Burg Eltz + Beilstein

When Garrick and I first started to plan our move to Germany, it was all very overwhelming. There were so many big milestones along the way: my last day of work, moving out of our flat, Garrick's thesis defense, our drive from Scotland to Germany, setting up our flat, the birth of Eloise, Garrick's graduation, and learning a new language. When I pictured us at the end of this marathon, I imagined driving through the German countryside on a sunny Saturday as a family of three, off to explore new places. Well, yesterday, my dream came true!

 

This is Burg (Castle) Eltz! It's about a two hour drive from Wuppertal and sits in the hills of the Moselle Valley. It's been owned by the same family since the 12th century. Garrick carried Eloise in the Ergo, and we set off on the 15 minute treed hike from the car park. It felt so good to be in the woods, out of the city. Finally, we turned a corner and saw this dramatic castle in the distance.

 

We joined a tour and got to see the furnished interior of the castle. No photos were allowed. We enjoyed the original artwork, painted walls, tapestries, huge beer steins, and even a hunting room featuring a moose head from Alaska! At the end, we sat in the shade and enjoyed a local beer. Eloise attracted every elderly woman at the castle. She is a people magnet. It's really special to take her to all these places with us!

 

After a feed and diaper change  in the car (Garrick may have been pooped on), we were off to Beilstein, a village thirty minutes away. We drove along the Moselle River and took in the stunning views of German wine country. There were several idyllic towns along the way, and castles dotted the hills. Wuppertal is not particularly beautiful, so it was so refreshing to get out and see such amazing places!

  

We sat at an outdoor cafe for dinner and sampled a local Riesling. I will be looking to purchase some very soon! After eating and taking in the views, we went for short walk around the town and finally ended our trip with ice cream before the drive home. We hope to do a day trip every other Saturday and are so thankful for such a sweet baby to take with us!

Loch Fyne

A major perk of working for the University is that we have a full week off for Christmas and New Years. I've met some wonderful friends through work, so we all decided to rent a cottage together on Loch Fyne over the break. After many planning meetings and messages, we found a perfect place, organised food, and coordinated transportation. We even managed to go grocery shopping with all seven of us. On our first morning there, we went for a long walk on the icy trail near our cottage. 

Most mornings, we woke around 9:30am and turned on the kettle for tea and coffee. We spent three days working on a jigsaw puzzle, watched movies, knitted, and truly r e l a x e d.

Loch Fyne is famous for the best oysters in Scotland, so we visited the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar for lunch. The group ordered a plate of crispy oysters, and Garrick and I shared a plate of crab claws before our mains arrived. I had the Salmon and Cod Burger, and Garrick, the Hand Dived Scallops. This was one of the best meals I've had in Scotland, and would highly recommend a visit.

After lunch, the sun was setting (oh, Scotland), and I snapped this photo of the loch.

For Hogmanay, we stayed at our cottage for a game and curry night. I made naan breads and the rest of the group each made a delicious curry. On New Years Day, we went to dinner and a ceilidh at The George Hotel in Inveraray. Garrick and I partnered with our friends to learn the dances, and came back together for Strip the Willow at the end. At one point, Garrick missed a step and a member of the band said, "Pay attention!" in the mic. I couldn't stop laughing.

Garrick reminded me that next year we will be making new memories in Germany over the holidays. I am so grateful for our time in Scotland, and I know it's a blessing that we're so sad to leave. The night ended with a live piper, and then we were off to our beds.

We love these people: (left to right) Sam, Ken, Jane, Nicole, Robbie, and us. Happy New Year! 2015 is a big year for the Allens with another international move around the corner. Stay tuned.

St Ives and Cambridge

Last Thursday, we both left work a bit early and made our way via bus to the Edinburgh airport. Again, we were reminded of how we live in a fairly remote area. Our travel time to the airport was longer than our flight to London! Julie and Mark met us at the airport and we enjoyed catching up for the few hours we had before bed.

In the morning, we ate breakfast at Mark's mother's home in St Ives before going for a walk. Then we were joined by some special women (Mark's mother, Joan, Mark's Gran, and Audrey, a close family friend) for a delicious lunch at the Windmill in Somersham.

Our evening was spent at the cinema watching "What We Did on Our Holiday" set in Scotland. Julie and Mark were kind to drive us around and arrange for us to stay with Mark's Gran for our time down south. She was a wonderful hostess!

Cambridge is such a lovely place to visit. This was our third time in this large University town, and we saw the sights, ate good English pub food, and ended our day punting on the River Cam. For dinner, we went with Mark's brother, Steve, and his wife, Helen, to a Chinese restaurant they recommended, and we were not disappointed!

On our last day, we met Mark's Dad and his wife Di, and they hosted us in their beautiful home and garden in Huntington. I particularly enjoyed seeing the thatched roofs and old English homes in this village. Then we caught up with Mark's brother Martin, his partner Lisa, and the talented Sam before driving to the airport. 

Sunday night came quick and we were back on the plane for our 50-minute flight to Edinburgh. Thanks again to Julie, Mark, and Mark's family for a wonderful weekend away!

Fife Coastal Path: Earlsferry to Anstruther

We hiked another section of the Fife Coastal Path yesterday: 10 miles from Earlsferry to Anstruther. Although we hiked almost 20 miles last time, we covered less ground on this outing because we conquered the Elie Chain Walk.

Adam and Lindsay met us at the St Andrews bus station at 9am, and we had coffee waiting. They made us eggs muffins for breakfast, and we packed snacks for the day. We got off in Elie and walked to Earlsferry to find the entrance to the Chain Walk. I was especially thankful to have Eagle Scout Harger along for this part of the journey. Basically, we used chains to navigate up and down rocky cliffs along the coast. There were well-used footholds and overall we felt very safe.

Once we completed the Chain Walk, the rest of our hike was fairly easy. Even though the clouds came in, the rain held off and it was quite warm. Lindsay and I were usually behind Adam and Garrick, who we overheard discussing the ins and outs of their projects. They love what they do! We came upon several ruins including castles, saltpans, and doocots. We also saw some cows who seemed unimpressed by our attempts to make friends. Eventually, we arrived in lovely St Monans and met an artist who had planted flowers in over a hundred pairs of wellies.

Our food destination of this trip? The Cocoa Tree! We consumed several pitchers of water before our lunch even arrived. We all ordered soup and devoured hot cocoa for dessert. As we were leaving, we got to sample chocolates filled with whisky. The final mile to Anstruther flew by, and we sat eating chips at the harbour while waiting for the bus back to St Andrews.

We plan to do another section of the coastal path in August! Stay tuned.