fish & chips

Yes, they're greasy and provide little (ok, maybe zero) nutritional value. But fish & chips are so delicious! And they're basically the national dish.

Over the summer Jacob and I drove up to the Norfolk coast and had delicious fish & chips (because we heard about the superiority of fish & chips on the coast). Jacob isn't a fish fan, but he discovered that he really enjoys haddock more than the normal cod.

The detail in this photo shows how flaky the fish can be. Also, you can see the silver skin inside the batter. When we first got here it freaked me out a little that I was eating the skin. Two years later I love it and think it's the best part.

I've been planning this post for a while, but I couldn't resist posting it on a Friday during Lent. Apparently the ubiquity of the 'chippy' (fish & chips shop) came about because people wanted fish & chips on Friday nights during Lent.

The following video clip is well worth the 57 seconds it takes to watch it. So hilarious.

Markets

Both here in the UK and in our travels we've enjoyed the markets selling a fascinating diversity of things. The photos in this post are from our recent trip to Barcelona, but they're pretty representative of markets we also saw in Portugal and Italy. The market photographed here is called La Boqueria on La Rambla. La Boqueria is one of Spain's oldest markets; it began in the 13th Century.

Olives, chocolates and fruit & veg are pretty standard (aren't the tomatoes below gorgeous?), but entire pig heads and mountains of whole shrimp aren't things we Americans are accustomed to seeing. At least they're either in refrigerated compartments or sitting on ice, because the markets are open all day long. But I still really wish we could convey smells over the blog. :)

These markets are so vibrant and bustling--they're one of my favorite experiences from our trips to the Mediterranean. We hope you like these photos.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Saturday in London we saw Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof starring James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad. This production was directed by Debbie Allen, the famous choreographer/actor/producer. Performances by Sanaa Lathan and Adrian Lester were also incredible. (I love Jacob's talented timing in snapping the above photo right as a London cab was passing behind me!)

"Volcanic vulgarity" was the description in The Guardian (one of the big UK newspapers) of James Earl Jones's performance as Big Daddy. Jacob and I felt that Jones's performance was simply unbelievable. Seriously, it was that good.

The other interesting thing for me is that it's a very American story, set on a plantation in the Mississippi delta. This particular cast was all black, which was an interesting dynamic given the climate of the deep south when it was written in 1955. (And did I mention it's on a plantation?) It was interesting to be watching such a uniquely American play in London and wondering how it's received by the British audience around me. I was totally waiting for Adrian Lester to slip up in his American accent, but he didn't--it was perfectly spot-on all the way through. The whole production was fantastic!

Semi-related note: On my birthday last month I was delighted to report that I share a birthday with the First Lady. This play takes place on the birthday of Jones's character, Big Daddy. But in real life, James Earl Jones was born on January 17 too! (exactly 50 years before me)

Barcelona

Barcelona was a super-fun experience this weekend! On our first trip to Spain we found the people to be friendly and the bakeries amazing! The city itself is gorgeous; it's in the Catalonia region of Spain where they speak their own language, and the signs in Catalan looked more like French than Spanish. (It is actually spoken in a region of France.)

Barcelona's iconic site is Sagrada Família, which is the most fascinating structure I've ever seen. It's been a constant construction site since 1882, and completion is projected for 2026, the 100th anniversary of the architect, Antoni Gaudí's, death. The Nativity façade on the east(above) is covered in detailed nativity-related carvings. This is the part Gaudí actually finished. On the west is the Passion façade (left), which contains simple but striking sculptures of the last part of Jesus' life, including his suffering and crucifixion.

Speaking of Gaudí, we also went to Parc Güell, a city park he designed. The guy had an aversion to using straight lines, so the shapes are organic and fluid. The park was incredible, with awesome views of the city and breathtaking tile and mosaic on those flowing surfaces. It's like an illustration from a Dr. Seuss book--fantastic shapes and lines.

One of the highlights of the trip

was watching the Magic Fountain, which was built in 1929 for the World Fair. It was like a laser-light show, only the colors were all in the water, and it was just really cool. In addition to the wind blowing water toward us,

we also got rain while we watched. But it was worth getting wet!

We also visited the Museu Picasso, filled with an awesome collection of works by Pablo Picasso. It focused on a lot of his early (pre-Cubism) work, and it was a fantastic experience. I'm always in awe of such artistic genius.

Because there are so many great photos, I'm posting a few more below. Feel free to skip them if you're bored with Barcelona. (Arc de Triomf; Barcelona's Bridge of Sighs (not to be confused with the one in Venice which we'll see next month or the one in Cambridge); Gaudí's Casa Batlló; Barcelona's Columbus Column, which represents the place Columbus returned to Spain from his first American voyage; and 2 more shots at Parc Güell, the latter one being part of a ceiling)

Two years

As of February 17, we've lived in England for 2 years, and we feel so lucky to have had such an incredible time! We're looking forward to the rest of our time here and fear it will pass too quickly. You might assume our trip to Israel/Egypt/Jordan last year is the highlight of the last 2 years, but I actually think England has been the highlight. This country has been every bit as lovely and beautiful as we imagined--maybe more so. Castles, mansions and theatre aside, England is fabulous on ordinary days too.

We love the weather, the history, the countryside, the language, the monarchy, the food, the TV and the people we've met. (We're serious about loving the weather, but it's actually a split decision on the monarchy.) The photos in this post represent our everyday love of England because we do find it charming even on days we don't do anything spectacular.

(Photos top to bottom: Jacob licking me at a tube station, photography by Mike F.; the Barton Mills village sign; beautiful countryside from the Uffington hill; Warwick village, taken from Warwick Castle; Jacob at Stonehenge; the white cliffs of Dover; King's College in Cambridge; and us at Walmer Castle, photo taken by Emily or Joel)

London miscellaneous day

Saturday we went to London with our friends Becky and Mike (Becky works with Jacob) and did lots of miscellaneous things we've wanted to do. We started at the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum) where we saw lots of Rodin sculptures and other really fabulous art. The above sculpture is Giambologna's Samson Slaying a Philistine.

We also went to Harrods, one of the largest department stores in the world with over a million square feet. The store contains some pretty high-end stuff, including these cupcakes we enjoyed. (The two non-Oreo ones are peanut butter and rocky road--the Oreo looked yummy, plus the guy in line in front of us highly recommended it, so we got 2. They were delicious.)

We spent a little time in Hamleys, one of the largest toy stores in the world. This dinosaur was made entirely of these little packing-peanut things.
I had already been to the Abbey Road pedestrian crossing (featured on the Beatles Abbey Road album cover) with my brother Nick, but Jacob and Becky & Mike hadn't been. And we've been hearing reports that they'll be (re)moving the crossing due to traffic concerns. The traffic actually was crazy, and if I had been trying to drive that road I would have been really annoyed at the pedestrians stopping in the middle of the road for photos.

After Abbey Road we went to another Brazilian restaurant, this time a pizza place called Gostosa Pizzeria. Jacob was really excited that they had a catupiry pizza, which includes a Brazilian creamy cheese. He was very disappointed that it tasted nothing like it does in Brazil. But the rest of us found it delicious. For dessert we had a banana pizza with lots of mozzarella cheese--very tasty. (It's what Becky is eating (and talking about) in the below photo.)

Get some nuts

When I posted the butter advert, saying it was Jacob's favourite, he insisted we also publish this one, which is basically tied for his fave. It's for Snickers, and it features Mr. T.
I find it offensive on a couple of levels, actually. Jacob thinks it's hilarious. We welcome your opinions.