Life as it comes: 14 Countries, and counting

I have officially been to 14 different countries, and can't wait to keep adding!

I am finally home after a quick 10 day trip to England to see Rob and do some touring around.

It was a long trip there, and an even longer trip back. The United Kingdom and Europe were getting record breaking cold temperatures and snow. At one point it got down to the coldest temperature in November in over 100 years!! Airports were shutting down because they couldn't handle the snow, and in Amsterdam when I flew home, every flight was delayed or even cancelled. We were an hour late boarding, but were stuck on the ground for 3 hours. Either waiting for the ground crew to finish up, or waiting to get in line for the de-icing platform in which there were 4 spots, and three de-icers working away on the planes. I was so exhausted from the trip and was starting to get a cold, so I slept as much as I could. I had both seats to myself so I curled up in a little ball and attempted to nap. However, I made it home safe and sound, and can't wait to go back in the summer!!

My first full day in England, we headed to the near-by town of Dudley and went to the Black Country Museum. Rob grew up here, in the heart of the Black Country, and the museum, more like a park, reminded me of Heritage Park. Everyone was dressed as they would in the industrial revolution days, and the park was empty as it was quite cold! Well, apart from the school kids. Rob and I were the only people on canal ride, a massive 40 foot canal boat. My stomach wasn't feeling the best so Rob indulged in old school 'fish and chips', cooked in beef lard, not just oil. We walked into one of the coal mines, which I found out was not an original mine, but rather one build for the museum for us to see what it would be like. There were many shops, some open and some closed due to the weather. Glass making, the hardware shop, the chemist and many houses styled as they would in the 1750's to 1900's. One house was even made totally of cast iron plates, 600 of them to be exact. It wasn't the warmest of houses though!!