Adventuring in England (NOT London)

Hello All! I'm sorry it has been so long since my last post. I heard a few grumblings about the frequency of my updates, but this is the best I can do! Plus, you guys don't want to hear about my boring days filled with hours of classes and coffee breaks. You want the fun stuff! So here is the latest.

This weekend, Alex and I flew up to the Northeast of England to visit her Mum and family. The Carrs have a "flat" (British language for apartment for those confused Americans) in South Shields, which is near the bigger city of Newcastle! That's right everyone, there actually exists a part of England other than London! Who would have thought... I suggest looking at a map, that's what I did! We left Prague on Thursday morning, and took a flight to Heathrow and then another short flight to Newcastle. I have to admit I wasn't that sad to leave Prague, as it was snowing and about 30 degrees when we left. Thursday evening, Alex's wonderful mum Viv took us out to one of the multitude of Indian restaurants for dinner. I'm pretty sure that every other shop was a different Indian restaurant, but they took me to their favorite and we had delicious curries and the best naan bread I've ever had in my life. Seriously. The next day, we went to the main street of South Shields for more excellent food. But this time it was authentically English - FISH AND CHIPS! And it did not disappoint. Coleman's Fish and Chips was pure deep-fried goodness, and the fries (aka chips) were some of the best I've ever had. After I was stuffed with delicious cod, Alex and I went with here mum and aunt to Alnwick (pronounced Annick) Castle, about half an hour away. There were many wonderful things about this castle. 1) It's a castle. 2) Alex and I had truly delish mochas at their cafe. 3) We had one of the most cheerful tour guides I've ever met. And last but not least, 4) parts of the first Harry Potter movie were filmed there!!!! EEEEAaahhhh! It was a truly great afternoon, and was followed by my first English "take-away" meal from the supermarket. The Brits do refrigerator meals so differently, and they are made fresh and refrigerated for you to eat at your leisure (pronounced leh-zure of course). I really wish this trend would cross the pond, because it really is quite civilized. The following day, we had lunch at the Marsden Grotto, which is a really neat restaurant at the base of a cliff on the beach. And after that we went shopping in Newcastle! I spent far too much money, but it was all on practical things like warm hats and a jacket and rainbow ear muffs. :) And then we went to a pub and Italian restaurant for more good food and drink, before settling in for the evening with a movie. It was so nice to have a couch and TV and curl up and relax with a movie! I didn't really realize how much I missed it. It was a truly great and relaxing weekend. Although I was a little sad to leave the coziest part of England, I couldn't be happier that my parents are coming this week!!! Now, this post has rambled on for far too long, and has far too many parentheses. On to the pictures!

This is a picture of the Newcastle Millennium Bridge, with the bulbous concert hall in the distance. Newcastle and South Shields are located on the River Tyne, also featured in this photo.

Alex and I outside the Marsden Grotto. Pardon my windswept look. It was... well, windy.

Alex and I at Alnwick Castle! This picture was taken by a friendly Canadian, in fact.

Alnwick castle from the outside. The statues on top of the towers were put there to scare away invading Scots from the north!

Delicioso fish and chips. :)

One of the very first life boats! Proudly displayed on the main street of South Shields.

The coast in South Shields, with an adorable red light house. The ruins across the river there are of an old monastery.

The skies of South Shields!

Hope you all enjoyed the update. I had a great weekend, and there will be more to come!

This is Julia Miller reporting for The Blague.