Hello!

We had a wonderful trip! We were in London, Leeds, Sheffield, Brough, and Whitby. The weather was wonderful, just perfectly crisp for walking around and not getting too hot. We essentially ate our way across the country - I feel now like I need to run around the block a few times every day to make up for it!

Anyway - the whole passport thing kept me a nervous wreck all they way until I got into the country, then again when we were getting ready to come back home. I had not changed my name on my passport when I got married and so my ticket/boarding pass did not match my passport. My very strong recommendation - do NOT try traveling like this!! I was questioned at every single check point along the way. On the American side they just didn't know how to read the complicated looking document from the county (marriage license), and so I got through. One woman wanted to know where on the marriage license did it show my legal name change - well it didn't show it at all - but she just saw my husband's name and waved me through.

On the return trip - same thing. I had to show the marriage license at every check point. The days are done where you can just say you got married and they say ok without a flinch. I'm just glad I had the marriage license with me or I'm sure they would not have let me through.

On the green card front - getting back in the country was a breeze for him! He actually got fewer questions than I did!!

So - we came back with bags stuffed with Bisto, Bird's Custard powder, shortbread, honey, mustard, ginger bread, chocolate, tea, and all sorts of other fun stuff that will need to last us until we can get back in a couple years.

In the end - we had an amazing trip!!! And I really do miss England a ton. You can see our photos here: www.batcave.co.uk/england



~Liza

Wow sounds like you had a wonderful trip..... sorry to hear you had lots of grief with the passport thing.... maybe its time to get that passport amended....

Welcome home.

Kez

OHMIGOD did you make me almost cry with homesickness for London. The part 1 set is my old neighborhood, part 2 has my fave sculpture/museum....

Glad you had a good trip

Oh nooo! I'm so sorry!

We had such a wonderful time - I think I miss England more than he does!!! He was happy to get back to the States. I don't get it.

~Liza

Lovely photos Liza!! So glad you had a wonderful time.

Love the photos - I particularly enjoyed your husband's commentary and actually laughed out loud at the "this is spar" photo

That sounds soooo exciting! We would love to visit Europe sometime in our life. Yeah... I did not change my name on my passport either. My passport does not expire until Oct.2013 so I bought a ticket in my maiden name and luckily i still have my last California ID with my maiden name on it. Anyway, I didnt feel like paying for a updated passport yet until 2013. Sorry I could not veiw your photos. Have a slow pc and connection. ~Keri

no worries I loved it, even if it was bittersweet. Just seeing the V&A cast room tho, it got me. And that guy with the sword thing - I have a very cool drawing of that I did.

We plan to move back someday (to Bristol) - I'm thinkiing after he gets his citizenship. I don't want to go thru this GC crap anymore!

I miss Whitby grew up around there Loved the pics thanks.. Loved the London Picks lived in Richmond for years.

first of all SO JEALOUS! next...happy you had a nice trip. we're heading to England mid January for 6 weeks. I'm going to ditch Neil for a bit and go snowboarding in the alps with a friend and then quick visit to Capri but otherwise we plan to spend most of our time there exploring places in the UK we haven't see yet. We can't wait!

So glad everyone is enjoying the photos! I had a new camera and had a blast playing with it. Can't wait to see some of them blown up.

I was so sad to see that the Whitby Abbey has noticibly disintigrated since we were there two years ago. Photos of some of the window openings I was able to take then I just could not duplicate this time due to the sheer absence of them - they have just crumbled in two years. So very sad, and I'm sure a result of all the crap in the air eating the stone.

Sadly we won't be getting back to England for about three years - next year we are going to Rome for two weeks, and the following year we are going to rent an RV and drive from the Midwest to California and back. North passage on the way over, South on the way back. We are both really looking forward to it. So looks like we won't get back over until 2010. Then when we do go we want to do a solid week in London to really do it right, and a solid week in Whitby just because we love it so much.

~Liza

Partially, as well as sea air & the fact that it is 1343 years old.

-your somewhat knowledgable stonecarver

hahaa we definitely ate ourselves across the country when i was over there back in august. i was like must..eat...everything...unknown..to me.. please...
aha
AND we found the Cadbury outlet, i still have some of those chocolate bars in my fridge..

Lovely photos Looks like you had a great time



Hehe, I'm the same when I visit the States. When I'm there on holiday I have to eat out at a different place each day and enjoy walking around the supermarkets and picking up strange sounding things It'll be so different when I'm there full-time and have to cook/be cooked for.

Luckily hubby already knows the limits of my cooking so there's no surprises there

I had Whitby fish and chips three times in as many days. After the third day the look of a chip made me ill, but knowing I won't get proper fish and chips for another three years made it easy endure.

~Liza

Of all of those photos it was the ones of the tube that made me feel homesick.

Wow......beautiful pics.....made me feel quite homesick

Gotta say, beautiful pics especially the Yorkshire ones.

Thanks for sharing