When in England . . .

May 9- 19 we were able to spend in England. We stayed with a cousin, and her family. Before staying with them we were quite strangers, now we can call ourselves friends.
Eva and her family welcomed us with open arms, enlightening us on all things English, and their peculiarities and such. We were shown some of the beauties of the countryside, and got such a delightful taste of England that perhaps someday, Lord willing, we can have another.

Some things that made an impression:

• Driving: this is of course an obvious shock. But it was still amusing to see the expression on my husband's face when he sat in the drivers seat as we know it, and there was no steering wheel. After ten days there we did get somewhat "used to" this, but even so crossing streets we still looked the wrong way.
  
• Orderliness: The English garden is exquisite, from the largest to the tiniest. Even the smallest yards were full of beautiful flowers, or bushes, to make them look attractive. Coming back to Latvia the difference in gardening styles was immense, here things are more free and wild. There the gardens were orderly and precise.
• We were surprised to discover the the Chatsworth House, and others like it are still occupied by a Duke and Duchess, and that is really WHAT they do in life. I guess I had imagined that way of life long gone.
  

Some of the highlights of our visit:

• English Hospitality: The Leaf family was extremely warm towards us, and Janis said that was his favorite thing about being in England. Being introduced to England by an English family was an honor, and delight.
• Chatsworth House: An amazing manor, where part of the new "Pride and Prejudice" as well as "The Duchess" were filmed. This house was the "Pemberly" in the film. The gardens were magnificent, and we all say this was by far the most impressive thing we saw in England.
  
• Cream Tea: We were pleased to get to participate in a real English tea-time; complete with scones, clotted cream and REAL English tea. What a treat!!
  
• London: We weren't as impressed with London as we had expected. In fact all of us were sick of it after the first few hours. We didn't like the noise, and tourists everywhere. Looking back I can see what a lot we did in the 2 1/2 days there, and I am glad I did it. But going to London with a baby is hard work, and not to be advised! He didn't like London! We enjoyed the museums, and the market. It was also special to get see so many word famous sites. But my favorite thing was "Regents Park" and within that there was a rose garden that was absolutely amazing.
  
• Church: It was great to get to go to a couple of English services, and I was surprised how upbeat and lively it was! I was also able to see how Eva leads her weekly Toddlers Group, which gave me some great ideas for starting a Mom's group in Latvia.

PS: To see more picture you can look in my albums on Facebook.