England over Christmas!

Well so much to talk about....I don't even know where to start....to make this easier, I think I'll make a post on our time with Ian and Maria, and then a seperate one on London. It might be easier to follow too! So here goes! Rob and I left for Durham, England (where Ian and Maria....friends of ours and Mike and Pat's) live. The train ride was very smooth down, and followed the coast, so we saw many beautiful sights...however England looks similar to Scotland...at least the parts that we saw this trip. It has the same rolling green hills and old buildings, but Scotland has a few more higher hills and rocky places...more wild. We arrived in Durham and were picked up by Ian, and treated to a great chilli dinner and then out to the pub! We were immediately made to feel at home, which was fantastic.

On Christmas Day, we met friend's of Ian and Maria's, Garry and Audrey....who are also fantastic people, and who are also 'honourary grandparents of our future children' as are Ian and Maria:) We went out for dinner to a beautiful home that has been converted into a Best Western Hotel....called Witworth Hall. The building was stunning inside, and we had a traditional Christmas dinner with some yorkshire pudding and yummy cheesecake for me, and cheese platter for Rob. The farm also had live deer which we could feed in an enclosure....it was a beautiful place.

On my birthday..big 24...we went into Durham for day. Ian and Maria actually live about a 10 minute drive outside of Durham in a little town called Spennymoor. Durham used to be a religious centre for England, and so has lots of churches, but is now primarily known as a university town. It has a beautiful cathedral, which stands on the top of a hill, at the bottom of which a river runs through the valley. It also has a lovely castle (which now serves as the residence of many university students), and many cobbled streets and narrow lanes with cute little shops. The town itself isn't very big, but it is charming. The next day Rob and I left for London, and were there until the 29th, which I'll talk about in another post. When we arrived
back in Durham, we relaxed a little and watched tons of movies (as Ian and Maria have a fabulous collection and a great big tv). It was nice to just chill out after all of our travelling. New Year's Eve, we went with Ian and Maria out to the Spennymoor town hall, had a great Chinese dinner, and danced (and drank:) the night away. We have stayed in the past few New Year's so it was nice to get out and about. New Year's day, we were back in Durham with Audrey and Garry, for some more drinks, and a wonderful dinner by the river at an Italian restaurant called Bella Italia. All in all, our stay with Ian and Maria was fabulous, and we couldn't have asked for a better Christmas. Although we missed our family and friends very much, we were kept distracted by all the great activities and sights we saw! Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year! I'm back to work tomorrow, but Rob doesn't go back to school until January 12th...lucky guy. We're also counting the days until we get to come home in March! Love to everyone!

Rob and Sarah