Lil' Songbird

Apparently, I wasn't paying enough attention to Frankie in the car today. When I didn't immediately respond to all of her many questions while we drove to the grocery store, she treated me to this song from the backseat:

(top volume)

“IF YOOOOO CAN’T HEAR ME…YOOOO ARE DEAF!”
“IF YOOOOO CAN’T HEAR ME…YOOOO ARE DEAF!”
“IF YOOOOO CAN’T HEAR ME…YOOOO ARE DEAF!”
“IF YOOOOO CAN’T HEAR ME…YOOOO ARE DEAF!”
“IF YOOOOO CAN’T HEAR ME…YOOOO ARE DEAF!”
“IF YOOOOO CAN’T HEAR ME…YOOOO ARE DEAF!”
“IF YOOOOO CAN’T HEAR ME…YOOOO ARE DEAF!”
“IF YOOOOO CAN’T HEAR ME…YOOOO ARE DEAF!”
“IF YOOOOO CAN’T HEAR ME…YOOOO ARE DEAF!”
“IF YOOOOO CAN’T HEAR ME…YOOOO ARE DEAF!”
“IF YOOOOO CAN’T HEAR ME…YOOOO ARE DEAF!”
“IF YOOOOO CAN’T HEAR ME…YOOOO ARE DEAF!”

(repeat ad nauseum)

More images from York

I like York. It's a really interesting mix of the old and the new. Downtown, there are buildings that have been around for hundreds of years, mixed in with trendy little modern botiques. A stone wall built by the Romans surrounds the city, a reminder that York has been around since 71 AD.

Entrance through the wall into the city, through Micklegate Bar.

There are so many interesting sights to see in York-- Here are a few of my favorites:

Walking into town from our hotel, over a bridge and into the center of town.

Blue skies, town center.

"The Shambles." This maze of narrow cobbled lanes dates back to the 14th century, and used to be where most of the York butchers had their shops. Now, it's mostly botiques. The street is long, twisty, and seems kind of haphazzardly constructed (in a charming "this-street-has-been-here-long-before-building-codes" kind of way). In some places the street is so narrow, you could almost stand in the center of the road, reach out with both arms, and simultaneously touch shops on both sides of the road.

Shambles buildings, close enough to kiss.

Love this bit of graffitti. By the time we passed it again later in the day, some wiseguy had stuck gum on its nose.

Clifford's Tower, with tiny Frankie in the foreground.

Double-decker bus ride!

Bridge over the River Ouse. (Disgustingly pronounced "ooze.")

Another city gate.

Gate closeup, walking through.

City wall.

Check out the way this old building droops in the center.

The fabulous York Minster

More of the Minster

How people manage to drive an enormous tour bus through these tiny British streets is a mystery to me. That is one job I definitely don't want!

Grey Gardens

I've fantasizing about moving back to Colorado to live in/renovate this insane 1970s mansion, which would undoubtedly become our own personal Grey Gardens.

Of course, no way would I have the money or energy to take on a project like that. Still... It's fun to daydream about living in the finished product.

Thoughts of Colorado houses are running through my head again, as we start to talk about wrapping up our time in England. Matt is needed back in the states, so it looks like we might be poised to leave England sometime in late October.

I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. I'll be glad to be back in Colorado, but it's weird to think about leaving, since it feels like we only just got settled.

Then, of course, I start thinking about moving back to Colorado and uprooting the family yet again by looking for a new house. What am I, some sort of nomad? A wanderlust junkie? Truthfully, I think I've been spoiled by living in this huge old house. Our Old Town place is going to feel like a bit of a shoebox. A delightfully homey shoebox filled with awesome mid-century chachkies, but a shoebox nonetheless. Also, where the process of buying a new house and permanently moving out of our Colorado house used to feel totally overwhelming, it now seems easy peasy. Heck, if we can relocate to England, surely we can do the same across town.

It's really odd thinking about leaving the Kirkborough House and never coming back. It's times like these that I'm glad I have the blog-- It'll be interesting to look back on these entries a year of so down the road when all of the memories of hot dogs in a can, our spectacular view across the sea, and our kooky neighbors have faded.

Raise a pint for York

It was a long drive over to York, and when we got there we were giddy with excitement. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny. The city was crammed with people, happily sighteeing, shopping, and lounging in cafes. The crowds were never overwhelming (like in London), everyone we passed seemed cheerful and smiling, and the day had a very relaxed, easygoing vibe.

We sat down at an outdoor cafe and ordered a few pints, and drank a toast to the city.

Cedar Grand Hotel

Of all the things we saw and did during Jim and Jo's trip to England, JoAnn said that our hotel in York was her favorite. Totally understandable. It was absolutely beautiful.

It was right next to the city center of York about a 5 minute walk from most of the tourist attractions. The hotel used to be an old railway station, but they spent 25 million pounds converting it into a 5-star hotel. It just opened six weeks ago, so everything was brand-spanking new.

The hotel.

The view from outside the hotel.

Again, outside the hotel. That's York Minster in the background, and a Medieval Wall that surrounds the city on the left.

Staiwell

Foyer and landing

Hallway with huge curved ceilings

Our room. It had a twenty-foot ceiling. Very cool!

I used to think that I was a gal with simple tastes. I liked to think of myself as "low maintenance," and could be happy pretty much anywhere. I now realize that isn't exactly true. It's time for me to embrace the truth: I like fancy hotels. Everything is so posh and nice, it gives me a giddy thrill. I don't expect things to be fancy when I travel, but when they are, I totally dig it.

I didn't get a chance to snap any pictures of the pool area, but I wish I had. It was really nice. It was more of a swanky spa vibe than  a family pool area. (I would have felt badly bringing Frankie in there, except for the fact that that there was never anyone else around.) It was dark, the water was incredibly warm, and they had a hot tub with the strongest jets I've ever seen--They bubbled up and about a foot over the side of the tub.There was a sauna and a eucalyptus steam room, too. (Though I'm not a fan of steam rooms. I find it hard to breathe, which makes me a little panicky.) There were marble statues of Roman gods and goddesses all around the pool, and enormous floor-to-ceiling mosaics of Roman faces in various states of relaxation.

Normally we woudln't stay in a place so fancy, but we kind of lucked into this hotel. The only time we could make it to York was the same weekend that the York Races were happening. The York Races are a big deal out here, and the normally quiet city virtually explodes with people. It’s packed, and by the time we planned our weekend excursion there wasn’t anywhere with any room left. I searched and searched for a room and was about to give up when somehow I stumbled across the newly-built website for the Cedar Grand. I gave them a call and not only did they have tons of rooms available, but they gave us a really great deal on our rooms—Over half the normal price. Because they’re new, they haven’t built a reputation for themselves yet, and were trying to get people in the door. When we got there, they even upgraded us to a family suite—Two separate rooms connected by a private alcove. It was perfect.


The hotel has a house butler to attend to all of the guests needs, and all of the staff wear old-fashioned tuxedos and bowler hats. It sounds stuffy, but was really quite charming. They were very accommodating, and Frankie feet really welcome too. (They greeted her by name whenever we were in the lobby.)

It was odd that the hotel wasn’t more crowded. It was the busiest weekend of the year in York, and the place couldn’t have been more than half full. We rarely saw or heard other guests in the pool area, lobby, or hallways. If the hotel had been more old or remote, it would have given off a creepy Shining-esque vibe. But everything was so new and clean, it just seemed like our own private mansion. It’s probably the fanciest place I’ll ever stay in.

Yorkshire Countryside Drive

Matt took the day off last Friday, and we piled in the car for the 2 1/2 hour drive to York. It was an absolutely gorgeous day-- The sun was shining, the sky was a shockingly bright blue. It was so beautiful, I had my eyes positively glued to the scenery for the entire drive. Our route took us through the Yorkshire countryside, and the entire 2 1/2 hour drive was full of scenery like this:

I even asked Matt to pull over during the drive so I could take a few pictures. I couldn't resist. It was too perfect: Hills, lakes, quaint stone farms and fences, and sheep dotting the landscape everywhere.  It was one of those days where I couldn't help but think to myself, I love England.

Sleeping Beauty

Slept in until 7:30 this morning, and I feel greatly improved. It's amazing what a good night's sleep can do!

The Big Z

I need to get better about posting on the blog everyday. For some reason, I’m just exhausted as of late, Maybe it’s all the traveling? Or the fact that Frankie’s on her summer break? Either way, it’s nonstop action around here from 6am when Frankie gets up until 7:30 when she goes to bed. By the time I get a free moment to post, it’s 8pm. At that point, my brain switches to the static channel, and all I can think from that point on is “ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.” Even right now, I'm yawning as I type this.

I tell you what, that Frankie has tons of energy. After all of the travel and fun touristy things we've done lately, all I want to do is veg out on the couch with a book, or nap while listening to the afternoon rainshowers. My brain needs a break.  Not Frankie. At 6am, she's up and WIDE AWAKE, jumping on my chest, barking out breakfast orders and excitedly talking about all of the games and activities that she has planned for us for the day. It's adorable, but exhausting.

I tried to get her to have a lazy day with me yesterday, but it didn't work out very well. She just followed me around from room to room, desperate to have me play game after game with her. I love her like crazy, but she wore me out. I just wanted to clear out a space in one of the antique wardrobes and hide out in the quiet darkness for an hour or so.

So, today I took a more active approach. To distract her with other kids, I took her to an indoor playplace in the morning and a playground in the afternoon. She had a blast. I enjoyed myself, too, but didnt exactly get down time. Everyone out here is so darn friendly, well-meaning moms and dads all took it upon themselves to strike up a conversation with me wherever I was. It was very sweet, and I met some nice people. But, honestly, all I wanted was some quiet time.

Long story short: Want to post York pictures, but.... Must... Sleep....