Ok, so it’s been a long time since I wrote my last blog. About a month ago I wrote a long winded, brain drain (I don’t like the term, brain dump, but there I said it) about my ‘battles’ with writing my blog. Yes, as they say, this is a first world problem!
Obviously the piece I wrote a month ago didn’t get put up on the blog for reading as it was very self-indulgent and my own thoughts and anxieties. Have I lost you yet? I’m getting to my point, I promise. Basically there are two reasons, that I can think of today, for my lack of blogging.
1. My fear of this blog sounding like a brag book, show off page and all the other terms the newspapers are using at the moment to describe people who write about their adventures. This has been a huge issue for me. I wanted to write this blog to record my family’s memories of our time living overseas. All the challenges and joy it brings and there are definitely as many positives as negatives and vice versa. But I didn’t want it to be read by others and thought of as me showing off. So if you think that, stop reading, close the browser and log off. That’s not why it’s here and it’s not why I’m writing it. And if after reading this extremely long paragraph you think, what are you talking about you neurotic, over – analyser? Then keep reading, as that’s what I can be...although I’m more of an over-analyser really. Anyway, onto the second point.
2. I have not been nor have never claimed to be a fantastic writer. In fact, I openly admit that my husband has a much better way with words than I. He doesn’t read this blog so I can say it without his head enlarging. I liked to tell myself at school that my brain was more mathematical or scientific. This, of course, was completely inaccurate. Anyway what I’m trying to say is that I will make mistakes – grammatical, spelling, incorrect punctuation etc. Yes – I’m a teacher, but I will say that when I was teaching I always checked that my spelling was correct and I used correct grammar and punctuation.
I will mix up my sayings and use clichés, my family are used to it and if you are reading, you will get used to it. My point, again I’m getting there, is that my concern over looking / sounding like an uneducated fool meant I have been reluctant to write.
3. I know I didn’t say there was a third point, however, when I re-read what I have written (see I’m trying to edit my writing!) I realise it is self indulgent. But believe me my last effort, that brain ‘d**p’ was even worse.
So onto the blog, so many months to fill so I might use pictures to help!
When I wrote in July I was coming to grips with my anxiety about sounding like a brag book so I didn’t mention we had been to France and England. It was a fantastic trip.
We spent a couple of days in Paris and enjoyed seeing the sights. We did that much walking I ended up with shin splints by the afternoon of the second day. It says a fair bit about my fitness levels, I think.
We then travelled to Normandy where we spent just under a week with my husband’s family. We visited the D-day beaches on my 30th birthday. It was an amazing day. We also saw Mont St Michel, an abbey set up on a rock in the ocean. There were red poppies blooming in the fields nearby. It was special to see. We spent days seeing the local sights around the village we were staying in too.
We next flew to Stansted where we picked up a hire car and drove north. It was nice to be on the left side of the road. Unfortunately I still couldn’t drive as embarrassingly I don’t know how to drive manual. As such I haven’t driven since April! One of my quad cousins (four girls born within a couple of months of each other) was married at a beautiful church in the town of Stamford. It was so nice to see some family members again. The setting was beautiful and the bride was gorgeous.
The gorgeous Cricket Pavillion next to which a marquee was erected.
The following day we made our way to Warwick via Kenilworth Castle. We slept that night above a cute pub and woke a little bleary eyed the next day eager to see Warwick Castle. I say bleary eyed because that night England were playing in one of the Euro Cup finals. We couldn’t have the TV on as our daughter was asleep in the same room so I was keeping up with the score on the internet. Suffice it to say, I knew England had lost on penalties when I heard a number of voices moan loudly and then lots of car doors being opened and cars driving away. Thankfully, they lost as we could hear every sound from the pub below. I don’t think I could have handled listening to the celebrations!
Kenilworth Castle
Warwick Castle is an example of a Medieval Castle.
There are daily shows, historical information and fun for the family.
After a day at Warwick Castle we headed back to London and spent a few days with family. It was wonderful to see our daughter play with her two cousins. They had spent the week together in France and had got to know each other. They hadn’t met before but are very close in age. In fact they were all born in consecutive years.
After our trip to England and France we returned to Saudi for a long, hot summer, which is still happening! July and August seemed to drag! We didn’t go out during Ramadan except for dinner a couple of times. We did our supermarket shopping on the weekend so we could be as quick as possible. I have so much respect for those who fast. It was mind boggling that the gardeners and maintenance men around the compound who were fasting were working in 45 degree plus weather. They had shortened working hours but still it is a huge feat.
Yes, this was at 5:52pm. Imagine what it was that day in the middle of the day. That said, this temperature has been the norm for July and August. One morning we went to the supermarket to return to the car at 10am. The temperature outside the car was 50 degrees.
As Eid approached, the end of Ramadan, we had one more celebration to have before we took off for a week. Our darling daughter turned two. It’s hard to believe that she has only been part of our lives for two years. We had a lovely little gathering with some of our friends from the compound. I made chocolate crackles and Mars Bar slice. We didn’t get around to the fairy bread; we will have to do it next year.
The day of her actual birthday we flew to Dubai. My husband had to do some work there. I think he was probably writing it off as work so he could have a drink at the bar! After a night in Dubai we flew to Munich and spent 8 nights seeing the sights of Bavaria.
Marienplatz - in the centre of Munich
In the middle of Munich is the English Garden.
We were surprised to find surfers enjoying a small canal in the middle of the garden. When we went again on the Saturday it was a hive of activity. People were sunbaking beside this small canal and it's strong current.
We visited Dachau Concentration Camp, took a drive down the Romantic Road, saw the Neuschwanstein Castle and joined the crowds at the Munich Aquarium. That said there were crowds everywhere. I can see what people say about August being very busy in Europe.
Dachau Concentration Camp.
I was completely overwhelmed by the scale of it. It was such a powerful place to visit.
We had a great time but we were pretty tired by the time we got home. You see, I managed to book what the husband claims to be, the only four star hotel in Germany without air-conditioning. We were on the seventh floor and the sun spent the afternoon beaming in the window. Of course, we weren’t there in the afternoon, but the lovely thin, yellow curtains didn’t shield much warmth from the room. All of this would have been fine if the hotel wasn’t across the road from the central train station. So it was either boil in the evening or listen to the drunks and trains below us.
To see so much public drunkenness was a shock after living in Saudi Arabia. The number of homeless people was also confronting. I also found it hard to sleep when the window was open as there was no fly screen or safety latches. I had nightmares of our daughter climbing out or her cot and somehow making it to the window. Argh! It was enough to make me an insomniac.
We travelled to Nuremberg for a night and stayed in an air-conditioned hotel! We had an interesting introduction to the town. When I had booked the hotel I noticed that many reviews commented on the fact it was on the ‘edge’ of the red light district. We walked from train station and arrived at noon. We walked into the ‘old’ town which is encircled with a very old wall. On our 20 minute walk to the hotel we managed to steer clear of the edge and head right through the middle of the before mentioned district. I felt like I was having flashbacks to our visit to Amsterdam a few years ago.
Once we had worked out how to stay on the ‘edge’ and not venture in, we had a fantastic day. I didn’t realise the history in Nuremberg that stretches beyond the last 80 years. The ‘old’ town contained 12th and 13th century buildings and churches. Most of which had to be rebuilt after the bombing at the end of World War II however it is a truly pretty place.
As I said before, we really enjoyed Germany. We ate food we normally can’t eat and my husband enjoyed the beer. I couldn’t partake in the alcohol as we found out at the end of June that we are going to be parents again. We are very excited.
We were looking forward to getting back to Saudi and its wonderful air-conditioning! It’s also nice to come back to the compound now that it’s coming to life again. More people are back and next week many of the activities are commencing. Furthermore, crèche will start next week and I know that both A and I are looking forward to her having a few hours with her friends in the morning. It’s been a long summer for her not being to play outside most of the day.
So life in the compound is becoming social and fun again. We head out for a walk in the evening and find we are bumping into more and more people that we know. The Bumps, Babies and Toddlers group that I have got going now has 8 – 10 regular attendees. So life here is looking brighter. If only the temperature would drop a little.
Now if you’re still reading I’m very impressed and a little surprised. But thanks for your interest and time and remember I’m no Shakespeare! .
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