The definitely not-definitive guide to visiting us in England

When we first told people we were moving, a few mentioned that they would visit us. While some of you are seriously slacking on your follow-through (it’s been like four months, guys!), we have been very fortunate to have a few guests.

In October, my friend Sarah came for a four-day stay. Her visit coincided with our furniture shipment delivery, so we didn’t have an extra bed yet. I’m not sure she found it unfortunate, as the lure of a quiet hotel room was bliss to her mom-of-four mind.

We explored the cities and areas around us, including the Beatles museum in Liverpool. We also had a night out in Tarporley complete with a round (ok, a couple of rounds) of shots bought by new British friends who serenaded us with “American Pie.” I don’t get out much, and it was great to have her with me – our first visitor and she helped make it feel like home.

 

And, just as the British Invasion took the U.S. by storm in the 60s, the Ladies of Iowa took Britain by storm in November. (Specifically, my mom, Anita, and Tim’s mom, Linda.) Because I was still feeling new to the area, I hit some of the same places I had shown Sarah, this time with just slightly more expertise.

Therefore, I thought I’d share my official visitor itinerary for “how to show your mom and mother in law around an area that you kind of don’t know yourself.” Kind of like a Rick Steves or Fodors Travel Guide, but with less helpful tips and more selfies. Spoiler alert: if you come visit, you’ll probably do some of the same stuff too. You’ve been warned, or hopefully enticed.

The first adventure, as always, is just getting here. Their adventure took them from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Minneapolis, Minnesota to Reykjavik, Iceland to finally Manchester, U.K. When they finally walked through the doors after picking up their luggage, they were eager and ready. And maybe a little exhausted.

After a drive from the airport, (look, ma! I’m driving on the other side of the road!) we stopped in for lunch at The Hollies. The Hollies is a farm shop a few miles from our house that has evolved from a small farm/grocery stop to a gourmet grocery store, a deli café, a restaurant, a gift shop and more. We had a great lunch and our first round of tea, and then I took them back to our place so they could see where we lived.

As much as they’d seen our home via video chats or in photos, I think they enjoyed getting to experience it firsthand. I tend to want to go/go/GO when people visit…my attempt to help them see and experience as much as possible in the time we have. The moms had to remind me, and I’m grateful they did, that they were perfectly content also just to hang out at our place. The boys were thrilled to see Grandma and Nana, and greeted them with huge hugs.

The next day, we headed to a Christmas fair at Arley Hall, an English house and manor that each year hosts a large fair featuring crafts, food and homemade goods for sale. We met up with a friend, the wife of Tim’s boss, and one of her friends. The fair was filled with beautiful gifts and delicious finds. In fact, our best score?  Obviously the meat pies, which provided dinner for the night. Nothing says England like some meat pies. And, saved us from cooking!

Like with Sarah, the moms and I did a day trip on the train to Liverpool. It’s a quick trip and I was feeling a little more comfortable riding the train this time. The funny thing about doing something just once is that it gives you some level of confidence, even though you still don’t know what you are doing – like ramping my car up on the grass at the train station when I couldn’t find parking. I did it the last time, so, sure, it’s fine?

I bought our tickets and we sat down to wait before heading out to the platform. We looked around, chatting quietly. My mom looked up and saw this sign:

“What’s candle stick making?” she asked. “Huh?” I said.

“No smoking, vaping or candle stick making,” she read. “I didn’t know if that was a slang name here for something…like rolling a joint,” Mom suggested.

“Hmm,” I said… “No, I think it’s just a joke, like you know, the butcher, the baker, the candle stick maker?” “Oh!” my mom laughed, and I just had to get a photo of the sign to remember the moment. Love you, Mom!

(PLOT TWIST: I quickly googled this because I needed to make sure I wasn’t missing something, as I am not versed in the latest drug references, to the surprise of hopefully no one. I found one entry in the Urban Dictionary referring to a joint as a candlestick. So, perhaps my mom was right?! And I beg you all to not to Google that yourself.)

Our trip to Liverpool was great. We first walked to the Albert Docks, where I dropped them off at The Beatles Experience. I had done this museum tour when Sarah and I went, so I walked around the docks, grabbed a coffee and popped into a nearby Museum of Liverpool while they did the tour. After they finished, we went for lunch at a pirate-themed restaurant – I guess in line with the shipping/merchant vibe of the docks.

 

After lunch, we walked back up through the city and through Chinatown, stopping to take pictures at the Chinese Arch.

Not far from there is the Liverpool Cathedral. The Liverpool Cathedral is the largest cathedral in England, fifth-largest in the world, and is breathtaking. Construction spanned almost 75 years, beginning in 1904 and completing in 1978. Work stalled during both World Wars, and it was damaged by German Bombs in WWII. The cathedral is free to enter and walk around, and while we were there, we were able to ask questions of someone (choir member? official tour person?) who was near the front alter.

My questions were simple and unsophisticated. I wanted to know: 1) how do you get to be important enough to sit up in the front pews and 2) can just anyone have their wedding here and if so, do you walk the whole length of the aisle? The answers were 1) those seats are usually reserved for the choir, or higher-up church officials during important events and 2) most weddings are held in the Lady Chapel, the smaller space downstairs. I guess I won’t plan a vow renewal there.

The view upward was dizzying, and you could hardly fathom the design and coordination it must have taken to complete it. There were also displays and signage that helped us learn more about the history and role of the Church of England.

After that, we had a little time until the next train home so we went searching for an afternoon tea, complete with cakes. My best friend Google helped me find a cute restaurant nearby, though we had to navigate our selection of teas and our own cakes, after failing to understand how you get one of those lovely trays of assorted delicacies delivered out to you. I did end up liking my selection, though I’m not sure that you will ever be able to convince me that a cup of tea is more fun or delicious than a glass of Prosecco.

The next day, Tim and boys in tow, we headed down to – stop me if you’ve heard this before – a castle in Wales. Since we previously visited Conwy, we drove a little further to Caernarfon Castle. Caernarfon Castle was built in the 1280s, and was a symbol of the English rule in Wales, making it a site for several attempts at uprisings throughout the period. In recent time, it’s most known for being the site of the investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales a.k.a., the future King of England.

The towers and surrounding wall are impressive, looking out to the town and water beyond. With four adults, we were much better prepared to handle the two boys – Tim and I even got to walk around the castle walls by ourselves while they watched a short movie about the castle’s history with Grandma.

After exploring until castle close, we headed out for fish and chips. We walked around for a bit, but it was Saturday evening and there were football matches on – the pubs were crowded and starting to turn a bit rowdy. We pulled up to a near-empty restaurant and placed our order, working our way through huge portions of fried fish, fish cakes, sausages and chips. Not the best we’ve ever had, but the company was great.

A lot of the rest of their visit was spent around home. Linda and my mom made bread, made sweets, made dinner, played nonstop with the boys, and folded laundry. It was awesome. They also helped me in one of my new projects. I mentioned before that our house didn’t have a ton of storage space, so I had been on the hunt for a new storage hutch. They have a lot of “Welsh dressers” here, where the top is narrower for displaying plates or trinkets, but I was struggling to find just what I was looking for. I had already been warned by Tim to halt IKEA purchases to make sure we didn’t turn into an IKEA showroom (I agree), so I was hunting online and at reclamation shops when I found it.

It was a pitch pine dresser with sliding glass doors that had been salvaged from a school demolition in Wales. It was tall and deep but needed some elbow grease. It had been delivered the day before Mom and Linda arrived, and they helped me clean it up, wiping the grime off and oiling the rolling hinges. Tim installed cabinet lighting on the top of the inside, and I made wallpaper panels for the back to lighten it up visually. I had some glass shelves made so the new interior lights would cast a downward glow over our glasses, serving containers, cookbooks and special pieces.

It’s the kind of activity I’ve discovered I enjoy – exploring muddy restoration yards, cleaning something up, finding the nearest local glass shop and chatting up the owner, and then coming home and making the piece my own. It’s hard to justify these kinds of purchases when I know we’re here for a limited time and it seems so suited for this particular space. I have no idea if or where something will live in our next home. But for now, it helps make this place more practical and special.

The day before they left we made a trip into Chester. I’m starting to get my tour down there – heading for a walk on the city’s Roman Walls, up and down the stairs through the Roman Garden down to the River Dee, past the site of the Roman amphitheater, back up to the cathedral before landing at the shops and restaurants on high street. I don’t think I actually have seen 1/10 of what the city offers; future versions of my tour may be more expansive.

In addition to hosting Mom and Linda, I was expecting my friend and former colleague Dan, who was in London for a few days and willing to take the train up to Chester for the afternoon, which was very kind. His generous spirit was of course paid back with the worst luck in train travel, making for a slightly  delayed arrival to Chester. But he made it, and we walked to meet the moms for lunch.

It was a great lunch – wonderful conversation, and for me, a melding of the different parts of my life – my mom, and Tim’s mom who has known me since I was 15, meeting someone I learned so much from professionally, breaking bread in a country I now call home. Dan headed back to London after lunch and the next morning, Linda and Mom headed out too, after one last great dinner out at the first restaurant we found here, the Stamford Bridge.

Tim and I appreciate and love the visits and visitors we’ve had so far. It’s quite the journey to get here, and Martha Stewart or Rick Steves I am not. But I’m learning through our joint explorations as well. I’m not really playing tour guide; I’m exploring alongside you.

And it’s meant a lot to the boys too. Having Sarah here to celebrate Nate’s birthday made it that much more special. Having Grandma to play cards with or the smell of Nana’s bread greet you after school makes loved ones feel like they aren’t quite so far away. We are looking forward to more visits in the years ahead.

(Sorry for the lag in posts… 2019 resolution No. 1 is to write and blog more, so I hope to keep up. I could think of many more things that should be top of that resolution list, but that one sounds the most fun. Happy New Year!)