Europe

by

Boosting Morale

Work has gone from a 1/10 to 15/10 on the busyness scale after a much longer holiday hiatus than I could have expected. The last few days have been trying and there’s currently no end in sight. I really can’t complain and since I did so much touristy stuff in Amsterdam, I’m not having much trouble getting back into the work mode I was in in Spain as it feels like I’ve been on holidays for a solid month! I’ve only had just enough small jobs to keep me going into the red, but barely. I’m grateful to be at a point in my freelancing career where I was able to weather a break like that easily and without too much stress.

At any rate, I’ve been putting together a care package for a friend and promised to get it off to her this week. So that left today or tomorrow and I was planning on tomorrow so I could get everything with a hard deadline off to the clients by tonight. But it was actually sunny today, so going down to the village made sense. I headed out around 1:30 and got the final items for my friend, then went to the post office where I was able to package it all up for her and send it out. It was a much more positive experience than the last time I tried to mail something from the UK.

Then, I had lunch and what I’d been craving all week, Marco’s pizza! I was going to get a pizza from Tesco as the ones I like (Dr. Oetker) were on offer for £1.50, regular £2.50, but I’d rather pay the extra £3.50 and get real pizza! You know what I mean. Pizza that looks like this:

This one wasn’t quite as good as the one I had the first time as the crust was cooked a bit too long, but I’m being fussy. I love the super garlicky oil the drizzled over top and that a thoughtful server brought me some tap water before I had a chance to ask him for it. What a treat lunch was!

I’m rather shocked by how far my money is going here. The exchange rate compared to last June is definitely helping (then, £50 got me about 92CAD and now it’s only about 82CAD!). I am nowhere near being able to have the standard of living I had in the Balkans or Mexico in terms of being able to eat out or for a beer whenever I want, but the UK is proving to be yet another country where my dollar goes further than it does in Canada. What a surprise.

Well, my sunny trip and lovely lunch certainly boosted my morale. Back to the grindstone I go!

by

Exploring Hardcastle Crags National Trust Site

Hardcastle Crags is a large woodland area with hiking trails that is owned by the National Trust, making it like a national or provincial park in Canada. At the heart of it is a 19th century cotton mill. You can spend hours hiking the trails and some days there is a café open and you can tour the mill. It is about two miles to the mill from my house and I headed up there this afternoon to check it out.

One of the things I focused on on my walk was my camera as I have not been happy with my pictures here. I think it is because of the crap natural lighting. So I took a lot of pictures of the same thing on different setting, trying to capture the misty beauty of the area and the bright greens that that make an otherwise dreary winter landscape come to life.

I loved this mossy wall.

The parking lots are a full mile from the mill, so I still had a ways to go!

“Who was welcomed by Hebden Bridge.” Boy do I know what that sort of reception feels like!

I have no idea why anyone has this notion that England is quaint and misty and lovely.

These sheds are actually still in use to store things like bicycles despite being open to the elements.

“Public convenience” is long for toilets.”

One mile left to go to the mill!

It was slippery out and I didn’t want to risk another fall, so I opted to follow the road up to the mill rather than do an actual hike. Moreover, it was warmer than I thought it would be and I was over dressed. Next time I go out in this kind of weather (about +8C), I’ll just wear fleece and the windbreaker rather than my heavy coat.

I loved this scene and how my picture turned out. The moss was almost fluorescent!

The mill at last!

I’m intrigued…

I decided to poke around a bit.

I headed out around back to the mill pond.

It looks cold, doesn’t it? But I found the weather almost balmy!

Yes, I walked across this.

My boots are getting a beating and need a good clean, but what a smart purchase they were!

I had fun watching this duck couple paddle around.

There was a world class restaurant on this site in the late 19th century.

When there was a decline in mill work, the owner reinvented himself as a hotelier and restauranteur. That’s how you survive!

Sign before the little bridge over the river.

I was happy to find this trail on the other side of the river as it wasn’t too rough or slippery.

Steps leading down to the river.

With a matching pair on the other side.

Coming back to the bridge, I remembered the stepping stones, so I kept going…

There are so many paths leading up into the hills.

This building is the toilets.

Looking towards the picnic area.

That looks like fun.

Standing in the middle of the river. These require big steps, but were easy enough to get across as they were not slick.

Made it!

Heading home, I noticed this giant lump in the tree.

I also noticed what looks like a church steeple at the top of a hill.

I passed a house with an incredibly steep driveway. Eep!

I find that sign funny.

We use one word for this sign…

Here are my scary steps at home. I had to go down these in the dark the other night!

I was gone a good two and a half hours. What a lovely walk this was!

by

In Which I Visit the Original Halifax and Try Nando’s

Last night, I headed to Halifax, about nine miles away, to see the Sherlock finale at the cinema. Getting there was super easy. I walked about 15 minutes to the bus stop on the other side of town and the bus was right on schedule at 6:47. The cost for one-way was £3. The driver asked me if I was returning to Hebden because if I was, a day pass would be better value. So that’s good to know. But I was definitely not taking the bus back since I got offered a lift home at the 11th hour! Literally, as the person contacted me at eleven yesterday morning.

It was about a half-hour drive into Halifax. It was so dark out I couldn’t see much, of course. The bus station is right across from the cinema, so that was very convenient. I arrived around 7:20 and the show started at 8:45, but I was meeting my ride around 8:30. Since the buses only run every hour on Sundays, I hadn’t wanted to take a chance on the 7:47 bus in case I missed it, so that’s why I arrived so early. I’d done some research and knew I had several options around the cinema for dinner to kill some time.

I’d read a lot about the Nando’s chain of chicken-centred restaurants and its cult following. So that was my first choice when I saw one open. It’s sort of half fast-food, half family-type restaurant. You get greeted by a server who will seat you and give you a menu, but you have to go to the counter to order and pay, then grab your cutlery. The server then brings you your order when it’s ready. The menu was more extensive than I expected and they had beer! It was insanely expensive (almost £4), but a meal with two sides was reasonably priced (about £8) and I was getting a free lift home, so I decided to get one. I picked this 2M, which is manufactured in Mozambique especially for Nando’s.

It was fantastic. Very crisp and flavourful with no hint of bitterness. If I am going to pay almost four quid for a beer, this is the quality I expect.

For dinner, I picked a quarter chicken with breast, medium spicy; garlic bread; and their “supergrain,” which had stuff like quinoa, other ancient grains, beans, and mint in it. The sauce was avocado and yoghurt based.

The chicken was a huge disappointment, very dry, and the flavour of the marinade didn’t permeate the flesh. It wasn’t spicy at all. A feature of Nando’s is that there are several sauces you can try, so I went with their medium spicy hot sauce and their lemon herb. They really perked up the chicken, but when I go to a place that specialises in chicken, I think the meat should stand on its own.

I found it hard to pick my sides. Since I had quinoa in the supergrain mix, I didn’t want rice and their fries are of the frozen variety. I debated going for corn on the cob or mashed potatoes, but I haven’t had garlic bread in ages and it sounded good. I was very happy with the choice as the bun was lovely.

Now, the supergrain mix, which I picked as it seemed healthy. That would get me back to a Nando’s in a heartbeat! I cannot believe how delicious it was. I felt like I had dropped into another class of restaurant, it was so flavourful and fresh. You can do the supergrain as a salad with chicken on top and that is what I would do if I ended up needing to eat at a Nando’s again.

The portions were really generous (the supergrain alone was almost a meal!) and I felt like I got my money’s worth for what I paid. But I really wasn’t wowed by Nando’s and I don’t get what the fuss is all about. I’m so glad I had a chance to try it out, though, and assuage my curiosity!

Dinner done, it was about eight. I went into the cinema to collect my ticket and wait for my ride to show up so we could make introductions. That done, it was time to go in. I was surprised by how empty the theatre was, but thrilled that I’d decided to see the episode on the big screen as it had a really cinematic feel to it, plus there was a bonus thing before the episode featuring my current favourite character on the show.

The show ended a bit earlier than I expected so I probably could have made the bus back if I hoofed it, but it was nice to not have that stress hanging over my head while I was immersed in watching the episode. The couple driving me home were going through Hebden and said they would drop me within the village limits, but would not go out of their way. What wound up working for both of us was them dropping me off at the bus stop! So that turned out super well and since it was a very mild night, I enjoyed the walk uphill to home.

So that was a fun night out! And, yes, I do plan to go back to Halifax for a day trip. 🙂

by

I’m Never Again Taking Sun for Granted

I know that sunny days here are going to be a glorious rarity and should be appreciated.

Just look at the flaming ball of gas in the sky. Isn’t it grand?!

I wanted to go into town to withdraw some money (there’s a Barclay’s here!), to get some washing up liquid since my host uses a fancy organic product that I don’t want to pay to replace, and to figure out where to catch my bus to Halifax tomorrow evening. I was going to finish my work, probably around 2:30 or 3:00 and then go down. By 1:30, the sunshine coming through the sitting room window was already starting to fade and I knew it would be a mistake to wait to go to town. I only had about 40 minutes of super easy work left and nearly five hours to get it in by the deadline, so that helped my decision.

Both my host here and at the Airbnb told me about a shortcut from the back of my house that would get me into town more quickly, saving at least five minutes. So I tried that, but it was rather treacherous since the surfaces were uneven and there was ICE in the shadows. It still felt much quicker! I should time both routes.

I photographed this building from above the other day. You can see here three levels of roads, the one I’m on, the one right above the roof of the building (you can see the stone retaining wall) that I took to go home, and above that, where the houses are, is the road I took to walk to my Spanish class.

Hebden Bridge must be really pretty in the summer.

Here’s the pub whereI had dinner the first night.

This is the main road through the Calder Valley. It can get quite backed up, as you can see in this picture.

A lot of people were walking around with fish and chips, which sounded like exactly what I wanted for lunch. But I’d researched the chippy (Crown Fisheries) and learned that while they apparently knew what they are doing, it was £7.50 for fish and chips, which seemed rather insane to me. I ended up walking by the restaurant and was able to check out the menu. Turns out the price quoted was for a sit down meal in their restaurant with bread (why?) and a pot of tea. Takeaway was £4.50. Sorry for the terrible picture, but my hands were full! 😀

OMG. 🙂 The fish was exactly how I like it, with a barely there super crunchy batter. The chips were fresh and flavourful. I will definitely eat there again, but ask for fewer chips since I really cannot eat a full portion of this meal. My food was wrapped up in a paper cone so that I could easily pick at the contents as I walked around. I didn’t like the little bits of paper that clung to my meal closer to the bottom of the cone, but I guess a little extra fibre never hurt anyone. 🙂 The piece of fish was huge and it was hot right to the end thanks to the way it was wrapped.

It really wasn’t that cold out, so I walked around seeing what was what in the town and finally found the bus stop I need, which is near the cinema. It is clear across the village from home, so it will be quite a trek there and back tomorrow night if I’m lucky enough to make the last bus as there is no way I’m taking the shortcut home in the dark!

Once I’d eaten as much as I could, I popped into a shop to get my washing up liquid and then it was time to head home. Only made one wrong turn in the search for the shortcut.

Here’s the start of the climb up to my house, which you can see at the top of the road. So really bad cobblestone, then uneven steps. I was gasping by the time I got to the top since I haven’t had to walk up hills much since Sarajevo. How quickly one gets out of shape! I got in about the time I would have gone out and, sure enough, it was already getting very cold and the sun was setting fast. So I made a good decision to head out early!

I really liked the vibe in Hebden Bridge this afternoon. I’d love to head down for a cream tea one afternoon as there are lots of tearooms and prices are quite reasonable compared what I experienced in larger cities. This is going to be a really pleasant location for the next three weeks or so with just enough divertissement to satisfy me if I get an itch to go out, but not so much as to distract me. The cinema is independent with a more “artsy” lineup of interesting films, but isn’t cheap (£7) so I’ll probably only go once, if at all.

Being here really makes me want to rewatch the series Happy Valley, set in Hebden Bridge and the area. I really recommend it if you like smart crime dramas with strong female leads.

by

Introducing Hebden Bridge

Yes, a post with pictures. Don’t faint!

I was trying to capture the snow, but it was melting so fast I just got water. Anyway, this is the view from the sitting room. Will try to get one in better weather to prove that it is truly glorious.

Snow was sticking at higher elevations.

The town is built on hills, so there are many layers.

Construction is all this dark Victorian brick.

This is not quite the town centre, but is in the village proper. Pretty sure that bus stop is close to the one I need to take to go to Halifax on Sunday.

When I walk down into the village, I’m normally on the road at the bottom that you can see with the yellow line, and then I turn at this pub (The White Lion) and go along the pedestrian street that you can see at the mid-left.

This is a school.

It is absolutely treacherous to walk around. The rock is very slippery. I’d hate to have to go out in icy conditions.

I have a staircase like this, about twice as long as that first bit to the landing, to go down to come home or to climb up to go out.

So those first pictures were taken in my walk between my house and the Spanish teacher’s house, which I found without any problems. I got a lot out of my hour and believe that I’m welcome back, but I’m definitely more advanced than the other two pupils. One had almost no Spanish and the other communicated well, but had a small vocabulary.

It was interesting to be assessed by a proper teacher. She said that I don’t make nearly as many mistakes as I think I do and that they are minor. Even with my insisting that I can barely understood a movie or follow the plot of a novel and that I have so few verb tenses, she said that I’m “fluent” on the scale of knowing a foreign language. To me, “fluent” is equal to “native proficiency,” but she says it’s actually not. She also said I need to focus on immersion and reading more rather than doing grammar drills — which I know and have been too lazy to implement. She suggested I take one-on-one private conversation lessons when I get to Mexico to work on my specific weaknesses and to spend more time reading fiction books and less time reading the newspaper and magazines so that I can start to work on following plot lines. She also suggested getting audio books that have a PDF so I can follow along as I’m reading and continue developing my ear (similar to what I’m doing when I watch something in Spanish with Spanish subtitles).

I came away feeling very surprised by this assessment.

I was going to give you a tour of the village after, but it was COLD. I blipped through a tiny bit of it, but there’s more to see.

I thought this scene looked very English:

I missed my calling.

I’m in the centre of St George’s Square.

Here’s the start of the pedestrian section. Considering how many people were out and about picking up their shrieking kids, I’m surprised it was so empty.

This is the bridge that gave the village its name.

Looking up to that school from earlier in the post.

Heading home. I believe that’s “downtown” Hebden Bridge across the river. Those blue windows and the blue door belong to a Boots (equivalent to a Walgreen’s in the US or a Shopper’s in Canada).

Everything is damp and mossy and licheny.

So many buildings are stuck together, rather like in Amsterdam. My house is a very strange concept, a long row of houses spread out over five stories. The houses at street level facing the road are large homes over several stories with many rooms. The houses at ground level, around the back, are very small with a split-level ground floor that has a kitchen/diner and a sitting room, and then a short steep staircase up to a bedroom and a bathroom. I would be fascinated to see a floor plan of how all the different units fit together. I can definitely hear the neighbours!

I would not want to drive here. It’s worse than Veliko Tarnovo!

But very pretty.

The village is 1 mile downhill from my house. I am going to get my exercise walking here. I see a lot of people with walking sticks and am rather regretting not buying one I saw on mega sale in Moab last spring, but I was doubtful it would get on the plane with me. I should probably check the charity shops here and see if I find something. My fall in Amsterdam scared me badly for all its what ifs.

At any rate, welcome to Hebden Bridge! I will show you more as I get out and about. I know I’m stuck at home again tomorrow typing, but I might have some free time over the weekend. It’s frankly cold out there and the house here is cosy, so… 🙂