The end of the tour

During the end of the tour I had a series of cell phone and connection problems that prevented me from posting on the blog. Now home and with a computer at my disposal I am posting now, all at once a smattering of pictures from my last week in the UK.

Cardiff Cathedral

The very Victorian interior

The Nordic Cash in the heart of Cardiff cathedral

 Bute park. The park was designed by Capability Brown. Were these trees planted by him too?

"Home" in Cardiff

 

Wells Cathedral with Walford and Sue Gillison 

The Cheddar gorge with Nicola

Nicola and Angus

Angus and Baritone

Fiona and Mathieu and Nicola's new creation... a chess board and set for the terrace!

Nicola and Toni's

Alice's skating competition

Alice won a gold medal yesterday at the Gaetan-Boucher skating competition in St. Hubert, finishing first out of ten in her Star 4 category.  You'll recognize her same solo from last year (her club recommends keeping the same solo for two consecutive years), but with the notable addition of a couple of axels, which she's only recently been nailing systematically in her training sessions.

Credit: many thanks to Gabriela for driving Alice out there and for shooting this video for her absent parents :-)

chapter art center - Cardiff

This is our work space in Cardiff, the chapter art centre which is an old school which was converted 40 years ago to what is now a marvelous mix of theater, movie house, art gallery, dance school, community center along with a very popular restaurant and bar. The place seems to be busy all the time. This was our ´home' in cardiff.

 

 
 
 

Pasta fun

Never short of creative energy and ideas, Lily decided to make pasta an hour before supper on Sunday.  Troops were quickly assembled, "Tipo 00" flour was found in the back of the freezer and Janet and Colin's old pasta machine was put to work on a batch of fettucini... miam !

Lily and her friend Anaëlle got quickly assisted by Alice

farewell Nottingham

After 10 days here, Nottingham begins to feel like home.  I am already nostalgic about leaving!

Here are some of my 'regular' spots:

Out for a run.
 

The river Trent on my running route. And along the path...

Our working home at dance 4.
 

Our ´home' at Ange's.
  
 

And our favorite coffee shop 'blends'.
 
 

Farewell.

 
 
 

Nottingham castle

My final morning in Nottingham I set out to see the castle.

It is not much of a castle especially as it was burnt out in a riot in 1831. The life expectancy at that time was 11 years old and Nottingham was the home of the worst slum in the British empire second only to new deli, India. The poor had had enough and when the duke who owned the chateau voted down a bill that was designed to hep the people there was a revolt. So not much left of the castle but many stories!

At least half of the castle's gory past took place in these tunnels that are carved below the castle and city. More than 800 tunnels are carved into the city's soft sand stone floor.

After a chilly damp tour through the tunnels I had a very welcome lunch at this, the oldest inn (or so it claims) in England. The top of the inn is carved into the stone.

Meanwhile back home...

... we're all missing Rachel a little too much — especially me :) — so why not drown our sorrows in a game of Rat-A-Tat Cat around some dessert?

Flor showing off a Mexican-style gown-type dress she found in a thrift store in Paris.

Guy Fawkes

Marie and I ventured out last night to the Guy Fawkes celebration. What an event it was!!! My last guy fawkes experience was in the school yard of newnham Croft school; I remember a couple of bonfires with scarecrows on top and some hot chocolat. I never imagined that this celebration would come complete with a fair ground, cotton candy and teddy bears... and I have never seen such a huge bonfire. It was quite lovely to watch it burn and the warmth was welcome on the chilly night.