T̶w̶o̶ One p̶e̶r̶p̶e̶t̶u̶a̶l̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶a̶t̶s̶ immigrant settling into home country number five.
Happy New Year! Where did you ring in 2014? We seem to start out each year somewhere different (in our five years in Munich, I think we were only there for its warzone-like Sylvester once). This year we had the pleasure of being invited to join some friends at their log cabin on a lake in a remote part of Finland. We’d lapped up their stories of snowy snowy New Year’s Eves past and could not wait to experience it ourselves.
This year of doctors and hospitals has distracted us from all the fun that is usually involved in one’s first year as an expat in a new country. Years have various flows in different cultures, with different events and celebrations punctuating the passage of time. Now that Scott is healthy and about to return to work, we were able to exhale and look around us and enjoy our first Christmas in the UK.
Read moreMore notes from Christmas in the UK: hampers and crackers and puddings, oh my
This is our very first December in Edinburgh, and we’ve been looking forward to it all year. It’s always fun to experience the holidays in a new culture. Locals have been talking up the Christmas markets (usually followed by an expectation-managing “But I’m sure it’s nothing like what you had in Germany.”). Christmas goodies started appearing on shop shelves as early as October, making us wonder what new and exciting things we’d get to eat this season. Figgy pudding, perhaps?
Edinburgh is a frenzy of activity during August. One of the biggest draws during this time is the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a daily performance held inside a temporary stadium that is erected in front of the castle each summer. Military bands from around the world are invited to perform, and the whole thing ends up being a lot more interesting than the words “military bands” might lead you to expect.
Read moreSo many bagpipes: the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
We’ve been having fun playing tourists in Edinburgh over the past couple months. One of the attractions we tried out was The Real Mary King’s Close.
Eating: it’s one of our main forms of entertainment whenever we visit London. Here are some of our favorite restaurants from our most recent trip.
Most of our recent exploration of the Highlands have been by car (have I mentioned that we now own a car, after 8 years without one?), which has its advantages and disadvantages. One distinct disadvantage is that the driver has to pay attention to the road rather than enjoying the abundant scenery; another is that we have to put in the time and effort to plan our route ourselves.
Read moreA day in Scotland: Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond, and Glengoyne Distillery
Our recent trip to London was scheduled around Book of Mormon tickets. We’d been desperate to see it since it first opened in New York, but tickets were hard to come by during our visits. Luckily we were able to get tickets to see it in London just a couple months in advance. Yay!
One of the nice things about living in Edinburgh is how easy it is to get to London from here. The train takes just over four hours, departing from the middle of Edinburgh and depositing you at King’s Cross. There are plenty of flights, as well, but once you deal with getting yourself to and from airports, it’s taken you just as long door-to-door (and you’ve had to surrender your liquids).
Recently we spent a couple days being tourists in our own city, getting to know some of the attractions Edinburgh has to offer. One of our first stops was the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions.