Norway Cruise (Honningsvag, Kirkenes, Oslo)

After leaving Tromsø we cruised up over the top of Norway which took us above the 71st parallel north (that's far north!) stopping by a handful of small Norwegian villages on our way.  At one point we were only a handful of kilometres from the Russian border outside of Kirkenes.










It gave us a few more chances to see the Northern Lights, some reindeer, and play in the snow.

Oslo Christmas Market

I especially enjoyed the slow atmosphere on the boat.  The handful of other passengers mostly were German and everyone really was there to look out the windows at the stars and watch the green streams of light that without warning crept across the night sky.

Watch out!  They nibble

Tromsø, Norway (Arctic Circle)

To celebrate the end of our lives in London and our move back to the USA we planned one final trip.  While we put quite a few options on our list, a week in Norway ending up winning out.

 

The first part of our journey took us to Tromsø, a city in Northern Norway and 1200 kilometres within the Arctic Circle.  Fortunately we had read up quite a bit on how to layer your clothes to keep warm in this climate which made all our outdoor time that more enjoyable.  During our time in Norway there is actually no sunrise or sunset.  The sun never rose over the horizon.  This meant basically all activities were in the dark accept for the twilight type glow that occurred for a few ours each morning. 

While in Tromsø we chased the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), went dog sledding, hiked in the snow, visited a reconstructed Sami tent, and of course caught up on all of the history behind famous Arctic expeditions that tied back to the town.

Jolene was on a regular look out for the Northern lights and was using multiple official websites to track current sightings and projected strength that day.  She had me convinced that based on projections we may not even get to see them while there but it ended up we were pleasantly surprised to see them most nights.  A special thanks to Eric who let us visit his horse farm off the far end of the fjord, and gave us our first views of the northern lights along with answering quite a few questions we had about the lights, all the new stars we could see, and Norway in general.

Our most exhilarating activity was definitely dog sledding.  Jolene and I got our own team of five dogs to lead us through the middle of northern Norway.  I drove and Jolene was the passenger (who had to shift from side to side or me and our stellar team of dogs would flip us over as we weaved through the snowy forest).

Last Day in London

Fittingly it's a rainy, windy day in London as we prepare to ship the rest of our stuff home that we can't carry with us on the plane.  We'll head to Norway for a week before returning to the States for good.  There are definitely things we'll really miss about this city but we're definitely ready to head home.

A place that allowed us to push our limits in just about every way imaginable (Constant threats of not being allowed into the UK, a forty six mile hike of Hadrian's wall, a two month crash course in Spanish, a military escort through the Sinai Peninsula, a soon to add chasing of the Northern Lights, and so much more).

A jumping point that allowed us to visit Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Holland, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Egypt, and Norway.

Our lives in London along with all the people that made it possible and memorable will not be forgotten.  2012, what a year!

Ushering in 2012 - Down town London

Scotland! (one last time)

We were able to sneak in one last trip to Scotland before we have to leave the UK.  This time we went back to Edinburgh and took a Castles Tour of the West Highlands with our favorite tour group Rabbie's.  While our other trips to Scotland had been great, we really enjoyed being able to take a closer look at some of the amazing castles here.  Plus, it was nice being able to wander around some castles with only our small tour group.

To top it off, Dave and Mere joined us on the trip to help us enjoy the finer (scarier) points of the city.  They also hiked with us to Arthur's Seat in the cold rain the following morning.  Even with the rubbish weather, you can't beat the view.

Here's to Scotland and soon hopefully their independence in 2014 so that we (Jolene) will be able to visit again soon!

Dave and Mere do England

Internationally televised on Sky Sports, visited the queen's residence in London and Windsor, rode all tube lines except two, got so scared in the dungeon we nearly cried, saw the mysterious Stonehenge, the tranquil town of Bath, significantly expanded the dishes we are comfortable ordering at Indian restaurants, laughed so hard it hurt, and hit every pub we could.

Yes, this is what happens when Dave and Mere come to visit you abroad over Thanksgiving.  My parents and sister had already had the chance to visit during our time in London so it was really great to get Dave and Mere out here before we move back to the States.



















We definitely did a whirlwind tour of England when they came to town.  I'm sure there are a lot of things they'll remember for some time, but it was really great for us to have some other Americans to spend Thanksgiving with.  We spent the afternoon and evening at No 1 Sports Bar on City Road.  This has been and will always be our favourite London pub.  We watched the NFL games, drank, ate, and even got interviewed by Sky Sports Network on our thoughts of the efforts to get American Football more attention in the UK.

To our final guests ... what a way to end London.

The Making of Harry Potter (Stupefy)

Diagon Alley!

I finally made it!  After having to leave the UK unexpectedly early and giving away my already purchased Harry Potter tickets, I was able to return and make it to the studio.  You actually have to take a train out to Watford Junction and then a Harry Potter shuttle out to the Warner Brothers' Studio in order to get there.

I was like a kid in a candy store, literally.  Diagon Alley, the different creatures they created, and all the sets/props were unreal.  I seriously could have stayed there all day.  Mike was very glad to hear the final warning to leave or we'd miss the last bus back to the city!

Model of Hogwarts used in every movie

Tom Riddle was messed up

Chamber of Secrets is somewhere nearby

Ipswich, Suffolk, UK

For the past ten days Jolene and I stayed up in Ipswich, a small British town off an inlet of water on the East coast.  This trip did a lot to remind us to reflect on the full circle that we have come while living abroad this past year.

We went to Christchurch park to celebrate our second Guy Fawkes night with a lantern procession, fireworks, a fire show (Flame OZ), and a carnival with the same couple that we went with in London the year before.




There was also an epic battle between me and a coworker and two other British kids where we got into giant bubbles and ran around knocking each other over.  For two pounds, this is by far the best deal I've gotten abroad.

We stayed in a hotel that overlooked the marina called the Salthouse.  The view, rooms, decorations, and food were all great in this place.  After staying in quite a few very nice hotels over the last couple years we have decided this place is our favourite.  Convincing Jolene to leave the hotel to catch our train was far from an easy task.  We will miss her lounge chair in the room and the giant scorpion statue from the lobby the most.

The sole purpose of this trip was to deploy the second upgrade to the system at work.  The hours were very long and we had a whole bunch of interesting hurdles to overcome.  I can say for certain that some of the craziest stuff that has ever happened to me at work in the last decade has happened in Ipswich.  We will now shift into a stabilization period for the next month but this represents the beginning of the end for our lives in London.   

Welcome to Wales / Croeso i Gymru

In an attempt to not travel outside of the UK during our remaining time here, we decided to take a trip to Wales.  While we had some doubts due to comments from friends and coworkers, we managed to have a really good time.



















We spent our first afternoon in Cardiff checking out Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Castle, and strolled through Bute Park.  Something about the leaves changing colors and random Welsh people wearing costumes wandering the streets preparing for Halloween really gave the city a fun Fall atmosphere.  The bay of Cardiff is also a pretty cool place to walk around and grab some food by the water.

On our second day there, Jolene booked us a trip with SeeWales that took us through Swansea and down to the coast of Gower Peninsula to check out the first officially dubbed Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the United Kingdom.  We got to hike different parts of the coast on the edge of some crags, mingle with sheep, and a chance to get hit in the face by some unexpected Welsh sleet (it was sunny about an hour earlier!).  This was also Jolene's first chance to touch the Atlantic Ocean from the other side.

Back in London!

After an unforgettable set of months in Barcelona and then in Reading, PA we are back in London.  I came back a couple weeks early to play catch up on some work activities and then Jolene closely followed after she finished her nursing contract in the US.

Even after all the chats with the embassy and other experts, UK customs still made things interesting for Jolene upon arrival.  They reluctantly let her back into the country, but not before they made 4 am deportation threats and added more criminal stamps to her passport which now prevents her from ever being allowed to enter the UK as a tourist again.

We've quickly jumped right into old times with trips to our favourite  pubs, restaurants, and sites.  As part of Jolene's welcome back gift, we went to see Singing in the Rain and even got tickets within "splashing" distance.  We've already generated a bucket list for the remainder of our time here before we return to the States for good...

Death of the Mazda

Despite our normal life of excitements and blessings, there is a sad, gloomy cloud lingering over our heads.  During one of the final road trips Mike and I needed to make with Sarah, my beloved Mazda, she decided to completely breakdown about 80 miles from Pittsburgh. Luckily I was able to safely pull over and call AAA.  My car was towed to a local mechanic and my parents were nice enough to come pick our stranded butts up from the side of the road. Hopes were high when the mechanic told me my car started back up the next day and he couldn't find anything wrong with her, but our hopes were soon crushed when she broke down again for my Dad as he was trying to get her back home, and this time for good.  She got out of the hospital a week later, but let's face it, she's been getting old and I haven't been taking care of her that well during my recent traveling, so I have sadly made the decision to finally sell her once I come home in December.

This is a sad sad day in the DiLoreto household.  Sarah was my first car that I ever bought right when I started my nursing career.  We had a rough start (she tried to kill me multiple times throughout our first year together, but every relationship has a rocky start.)  Since then, she has become a good pal and has seen the country with me in my traveling, driven through good weather and bad and was a reliable friend as I drove through some treacherous snowstorms.  She has been very good to me over the years and she will be greatly missed.  I now ask for a moment of silence....

<3

West Reading, PA

Cupcakes, Cuban Sandwiches, and Milkshakes
 - Need I say more?

Life in West Reading wasn't all that exciting.  I basically worked, slept, and ate cupcakes and milkshakes in my spare time :) This little town had a ton of really good restaurants, so Mike and I went on a food crawl trying to test out all of the places before our time here ran out.  Surprisingly enough, we never came across a place that their food wasn't excellent!

Penn Avenue

Our favorite part of West Reading was Penn Avenue.  It is a strip of street with a bunch of local small businesses that range anywhere from your local pharmacy to quilting to salons to cafes.  You name it, they've got it.  Despite the variety of shops, we did notice a trend through the town of about 4-5 different cupcake shops.  It took a lot of will power not to try every one! We also especially loved Penn Ave's local farmers market that happened every Sunday right in the middle of the strip. This market produced some really good chillies, peaches, and freshly made apple cider!

Reading, PA

It is definitely great, but interesting being back in the US.  We got a chance to visit Pittsburgh when we first got home, but have now shifted across Pennsylvania for Jolene's new job which has allowed her to work again, but also let us visit friends and family on both sides of the state.





The little town of West Reading has been a lot of fun.  It's a cute little town that reminds us of State College.  We have already been to a small peach festival thrown at a local church, the farmer's market on Penn Ave., and a bunch of different restaurants with really good food that have all been within walking distance.

When Jolene isn't working, we make sure to enjoy all the open space of middle Pennsylvania.  We took one day to tour the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail visiting multiple wineries and also met up with Dave, Mere, and their friends where Jolene caught her first fish ever in a local pond.

Basque Country (Bilbao, San Sebastian)

We spent this past weekend touring Basque Country in Northern Spain with a couple friends down from London.  The area is world renowned for their art and food.  Learning from our previous trip in Spain, we decided to take advantage of the train system in order to have a more relaxing trip.

Bilbao is a very calm city compared to Barcelona. One of our main activities in Bilbao was visiting the Guggenheim Museum. We really enjoyed not only the art, but actually seeing the building itself since we had just recently stayed in a hotel designed by the same architect.  The museum definitely had art that made you think.  Jolene actually got lost in one piece.  I personally like the stuff that doesn't require thinking. For example, the giant puppy made of flowers in front of the museum.  After the museum we met up with some friends and enjoyed some late night tapas and wine which lasted long into the night, making me a very calm/quiet navigator the next day 

as we travelled to San Sebastian.

In San Sebastian, we went on a two day "ir de pintxos" which is basically a pub crawl in the Basque Country with a focus on their tapas while sneaking in their cider, beer, and wine along the way. I definitely lost track of the many places we sampled throughout the city.  Once we felt we tasted just about everything, we decided to use some of our free time to hike up one of the mountains on the side of town and even visit one of their famous churches (The Good Shepard).