On UK Driving

Watch out, I can drive in the UK!


I first got behind the wheel on the drive up to Scotland.

From a legal perspective, we're actually able to drive on our US licenses for a full year, and then after that we have to take a driving test.  Does that seem a little backward to anyone else?  However, we'll take it... we have a year to practice!

So when you're driving in the UK we're talking about driving on other side of the road and the other side of the car.  Not to mention road signs that are unfamiliar, and a few other oddities besides that.  Josh had the advantage of learning from a coworker, so he a had a bit of a head start on me.  It was actually pretty helpful for him to learn first, because he could explain things to me from the perspective of a US driver.



Our current car is a VW that Josh's company rented for us.  Oh yeah, we're rocking out the station wagon (known as "estate" around here).  It runs on diesel, which means that a tank of "petrol" lasts FOREVER.  But then when it needs more, hello 3x as expensive as US gas.  And this car actually turns itself off with every stop.  And then when you lift off of the brake it turns itself back on.  Very strange, but whatever.


Car Seats.
Since UK and US cars are made slightly differently, their regulations on car seats are different.  Thus it isn't legal to US car seats in a UK car.  So we had to buy Caroline a new one once we got here.  Some of the brands at the store were familiar to us, but we basically chose one that was recommended by baby store employees and random Amazon reviewers alike.  And, when you push the button to release the straps to take the child out, the straps actually spring up, all ready for the next time you need to put her in!  Josh hated our last car seat and is in love with this one.  We'll also have to get a new baby car seat before New Girl shows up.

So we found out about our move to England and then 5 days later found out about New Girl.  My first instinct was to freak out, and I chose car seats as that point at which I did so.

Josh: This is great news!
Jessica: But, but, you have to buy new car seats when you're over there.
And we'll have to buy TTTWWWWOOOOOOOO.
{pause}
Josh: Um, I think we can handle that.


The other side of the road.
This was the easiest part to get used to for me, both as a driver and a pedestrian.  I didn't think about it before coming here, but when you're walking you automatically look one way or another when you cross streets.  I took me a little while, before I even got behind the wheel, to remember which way to look.  However, after walking around for a couple of weeks prior to driving, it didn't seem all that weird. 

The other side of the car.
Definitely more difficult.  That's because my sense of space is all thrown off.  I mean, in an American car you know that you don't have much room to your left, but you have quite a bit to your right.  And you can quickly judge how/when to turn into a parking spot, and where you should be within the lane.  It's pretty much second nature.  Driving from the other side of the car means re-learning how much space you have on either side of you.  As a result, it's SUPER easy to drift within your lane.  I'm fairly confident that I just might side swipe a parked car one of these days. 

The streets/traffic.
One of the main reasons I might run into a side-swipe problem is that the streets are SO NARROW.  Not so great when you pair that with my spacial awareness problems above.  The street we live on is technically okay both ways, but actually only fits 1 car in 1 direction at a time.  So there's a bunch of gesturing via flashing lights about who gets to go first.  And then getting on the main road is only slightly better.  These are old streets in an old city, so I totally get it.  However, it almost makes me pee my trousers every time I'm on a road and see a big red double decker bus coming opposite me.


Oh, and the traffic sucks. Big city meets those same old narrow roads.  Or, in this case, a simple matter of dumping 3 lanes of highway traffic onto surface roads.

The road signs.
Kudos to England. These are remarkably clear and easy to read. There are signs on the sides of roads as well as a lot of signs painted right in the lanes.

Getting on the M25? 
You want to be right here in this lane.

Thank you, England.

And the road side signs are just as helpful, especially with those pesky roundabouts (see below).
Image courtesy of random flickr search.


Another random tidbit.  Most road signs heading out into the countryside have sweeping titles like "THE WEST" and then they include the specific road name almost as an afterthought.

THE WEST (M4)
is what I see on the way to the airport from our house.  As opposed to M4 West, which is how most American highways are labeled.

The roundabouts.
These are hard to get used to. There are very very few "normal" intersections around here, but rather roundabouts everywhere. There are specific rules about which lane to be in when you approach the roundabout, and then once you're in it you kind of drift to the outside in a very specific way depending on where you're getting off. Some involve traffic lights, and others don't.  And woe to you if you get off at the wrong point, or don't use your blinkers appropriately, or don't drift over in quite the right way!  You'll get honked at every time. 

Image courtesy of random flickr search.

All in all, we're still living.  The car is intact.  I've made several trips to the airport by myself, and one trip out into the country as well.  That's in addition to a fair amount of weekend driving with Josh sitting next to me encouraging me along.

Tomorrow we're going on a trip to Germany.  It's our last opportunity to travel before A) Caroline turns two and we have to buy her an airline ticket and B) I shouldn't fly anywhere any more.  We're renting a car and are curious whether or not going back to "normal" driving will feel strange.  And then we'll also have the Autobahn to deal with!  Should be interesting...

Edinburgh Castle

Visiting this fabulous old fortress was a highlight of our time in Edinburgh.

The castle is perched up high on a rocky hill overlooking the city.  There are actually all of these old cannons perched up there, pointing down in all directions.  The position is great for defending a medieval attack!  And, for our purposes, great for getting fantastic views of the city in all directions.

The castle's architecture is such that it appears to grow right out of the craggy rocks.  The buildings are situated on a number of different levels, so you actually walk up in a spiral to the very top.

Despite a few good picture-taking times, we happened to visit the castle when it was cold, windy, and rainy.  Caroline loved feeling the wind whip her hat strings every which way and ran around like a crazy girl when we let her loose from her stroller

Since it was cold we made it clear to her that the hat should remain ON her head.  She often had a difference of opinion.

Us: Hat on, Caroline.
{She continues to pull it off of her head and trail it along the dirty wet sidewalk.}
Us: Caroline, hat on.  It's cold outside.
Caroline: All done hat on.

Repeat that conversation a good fifty times, and you'll get the picture.

Anyway, as we were headed back down the hill we caught a glimpse of a rainbow stretching over the castle and city behind it.  If only we were in Ireland!  Then it would have been such a perfect cultural moment.

As it was, it was just a nice reprieve from the nasty weather.

Birthday trip to Edinburgh

I turned 29 in late September.

Does that mean I'll be 30 next year?  Yikes.

Anyway, Josh surprised me a couple days before by announcing that my present was going to involve a trip.  Actually, he asked me if I would be interested in a present that was in the form of a trip.  You know, because we've experiencing a difference of opinion on how much we try to squeeze in on a weekly basis, and he didn't want to give me that type of gift if I wasn't at all interested.  But I quickly agreed.  You only live once, and we'll only get to enjoy the ease of traveling with just one kid for a few more months.  Plus in addition to the trip I got to pick out a new pair of shoes.  Birthday success.

Trip destination?  Scotland.

Specifically Edinburgh.

I
t was on our "want to see" list AND you can drive there in less than a day.  We could have gotten train tickets up there too had we wanted to, but we figured that dealing with a potentially crabby toddler would be less stressful in a car because her crying would only affect us.  As it turns out, she was pretty good.  Maybe we'll brave the train another day.

Tangent: the train may be convenient, but it always seems to cost about twice what I want to spend.  We've found we can sometimes find flights for cheaper.

Anyway.  Edinburgh.  Despite being on an off cold and rainy, we enjoyed visiting this charming old burgh.


That's the view of the city from atop Edinburgh Castle.  It's hilly.  It's old.  There are cobblestone streets and old houses with different roof lines.  And since it's hilly there are all of these tiny alleyways (they call them "closes") with stairs to get from one elevation to the next.  The city is surrounded by water on a couple of sides, and rolling sheep pastures on the others.

It really is a beautiful spot.  There's lots of history and tradition -- and TARTAN (AKA woolen plaid) for sale everywhere.  I tried to convince Josh to get a kilt but he wasn't too interested.  I consoled myself with a pink tartan wallet.  We heard street bagpipers and walked by John Knox's old house and saw the room where King James I of England was born.  Oh, and more importantly, walked by the cafe where Harry Potter was first penned by J.K. Rowling.  Ha!  And in one day we ate both Asian food and Mexican food.  A very Scottish experience, to be sure.  Our hotel was conveniently located right off of the "Royal Mile" which is a stretch of road that runs from the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Queen Elizabeth's Scottish palace) to Edinburgh Castle, the stone fortress set up on a hill. 


And the hotel?  Josh had reserved a room in a suite-style hotel, and they turned around and gave us a free upgrade to a suite with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, PLUS a living room and kitchen.

And everyone who has ever had to put a child to bed early in a hotel room, and then sit quietly in the dark from 8pm on knows exactly why this was so fantastic.

Suffice it to say we enjoyed our little weekend trip.

Next up: Edinburgh Castle, and then Melrose Abbey, a falling down incredibly charming old church we stopped by on our way back to London.

Toddler Ballet

When we first moved here I met a mom in the park who mentioned that she takes her two-year-old daughter to ballet class here in Richmond.

They offer ballet for kids so young?
Yeah.  It's called Twinkle Toes.  Sophia loves it.

And I was sold. Babies dressed up in tutus attempting to do ballet moves?  Um, yes please.

There are some nice benefits, as I see it.  It's great for her growing coordination and balance, and plays to her love of music.  It's important for her to learn to follow directions from other adults and learn some new skills.  It's good exercise and a chance for her to interact with other young kids.

Also, Caroline and I have nothin' but time during the day, and I signed up with the hope that it would provide another chance to meet other local moms.  I also appreciate having a little structure in our days/weeks.

But babies in tights and light pink tutus?  Come on.   It's the true selling factor.

We're three weeks in.

Week one:
Lots of crying.  Terrified toddler.  Zero unforced participation.  Lots of attempts to climb up my legs.  But a sincere interest in the goings on of the class one slot later than our class, which we watched through the window.

I took my grown-up camera and everything to take a few pics of the big day.  But it's hard to get a shot of someone so thoroughly attached to you that you're not completely sure where you end and she begins.  And someone who is crying at that.  I didn't even get an iPhone shot.  Parenting fail.

Week two:
Lots of fussing.  Attached to my leg.  However, she actually took the "fairy wand" from "Miss Tasha" and waved it around.  And walked around on tiptoes holding my hand when prompted.

Oh, and I still hadn't managed to procure proper dance clothing.  Thankfully the teachers don't really care what the kids are wearing, so long as they're comfortable. 


Week three:

Hooray!  Major, major improvement.


While she definitely preferred me to be near at hand, she actually attempted to mimic the teachers and other kids.  She took that fairy wand and tiptoed all the way to the other side of the room without me.  I saw lots of smiles.  She even attempted some bona fide moves.  Granted, her plié does involve random hopping around while chanting "up down."  But it's entirely precious, and I'm proud of her for trying.  We have a ways to go but it's encouraging to see the progress.

 

We're still newbies at this parenting thing, but we think it's important for Caroline to be gently encouraged to try new things.  She's often hesitant and fearful when she faces new foods, new shoes, and new experiences.

We like the fact that she sometimes gets stretched past her comfort zone limits, even at a young age.  For many, many more years we will be close at hand to encourage and sooth and cheer her on, but I know that won't always be the case.  Hopefully we'll have the wisdom over the next few years to determine what's too much and what's just right for her.  Hopefully along the way we can foster a can-do spirit in her, and that later in life she'll have the confidence to call that person, walk into that interview, and try out for that sport.

For now we're just grateful that she no longer cries in ballet.

Salisbury Cathedral

Anyone read Pillars of the Earth?  We love us some historical fiction around here.  And somehow we seem to have read quite a few books set in southwest England. Pillars of the Earth is set in the 12th century in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, and covers, among other plot points, the building of a great cathedral.

Fascinating.  The trials.  The politics.  The decisions.  The finances.

I mean, picture it.  Your church leader comes to you and is like, "I've got a building project I'd like to propose.  You probably won't live to see it completed.  It'll take more money than any of us have.  But man will it be awesome."

The sheer manpower, building materials, coordination, and plain old ingenuity is a bit crazy to me.  No fancy CAD or modern building methods.  Simple tools.

And marvelous, intricate, incredible buildings.  The craftsmen must have been extremely talented.  And while I know some cathedrals were built more for the egos of priests and townspeople, I'm still hopeful that God has been truly glorified in these cathedrals as well over the years.

We visited our first tremendous old school cathedral in Salisbury after our Stonehenge visit. We picked up some picnic fodder on our way there.  The cathedral didn't disappoint.  The building dates back to 1200, and is home to both the oldest working clock AND a copy of the Magna Carta (one of only 4 still remaining).  Who knew?

Stonehenge

My desire to sit down in one place for an hour (okay, a day) is in consistent conflict with Josh's go-go-go, see-see-see attitudes.

I can't say I really blame him.  I can jet into central London and explore a museum on a whim on a Tuesday morning, or Thursday afternoon, but he works Monday through Friday and doesn't get home in enough time to do anything fun in the evenings.  So Mr. Loves To Explore is limited to the weekends.  And he's usually pretty sweet about making sure I get lots of food, naps, and coffee shop stops when we go places.  So that's good.

Two weekends ago (yes, I have all kinds of adventures to catch up on) we took our first family road trip into the English countryside.  The logical tourist hotspot on our list?  Stonehenge. 

For a group of rocks amidst a gaggle of sheep pastures, it is quite the draw.  Hello tour buses.  And Brown family.  While technically you can peek over the fence at the stones, we chose to be proper paying customers.  The single admission would have cost us about eight pounds per adult, we actually decided to go big and bought a full membership for a year that gives us access to hundreds of historical destinations.  Look out, England!  The Browns are determined to explore every impressive old church, charming little town, falling-down abbey, and grandiose castle in a four hour radius of London.  And now we don't even have to pay admission.

Anyway, Stonehenge.  Complete with audio tour, which was funny to me.  Is there really that much to learn?  Perhaps not, but the fact that the structure has been standing for 4500 years is pretty darned impressive.

Somebody in our family simply appreciated the ample space to run around.  And she cared little for the ropes.  She's also developing her inner diva and has developed a love for sunglasses.  Lord, help us.

Windsor Castle

A couple weeks back when my mom was still visiting us, she and I loaded up Caroline and took a quick half hour train trip out to Windsor to visit the castle there.  For the sake of brevity, and just so all of my sight-seeing posts don't look exactly the same, I'll fill you in on some facts about the castle.

Windsor Castle:

• As all medieval castles should be, it's perched on a hill and overlooks the countryside for miles.  Helpful for that ever-present threat of invasion!  Or, rather, it was helpful back in the day, and now it's just extra beautiful.
• First built by William the Conqueror after the Norman invasion of 1066
• Boasts fabulously lavish state apartments, complete with priceless works of art.  In fact, King Charles II built part of it up to rival his cousin Louis XIV's Versailles, which is located outside of Paris.  There are some definite similarities.
• A favorite weekend home of Queen Elizabeth II and her family.
• Home to Queen Mary's dollhouse, a perfect miniature of an aristocratic home in around the 1920's.  At the time it was constructed, the leading artists and writers sent original pieces to be added.  It even includes running water, working elevators, and flushing toilets.  Very cool.

All in all, a great day trip.  And - bonus - the town of Windsor is impossibly cute.