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This morning we left London and flew to Malaga, Spain. Now, a month or so ago, when we booked the flight, 5:40am (for some ungodly reason) didn't sound so bad. As someone in their right mind might expect, for a 5:40 flight, you need to arrive at the airport around 3:30am. As it turns out, this makes getting any sort of affordable hotel room, and finding (again, affordable) transportation from said hotel to the airport at that hour, next to impossible. WHAT WERE WE THINKING!?! Anyways... long story short, we decided to spend the night at the London Gatwick airport and wait for our flight. Upon our arrival (around 10pm last night) we searched for some seats without armrests (so crucial!) and discovered that we were far from the only people who had chosen this option. We kicked off our shoes, sucked it up, and tucked in for the night. And by 'tucked in' I mean put in our ear plugs and tried to block the florescent light out of our eyes while we tossed and turned on rock hard benches for 5 hours. When we 'woke' for our flight, we found that every arm-rest-less (pun intended) bench in the place, and even some of the ones WITH arm rests, were covered with people trying as desperately as we had been to get some sleep. We stumbled our way through security and pushed our way (literally) onto our 'open seating' budget airline flight. When we arrived in Malaga, we collected our packs and caught a bus to Granada, where my friend, Mateo, met us at the bus station. Finally at his flat, we enjoyed the company of him and his 'little-english-only' speaking roommates for a while and then laid down, in true Spanish form, for an afternoon siesta. Whew. Y mañana, Granada!

~Jenna

Soap Dodgers and Scousers

While we were in London, we met a lovely girl who was also Couchsurfing with our host in the houseboat community on the River Thames. Her name is Liz and she lives in Liverpool. The three of us hit it off right away, and she invited Sean and I to come and stay with her. We graciously accepted. So while we were staying in Sheffield, with "cousin" Vicky, we decided to take a little trip west and explore a couple of England's other towns. We hopped on a train one morning to Manchester and spent the day exploring a bit of the city. We were lucky enough to stumble into a place that turned out to be one of our favorite stops so far: John Rylands Library. 

The library is a beautiful victorian gothic building that stands in the center of the city. Inside it looks and feels as incredible as a church. No, better; a church full of BOOKS. And not only books, but huge, old, beautiful books, as well as what is believed to be the earliest piece of The New Testiment that is still in existence. Very cool.










We wandered around for quite some time, taking it all in and checking out the exhibitions they had on display, before stopping for a bit to read our own books in a quiet little corner with a table and some beautifully decorated chairs.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Manchester on foot, busked for a while in front of the city hall and then had dinner at a local pub and enjoyed watching the 'football' match amongst a crowd of hollering Manchester United fans--an authentic locals' experience in any European city.

We left Manchester the next morning and took the train a bit further west and into the city of Liverpool. Having not gotten ahold of our new friend Liz yet, we decided to find a nice crowded spot in the shopping district and try our hand at busking again. After eventually hearing from Liz, and having enjoyed some contact with the local community (and a few especially interesting characters) we headed toward her house on the local train. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and evening in her home with her and her housemates, Greg and Frankie. They were all absolutely wonderful, and we quickly felt comfortable and in the company of good friends. The next day we went back into the city center and spent the afternoon exploring -and thoroughly enjoying- two of Liverpool's many museums. Then we made our way down to the famous Albert Docks and walked along the Mersey River. There, we ran across a bit of 'hidden treasure'. Dangling from the chain link fence which lined the dock for several blocks were countless written on and/or engraved 'love locks'- padlocks which had been locked and left either by pairs of lovers or in memoriam for someone. It was a quirky and, in my opinion, wonderful piece of city culture to come across. And of course, a lovely photo opportunity...

We enjoyed another fantastic evening back at the house with our new friends, sharing a lovely meal and hours of great conversation. Then we left in the morning, feeling so thankful for our time there, and hoping only that we would see them again someday. My least favorite part of our trip so far: having to say goodbye to the incredible people we've met along the way. And we're only just getting started... :-/

~Jenna

Yorkshire

Chatsworth House, a proper old English estate.  It's the home of the Duke of Devonshire and his family.

                                               Fun at the Sheffield International Food Fair.

There were incredible art galleries featured at the fair.  Here's a beautiful piece by Mother Nature:

This huge "Coral Reef" was crocheted by an entire community.

                                     Some scenes of the beautiful town of York and York Minster:

The York Cat Story

For the past few days, we've been spending time in Sheffield, England- a relatively large city a few hours north of London by train. We're staying with a lovely lady named Vicky, who is the cousin of Sean's uncle, Chris, and who has been kind enough to put us up and show us around. Today, Vicky drove us a bit further north from Sheffield to explore the city of York. It is a charming city with a fantastic cathedral called York Minster. It's surrounded by a wall that was built to protect the city from raids and the inner city is full of windy streets with a variety of shops and cafes. It was while we were wandering these streets that we came across a flyer for the "York Cat Trail".

The flyer explained that cats have, for many years, played a part in York's history and that luck has been linked to them since records began. Statues of cats have been placed on buildings in York for roughly two centuries, and even some that have since rotted or been removed are thought to date all the way back to medieval times. The original cat statues were apparently placed on buildings to frighten away rats and mice which carried plague and illness. They were also thought to ward off wandering evil spirits and to generally bestow good luck and good health on York's citizens. Luckily for us, the flyer also contained a map, and very detailed directions about where to find no less than 17 of the city's such statues. The hunt was on...

The map led us all around inner York, and to many of the city's historical sights and buildings. We managed to find a grand total of 8 of the cat statues before we decided to call it an afternoon and sit down to a traditional English cup of tea :)

Jenna

Safety First

Some of you may know that we had planned to go to Morocco in mid-October following our visit to Spain. If you follow the news at all then you are likely aware that there have been major uprisings in cities throughout the Muslim world over video created by a US citizen. The video, from what I understand, depicts the prophet Mohammed (a blasphemy in and of itself) in various ways that are offensive to people who follow Islam.

However rude the content of the video, and however ignorant the man who made it, the United States is a country which bestows upon all of its' citizens the right to free speech. Therefore, it would appear there's not much that can be done by the government to reprimand the maker of this antagonistic video, yet Muslims the world over are calling for him to be put to death- a punishment which would seem quite reasonable by their standards, and considering his offense. The irony is that numerous primarily Muslim countries are actively seeking more democratic governments, more freedom, and have repeatedly solicited help from the United States in the process of trying to attain these things.

The people who are attacking the US embassies are, in effect, angry with one man (and perhaps those who helped him to create the video). But it'd be nearly impossible to seek revenge on him directly, as it were. So instead, they do what many people do- take their anger out on the next closest thing- in this case, innocent US citizens working at embassies around the world. Rather illogical, if you ask me, but there it is. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like much of a stretch to think that one of those deeply offended people might take their anger out on a couple of young American tourists walking the streets, and it is for this reason, that we've decided that we'll save our visit to Morocco for another time. A time when there's a little less turmoil, a little more acceptance, and perhaps fewer people going out of their way to deliberately offend those who hold different beliefs than themselves.

London: Land of Cockneys

My brother, Ian, spent a year in Germany after high school. During that time, he traveled through Europe and visited many cities. When I asked what city he liked best, I was surprised to learn his answer wasn't Vienna, Prague or Rome, or any other obviously romantic, exotic European city. No—his answer is London. So, needless to say, my expectations before arriving there were quite high.

I can say without a doubt that these expectations were met, and indeed exceeded. Jenna and I spent three nights there, during which time we were witness to beautiful art and architecture, enjoyed delicious meals, and met some truly kind and hospitable people.

A highlight of London for me was the walk Jenna and I took along the south bank of the Thames. As we passed packed restaurants and shops and darted through crowds of Londoners and foreigners alike, the city skyline across the water displayed the towering spires of Westminster Abbey and the Parliament Building—edifices I had first witnessed up close as I exited the tube station. They were somehow even more awe-inspiring when seen from afar, their enormous curves and points juxtaposed to the gleaming glass and steel of newly risen
skyscrapers and high-rise apartments.

-Sean

In many ways, London reminds me of my own favorite city, Portland, OR. It's people are friendly, hospitable, and in a large majority, white. It has a great deal of green space, spectacular food, and a lovely skyline. But the most reminiscent thing of all is that, like our own city, London has a river running right through the middle of it. Though the river Thames is somewhat more polluted than the Willamette, their incorporation into their respective cities have both practical and aesthetic implications. When navigating through London, you are either 'north of the river' or 'south of the river', and when crossing between the two, you have no choice but to use one of the city's many beautiful bridges. Both rivers serve as thoroughfares for shipping barges, and both look absolutely stunning on a sunny day, or at night with the cities' lights reflecting off their surfaces.

During our stay in London, Sean and I were lucky enough to have accommodations directly on the river. Not next to, not a short walk from, but ON. I have, for several years now, but an active and enthusiastic member of an online community called “Couchsurfing”. If you are unfamilar, please check out the website (couchsurfing.com) and consider signing up. I would strongly encourage anyone who is planning to travel, to use it, and anyone who is rooted and able, to host. Being a member of couchsurfing.com, both as a host and a 'surfer', has enriched my life with more incredible experiences, connections, and friends than I can count, and I am so looking forward to expanding that list over the course of our trip. Shortly before we left for London, Sean and I got on the site, updated our profile information, and started our search for a couch. The one we found was being offered by a member who currently resides on a houseboat, which is docked at a small pier community in the center of the city that he and the other residents refer to as “Boatlandia”.

Let's just say we couldn't have asked for a more wonderful situation. Our host, Mark, was incredibly welcoming, well traveled, and full of advice, both in regards to our coming travels as well as our plans for our own sustainable housing when we return to Portland. Our surfing experience also came fully complete with 2 other house guests: Lucy (a bundle of energy and fun who has floated around and lived on several of the different boats in the community) and Liz (who is from Liverpool and has graciously invited us to come and stay with her there). Our daily explorations of London were pleasantly complemented by their company in the evenings, and we so enjoyed the time we got to spend in the unique, and absolutely magical place Mark (and Lucy, too) calls home.

-Jenna

And now we've taken the train north to Sheffield- our 'home base' from which we will explore more of the UK... but more on that later...

Minding the Gap

Well, it's finally here: The start of our trip! We arrived in London around 11am local time (about 4 am in Colorado, where we left from) feeling equal parts tired and excited. After making our way through customs and retrieving our (already way too heavy) packs, we hopped on "the tube" from Heathrow airport and trucked our way to our rather-expensive-one-night-only-"jetlag"-hotel near Paddington Station.

For me, walking up the narrow flight of stairs, barely managing the corner with my pack, and squeezing through the door into an absolutely tiny hotel room (complete with it's very own sink and a shared bathroom down the hall), was like seeing an old friend. Though I've never stayed at this particular hotel before, much of Europe is set up very similarly, and the small spaces, funny bathrooms, and unusual outlets are all familiar to me, and bring back many wonderful memories. For Sean, however, everything is new. He's taking it all in, enjoying the novelty, and making the necessary adjustments (we literally can't walk past each other in the room without performing a move that might accurately be named "the hug and turn").

After decompressing a bit (and grabbing some incredibly delicious, and much needed Indian food), we took a little walk through Hyde Park and then re-boarded the underground, making sure to heed the persistant warnings of the voice over the intercom reminding us to "mind the gap". We spontaneously decided to follow a strong recommendation of Sean's Uncle Chris, and stopped off at Westminster Abby! --------------->

 We were too late for the day to take a look inside, but resolved to come back on another day, because the outside of the building was more than enough to whet our appetites. We also walked past the House of Parliament (left), but again, were not able to go inside. For today, we settled on some taster pictures, a pint at a local pub and a shower back at the hotel. Whew! What a day! And now... BED.

Jenna

Travelin' Minstrels

As most of you know, I've been on the hunt for a cheap(er) soprano saxophone to take with me on this trip.  I can't bear the thought of not playing for 10 months, and I wanted something relatively smaller and lighter than my alto and tenor.  You wouldn't believe how heavy those instruments are!

Beyond my wish to keep playing music for fun, I believe that music can serve as an incredibly effective bridge between cultures.  I've met many of my closest friends through music, and I'm sure that as Jenna and I travel around the world this will continue to be the case.

Well, I have finally found a sweet little horn (and not a moment too soon)!  It's a beautiful nickel-plated curved Maxtone (a Chinese or Taiwanese make I think).  I bought it at a pawn shop in Denver for only $200, and the shop even sent it to a repair place to take care of the minor tweaks the horn needed.  Aside from a few intonation issues (which are hard to avoid even on much more expensive sopranos), the instrument plays beautifully.






Jenna recently bought a little Ukelele to take along and, although she had played a bit of guitar before, she had never picked up a Uke until a couple weeks ago.  She's a very quick learner, and we've been having so much fun playing music together.  Yesterday, Jenna and I played in public for the first time .  We found a cool spot on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, got out our instruments and had a grand old time busking!  Taking our little show on the road is going to be an absolutely amazing experience.