Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties - oh my!

Wondering what that means? Yep - so was I, as I stared perplexedly at the menu at The Witchery, an amazingly good restaurant in Scotland this past weekend. We had Thursday and Friday off for Dutch holidays, so Kristin and I ventured off to beautiful Scotland for the 4-day weekend. :) We flew into Edinburgh on Wednesday night, spent Thursday there, and then on Friday took the ferry over to the Isle of Arran. This was my favorite trip yet... I think it had something to do with getting off the beaten path. I live in a very busy city, and most of the time when I travel, I go to really busy cities. This trip was way more relaxing - the Isle of Arran was small and relaxing. I had pegged myself as a city girl, but I guess as they say, "you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl." :) (Oh - and, if you were wondering, haggis is a Scottish dish that is made up of sheep's intestines, which is actually quite tasty, neeps are turnips that are pureed, and tatties are potatoes - yikes! And that is in English!)

Edinburgh was a cute city. Kristin and I decided to stay in a youth hostel to save on money a bit, and, after checking in, immediately decided that we are too old for youth hostels. The fact that we forgot to bring towels should have clued us in... oh boy! We got in pretty late, so that night, we had our first sampler of whisky (Kristin is quite the afficionado) and haggis (and, yes, as I mentioned above, it was delicious!). After dinner, we went to a cute bar called Sandy Bell's and listened to some live Scottish music... this is one of my favorite things to do in any city, so it was a treat. The kindness of the Scottish people was apparent as soon as we got there, and it lasted for our entire trip. :)

Thursday morning, we first ventured off to Edinburgh Castle, which is high on a hill and has been built and re-built many times (common story in Europe). We took a guided tour of the castle, which included a few chapels, a moving memorial to those lost in WWI & WWII (1/3 of the male population died in WWI - staggering!), the royal jewels, and the prisons.


KP & KJ with the guard at the Castle - poor guy must HATE his job!


St. Margaret's Chapel at the Castle - the oldest building on the site

After the castle, we stopped into a factory to see how the traditional Scottish tartans are made... that was cool! Each of the original families of Scotland has their own pattern... wish I was Scottish! :) There was also a good exhibit of how kilts have been worn over the years - this was especially interesting to me as I have been reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, which takes place in Scotland. The characters just came to life in my mind when I saw this. :)


Fabric ready to be made into kilts...

We also took a "ghost tour" of the vaults that were built under one of the bridges. It gave me the eebie-jeebies, but I'm still not sure I believe in ghosts. KJ's camera did stop working during the tour, but I'm not quite sure if it really was broken or if it was just user error. ;)

After our tour, we had to pick up our rental car... which is usually not a big deal. Except it was a manual... and you drive on the other side of the road. Yep, which pretty much ruled me out from doing ANY driving. I'm lame... what can I say? ;) I was a good navigator though, KJ told me so! :)

The next morning, we got up with the sun, as we had a 2 hour drive to get to the ferry that was leaving at 9 for the Isle of Arran. KJ drove like a superstar, and we made it there with plenty of time to spare.


Entering the ferry... and feeling like we were getting swallowed by a whale!

After about an hour ferry ride, KJ, Elmo (our little car), and I made it to the beautiful island. I was instantly relieved. The week prior had been extremely stressful, as the layoff announcements at Nike were finally announced. I am lucky to have a job, but did lose a few friends. It's not easy to stay or to leave. :( So, this was a great break to get my mind off of things.

Here are some words to describe the island: tranquil. green. peaceful. breathtaking. full of free-range sheep. mysterious. mountainous. welcoming. I could go on... I think you can tell how I felt about this place.

After checking in to our cute little hotel (which actually had forgotten to write down our reservation!), we took a tour around the island. We stopped at the local brewery, which uses the strain of hops from Mount Hood! (small world!) Next stop: the Isle of Arran Distillery, which makes the best whiskey in Scotland. I'm not really a huge fan of whiskey, but the location was amazing!

Isle of Arran Distillery

As we were leaving, some of the free-range sheep invaded the front yard! Unbelievable! :)

We continued North up the island, and our next stop was to the ruins of the Lochranza Castle. It was magestic:

Next, we did our first hike, which was just a short 1.5 mile out and back through 6 stone circles. These were used as burial sites during the Bronze age.

The biggest of the 6 stone circles

And, alright, loyal readers, you know I can't go on a trip without taking pictures of my food. :) Here is a collage:

Top: Our whiskey the first night and haggis
Bottom: Fish 'n' chips and mushy peas, meat pie with chips and steamed carrots (um, I didn't eat the carrots!)

After all of our adventures, we stopped for dinner at a cute seafood restaurant. You know how cute we think it is when we hear British people talking? Well, I think that Americans on the Isle of Arran are just as rare, so when we ordered our food, the waiter kind of giggled at us... we were not sure what was going on, and when we asked, he said, "it's your American accents". hehe. Cute.

We got a good night's rest (as we had pretty much every night, with the exception of the day we had to catch the ferry), and the next morning, had a hearty Scottish breakfast (eggs, sausage, bacon, potato scone, tomatoes, and mushrooms), and then hit the road for the hardest hike on the island: Goatfell Mountain - 2800 feet of climbing fun! The only problem was that it was raining and windy!!! Okay, now, I had brought water RESISTANT clothes, but they were no match for this weather. I was soaked before we even got to the trailhead. But, not wanting to be a whiny baby, I sucked it up and hiked for 4 hours. We didn't quite make it to the very top, but it was so foggy that we really didn't miss much in terms of view... just lost a little pride when we turned around. It was a real butt-kicker.


The trail on the way up Goatfell Mountain


KJ and I about 1/4 of the way up - already totally soaked, but still smiling! :)

We spent the afternoon at a Scottish pub (no, I am NOT an alcoholic!), talking with the locals, who again were entralled with the fact that we were Americans (it's kind of nice for people to think that it's cool to have Americans around - usually I feel like people think we are idiots.) We had our last dinner at a cute little pub, and I had my most pleasant customer service experience yet. I collect pub glasses, and there was one at this pub that said "Isle of Arran Brewery". I really wanted it, so I asked the guy at the bar if I could buy one. He just smiled at me and said, "Aw, just stick it in your purse when I'm not looking. It's no problem." Wow!

The next day, we had to catch the ferry back to the bigger island, and then we drove to some amazingly beautiful abbeys along the coast of Britain and Scotland. These were abbeys built for the monks around 1100, and they were destroyed by fighting between the Brits and the Scots around 1500. The shells remain, and, though they are not what they once were, they were beautiful. We stopped at only 2, but there are several more. I would love to come back and have more time to spend.

Melrose Abbey

Dryburgh Abbey

We got back late on Sunday night. I didn't want to leave. Scotland will definitely be a place I go again! :)

Taking the bad with the good...

Okay... I know that I complain about Dutch customer service... a lot. But, I think I have a valid reason - it's really, really BAD!!! A prime example occured on Friday evening. Thursday, I had gone to our local "Target-esque" store, Blokker, to buy some yoga and pilates DVD's that were on sale. I get home, pop one in, and, though it is in Dutch, I'm enjoying it... until about 5 minutes into it, the screen went all scrambly and my DVD player totally froze up. I tried this 3 times, and, frustrated, tried the other one. Same thing happened. Well, I thought, I'm taking these suckers back! So, Friday, I left work early so I could get to Blokker before 6 (oh yes, everything closes at 6 here - VERY convenient for those of us that actually have to work!). I got there, and explained my story to the guy at the video desk. He decides that he needs to try the DVD's before he will take them back... and, they work. I'm pretty frustrated, because they definitely did not work on my DVD player. He told me he would have to talk with his manager about what to do. He comes back, and I know the news is bad. He tells me that because of all the piracy that happens with DVD's, he can't take them back. I was furious! These are the things that just drive me crazy. In the US, this would have been an easy return, no questions asked. I definitely am not a DVD pirate! Oh boy! So, I left in a huff, swearing in my mind that I would get the heck out of this country as soon as I could. Don't worry, I haven't booked any plane tickets yet, because...

Saturday, I woke up with a better attitude. I went for a nice long run, enjoying some beautiful sunshine. I had a few things I wanted to do, but mostly wanted to relax, as the past few weeks have been pretty stressful at work with the impending layoffs. So, first stop was the pharmacy. I had a prescription that needed to be filled, and was prepared for yet another sticky situation. But... guess what? The girl was actually helpful. And not only helpful, but friendly. And, guess what else? So, our taxes may be astronomical here (52%), but that does buy you something... my prescription for 6 months worth of this medication was only 25 euros - without any insurance. In the US, even with insurance, the same amount would have been at least 80 dollars. So, okay, I was feeling a little more re-assured with Dutch society at this point. Leaving the store with a smile on my face, I made my way to a cute little garden shop down the street. And, guess what? Another helpful and very friendly girl was there to help me. And, I spoke to her entirely in Dutch. That totally made me feel good, because it means I'm acually learning something and getting more confident with my Dutch speaking. So, I bought a bunch of flowers, and then went home and planted them on my terrace. Planting flowers makes me happy. :)

And here is the finished product:


A few dinner with friends and a trip to the movies to see Angels and Demons rounded out the weekend. All in all, it has been great.

Kind of the calm before the storm... tomorrow we are supposed to find out more about the re-structuring at Nike. So far, all we know is that 240 jobs at the European Headquarters where I am working will be eliminated (out of about 2000). So, please keep my friends and I in your thoughts. Regardless of what happens, this is going to be an emotional week.

All the best to you and yours! xx

Forgot... or blocked out???

Oh my gosh... I can't believe I could leave this part out of the Paris post from last weekend... I reached a major milestone in my driving... going around the "Charles de Gaulle Etoille" - which is the huge roundabout that circles the Arc d'Triomphe in Paris. Karyn was pretty insistent that it had to be done once in one's lifetime... I was pretty sure that I could live without doing it, but gave in to peer pressure. :) I have to say, it was one of the scariest things I've ever done, but I did it. Here is the proof:

Oh boy... heart attack on-coming!!

KP is slightly freaking out at this point... and has not even entered the roundabout yet!

A picture that I took during my first trip to Paris in July '05... this is the traffic in the roundabout from the top of the Arc d'Triomphe... you'd be scared too, now wouldn't you??? :)

I'm spoiled... I know! :)

Yes, I know... I'm a very lucky, very spoiled girl. And I intend to take full advantage of it! :) This past weekend, I drove to Paris with my Francophile friend Karyn. She's been to Paris around 15 times, and so her knowledge of the city is much more complete than mine. We left work at around 3:30pm on Friday, thinking that after the 5 hour drive, we'd be to Paris in time for a casually late dinner. That's what you get when you plan... traffic was TERRIBLE!!! It took us nearly 7 hours to get there, so we checked in and had just a quick dinner in our cute neighborhood (St. Germain). I crashed early - I was exhausted from the drive! I got up at around 9 and went for my long run in the city (Karyn's kind of a night owl, so I'm not even sure she heard me leave!). I ended up getting completely lost and ending up in a part of Paris that I didn't even know existed! I learned a trick a long time ago though - just run along a bus route, and then you always have maps to figure out where you are. So... I was not where I WANTED to be, but I wasn't totally clueless as to where I was. It was just a detour - about a 5 MILE detour, but it all worked out. It's so inspiring to run in this city - how can you not be excited to run past the Notre Dame or the Louvre?!? :) I got back to the hotel and woke Karyn up, and then we began our shopping excursion. Since we have both seen most of the touristy things, we kind of skipped most of that this trip... and focused on fashion! :) I didn't get too out of control, but it was fun to see how some of the most fashionable people in the world shop. :)

Sunday, we got up around 9 again, and we parted ways for a few hours. I really wanted to tour the Invalides, which is where Napoleon is buried, and Karyn went to an art museum that she hadn't seen yet. The tomb is pretty fascinating - evidently it's like 5 tombs in one (2 tin layers, something else, something else, something else, and then the marble on the outside that you can see). There is also a WWII museum on site there, which was fascinating. It was cool to read more about all the sights that I saw with my parents last summer in Normandy.


Invalides


Napoleon's Tomb

After that stop, I met Karyn at the Musee d'Orsay, which I had NEVER been to, despite many of my friends telling me that it is the best museum in the world. It was pretty darn fantastic. I enjoyed the sculpture especially - more of my favorites - Rodin & Camille Claudette. Before we knew it, it was time to head home. A nice weekend in my favorite city with a great friend. :)

Karyn & I in the Orsay Museum - it used to be a train station - can't you tell?? :)

Better shot of the museum

My very favorite sculpture - "Maturity" by Camille Claudette

Until next time, Paris! :)

Essentials

Did you ever think about how lucky you are to be slathering your Jif Creamy peanut butter on a slice of bread? Or how about rejoiced at using "normal" stick deoderant rather than some strange aerosol version? Taken joy at that yummy swallow of pink goodness when you have an upset tummy? Well, these are all of the things that I am missing while I'm here... they are simply products that you just can't find here. So, when I go home, I load up! There are other things that I usually buy (popcorn, Rice-A-Roni, cake mix), that I am pretty stocked up on, but I would say that this American goodness was about 10 pounds! So happy to have it here though!! :)



PS - this 5 pounds of peanut butter will last me about 2 months... I know, I have a problem!

PDX!

Ah, my favorite city in the US! When I planned my trip, I figured that I couldn't fly all the way "across the pond" and NOT visit Portland. So, the Monday after the wedding, I flew to Portland on Southwest (which, by the way, I wish I had flown on more often when I was living in the US - fantastic!) I promise I have a brain in my head, but a quick story for you... I had a three hour layover in Chicago, so I felt like I had PLENTY of time. I quickly checked the gate for my flight to Portland, then got lunch, checked e-mail, and read my book. It was getting pretty close to the time for my connection to leave, and there had been no announcement. Finally, about 20 minutes before we were supposed to TAKE OFF, I decided to check if there had been a gate change. I realized at that point that when I had checked the gate the first time, I had been looking at the ARRIVALS instead of the departures, and not only was I at the wrong gate, but the WRONG TERMINAL!!! Oh my goodness!! I had to run through the airport, but I made it just in time to my gate! Wouldn't that have been silly if I had missed my flight after sitting at the wrong gate for 3 hours!!

I am so blessed to have many great friends in Portland, and it is always a struggle for me to feel like I make enough time for each of them. I always leave feeling like I wish I had just a few more hours, and really feeling homesick.

My dear friend Amy Smith picked me up at the airport. She has a super crazy schedule right now, and was flying out the very next day, so this was the only time we had together. What a wonderful friend to drive all the way to the airport just to drive me downtown to drop me off with Leslie, another of my best friends. But, she did just that. It was so wonderful to see her smiling face waiting for me as I came out of the secure area. We had a nice chat on the way downtown, and then she left me with Leslie. Les lives a little outside of Portland in a town called St. Helens. It was so good to catch up with her, her husband, Justin, and their son (and my godson), Samuel. It's amazing now that my friends are starting to have children of their own - it's only been since November that I've seen everyone, but all of the kids are noticeably bigger, smarter, and more fun! :)


"Aunt Pitty" and Samuel


The Rush Family - thanks for the hospitality!

Les dropped me off the next morning at my friend Michelle Wald's house on the early side (um, I'm not quite sure how all of my friends do it - I think the real title for working mom should be wonder woman - seriously!), and then Michelle and I went for a nice run on the waterfront. SO miss my running buddies! That day, I didn't go into the office, because I was looking at a few condos downtown with my realtor. I think I found one that I like, but I'm kind of waiting to make an offer until I know that I have a job (official announcement is on May 31st - keep your fingers crossed for me!). That night, I had a nice dinner with some old friends, Kayle and David, at my favorite pub in Portland - Blue Moon. Oh, how I miss hippy-watching!! :)

Wednesday and Thursday were very similar - working at WHQ followed by Mexican food. :) We don't really have good Mexican food here, so I have to get my fill when I'm home. :) I got to spend some more time with friends, including Raelee, one of my old running buddies that is having some back problems right now. It's hard to see someone that was once the fittest people I know go through a situation where they can barely walk. My thoughts are with you, my friend!!

Burrito AKA Heaven

Portland was absolutely beautiful... all the cherry blossoms were blooming, and when the leaves were falling, it seriously looked like pink snow... see what I mean:

Couldn't resist a picture of this beautiful street... which may, this summer, become the street that I live on!

I stayed with Michelle on Tuesday and Wednesday (thanks, girly), and then stayed with another wonderful friend, Skye, on Thursday. Yet another amazing mom, wife, friend, and colleague. She actually made an egg and toast breakfast for 3 adults, a baby breakfast for her adorable little girl, Maren, ran, and got everyone ready and out the door by 7:15. Seriously, I can barely get MYSELF out the door. I have a lot to learn from these girls.

Friday, my book club had their montly meeting, which was PERFECT, since I was in town. I really miss these ladies and a chance to get together and drink wine... oh, um, I mean, talk about books. :) I actually did read the book this time, and it was quite impactful. It was called Stubborn Twig, and was about 3 generations of a Japanese American family that immigrated to the US in 1908. It went into great detail about the internment camps during WWII, which I was embarrassed to admit that I really didn't know much about. Ugh. That was a terrible thing that our government once did. But, I'm glad I read it, even though it made me sick.

Saturday, my flight was originally scheduled for 4pm... however, I got an e-mail that it had been moved up to 12. Um, how is that possible? So, I had 4 hours less to spend with my friends. BIG BUMMER! I had been planning to do my long run that morning (RoPa is quickly approaching), but my longtime friend and running buddy, Michelle Middlebrooks, gave birth to a BEAUTIFUL baby girl, Johonna Marie (I think that was the final verdict on the middle name...) on Friday. I decided that seeing my friend's child in her first days would be WAY more memorable (and a whole lot more enjoyable) than a 10 mile run. So, that's what we did. :) Michelle was totally normal, and has turned the switch over to "mom mode" without skipping a beat. Her husband, Luke, and father were so proud of their new little bundle of joy. I'm so happy for their little family.

KP with Johonna


Congratulations, Luke and Michelle!!!

It was such a great trip - just full of happy times and great friends. I miss you all so much and I can't wait to come back!! Thank you for spending so much time with me! Until next time... x

Wonderful Wedding

I can't believe it has come and gone... my sister's wedding! It's been a year of hard work and planning for the big event, and on April 25, 2009, my sister married Matt Wolf. It was a fantastic day in all aspects - the weather was beautiful (85 and sunny - nothing less than a miracle in April in Ohio!), families joined together harmoniously for a great celebration, and two lives became one. I think that today is the first day I've watched the photographer's slideshow without crying (happy tears, folks!). I had no idea that I would be so moved to watch two people so very much in love. Wishing you two a lifetime of love and happiness!!


Em and Matt the day before the wedding with the wedding gift that I got for them - it's a Klimt painting called "The Kiss", that I got while I was in Vienna. It represents everything that I hope for them - security, love, and finding comfort in one another.


Em on W-Day... special request for heart-shaped pancakes coming right up! :)


The site of the wedding ceremony - Darby Creek, near Columbus, Ohio - gorgeous!


Wasn't it just yesterday that we had this same pose for our high school homecoming dances? How did we get so old???


Everyone waiting around for showtime... my parents are in the middle - what a proud day for them! :)


Bride and Groom - a perfect match!


Cutting the beautiful (and YUMMY!) cake!


First Dance - "The Day Before You" by Rascall Flatts


Father-Daughter dance - who would have guessed that my dad had moves??? :) "Then They Do" by Trace Adkins. This song has such special words, and so perfect for our family... I still can't listen to it without crying... which includes during my long runs when it comes onto my iPod - talk about some strange looks! ;)


Matt's father is from Germany, so at one point during the reception, we had a big German Toast, "Ein Prosit" . It was really cool to get to celebrate something a little different.

The day came and went before we knew it. I'm so happy for the new Mr. & Mrs. Wolf. I couldn't ask for a better husband for my sister. Best of luck, you two! :)

Sneak Peek of the wedding

I don't have time to write all about it just yet, but you can find some pictures here: www.kevinkeefer.net. Just scroll until you get to Emily and Matt's Wedding. There is a slideshow at the bottom.

I will just say that it was a beautiful day, and everything went perfectly!