had to suffer one more ticking off about the hole in my suitcase and we had made it through checking in.

It was then a teary goodbye to Luke. I’m glad I didn’t wear mascara and I felt a bit pathetic as it is only five weeks apart. Maybe I had an allergy? However, I picked myself up and blew my nose and approached security with a somewhat of a fake bravado. I made it through for the first time ever without setting the beep off. However I did cause a jam in the x-ray scanner. Whoops! I then had to wait for Sarah and mum who were being asked to remove candles from their bags before putting them back in. I had warned them so I was fairly smug.

 

Burning Autumn Leaves!

After recovering from our jaunt to Nashville we settled in and watched a film on Friday accompanied by some fish pie (please see making and baking etc page).

It was the perfect friday night. Then after a slight mishap on Saturday with tensions frayed we all came back together to have a completely over-the-top, over indulgent dinner. That is the last time I shall go shopping with Luke and Sarah! They managed to sneak all the things into the trolley that I usually never buy. Now I know what it is like to go shopping with children. At least none of them had a temper tantrum on the floor!

After somehow managing to convince Sarah that Luke can drive his car remotely by sitting in the back and using his phone (she is not a driver herself) we returned to Riley accompanied by burgers, hot dogs, rolos, kitkats, bread rolls, onion rings, chips, candy apples and cheese squares. We got a film to watch during our mammoth feast and I could not move for quite a few hours after. I did think I had nearly lost my burger after Sarah dropped it in the oven, cheese slice down onto the heated pipes. It was then a quick emergency rescue involving Sarah, Luke and myself to retrieve the fallen burger and all was well. It just needed some patch up surgery using the tools of ketchup and cheese slices and it was perfect.

Still feeling full we made it out for a run after Sarah, who obviously has not read my Elevator Etiquette, exited the lift the wrong way much to the amusement of the people remaining in the lift. The run wasn’t so good as I had cramp but we got to have a nice walk before heading to the lively Broad Ripple Village. We settled in at the Three Sisters Cafe and carried on with our mammoth eating session with much better food. I had the ‘King of Siam‘,

mum had ‘Steve and Linda’s',

Luke had the standard turkey club and Sarah had a mushroom burger. It was a struggle not to get take out boxed before heading to Zionsville to show everyone the christmas shop. There was then a quick stop at our place of worship, seeing as it was Sunday, and we picked up a few treats from The Fresh Market.

Including making our own peanut and almond butter!

We then retreated to Indy, Listening to Bluegrass music thanks to Luke, and settled in with a salad and DVD.

It was back to working times on Monday so Sarah and I staggered our visits to the gym, which confused the reception man as Sarah came in after me asking where the gym was. Bearing in mind we look similar, I come in every day and chat to the man and I had already arrived earlier. No wonder he was confused! I came back earlier and had a coffee with mum. It was over coffee we noticed a burning leaves smell. I poked my head out of the balcony to make sure it was from outside and I thought it was. We then had breakfast when Sarah returned and when she nipped outside she discovered my plant pot was quietly smoking away as the eaves had caught fire. Aha, that was the burning leaves smell! Sarah had set my plant pot on fire! It was then a quick formation of a water chain to put it out.

No one wants a fire on the 22nd floor! We then left Sarah in the flat without any flammable item and had a wonder down Mass Ave before returning for a jacuzzi and sauna.

It was a quick plate of pasta once Luke returned and then it was time to hit Walmart with a toffee apple for the road.

Having persuaded Luke not to buy a baby grow for himself or anyone else, Mum and Sarah brought enough candles to open their own shop!

Luke then had to buy a new can of soup for himself as Sarah had pinched his at lunch, without adding the water to it so no wonder it tasted odd! Then Mum had picked out a pumpkin for me, which somehow ended up in the lady in fronts bags so we then had to do an exchange to retrieve our dollar pumpkin with mum singing ‘I need a dollar’ in my ear the whole time. Typical! It was then off home and a chance to explain to mum that the steam vents were not hot water springs! I don’t know where she thinks we live. Luke decided he needed something to cope with all the oestrogen so he played this song- (o) and headed to the only place that would provide him with a remedy, and quiet time. Yogulatte.

Here, after showing mum that she actually need the yoghurt in the pot and not all over the floor, we settled down with an array of yoghurt and toppings. There was even a pumpkin flavour! heaven.

Yet as the yoghurt melted and I finished off the remaining slush and my saved pieces of cookie dough (as you always save the best till last) I remembered that this will be my last Yogulatte and I melted a bit with it. I will definitely miss those pots of goodness. We then got to witness a fender-bender from the perfect vantage point on our balcony. It was there I left mum and Sarah absorbed with the goings on below. They were particularly excited as the fire engine pulled up.

I left them too it and began re-working my suitcase or the tenth time.

 

He Is Not Staying!!

I have to be honest here and admit to doing something I inherently dislike. Lying to my Mother. I also had to lie to my sister which I don’t like doing.  Yet, sometimes, it doesn’t quite seem as bad as lying to my mum. In my defence it was a nice lie and one I can not believe they actually believed. I told them that it was a legal requirement for everyone in Indiana to keep an overnight bag in their car at all times in case of a tornado. My sister was puzzled as to why she would need a pair of knickers and a toothbrush in the event of a tornado and why a police officer would tell her off for not having these items. Nevertheless they appeared to believe it. I had told them this lie because I had booked an overnight stay in Nashville (IN) as their surprise early Christmas present.  However, I had to let them know at breakfast on Thursday Morning as I remembered that the room had a whirlpool in it. I thought that I would be pushing my luck if I told them it was also the legal requirement to carry a swimming costume wherever you went in case of a tornado. Although maybe I could have gotten away with it? Lied and said it was something to do with having to shelter in a bath?

So, after  taking my sister on a run around Indianapolis in the freezing rain and wind because I am so nice!, we had good breakfast of scones and the remains of my pumpkin bread and it was here I unvieled the surprise, over a mouthfull of scone. I left my mum researching Brown County and took my sister to the local supermarket to have a look around and to collect some goodies for lunch.

With soup and salad secured we had a bit more of a relaxed afternoon of reading and napping before our taxi driver (also known as Luke) returned from work to whisk us away to Nashville.  We had time to pack our bags before setting off on the hour drive to Nashville through beautiful countryside, gorgeously golden leafy trees and thankfully no tornadoes as I had been worried that I had just tempted fate. We then arrived in the quaint village, which felt like being on a film set of an American movie. We went to check in at the hotel and had a funny moment with the receptionist as we were all insisting that Luke was not staying. She was even informing Luke he wasn’t staying by the end of our conversation. Poor Luke! No, tonight he was just the driver although he did get a delicious dinner out of it. Before this dinner we located our suite. Yes, a suite! Turns out our ‘room’ was a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom containing two magnificently grand sleigh beds.

It was perfect! It was almost a hardship to leave the room to go to dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. Untill they brought out the salad and a box of crackers, which were extremely addictive.

Followed by a steak and brown sugar glazed sweet potato.

Then, funnily enough, it was no hardship at all.

We said a quick goodbye to luke as it was straight back to the suite for drinks in the whirlpool followed by a few hours watching Hocus Pocus before retreating to the most comfy sleigh beds imaginable. It was extremely hard to get out of bed in the morning but luckily mum was on hand to kickstart us with a mug of super strong coffee from our little kitchen. We then waited as long as possible before leaving the room for a buffet breakfast of biscuits, gravy, pancakes, cakes, scrambled eggs, porridge and crispy bacon.

We then left one suitcase with reception and began our mystical tour of Nashville. There were lots of little boutiques everywhere but in the beginning all mum was interested in was getting photographs of American cars for my dad!

However, the lure of the fudge, popcorn, craft and candle shops proved to much of a distraction. We managed to buy lots of these things except candles. We indulged in various flavours of popcorn including peanut butter and jam, honey mustard and strawberry. It was here that we got to watch them making fudge and caramel apples. We tried to grab a caramel apple later on but there was none to be had anywhere! We were very disappointed. I guess that is always why you should get something you want when you see it!

Then we got some nice fudge to eat whilst sitting in the sunshine in a little square outside of the winery.

It was a perfect fall day and I couldn’t have asked for a nicer day or better company.

We all loved looking around the shops and the window displays. Although we had a few bags and I was worried I would break something! Luckily I think the only damage I did was knocking a plug out of its socket causing the window display’s fairy lights to cease shining.

We even got to find a scrapbook shop although the whole process of making one is very perplexing to me and something I will get a chance to try and figure out due to a lovely early christmas present form my sister. There was also a very interesting dog bakery (of course!) and they even sold cigars for dogs! As long as they were over eight weeks old.

However my favourite were the doggie gingerbread men. They looked so good that even I was tempted by one!

Don’t worry I resisted both, just about, but I almost couldn’t resist leaving my mum in one of the rocking chairs on a fantastic trinket stores porch or possibly on this bench with my sister

but I thought people may miss them so I retrieved them before moving onto look at some other fantastic places.

I was incredibly tempted to leave my mum here, as it was a teacher’s boarding house but she was saved by a cinnamon ice cream.

We were then scooped up by Luke and driven back through the scenic part of Brown County. After meandering back through what must be the only hilly part of Indiana that I have seen so far i began to make a fish pie for dinner and we snuggled down to watch Jane Eyre. We also, finally , got to have our caramel apples on a stick after Luke thoughtfully brought some back with him. Although we repaid him by making him watch Jane Eyre. Maybe that wasn’t entirely fair on him.

 

LuAnSa Head Up The Magnificent Mile

I managed to bundle AnSa onto the El and we made it to the Magnificent Mile. I also managed to ignore the feeling that I looked like a cross between Peter Pan and Robin Hood after my sister had ‘dressed me’ in her green jeans. The latter was hard to ignore. I kept feeling like I should be flying through the buildings are drawing a bow and arrow. Luckily I did neither.

Here we enjoyed treats from Hershey and Ghiradelli as well as exploring the shops.

A trendy cardigan was purchased from H&M and not by my sister or myself, lots of chocolate presents were brought and we enjoyed the architecture of Chicago before picking up a fantastic Italian style lunch from a deli nestled underneath the Hancock Observatory. It was then off to the magical bean to see this famous sculpture and take a minute to just enjoy the beautiful buildings surrounding the Millennium Park. It began to get more windy and cold so we retreated back to the hostel. We bolted down in the hostel for a few hours before we each felt brave enough, and slightly more awake enough, to venture to the shops in Lincoln Park. We managed to escape the clutches of any scary figures as we scuttled past various houses adorned with Halloween paraphernalia.

We retrieved a huge pile of nibbles and a DVD from the supermarket and made up a mock sofa in the hostel.

It was very comfy and we had a really nice,cosy girls night before going to sleep. Luckily, for my sister’s sake, no alarms were to be heard until the next morning.

After an uninterrupted sleep we enjoyed a great breakfast again. I can tell I am going to have to pull out all my hosting charms when they return with me to Indy to keep them in the current state to which they are accustomed too! However, we did have to wait for milk for a bit and then the poor man who reinstalled the milk carton managed to spill it al over the floor. Everyone then waited to see if somebody else would be brave enough to retrieve some milk and as soon as I saw the first person take the initiative and go up to the pump I followed suit. We were checked out by a very friendly and helpful member of staff before we headed back into the city to Magnificent Mile. The weather had really taken a turn for the worse so we sheltered in Starbucks and made life plans before swiftly retreating back to Lincoln Park. Our swiftness was diminished somewhat when we were unable to follow my sister onto the platform as we did not have enough money on our cards. We then abandoned her in search of a place to top up our cards. We then finally made it back to my sister and headed to The Bourgeoise Pig for a warming bowl of soup and some Hummus.

We then braved the wild outdoors once more to pick up a bag filled with wonderful meatloaf cupcakes for our train journey back. We ordered a taxi early due to the hostels advice because the rain can cause delays. We arrived at the train station early and settled down with some books. It was then all aboard the Amtrak for the Hoosier State. Once onboard we head a feast fit for a Queen in the form of a turkey meatloaf topped with stuffing and cranberry sauce;

An Asian inspired chicken meatloaf topped with noodles and plum sauce;

and a salmon meatloaf topped with garlic mash.

We all tried a bit of each others, well I almost missed out on the turkey one as it leapt of my fork whilst I was transferring it over and my heart skipped a beat as it landed on the floor of the train. After smearing cranberry sauce over my travel pillow. I quickly applied the twenty-second rule and retrieved the fallen meatloaf and deftly popped it back into my box. It was then all quiet on the Amtrak front as we munched, with a significant amount of satisfaction, on an array of flavours that were just too good to not to savour every morsel. I definitely did not drop any more on the floor! This fantastic feast almost took the edge of having to stop repeatedly for huge freight trains, which caused us to be delayed yet again.

It was then a bone shakingly bumpy ride back to Indianapolis and we were continually delayed. It ended up with us being the last ones on our carriage and it all began to feel a bit eerie. It then turned into an atmosphere of frustration as we were sat just five minutes away from our final destination but could not go any further due to signal failure. Luckily, even though we were an hour late, we were able to disembark in Indianapolis and met up with our beloved driver once more who had again been sat waiting patiently for us! I then showed off the flat to AnSa and made them follow the customary procedures of induction into the LuLu’s world and this of course included a tour of the balcony. Even if it was raining heavily and their were howling winds whipping around the building.

Related articles

• Shop ‘Til You Drop: Chicago’s Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival (psfk.com)
• Michigan Avenue aka The Magnificent Mile (candybarbie.com)
• Christmas & New Year Time in Chicago (ebookers.com)
• The wonder of Christmas on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile (orbitz.com)
• From a Tourist’s Perspective (judichow.wordpress.com)
• Winding down in the Windy City (theglobeandmail.com)

 

Finding The AnSa

We had another driving error after Luke very cleverly drove us into the Avis car park instead of into the terminal five car park at Chicago airport. I think he secretly wanted to revisit his car ‘sweet-shop’ but he insists he didn’t. We were a bit perplexed when we found ourselves on a one way street with nowhere to go apart from into a spot for returning cars. We certainly did not want to do that! However, we then found out a way of procuring an Avis car without any authorisation as we nervously pulled up to the security booth and frantically tried to think of a way to explain our current predicament. We began to tell our story but as soon as he heard we were there by accident and we wanted to keep our rented car, which was from Indianapolis, he waved us through. Even though we had shown no documents to prove that we hadn’t just sneaked into that car park and were trying to steal a car.

After that dilemma we managed to get parked up and waited in the terminal for the AnSa to arrive. I waited patiently, almost, as herds of people came bounding through the doors into loved ones arms or the less loved presence of their taxi drivers.

Then I spotted a short, hobbit like person accompanied by a mildly taller person appear through the doors. Finally, the AnSa had arrived in the form of my mother and sister (Annette and Sarah, AKA AnSa). It was an exciting reunion as I was informed that Luke and I looked American and I let AnSa know they still looked decidedly British. It was then time to return to the car, chatting along the way, and we drove back to the hostel. It was here that Luke waited ever so patiently as we tried to organise our room, suitcases, various outfits and sneaked in a quick drink.

He was still sitting in the lobby as we returned half an hour later (He is so good, or well-trained). It was then deep pan pizza time. We stopped at Pizzeria Uno.

Well you can’t come to Chicago and not try one! So we thought why not try two. Then we thought why not try them with some calamari, salad and garlic bread thrown in.

This was a tad over indulgent, which we realised when we saw the enormity of the task that lay ahead as the friendly waitress struggled to place the mammoth pie before us. It was a mixture of the gooiest cheese and tomato sauce which was complimented beautiful by a textured crust. It was almost like a pizza version of a Quiche and although it was a struggle to finish the last few mouthfuls it was definitely worth it!. We even found a smidgen of room to sit outside The Bourgeoise Pig and enjoy a warming Hot Chocolate later on before hitting the hostel.

After we had said goodbye to our driver for the trip, also known as Luke, we walked back to the hostel. Here we had a quick drink and went to bed. I was then awoken to a strange noise and this now appears to be a recurring event whenever I stay in this hostel. From the depths of my sister’s bag there was something ringing. It turned out to be her alarm. If this had gone off in England it would have been perfectly fine, maybe even welcomed, but it was nowhere near morning in Chicago. My sister eventually opened her eyes, stretched and very comically announced ‘Morning, man I feel good’ in her best fake American accent. To which I brusquely replied that we had only been asleep for a few hours and it was not morning. It was in fact half eleven in the evening and her alarm had woken us all up! It was then a stop-start evening with each one of us taking it in turns to wake up everyone else every so often. Thankfully the clock finally displayed six am. I vaulted out of bed, which is no mean feat from the bottom of a bunk bed,and we went in search of a much-needed coffee. Plus a few bagels and quite possibly an injection of peanut butter. It was then off to explore the wonders of the windy city.

 

Photos Of Fall In Chicago and Other Bits