Greece!!

"I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” - Mary Anne Radmacher Hershey

Hey Everyone!! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. I can’t believe its been soooo long since I have updated my blog. Its crazy how much I have been working. The Christmas season is massively busy at the hotel, and we are a bit short staffed at reception as one of our colleagues went home for the holidays. Meaning we have all been a bit over worked. Its alright though because it’s a fun time to be working. Everyone is in good spirits.
At the beginning of the month I had the pleasure of taking a trip to Greece! I went with Judith and 4 other girls from the states. 3 from Connecticut and one from Kentucky. We landed in Athens on the afternoon of December 3rd and we stayed for 3 nights. We stayed at a hostel called “Athens Backpackers” and were originally going to have a six bedded dorm room with en-suite bathroom but upon arrival we were upgraded to an apartment suite, complete with a kitchen, living room and two balconies. Our bedroom had six beds (3 bunk beds) and every night it was like we were 12 years old at sleep away camp. Lots of laughs and girl talk time. Our first night in Athens we took er easy, had some authentic Greek food at a near by restaurant (I had chicken souvlaki and it was amazing) and we had an early night. This was followed by an early morning, when Judith, Sabrina and I went on a walking tour organized by the hostel. We saw many things in the city, including, Temple of Zeus, the Parliament buildings, a beautiful park, the market and much more. The guards at parliament do these funny steps every half hour. Posted is a picture of the guards. The pompoms on their feet look cute but they actually used to have small blades in them back in the day for kicking. At Parliament they had people selling seeds so you could feed the pigeons. They practically swarm you. Posted is a picture of this in which I am clearly terrified.
Many of the streets in Greece are lined with these fruit trees. The fruit is safe to eat but it is super sour, tastes like a bitter lemony grapefruit. They are fed by city rain water and dog pee. Thus, we referred to them as pollution fruit. & yes, we did eat some. In Athens they don’t have a dog catcher service or a pound for stray animals. They just have an organization that travels around and vaccinates and neuters the stray animals. So there are lovely dogs all over the city. They are very friendly and would protect any one if the sensed something was wrong. At night a lot of the restaurants put their scraps outside to feed the dogs. The market was really good can we took a good gander there, this is also where we had Gyros and they were like heaven in a pita. After the tour we explored the Acropolis, complete with a mini photo shoot vogue style. Sabrina from Kentucky is into photography, so she has a killer cam and takes amazing photos. Attached are some of my fav’s. Our tour guide suggested we hike up the mountain which you see in the background of the photo of me at the Acropolis. Its was a steep climb, but it was worth it at sun down, the best views of Athens. We enjoyed our €2 bottles of wine and just took in the city. The next day we took a day trip to Delphi, organized by the hostel. It was a little expensive, but totally worth it. The drive into the mountains was 3 hours and the temperature dropped about 7 degrees. (Athens was 20C and sunny for most of our trip). We visited an ancient city where the centre of the universe and the oracle of Delphi were located. Posted is a picture of the centre of the universe. Myth has it that Zeus sent two eagles away in different directions and he claimed that where ever the eagles met up again was the centre of the universe. Yes you guessed it, it happened here, at Delphi on this egg shaped rock. It is believed that if you touch the stone you will have weird dreams. I can’t say that it is untrue… Also posted is a picture of the Temple of Apollo where the famous Oracle of Delphi would sit. Many people would make the massive journey from Athens to Delphi to consult the Oracle. Who was a young girl that was chosen by the Emperor. When she got older she would be replaced by a younger girl who had a similar resemblance. Many famous people consulted the Oracle such as Aristotle and Plato. We then toured a museum with many photographs and artifacts from the excavation of Delphi. On the way back from Delphi we stopped a small picturesque mountain village which is a really popular ski resort town in the winter season. They didn’t have snow when we were there, but our guide said it usually starts snowing around January. The views in this village were incredible. See the photo posted. We then returned to Athens and had some pizza and bevy’s in the bar at our hostel. That night we got all dolled up and the six of us embarked on an adventurous night on the town. The next day we did some last minute sightseeing and we went back to the market to buy some souvenirs. We missed the riots in Athens on December 6 by about two or three hours. Last year on this date the police gunned down a 15 year old boy, and so there were protests in the city and BBC said they got pretty violent. By that time though we were back on board easyjet, heading home to the UK. That night, Judith and I stayed in a hostel in London, which was sketchy at best. But I will leave those stories for later so that I have something to tell you when I come home. Anyways, we got up super early on December 7th because Judith forgot to put her clock back two hours upon arriving in London. So we got up at “8:30” but really it was “6:30”. It was okay though because it gave us more time to sight see in London town. We caught a glimpse of Big Ben, and of course I had the classic photo taken in a red phone box. We then met up with Brynn (my friend from university who is currently living in London) and her boyfriend and we had a full English (breakfast) at Shakespeare’s. Then we headed down to Buckingham Palace and watched the change of the guard. Something I have always wanted to do! We took a nice walk through Hyde park which had a Christmas festival going on, and we stopped to take photos of the peter pan statue. Then it was time to get back on the bus and travel home to North England. The bus was only £22 round trip, but it turned a 5 hour ride into about 7 or 8. Its all good though because I have taught myself how to sleep on public transport.
So that’s the details of my epic Greek adventure. I am planning to go to Ireland at the beginning of February to see my friend Meghan who will be vacationing there. I am really excited to see her and chill in Dublin!
We have had snow here for over a week now. I am still surprised about it. I didn’t think it would last this long. Temperatures are not harsh, never dropping lower than -5 but it is cold enough to keep the snow around. I guess its nice for Christmas but I hope it doesn’t last. My boss Mathew returns from his vacation home in a few days so hopefully our schedules will go back to normal. I am looking forward to New Years because it is my friend Zivile’s birthday so we are going to celebrate in style. First up to the hotel to watch the fireworks and ring in the new year with our friends who will all be working because there is a disco in the restaurant that night, then we will hit the town and do some dancing and such. Anyways, hopefully it is not such a long time before I post on here again. Know that I miss and love all of you and I am thinking about home a lot these days. Wishing you well for an amazing new year and sending lots of English kisses !!!

Halloween, Guy Fawkes & York

Me and Constantine
VIKINGS!!!

The Cathedral in York

Inside The Roman Castle Tower

Guy Fawkes Parents' house

My Halloween Costume!

“Remember, Remember the 5th of November”

Hello Friends and Loved Ones!!
Ohhhh how I miss you!! I’ve been having a great time here as usual.
Halloween passed a few weeks back and we had a big do to celebrate. I dressed up as a bee, which most of you know, is an insect that I am completely terrified of. I got my costume from the internet. Posted is a picture of it.
I was the only one of my group of friends to dress up that night, but once we got to the club there were loads of people dressed up and I think my friends were probably the only ones there without costumes. Most of them didn’t dress up because they are eastern European and dressing up is such a foreign idea for them. They just don’t do it back home and I think they would feel a bit strange to do it here. My other friends just couldn’t be bothered. But it was a great time and I really enjoyed that night.
Next was Guy Fawkes day, which regrettably I didn’t participate in, but heard and read a lot about it. Guy Fawkes was this guy who was involved in a plot (known as the gunpowder plot) to blow up the house of parliament and subsequently murder King Edward I and all of the Protestant and Catholic aristocracy. It was meant to go down on November 5th 1605 but the plan was foiled and Fawkes was sentenced to death. Now in Britain November 5th is known as Guy Fawkes day (also known as bon fire day)and an effigy of Fawkes is traditionally burnt in a large bonfire and people gather together and watch fireworks. It’s all very interesting. I didn’t go out or do anything that day because I worked late but I did see a beautiful display of fireworks from my window that were set off on the dock and exploded over the lake. It was amazing. The quote at the top is a verse from a famous poem about Guy Fawkes and the significance of Guy Fawkes day.
I also took a nice day trip to York with Judith on Monday. York is a lovely city in England full of history and culture. I think “New York” was named after it. Hahahaha. Guy Fawkes’s parents lived there and he was baptized in that city as well. Posted is a picture. We visited the ruins of an old Roman castle and we went to Viking museum because there was a period when York was inhabited by Viking settlers. The museum was pretty cool. You get to go on this ride, its like the ride “small world” at Disney land but on a smaller scale and you go through this recreation of what the Viking town looked like. It was really cool. It even had authentic Viking smells. It feels like you are there. It was worth checking out for sure. Posted is a picture of us dressed up in Viking armour.
I am getting really excited for my upcoming trip to Greece! I am going with Judith and 3 other girls! We fly into Athens on the 3rd of December and fly back on the 6th. If all goes as planned Judith and I are gonna stick around the London area on the 6th when we return and day trip it to Stonehenge. I hope the logistics work out, I have to work at 7am on the 8th, but we will try to make it happen.
Well since you all seem to get such a kick out of my British word lists, here is edition 3!

Poorly- Ill, not feeling well, bad health
Gob- mouth
Bloke- a man
Can’t be bothered, can’t be assed – not worth my time, don’t have patience for that
Leathered- drunk
Off your trolley- crazy, out of your mind
Ring – to call someone on the phone
Hash- refers to this symbol # which we know as the number sign and commonly as the pound symbol. They can’t call it that for obvious reasons, it would get confused with the symbol for their currency.
Prank- a missed call that is planned on purpose. Used when you don’t want to waste minutes on your cell phone. Example “just prank me when you are outside and I’ll come down and meet you”.
Nick- to steal
Kicking off- causing trouble, being a pain
Went pear shaped- things went wrong
Cocked up- messed up

I Miss you all and hope that everything is well at home. Love you sooo much!

Carlie

Ps. Cheers !

England in Autumn

Sun Set View From My Bedroom Window :)

“I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul. I let the music take me where my heart wants to go. I guess where I’ll end up, only god really knows”
-Cat Stevens, The Wind

Hey Ladies and Gents
Cheers from across the old pond! Sorry I haven’t written in a while. I haven’t been up to anything too exciting, but I’ve been enjoying myself none-the-less.
On Thanksgiving Monday, the other Canadian girl (Jennifer from Nova Scotia), Mara and Rachel and I went out for a proper thanksgiving turkey dinner at this restaurant nearby called the lake view. They offer a traditional cavery meal. This is a common thing here in England. Carvery is like a buffet style dinner where the chefs carve your piece of meat off of the roast in front of you. You usually get to choose between turkey, beef or gammon. Of course we had the turkey. It comes with a side of stuffing and Yorkshire pudding, potatoes and veg. (If you don’t know what Yorkshire pudding is I feel sorry for you, but basically it is a bread bowl thingy that is filled with gravy. YUM!). It was a good time, I was happy to celebrate in our own little way. Rachel and I ended up going out and dancing until 2am. Typical thanksgiving tradition for me.
When Salva and I were coming home from Paris we met a girl named Judith from Missouri. She was on the same flight as us and she took the same bus home as us. We talked a lot about our travels and purposes for being in England. She is studying here for four months before heading to Africa for four months and then China for a year. She is taking a program similar to the one I took at Wilfrid Laurier, she studies cultures and specifically race relations. We had a lot in common and her university is only an hour train ride from where I live in England. We kept in touch and last week she came to the lake district to visit me and take a look around. She stayed in my old room that I had when I lived in the hotel. We went out on Thursday night with some of my friends from work, and she requested American Woman at the dance club, and when they played it we were the only two people on the dance floor!! Good times. The next day we went to the Beatrix Potter museum, which was really cute and we took the boat down Lake Windermere to Ambleside. It was a nice visit, and it was my first time showing someone around Bowness, I think she really liked it here.
I am planning to go to Greece with Judith and some of her friends December 3-6th. In fact I think I might buy my tickets tonight. Its only 80 pounds for the flight round trip and we will be staying in a hostel so the travel expenses can remain low. Im really looking forward to that. In addition I also have 4.5 more days of holidays which I have to take before the end of Dec or else I lose them so I am trying to coordinate with Brynn in order to make the trip down to London to see her and meet Tato. (Brynn is my friend from University who now lives in London with her dad and her Spanish boyfriend).
Right now I am enjoying my last cup of Tim Hortons coffee!! The tin that Rachel brought me back from her trip to BC went really fast. Please send more!!!!!
I have today and tomorrow off, and although it is cloudy here today I think I will venture out to take a long nature walk on one of the foot paths along the lake. Then tonight Rachel and I are going to go out for a few pints and enjoy the dwindling night life here in Bowness at the beginning of the off season. (this town is pumping in the summer but things slow down over the fall and winter) Tomorrow Rachel is off as well and so we are planning to go to Kendal (the nearest town that’s bigger which has shopping centers and stuff) she has a car and has invited me to come along.
More people are leaving and new people keep showing up. My friend Jorge is heading back to Spain in 9 days, he is the second last one of the Spanish mafia, leaving poor Armondo here on his own (although a new girl Eva has arrived in housekeeping and she is also Spanish, she lives below me and she is really nice) Still, when I arrived, the Spanish mafia had 6 or 7 people, now there are only 2 :( Also, my friend Peter will be heading home to Slovakia at the end of November and the Canadian girl, Jennifer, will also be heading back to our mother land in November. Its sad to see people go, everyone says that you get used to it after a while, but I don’t think I will. Its just not me. Anyways with every new departure there is a new arrival so things are always changing around here.
That’s all the news I have for you at the moment. As always the offer to visit me still stands. You will get a room for 20 pounds a night in my hotel and will receive a 50% discount on all food and bev from the hotel bar and restaurant. Common people you know you wannna!!!!!
I miss you all from the bottom of my heart!
Keep keepin it real my puck slappin syrup suckers!!!!
With much love,
Carlie
Ps. Here is an addition to my list of English words:


Fit Bird – hot girl
Cheeky Bugger – a guy who is always really sarcastic, a bit of a trouble maker, makes fun a lot, speaks inappropriately
Boot- the trunk of a car
Take the piss out- if you take the piss out of someone it means you are making fun of them
Getting on with someone- if you get on with someone it means that you get along with them well.
Getting on about something- if you get on about something it means that you are engaged with a topic that you are determined to discuss
Come round- come on over
Stop for tea- stay for dinner
Fancy dress- dressing up in costumes (not just for Halloween, its common all the time)
Hen night- bachelorette party
Proper- they say this about everything, “I went for a proper run today”, “That was a proper dinner”, “She drives a proper car”. Im not really sure what it means, what is an improper run?
Cheers- very very common way of saying thank you. Not only used in slang, also in business and even really posh people say it at the hotel
Posh- classy, rich, proper English people, kinda snooty.

Viva La Paris!!

Bonjour Mes Amies! Viva la Paris!!!
I have just returned from a quick getaway in Paris over this past weekend. It was amazing!!The weather was incredible, sunny and high to mid-twenties all weekend. The trip was short but sweet. This is a little bit how it went.
Salvador and I both worked on Friday until 3pm then we took the train to John Lennon Airport in Liverpool, where we slept on the bench at Burger King from midnight until 4 am. Our flight left at 6 am Saturday, getting us to Paris around 6:30am Paris time (1 hour ahead of the UK). After customs and airport security, we took a train to Gare Du Nord, where our hotel was situated about a 5 minute walk from the station. We got kinda lost looking for our hotel, and after asking for directions a few times and getting only French responses, we finally stopped at a hotel and picked up a map. Great plan!
We checked into our hotel and went out for petite dejourner, which in Paris is 6 Euros for a small coffee and a croissant!! I can’t believe the price of Coffee in Paris. Its more expensive than beer, I am not even kidding. Anyways, our first stop was the Eiffel tower because that’s what I wanted to see the most. The line for the stairs was shorter and also cheaper than the lift so we decided to climb up. 3000 steps later we found ourselves on the second landing. The view was unbelievable!! We then waited 45 minutes in line to take the lift to the very top (no stairs exist for that). It was well worth it! Everything is white from the top and you can see the entire city. I was so happy that we went up.
The rest of the day we spend walking around and checking out monuments. I loved the sacre coeure (sacred heart church) & we saw were Napoleon was buried. We ate dinner at Quick, a MacDonalds like restaurant, and then we went back to the hotel to die of exhaustion.
The next day we slept in by mistake because we were so tired from the day before and the lack of sleep in the airport. But we got up around 10 and headed out again. We walked along Trocadero, where we saw the most beautiful gardens, fountains and monuments.
We also stopped at the Arc de Triomphe Etoile which was a beautiful monument dedicated to all of the soldiers who have fought in wars for France.
Later on we stumbled upon a lovely market, where we bought fresh croissants and fruit and other goodies and we had a picnic lunch on the island right outside of Notre Dame. Unfortunately were 15 minutes late getting to the Musee du Louvre, where Mona Lisa and the Venus De Milo are, so we weren’t able to visit. But it was okay, we just continued to walk around and take everything in. I loved the park where all the painters were painting and selling their work! How typical of Paris. It was lovely.
Paris has 40 subway lines, and we made use of a lot of them. At first we weren’t sure what was going on, as it is really confusing, but it didn’t take us long to catch on, and it felt like we spend a third of our trip in the underground. There was ALWAYS someone singing or playing an instrument either on the train or in the stations, and asking for money. At one of the bigger stations there was practically a symphony orchestra set up. It was surreal and very beautiful. We stopped to enjoy it.
Sunday night we ate dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant on Avenues Des Champs, where we sat at a terrace table and just watched the loads of people pass. Then later we went back to the Eiffel tower to see it light up at 10 O’clock. It is absolutely beautiful, kinda like a Christmas tree the way it sparkles. I loved it.
Monday morning we left at 6:30 am for the train to the airport and we arrived back in Bowness around 5pm (UK time). It was a long day of Travelling, but when we arrived in Liverpool we decided to see a bit of the city centre before coming back to Bowness. Liverpool is a cool place and received the European Cultural Capital award for this past year. The people there are interesting. I liked it, but its kinda strange.
Paris was really beautiful and I am so glad I had the chance to visit it. I took Salva to MacDonalds for breakfast and it was his first time ever having an Egg McMuffin. Can you believe that? Also in Paris the McDonalds had a little section inside it called “McCafe” where you could buy specialty coffees and little colourful sweets shaped like hamburgers, they also had doughnut and croissants. It was weird.
Last night was Salvadors leaving party and this morning he left for Liverpool airport (again!) at 9:30am. It was sad to see him go, he has been my best friend here and was a really important person for me at the hotel. I guess I am learning a lot about life in the sense that people will come and people will go.
I miss home a bit and I think about you guys all the time. Rachel brought me back a tin of Tim Hortons coffee from her trip to BC but I haven’t had a chance to buy a coffee maker. I did however move into my new room in the Terrace. It is freshly painted and looking very nice. However I moved in the day before Paris so I still haven’t unpacked and it looks like a bomb went off in here! I have internet now though so I am very thankful for that. I will be getting my self set up with a skype account soon, so expect some phone calls!!
Thursday night is the “block party” in Bowness. I am not really sure what that entails but Rachel said “ohh its and experience luv!” So I’m excited to check that out.
I also took a boat cruise to Ambleside with Salva last Sunday. It was such a beautiful day to be out on the lake, and later in Ambleside we visited the most massive garden center I have ever seen. Poor guy, I dragged him around in there for over an hour probably. It was a really lovely day.
Anyways, those of you who are still reading at the very bottom of this massive chapter book of a post, that’s real dedication! I will leave you now as I have wasted enough of both of our time.
Miss and love you more than words can say. Enjoy the pics that are posted. More to come on FB.
Love you!
Carlie

Manchester & Beautiful Weather in Bowness!

Hey Guys!!

We have been having the most incredible weather here, its unbelieveable. It hasnt rained for one full week!!!! Its been sunny and low to mid 20's. Couldnt be nicer!! On my day off last week Salvi and I went for a walk around lake Windermere on this awsome little foot path. I was taken aback by the utter beauty of this area on a sunny day. Posted are a few pictures since it was so beautiful that day!

Yesterday I had the day off and I spent it shopping in Manchester with Sally and Mara. Sally is a manager in the restaurant and Mara works with me in reception. We had a killer time, and literally shopped til we dropped. I got a new coat, boots, sweater and a pair of skinny jeans. Luckily, Azstra, a girl from housekeeping, is a seamstress and she is going to hem my jeans for me (great connection, I know!!!). The train was 21 pounds nd took just over an hour and a half. We visited lots of shops, had lunch in the food court ( I had subway and it took my heart back home) and then we did some wandering around and I rode on the giant wheel!! Posted is a picture of the three of us in the city square, a view from the wheel, and a picture of the wheel from the pub that we stopped at to rest and enjoy a pint. It was a fantastic day, and I was so tired I slept like a baby last night.

I got to take a look at my new room the other day, though I havent been able to move in yet. They are preparing to paint it and install some curtains. But it is nice, more spacious than I thought it would be with a nice size bed and room for a sofa! I will get one from the hotel that has been put in storage. Pretty exciting stuff!

I wasnt feeling well last week, but Im starting to feel better now. I think the lack of vegtables in our staff dinners is the reason my immune system is weak. Ive been making a point to eat more fruit and get more sleep.

The TV in the hotel is very limited and usally full of "rubbish" like Ricky Lake reruns and other junk. But I bought an SNL box set with the best of Will Ferrell, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler for 8 pounds!! Pretty amazing deal so Ive been enjoying that.

We took Andres to the airport on Sunday. It was sad to see him go, but i will see him again when I visit Spain in January. I think I will go to Barcelona and get Anne and Salvi to meet up with us there. I can't wait to go. Salvi is here for another week and a half before his contract ends on September 25th. I have that weekend off so we are thinking maybe we will plan to travel somewhere cool before he departs. Its up in the air right now, but it would be really cool to have a quick get-a-away.

My friend Rachel, the head of housekeeping, is currently in Whistler on holidays with her boyfriend. I gave her 5 dollars Canadian and asked her to bring back some Tim Hortons coffee. I also gave her Obies number and he told me that they met up and hung out! Im so jealous that they got to see my Obie San! I hope they are enjoying Canada, and can't wait to hear of their stories!

Well that is all for now. I am constantly buying post cards and asking for addresses, so if you would like one, leave your addy in a comment or email it to me at carlie.wardell@gmail.com.

I miss you all soooo much!!

Endless love,

Carlie

P.s. I forgot to mention my favourite English word in my previous list, instead of saying vaccume, the say "hoover". and instead of saying that they vaccummed something, they say they hoovered it. Its just toooo funny, I can't get over it.

Plus, dinner is called tea. I used to think tea was an afternoon event with crumpets and proper ladies wearing white gloves, but no, it just means dinner. And we call ours "staff tea". Its sometimes okay, sometimes not. What can ye do. I can atleast say that I will have had my share of fish and chips this year!

xoxoxox

Hi Mates!!
Well here I am, in the internet café once again. Its been just over two weeks since I arrived in England and things are going really great. I am starting to get used to certain things here, and am learning a lot at my new job. Training is going well and I am starting to feel more comfortable in my receptionist role.
My birthday past last week, thank you all for your kind wishes!! I worked from 7am – 3pm on my birthday and at the end of my shift my co-workers in the receptionist department surprised me with a lovely bouquet of flowers and a delicious cake. I also got a beautiful book called “Lakeland Landscapes” from my boss Mathew which features breath taking photo’s and loads of information about the must see attractions and landscapes here in the lake district because he knows I am determined to see as much as I can while I am here. We celebrated my birthday on Wednesday, September 2nd and it was sooo much fun. Here is a photo of the beginning of the night which started in the staff living room. Later we ventured out into the town to a club called stags where we danced and had a great time. Everyone here is just like me, they like to go out and have fun.
This week is a big week, there is a leaving party on Wednesday for Monica, a polish girl who is heading home for school, and one on Friday for my friend Andres, who is also heading home to Spain for another school year. That’s the thing about the hotel industry, people are constantly arriving and leaving. This Friday past we celebrated at a leaving party for my co-worker Hardik who is off to his home town in India. He leaves on Wednesday, and then his room will be painted and I will get to move in!! His room is decent size and also features a view of the lake! I am super excited!
On September 13th I will be travelling to Manchester with Mathew in his car to take Andres to the airport. I am excited to leave Windermere and see a bigger more famous city. Mathew and I will both be working that afternoon at 3pm so we won’t get to stay in the city for too long, but I am happy just to go along for the ride and bid my good friend a fond farewell.
I have learned that anyone who wants to come and visit me can stay at the Belsfield hotel for the very low rate of 20 pounds per night with a 50% discount off of all the restaurant food and bar drinks. Not a bad deal, so drivers start your engines and get out here!! I also learned that I will have a total of 28 days holidays because I get 20 for the year plus 8 days “bank holidays” not too shabby at all.
Well that is all for now, I am due at work in an hour and so I better get back to my room and get organized. I miss you all like mad and hope to hear from you any news from home. What is the weather like there? It is kinda sunny here today, first time in 5 days I have felt the warm rays. Its beautiful.
I will leave you with a list of words I have learned thus far. Chow Chow. Lots of love!!!

Daft – Slow, dumb, silly girl
Knackered – tired
Prom/push chair – baby carriage
Toilet – the bathroom
Quid – slang for pound
Bird – a girl
Bin liner – garbage bag
Rubbish – garbage
Chips – fries
Crisps – chips
Wangker – jerk
Hire – to rent
Car park – parking lot
I said the words “seeing eye dog” the other day and people nearly fell on the ground laughing! I also said that I was “Knickered” instead of “Knackered” which was hilarious for them because Knickers are women’s panties.

P.S. no one here eats bagels, and I am DYING for an everything bagel toasted with light cream cheese. I MISS TIMMIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cumbrian Hills Excersion

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to accompany Imerich, the hotel deputy manager in his car through the Cumbrian hills and up to Whitehaven by the ocean. The sights were incredible and the roads were narrow, hilly and windy. We stopped to explore an old Roman fort, and then we stopped again to enjoy a pint at a hidden pub in the middle of the mountains. Aside from the occasional hiker tourist, the places we stopped in the mountains were deserted, except for the many goats and lambs grazing in the meadows. In Whitehaven we stopped at a nice little café for dinner and were lucky enough to get a seat by the window which overlooked the ocean and the Whitehaven port. The trip took about 5 hours round trip because we stopped frequently for pictures and took our time driving through the very narrow, and at times dangerous, roads.
I finally got a cell phone and will send out mass emails with the number asap. I went to the closest town, Kendal, on my day off to buy the phone and on the train I met a girl Emma, who is also working as a receptionist at a hotel in Bowness. She was delightful and gave me tips about which network to sign up for on my celly. She is British but had just returned from a trip to BC a few months back. She loved Canada (who wouldn’t?) We exchanged numbers and she is probably going to meet up with us on Tuesday for my birthday celebrations.
On Monday night we had a fabulous staff outing for Anne’s going away party. I ended up staying out way too late and had to get up way too early for work the next day. Fortunately my boss Mathew is super nice and he actually came out with us too and got just as little sleep as I did so he understood. Saying goodbye to Anne was sad because she was the first person I met here and is an amazing girl. The good news is that now I have an awesome contact in Spain and I plan on visiting her during my holidays.
Work is going well so far, but there is much to learn and always exceptions to every rule. I imagine with a few more shifts I will start to get the hang of it. There are lots of American guests at the hotel that say “oh your American too!” to me when I speak to them during check in. It’s quite comical.
I was invited to go to Blackpool with Chris (AKA Stammper, a server at the hotel) and his girlfriend next week if I am off the same day as him. Hopefully I can go, it’s supposed to be a pretty cool amusement park. I work til 3pm on my birthday and then I have the next two days after off so it worked out pretty well. Again, I am lucky that my boss Mathew is a sweetheart.
Well that’s all for now. Enjoy the few pictures I was able to post. My facebook is being funny and wont let me upload all my photos just yet. Hopefully I can figure it out soon. If you check out my profile picture you will see a snap shot of the corridor in the staff quarters which was taken during Anne’s going away party. When there is something to celebrate here we tend to round up quite the crew!
Miss and love you!!!

I Have Arrived

Hello my Loves! I have arrived in England safe and sound! The flight was long but the seats were comfortable and the food horrible. I didnt mind the flight at all. Afterwards, I had a short bus ride through the city of Edinburgh which was really cool. I arrived at Waverly station and purchased my ticket. Everyone there was so helpful because I had a hard time finding my platform. A security officer watched all of my luggage as I had to travel a long way back to get to the nearest washroom (It cost me 30 Pents to pee!). He was really nice and he asked me if I was American and when I told him I was Canadian he told me "you have to get a pin lass". Hahaha
During my layover in Oxenholme I met a very nice elderly couple who have stayed at the Belsfield. Small world.
The taxi ride from the rail station in Windermere was no longer than 5 minutes. I was expecting alot longer. Furthermore, the hotel is located pretty much in the centre of the town Bowness-on-Windermere. So I originally thought I would isolated here but that is not the case. There are lots of "shops" restaurants and businesses within very short walking distance. I am currently writing to you from an internet cafe just up the road. I dont have internet in my room yet. In fact I am not in my real room yet but in one of the actual hotel rooms for 3 weeks. The boss said that he didnt have staff accommodations available that would suit me just yet, so there will be a switch once one of the receptionists leaves. The building where I will be moving is supposed to be pretty nice. All of the staff tell me it is where the management and reception staff are located and it is way nicer than where they keep the cleaning and kitchen staff.
Everyone here is so nice and welcoming. There are a few people from England that work at the hotel but there are many international people like me. I have met some people already and they have been nice to show me around and they took me out to a British pub last night for a pint. It was really packed but we had a good time and then later at the pizza shop I saw a British woman, likely around 40 yrs old, just completely loaded, start a fist fight with a security guard. Also, there was a group of younger Brits leaving the pub and as the crossed the street one of them called something out and then all of them immediately laid down on the middle of the road. It was bizarre. My Spanish friends here make fun of the Brits and during the fight at the pizza shop my friend Anne said “Welcome to England, this is normal here”. It was pretty funny. My first day of work is Monday and I am excited to get into work mode. I am heading out to dinner tonight with some people I have met here. The staff food is edible at best, but what can you expect at 80 pounds per month for room and board. My converter for the power outlets works great for my hair dryer but not my laptop. I need to look into getting a converter so I can plug it in. Right now I am relying completely on battery life! Anyways, that is all for now. I will be posting some pictures as soon as I have power for my laptop.
Sending lots of English love,

Carlie

The Belsfield Hotel

So I have decided to start a travel blog to digitally document my travel adventures! I will try to update it as much as possible with pictures and stories and other fun stuff.

My flight leaves August 20th and I'm getting pretty excited.

I will be living and working as a receptionist at the Belsfield Hotel in Windermere, Cumbria, UK. Its in the Lake Districts in the northern part of England. This area of England is known to be the most beautiful as it has the highest mountains in the country. It is also known to be the wetest part of England :S ahhh well. What can you do!?

Here is a photo of the hotel from their website. I can't wait to get there and see it in person!

Well that is all for now. I will post again once I get there!!

Love you all