June 23, 2015

 Annette’s Excellent European Adventure:
A Small Part of England

I stand on Steep Hill, with the beautiful Lincoln Cathedral
towering behind me.
March 2015

England is a treat to explore. Happily tagging along on my husband’s business trips, I have been blessed to be able to visit England’s northeastern area on a few occasions. Being an avid (iPhone) photographer, I share with you a photo album highlighting my two visits to the Lincolnshire area and beyond, from this past year.

My husband, Dale, and I enjoy an evening stroll on the Cleethropes beach.
Due to the nippy June temperatures, I had to buy a stocking cap!
June 2015

St. Patrick’s Day and a Solar Eclipse
Forest Pines Hotel, Scunthorpe

I awoke March 17^th and thoughtfully dressed in my sage green sweater and jeans before heading downstairs for breakfast. It was St. Patrick’s Day, after all, and as any self-respecting former elementary school teacher knows, green is the color of the day. So, imagine my surprise when I walked into the restaurant, and nary a green clad Brit could be found, nor even a shamrock decoration! After a conversation with a local on the subject, I found that St. Pat’s celebrations do happen in this part of the world, too, but mostly in the pubs. I was, however, treated that afternoon to a beautiful rainbow, befitting of the day dedicated to the “wearin’ of the green” and the legend of the leprechaun’s pot of gold.

I spied this St. Patrick’s Day rainbow outside my hotel window.
Maybe I should have followed it to the end, for my portion of the leprechaun’s pot of gold! :o)
March 17, 2015

 Three days later, another phenomenon appeared in the sky, a solar eclipse. This astronomical occurrence took me by surprise, and like most of my fellow breakfast diners that morning; I could only watch live Internet and TV coverage, as nature put on its display. (Viewing a solar eclipse with the naked eye can cause irreparable damage.) With almost 90% coverage of the sun, an eeriness set in. Daylight’s colors faded into sepia hues. There was an uncomfortable, attentive, mood that predominated the restaurant, as patrons began to speak in hushed tones. We waited and watched. Slowly the world, as we know it, returned to its colorful and sunny state.

This photo perfectly captures the unusual color that blanketed the area during the solar eclipse.
Lincoln
March 20, 2015

This photo was used with the kind permission of photographer,
Shradha Mishra, who took this photo in Lincoln.
Many, many thanks, Ms. Mirshra!

How sweet is this eclipse illustration by English children’s book illustrator, Mark A. Chambers?

A great big thank you to Mr. Chambers for allowing me to use his illustration in this blog post!
To read more about Mark A. Chambers, click on his website here.
(Special limited edition prints of this may be made available soon on this website.)
You may also follow him on twitter at https://twitter.com/markAchambers.

Chips, Fries, Crisps

 When not chasing rainbows, or being mesmerized by an eclipse in March, I was often enjoying food served at the Forrest Pines. There were some delicious dishes prepared there, but one night it was just that cuisine which proved a humorous moment.

This Onion Veloute soup was one of my favorite dishes served at
Forrest Pines.
You can find the recipe at the bottom of this post.

Dale and I had just arrived at the hotel, and being travel weary, and only slightly hungry, we decided to have room service bring up a sandwich for us to share. Not wanting French fries that night, I requested that we would just like chips.

Walkers is an English variety of crisps for sale in local stores.

 As I said, I was tired, I really did know better, but I had made a blunder when ordering. Chips to the English, would be to us (Americans) French fries. Our American (potato) chips are to the English, crisps. When our sandwich order arrived, to my dismay, we received not potato chips, but a double order of French fries, what the English call chips! (Bacon is another word with a different connotation here. English bacon is similar to our American Canadian bacon.)

English “chips” and a hamburger with American-style bacon at
London’s Heathrow Airport’s, London Pride by Fuller’s.
March 2015

Lincoln
March 2015

We were hungry. One evening, after Dale had finished work, we set off to nearby Lincoln for dinner and a bit of sight seeing. Although it was a brief trip, we enjoyed our time spent there.

Dominating the Lincoln landscape is the beautiful Lincoln Cathedral,
first built in 1092.
To read  about the cathedral’s history, click here.

You may recognize this cathedral from the 2006 movie, The Da Vinci Code. Read more about that here, and here.

Dale and I were on Lincoln’s Steep Hill, weighing our dinner options, when the wonderful smell of this barbeque caught our attention and drew us in!We found ourselves surrounded by American flags and delicious American cuisine at Ribs n Bibs.

Dale is all bibbed and ready to dig in to our yummy dinner.
I apologize for my blurry photo. I guess that I was more concerned about eating than about photo clarity, at the time. :o)

At the parking lot (or car park, as they are often called in the UK), I pose with the Lincoln Castle in the background. It is home to an original copy of the Magna Carta.

 York
March 2015
 York is an historic old city with a lot of charm. I had a clear-cut agenda for my short visit there in March; shopping at Cath Kidston’s and lunch at Betty’s Café Tea Room!

I spotted this colorful print, inspired by a vintage Railway poster, in a clothing store. Unfortunately, no one could tell me where I could purchase one to take home.

Looking down the historic street of Stonegate in York.
Cath Kidston’s is located where the blue sign is, on the left hand side.

I love the British-based Cath Kidston shops, even more so during a sale! :o)

I thought that the name of this pub, The Yorkshire Terrier, was cute, sitting on Stonegate.
Note the photo bomber on the left hand side of this picture!

Many of the shop display windows in York, were filled with eye candy.

Eating at Betty’s Café and Tea Room, when in York, is always a treat!

My friendly Betty’s server recommended her favorite dish, so I went with her recommendation.

The Haddock, Salmon and Prawn (shrimp) Gratin was delicious.

To read my past blog post about Lincoln and York, please click here.

Cleethorpes
June 2015

I bought this cute print to remind me of Cleethorpes,
a replica of a vintage rail poster.

Dale and I enjoyed our stay at the Dovedale Hotel.
The hotel’s location in Cleethorpes made it possible for me to walk
around town each day.

Our hotel room looked out onto this quaint English street.


My daily walk to town took me by the water.
This photo was taken in the morning, during low tide.

Cleepthorpes is situated on the mouth of the Humber, an estuary.
During low tide, the sand separates the beach from the water.



A whimsical kite sculpture named Festival “flies” near the beach.

A sign welcomes visitors to shop on Seaview Street.

Seaview Street, as it wakes up to a new day.

Spotted this as I did my daily walk. Isn’t it cute?

I enjoyed my share of fish and chips while in Cleethorpes.
The haddock, at The Captain’s Table,
complete with mushy peas, was the best. YUM!

I left an American iced tea wake, wherever I went in Cleethorpes. I would ask the waitress for hot English Breakfast, or black tea, and a couple of glasses of ice. Although, my request produced some mystified looks, the iced tea was wonderful! 

I usually resisted dessert, while having lunch, unlike this sweet little girl.

This little donut guy sits outside a shop by the water. 

Fishermen in their little huts, dot the beach.

 The evening sunsets were stunning.


A ferris wheel sits idle by the water. 

A fisherman gazes at a lone ship sailing along the horizon. 

A luminous moon shines over the water.

 Recipe

I have not had the opportunity to try this recipe for Onion Veloute, yet. It was delicious and was very different from the onion soups that I have eaten before. Many thanks to Forrest Pines chef for sharing this recipe!

To read my previous posts on my European adventure, click on the links below.

https://annettehoffman.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/annette-and-dales-excellent-european-adventure-part-1-germany/

https://annettehoffman.wordpress.com/2015/04/12/annette-and-dales-excellent-european-adventure-part-2-france/

https://annettehoffman.wordpress.com/2015/05/23/annette-and-dales-excellent-european-adventure-part-3a-england-a-day-in-london/

Thanks for reading! :O)

Annette

I attempt to post my blog bi-monthly, due to a happily full upcoming calendar, please look for my next post around July 24.

A great big thank you to all of my faithful blog followers!

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“Emergence”
March 2015

I was fascinated by this light enhanced sculpture at
London’s Heathrow Airport.
To read more about it, click here.