Off with the Old, On with the New

Congratulations, Capt Kemp!

New Rug!

Every year, the spouses clubs at Mildenhall put on a big bazaar in the airplane hangars. Vendors come from all over the UK and Europe. Last year, we spent hours talking to an Oriental rug salesman, learning all there is to know about rugs. Jordan ended up falling in love with a hand-made rug, but after much deliberation we decided against buying it. As it turns out, the same man was there again this year, and the same rug was still available! Needless to say, we brought it home with us this time. The rug was hand-knotted out of merino wool (with silk accents), and made in India. Here are a few pictures...

Hiking in Wales

During the last weekend in April, we decided to take a quick trip to Wales. We found a dog-friendly bed and breakfast in Snowdonia National Park, and decided to stay a couple of nights. We have been wanting to hike Mt. Snowdon (the highest peak in Wales, standing at 3,560 ft) for a while now, and we were fortunate enough to have clear weather! We went with our friends Ed and Mary.

We were a bit worried about how Cooper would handle the hike, but he was a champ! We made it to the top, and by the time we made it back down to the bottom, Coop still had enough energy to chase some sheep for about a mile and a half! Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip, and you can see some more on Facebook by clicking here.

We just HAD to stop the car to take a picture here. So pretty!

Mr. Cooper Dog, checking out the trail

At the very top!

All three of us at the top!

Nice view, eh? I've been told we were extremely lucky to make it to the top on a clear day!

Looking back up to Mt. Snowdon from below

Eyjafjallajökull

As some of you might know, we had been planning an unbelievable trip to the Maldives for our honeymoon. The Maldives are a group of 1,192 islands (200 of which are inhabited) just southwest of India. It's highest altitude is 7ft 7in, making the Maldives the country with the lowest high point in the world! Needless to say, we had been counting down the days until this vacation for quite some time. Take a look at some of the pictures below... it looks like paradise!

When going to the Maldives, you fly into Male. Then from Male, a small sea plane takes you to your resort island. Jordan was really excited about that part! We were really looking forward to a week of rest and relaxation, not to mention the fact that we've been waiting to take our honeymoon for three years now!

Well, a few days before we were scheduled to leave, a little volcano in Iceland decided to erupt. The ash cloud that developed forced all of the airports in the UK to shut down. We were checking our flight status religiously for a couple of days straight, hoping that the airports would re-open. We didn't get confirmation that our flight was officially canceled until 12 hours before our plane was supposed to take off. Talk about a disappointment!

The good news is that we have been reimbursed for all of our expenses. Unfortunately, it's looking like we'll have to wait another year to go on our honeymoon. But we've still got our hearts set on making it to the Maldives! The annual rainfall is the lowest in February, so we're shooting for that time next year.

Greene King Brewery Tour

It's hard to believe that it has taken us over a year to tour the Greene King Brewery in Bury St. Edmunds, a town about 10 minutes away. Greene King supplies the majority of cask ales to pubs in East Anglia, and has been brewing beer for over 200 years. We've been meaning to take the tour since we first got here, but just never got around to it. On a nice day at the beginning of April, we decided to go with some of our friends who recently moved here. During the tour, we got to learn all about the cask ale brewing process, take in the beautiful views of Bury from above, and then of course taste lots of beer!

Undercover Arsenal Supporters

At the end of March (I can't believe it's already May!), we went to our first Premier League football (soccer) match! Jordan found tickets to see Arsenal play at Birmingham, which is only a couple hours away. The only catch was that he could only find seats through Birmingham... meaning that we were going to have to sit with other Blues supporters. We figured it wouldn't be a big deal - people do it all the time in the states, right?

After speaking with some of our English mates, we quickly realized that this was actually quite a bold move. Later, I found out that Jordan had to become a member of the Birmingham fan club in order to purchase these tickets. We decided we'd wear our Arsenal kits (jerseys) anyway, but just keep them covered with our jackets. (Thank goodness it was a chilly day!)

We got to Birmingham with an hour to spare before kick-off, and spent some time walking around to experience the pregame festivities. We passed a pub with signs posted saying "HOME SUPPORTERS ONLY", with lots of tough guys standing outside (picture shaved heads, tattoos on their heads and fingers, scars, and drinking cans of beer that they bought at the corner store). I was considering taking a picture, but for my safety decided against it.

We found the appropriate entrance for our tickets (they separate the home and visitor sections), and walked past yet another sign that reminded us that we were about to enter a section for "Blues Supporters ONLY". We found our seats, and double-checked that our jackets were zipped up to our chins. When Arsenal scored, we celebrated quietly by giving each other a fist bump with our hands at our sides. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, but it was really exciting to see the home team erupt when Birmingham scored. The passion that the English have for football is unbelievable. They get extremely upset when they're losing (screaming expletives and all), and celebrate like crazy when they score. This game was an unforgettable experience for both of us, but I think we'll try a bit harder to find tickets in our team's section next time.

The Blues' Stadium

Zipped up, waiting for the game to start!

Zermatt, Switzerland

Unfortunately I'm home sick today, but it gives me the perfect opportunity to tell about our most recent adventure...

During the second week of February, we went on a ski trip to Zermatt, Switzerland! Our friends Kyle and Andrea came along with us, and we stayed in a fully-catered chalet. Zermatt is one of the most unique and beautiful places I've been yet, and I would totally recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors!

First of all, Zermatt is interesting in the fact that the town has not allowed combustion-engine cars since 1947. The reason for this is that they want to preserve their beautiful view of the Matterhorn (see below). The only cars you will see in town are electric-powered taxis and buses. You have to be careful walking around, because the electro-taxis are almost silent, so they can creep up behind you rather quickly! Because of the car ban, it is a bit of a haul to get into Zermatt. We had to fly into Geneva, and then take a three-hour bus ride to a train station about 20 minutes out of Zermatt. We rode the train in, and then had to take an electric taxi to our chalet. However, it was well worth it, and we TRULY felt like we were able to "get away from it all".

Our chalet housed 10 guests including us, and we were extremely lucky to be staying with a wonderful bunch of people. One family was from Scotland, visiting their daughter (and sister) Rhona, who was our chalet host. We were able to get to know them all really well, and we have hopes to visit them up north the next chance we get!

Rhona cooked breakfast for us each morning, and had afternoon tea and a yummy cake awaiting our return from the mountain each day. Then we were served a five-course meal every night, with unlimited wine! Talk about being pampered!

At dinner the first night.

Jordan and I spent four out of seven days skiing, which was plenty for us. Two out of those four, we bought passes allowing us to ski over on the Italian side of the mountain. After our first run in Italy, we stopped for a Cappuccino, and then continued skiing until lunchtime. It was much more reasonable to eat on the mountain in Italy, so we indulged in some lasagna and spaghetti.

Here we are, loving the snow in Zermatt!

After warming up with a cappuccino in Italy.

Crossing back into Switzerland after skiing in Italy.

We took countless pictures of the Matterhorn, because the look of it differs so much at different times during the day and as the weather changes. By the way...you might recognize it. The Matterhorn is displayed on the logos of Toblerone chocolate and Paramount Pictures. :)

Walking through town at night.

We decided to go tobogganing one evening with some of our mates from our chalet. We had an awesome time flying down the mountain after one another. Half way down, our guide took us to a little pub for a drink, and we raced down the rest even faster!

Getting ready to go!

Skiing the alps was definitely a big mark on our "list of things to do/places to see", and we had a wonderful time! If you would like to see some more pictures from our trip, Click here to view my album on facebook.