Bridgnorth

This weekend I meet up with Matt, El and Clare for a delayed "X-mas" weekend. We didn't do much Friday night as we were all exhausted!
Saturday morning, we went out to Bridgnorth for the market and lunch. (They have some great cafes.) The markets were ok but there weren't as many people there as normal. But there again, I wouldn't want to be standing around in that weather either. It was fairly cold (though not as bad as Blacksburg) and spitting rain. So we quickly ended up in a cafe for lunch. And we found one which did gluten-free bread and cakes! I was so happy. Clare got a jacket potato but the rest of us went for the egg/bacon/sausage sandwiches. Which were the largest sandwiches I have ever seen. They were on slabs of bread! (Thankfully the GF bread wasn't as thick.)

Gigantic Sandwich!

After lunch we walk down to the river (the markets are in high town). The ruins of the castle at the top are cool, though look a little unstable!

Bridgnorth castle ruins

Unfortunately the UK has had some bad flooding recently and the river had overrun the banks. And a couple of poor/stupid people will not be using their cars for a while if ever again.

Flooding in lower town

more flooding

Stairs down to the river

Bad place to park

More cars in trouble

top of a bench.

We got the little train back up the hill (because we are lazy).

El, Matt and Clare on the train 

Bridgnorth hill train

In the afternoon we went to the cinema as the weather just got worse and saw Frozen (at least the second time for all of us) and Mr. Peabody and Sherman. Followed by an Indian (I am getting in as much proper curry as I can!), wine/cider, and another movie at home. Though we were all asleep pretty early!

Home

I finally got back to England on Sunday for the first time in over a year. It's good to be home. The flights were fine. I even got into the posh fliers lounge in Washington Dulles. :-) We had had a speaker at VT who was getting exactly the same flights as me so we had dinner in Dulles ($13.50 for a glass of 'meh' wine) and because he was a frequent flier, he had access to the business lounge. Wow! How the other half live! Unlimited free tea, coffee, snacks and complimentary beer and wine. And comfortable chairs.

On the flight from Dulles to Heathrow, I ended up sitting next a really lovely couple from London who were flying back from Costa Rica. I had forgotten to book a gluten free meal. The first one was ok but the breakfast (as I flew overnight) was a croissant so I was starving. The couple next to me gave me some chocolate to keep me going. :-)

On Tuesday mom and I went on a mammoth shopping spree. We didn't mean to. It just sort of happened. I needed a dress for Katherine's wedding in a few weeks. (I ended up getting 2 because I couldn't decide. They are both so pretty.) And I found load of jumpers to replace some of my old ones. It's great going shopping with mom. She will tell me when something works. Or really doesn't!

And I got my visa approved yesterday! I spent the day in London and a long time in the US embassy. I was one of the last people to be seen. (When it goes from 300 to 8 people in the room and you are one of them, you do start to worry.) But it went ok and hopefully I will have my passport back in a week or so. I will feel much better when I have it! Unfortunately I didn't see anything of London, other than the train station. The tube workers had decided to stoke yesterday. Figures! Plus the weather was horrible. So getting around was a nightmare. So I sat in various cafes and bars in Euston. (So if anyone is stuck in Euston, I can recommend the best places to go. I have been to them all!)

Just working for the next few days and seeing friends this weekend which I am looking forward to as it has been ages. Lot of photos to follow I am sure. :-)

Frozen!

As some of you may know, the east coast has been a bit chilly recently. The news runs frequent stories on how to avoid frost bite which, they helpfully tell me, can occur within 5 mins at times. And when it gets above 30F (~-1C), I am starting to think that is a warm day!
Here's some proof of how cold Blacksburg has been.

First serious snowfall

Proof I live in a student area

More snow.

Freezing the cars to the pavement.

Multiple icicles on the mailboxes. 

This is the first time I have ever said this (and never thought I would). I am looking forward to going home to be warm! :-)

Bryson City and Mingo Falls.

On Sunday, Cissi and I went down to Bryson City, NC, to meet Caroline for a few days. I had a Groupon voucher for a cabin. We didn't end up with the cabin we booked (they are all different and I had booked the one on the hilltop with the view and a pool table) but the road up to that cabin was impassable due to the snow and ice so there was a last minute change and we ended up at Alarka cabin 1, which was still very nice. It was right next to the creek and had it's own security gate. There were 2 bedrooms and a sofa bed in the main room which Caroline stayed on. (We drew straws.)

Kitchen

Living room

One of the bedrooms

Rocker on our back porch

Gate to out cabin

We didn't do much on Sunday night. Caroline couldn't get there until late and Cissi and I were just happy when she got there alive! The road was not the best and with the ice in the dark, it was a little scary. So we just cooked pizza and watched a movie.

Cissi and the enormous pizza!

On Monday morning, we all intended to be up early but that didn't happen; we all pretty tired. I got up at about 8 but even when I went in to the main rom to make a cup of tea, Caroline didn't wake up so I got a few hours to myself, reading, which was nice. 

Once everyone was up and dressed, we had a wander around the cabin and up to the main road. (Where a nice woman stopped us and asked if we were ok. She obviously wasn't expecting to see 3 girls randomly wandering around in pretty much the middle of no where!) And Caroline and I saw a wood pecker which was cool (but he was too quick for me to get a photo).

Our cabin, Alarka 1 

We were glad we didn't have to get to cabin 2! 

Our frozen little creek

Shot gun damage. Welcome to North Carolina!

 After our walk we went into Bryson City (which is more of a little town) for lunch. We found a little hippie cafe which had wifi (so Cissi and Carline were happy) and gluten-free food food (so I was happy). We had a walk around the town which was very small town America!

Train through Train

Lots of carved black bears everywhere

Then we headed over to Mingo falls. We had wanted to go here last time we were in the area, but we didn't have time. Mingo Falls is the tallest waterfalls in the  south Appalachians and only a 0.2 miles walk from the car park. Which was very important to us at this point as though not as cold as expected and certainly not as cold as Blacksburg, it was still pretty cold. We made it after a few GPS issues (and u-turns) and were very glad we did.

There were steps heading up which were fine until we got to the top 4-5 which were covered in 2-3 inches of thick ice!

Cissi and the ice stairs

After carefully climbing, we finished the trail. We were amazed when we got near the top and saw the sheet of ice which looked really thick.

Navigating the ice.

Cissi proving the ice is thick (and scaring us!)

The river is just ice.

But then we got onto the bridge (after more icy steps) and saw the waterfall and the sheet of ice was forgotten! It was amazing!!!!

Frozen Mingo falls

Icicles

Caroline, Cissi and me at Mingo falls

We braved it down onto the ice for some photos. Cissi went further out than Caroline and I, and scared us. We decided we were not going in after her if she fell in! 

Braving the ice

Caroline looking worried at the falls

Cissi looking very NOT worried.

We didn't really want to leave but the sun was going behind the mountain and it was getting colder. And I had sat on a log to take a photo and got a wet bum so I was happy to get back to the car! :-) On the way back to Bryson city to get food for that night, we passed a few frozen lakes on the way back which were cool.

Frozen pond

Cissi scaring us again!

One of the best things about the cabin was the hot tube on the back deck. (Which I have now decided, along with a porch swing and rocker, is on the top of my list of things to have in my house when I get one.) We ended up in the hot tub, drinking wine and chatting for a few hours which is not a bad way to spend a Monday evening. Though I was a little wrinkly when we got out. 

All in the hot tub

Fun with wine!

Lots of wine!

And one of the main reason for getting out was my hair had gotten wet and frozen!

We spent the rest of the night finishing more wine and watching superman. Caroline unfortunately had to be up and back in Alabama early on Tuesday so she was up super early. Cissi and I stayed in bed a little longer but we had to be out of the cabin by 10am anyway. After a stop at the same cafe in Bryson City for breakfast (we had great plans to make breakfast each morning but that didn't happen), we went to Toys'R'Us in Johnson city for Cissi to get more lego before heading back to Blacksburg. Unfortunately the trip back was not fun as it started snowing and the roads were awful. It was very pretty (though terrifying and dangerous!).

Frozen cascades by the road

It was a great few days and I really wish we could have stayed longer. Next time. But now I am looking forward to flying home in a few days. :-)

Poplar Forest

On Saturday, Cissi and I were supposed to be going for a flying lesson. We were really excited but when we got there, they said it was way too windy! :-( So we are going to have to wait until March. But as we were in Lynchburg anyway, we ended up at Poplar Forest, which is Thomas Jefferson's private home. In September I went with mom and dad to see Monticello which is his main house. I have been wanting to see Poplar Forest since then. Some things were the same (like the alcove beds which are cool) but there were as many gadgets as in Monticello as he built it late in life and probably didn't even see it finished.

Front entrance to Poplar Forest

Jefferson's holiday home

Layout of the main floor

We got a tour inside the house but you can't take any photos. When it was sold after Jefferson, the new owners altered it to update it and make it more user friendly for their needs. The preservation society are trying to put it back to the original, using the same methods used 200 years ago. They are still renovating the house so it is not as done up as Monticello but it means you can see all the building methods which was interesting.

Walkway over the wing 

Walkway to the house

Undercover walkway near the kitchens

We had a walk around outside but it was really cold! So we didn't stick around other than to take a few photos. The shop was great though. Jefferson liked wine, reading and science. So a lot of the things related to those 3 subjects. I like this guy! He was also obsessed with symmetry so every felt very elegant. It's thought he was going to put a second wing on the house because, just one wing would annoy even me! He also had what looked like a pizza oven in his kitchen which was used to baking.

kitchen

Pizza oven

Wine cellar covering ~1/4 of the lower floor

There is a sunken garden at the back of the house, which was dug out by one slave (paid to do it) and would have been lined with roses. The dirt removed to make the garden was put at the end of the wings  and used to hide the out door toilet. The toilets mirrored the same design as the main house (this guy was detail obsessed) and even had a little toddler's potty for his grandchildren!

Outdoor toilet

Toddler's potty!

After, we headed to Toys'R'Us for Cissi and then home, where we got stuck in traffic. :-( Which meant I was late meeting a friend for a very nice sushi dinner. But I am looking forward to going back to Lynchburg to do the flying lesson in March! :-)