French Pyrenees

Last month I went on my first ski trip in Europe to the French Pyrenees. My friend Mathilde's parents have a house at Saint Lary-Soulan about 2 hours from her home town of Bordeaux. With a super cheap flight on Easy Jet and a free place to stay, this ski trip was a no brainer.

My week went something like this:

We land in Bordeaux and it is 24 degrees - Celsius (75F!). Not good for snow conditions but the mountains were hours away. We swing by Mathilde's house to pick up a car and Mathilde's mother has purchased enough food for the 6 of us for a week - meats, cheeses, wine, bread, champagne, fruits, pasta, vegetables, yogurts, chips, granola, more bread, more wine, more cheese... She even pre-made some side dishes and baked us some mini cakes and cookies. I ate like the French all week, trying duck dishes like confit-cassoulet and yogurt from sheep (which is creamy and rich and tastes like Greek yogurt).

We made the drive to the Pyrenees and arrived at night and I couldn't believe the path down to the house. Mathilde turned off the road and I had to close my eyes. The path was as wide as the car and went at pretty much a 45 degree angle. The fact that the left tire hugged the hill and on the other side of the right tire was a sloping mountain didn't seem to phase her. Yikes.

Path to the house on a snow day

View from the terrace

LOTS of wine, bread and cheese

Loading the car in the AM

Day 1 of skiing: I'm not sure if I have ever skied in hotter weather. It's roasting, the sun is shining and the snow is slushy.

Day 2 of skiing: Sun is still shining but it's a tad windier. Have lunch by a lake and lay on the grass, napping and soaking in rays

Just visiting

Day 3: Wake up with a horrible cold. Decide cannot ski, and wind up reading in the intermittent sunshine on the terrace all day long. Some new sheep friends came to join me at one point by the terrace.
Day 4: In the morning we can not see anything out the window. The fog is thick, clearing slightly, but as we head out we realize the conditions on the mountain are not good. We could literally not see 3ft in front of us while coming down.
Day 5: Snowy, cold, foggy. Thank god I bought goggles yesterday.
Day 6: Fantastic new snow. Best day of skiing of the week.

 
I learned quickly that the ski lifts in France don't slow down when they're coming around the turn. The first time I got whacked in the calves and thudded into the seat with the force of the moving chair. Welcome to France. Apparently, after you've pushed your way into the spot where you're next in line (no orderly progression here), you have to ready yourself and put your hand out and hold the seat then sit on it otherwise it will take you down without mercy. The other thing about this resort was the prevalence of the tow rope style lifts. They were everywhere and I'm not a big fan since they're uncomfortable and allow no rest for your legs in between runs. The runs were not very challenging and a lot of the black runs were closed due to lack of snow. I had fun nonetheless, but I think I'd like to try the Alps next which are higher and which allow for better snow conditions. 


It was an relaxing trip, and a very French and local one as this was not a touristy spot and practically no one spoke English although being about 5 miles from the Spanish border, I did get to use that a bit.


The Pyrenees are the perfect escape....

Snow fall the day we leave

St. Lary-Soulan

Locksmith

The locks on the doors to English homes drive me absolutely crazy. You'd never realize how much you'd miss having a simple, flip of the wrist deadbolt on your door until you don't have one any more.

English houses only have doors that will lock and unlock from the inside with a key. This means you can't ever open your front door from the inside without one.

If someone comes to the door, and you go to open it forgetting its locked you have to fumble around with your guest waiting outside while you search for where you put your keys down. This sometimes leads to a lot of awkward waiting for the said guest as you shout through the door apologising while they wait outside in the cold because you can't seem to find them. If you're trying to leave the house and you're carrying a lot of things, you need to put everything down, find keys, unlock door, pick up your things, walk out the door, put your things down again, lock the door, and then go on your merry way.

One of my immediate realizations after a week living in my house was the possibility of the need for keys on the inside being a fire hazard. When I pointed this out though, I was reminded that I can easily climb through the windows. Oh, I forgot, my windows don't have screens. I guess I'll have to retrain my brain to remember that the window is the fastest way out of my house.

I haven't seen a single home in Oxford that doesn't have a front door that looks like this from the inside...

Driving on the Flipped Side v1.0

My blog got its name the week I got behind the wheel in the UK for the first time. 

Apparently the English drive on the left because:

• Back in the day you kept your sword in your left side, leaving your right hand free to pull out the sword across your body, and your left hand to use the shield
• Soldiers marched on the left for this reason - if you passed someone you passed on the left so you could draw your sword easily.
• A horse is mounted on the left
• To make my life more interesting

This article in the guardian gives a whole bunch of "I heard its because" statements  http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-19385,00.html

I don't know... there is no right answer and I'm sure plenty of historians will give you a different answer related to battles and Napoleon. I'm not sure I really need to know, but for me, this historical evolution into driving motor vehicles on the left hand side meant I had to reorient myself. And quickly.

Many people back home have asked me how I find driving on the left. Before I could drive a company car (which I have only temporarily which is a whole other story) I had to take a 3 hour "UK Driving Orientation Course" with an instructor.

Getting in the car for the first time last summer was definitely an odd experience. First thing my strict "I love the rules" supervisor for the afternoon asked was if I knew how to drive a manual car. Thanks to my Dad for making me learn 10 years ago, leading me to drive a manual car for the past decade. (Yes, I'm admitting you were right about this life skill, Father!)

We went over the basics of roundabouts on a piece of paper before he unleashed me into the left side driving world. Of course, the weirdest part of the switch is your sense of depth perception. As evidence I very promptly ran over the curb (spelled kerb here - odd?) driving out of the parking lot and my instructor sighed in a very "oh, here we go..." fashion.

I came out of the 3 hour session being labelled "medium risk"(!). Apparently my hands weren't at 10 and 2 enough even though I was extra conscious of it, I approached the roundabouts too quickly and tended to drift to the left with this depth perception issue...  Well then. I was just trying to remember to shift with my left hand in the opposite direction than I'm used to, while concentrating staying on the left side and looking in the rear view mirror where it looked like there were headless drivers in the cars behind me because they weren't in the spot I was accustomed. I thought I didn't do too shabby.

After 2 weeks I was pretty comfortable and after 2 months it felt natural. Now, I'm a completely ambidextrous driver, but I still don't have my UK license. The law is that my US license is good for one year, expiring soon, and I'm completely dreading this process.

Step 1: Obtain Provisional License (a permit)
Step 2: Pass the theory test
Step 3: Pass the driving test
Step 4: Obtain UK Driver's License (apparently they're going to take away my U.S. license which I don't understand at all...)

I plan to take a lesson or 2 with a driving instructor on "how to pass the driving test" which I'm sure will be expensive but probably less expensive than taking the test multiple times. There are all kinds of crazy rules during the driving test that you would have no idea about if you didn't learn how to pass with an instructor. More on what I learn later... with an average 40% FAIL RATE... I think I'll take the studying seriously.

I feel like I'm 16 again.

Leaving Dos

There are Stag Dos (Bachelor Parties)
Hen Dos (Bachelorette Parties)
Christmas Dos....
And the Leaving Do
 
In this new normal, I am surrounded by the comings and goings of people that have come in and out my life at a pace much more rapid than I'm used to. I moved abroad to shake up a change, to experience new things, places and people, and this aspect of the expat life has lived up to that expectation. Spending all your time with just a handful of people is a less stable plan in this kind of environment, and so the best way to cope is to say "yes" to every invite. You have to constantly adapt and I've learned to cast the net wide and grow accustomed to attending a lot of leaving dos.

Why so many? For one, a majority of my friends are also foreigners. The UK office of my company does a lot of international work and transfers people from around the world when the need arises. It's funny how these people tend to migrate together no matter where they're from. I needed only to be introduced to a handful to fall into several groups of fellow expats, widening the circle of friends and acquaintances in this town rather quickly. The flipped side of this is that inevitably, these people will leave. Not all at the same time of course, but one by one, most will eventually move on or go home.

Oxford itself is a very transitional city for its English residents considering the University, but for many expats, it seems to not keep people for especially long. The restless world traveler in particular. I'm amazed at the bravery of many of these new friends, because it's common that they pick up and move country, seemingly without the serious thought that I put into it. I hear when you've done it once, you're able to do it again much more easily. The tasks of meeting new coworkers, fostering new friendships, and those necessary things like a bank account and finding a place to live, come more naturally the second time around. They figure it out and the challenges don't phase them.

And what do you do at the do? Drink, Eat... be Merry. It's usually the place to be, an opportunity to cast the net wider, and they're never a dull time. You see, in England, the leaving do is a free pass for "adults" to leave the kids with their spouse, have a few pints with their colleagues, and not have a curfew. Quite a lot of gossip can result when some people are let loose that don't get out often! Speeches are made, rounds are purchased, hugs are given, and people stay till the lights come on in the bar.

I have 3 leaving dos to attend this month alone. And I've said "yes" to every invite.

What is your Ethnicity?

Today I went to the NHS doctor to renew a prescription and the receptionist noticed she needed to fill in some more information on my profile in their system.

First question she asked - "What's your ethnicity?" I paused a second, isn't this obvious? Then she prompted, "British?" Oh boy.

My answer - "My ethnicity is Caucasian, nationality is American."

Apparently this did not compute in the system so she put me in as "Other White" and moved on to input that my primary language is English.

I might have been there a while longer if I had to explain that I have Irish, German, Norwegian and Czech blood.

I am used to the "Where are you from?" question now... but this was a new one for me. 100% ethnicity doesn't translate for an American mutt.

I Love Scotland

In October, that road trip up to Edinburgh was supposed to be 6 hours, but wound up taking 8 hours as we hit the lovely city of Birmingham at rush hour and didn't move for approximately 2 hours. By the time we got up to Scotland it was 11pm and we were exhausted, but eager to see the city the next day.

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh didn't disappoint, but in true Scottish fashion, the skies opened up and drizzled on us all day long and didn't let up once. This was quite frustrating for my photography ambitions as handling an SLR camera, camera bag, purse, and umbrella are quite difficult to do. I seriously think I need to find hat with an umbrella on top for my rainy photography days. I won't look that ridiculous... right?

One of the highlights was the Edinburgh Castle of course, which is nestled on a mountain top but sadly the views where obscured by the rain and fog that day. 

My favorite part of the city was the The Real Mary King's Close tour. You need to book a tour ahead of time, and I highly recommend it for any trip to Edinburgh. This tour is a deep dive into 17th century life in Edinburgh when everyone lived in "Closes" in the city which were basically alleys with homes that had rooms 5 stories high and thousands living on top of one another. The tiny alleys sloped down to the river from the streets up on top the hill to the putrid waters below. With no sewage system, the hill top city of Edinburgh threw literally everything down below. You wanted to be the rich person living at the top of the Close. The poorer you were, the lower you lived - quite literally dealt the shitty hand in life.

Amazingly, that infested river was drained and in modern day it is a pretty park with fountains and statues and flowers... see below...

We figured we had made the trip all the way up to Scotland and felt obliged that meant we needed to go on a mission to find Nessy. After road tripping up north from southern England, and wanting to cram in as much of the Scottish Highlands as we could in one day, we decided to take an all day tour that brought us to Loch Ness and other picturesque spots without having to do the driving ourselves. This meant we got up at 5am the next day, and met a tour group where we got stuck in the back seat of a mini bus sandwiched between 2 Brazilian 18 year old girls who both wanted a window seat and proceeded to talk to each other ignoring the fact that we were sitting between them. It was a long day. But the scenery was amazing.

Loch Ness

As luck would have it, during our hour long boat trip on Loch Ness... we spotted her.... Here we have it folks... NESSY!!! (Plus baby)

At Glen Coe, Scottish Highlands

Not only are the accents awesome, but the landscapes are fantastic and Edinburgh is a lively, interesting, picturesque and fun city.. I <3 Scotland. Can't wait to go back.

The Royal Britannia

In October... I went to Edinburgh, Scotland with my friend Theea.  Ok, yes this is a very delayed post but I've been meaning all along to say something about Scotland and I'll begin with the Royal Yacht Britannia.

This yacht has been in action travelling the world for 50+ years throughout Queen Elizabeth's reign and has been put to rest in a dock in Edinburgh as a tourist attraction. There have been royal honeymoons, summer holidays, state visits and foreign leaders across the globe have been aboard when the Queen docked at their shores. The last royal event happened last July when the Queen's granddaughter Zara hosted a pre-wedding reception on board and all the royals mixed and mingled on its deck and Duchess Kate apparently "recycled a dress" for the occasion. Scandalous.

Royals aboard the Britannia
 

Me standing where the Queen is!

These guys are obviously familiar with the Royal Yacht as well... Diana and Charles honeymooned on the ship and you can see the rooms where they stayed during the voyage.

Having visited palaces and castles in England such as Buckingham and Windsor over the years, I can say that its really not the same at all. In a palace, you don't get the sense of visiting someones home as you do on this yacht. There are family photos everywhere of the royals standing in the same place you're standing. The yacht was designed in a minimalist 1950s style. There is little fluff and every effort seems to have been made to make the furnishings much less pretentious than you might imagine they would be.

Aside from the fact that this is a ship that employed dozens of crew members to wait on the royal travelers and you can walk through the kitchen where a world class chef was employed, the laundry room where all the crew's uniforms are pressed to perfection...  The actual living quarters are simple and straight out of the '50s. Not much to them at all... the bedrooms consist of a dresser and a bed. There are basic nautical themed sitting rooms where Harry and William have played board games and the Queen's "office" is a simple desk. Of course, there is a more formal dining room and there have been many "posh" parties aboard. But what I liked most about seeing this ship is the teeny tiny sliver of normalcy you are able to peek in on.

Charles and Diana's Honeymoon Suite

I've read somewhere that the Queen's husband Prince Philip has never in his life put toothpaste on his own toothbrush. Apparently that task is reserved for his butler. So yes, "normal" and "royal" don't usually go together in the same sentence. But aboard the Britannia, the family photos unveil that they are just people in the end no matter how much scandal, heartache or loneliness those posed smiles are hiding.