While in the UK, we have been staying in Travelodge hotels as needed. They are similar to our Travelodges at home – clean and safe – but not a lot of frills. Some days, we tour, tour, tour and then simply fall asleep in our beds and go to the local grocery to pick up some supplies. It’s funny, the budget hotels only have kettles and tea – there are no fridges and/or microwaves in the rooms which is what we are used to at home. So to solve the problem of keeping our food fresh for breakfasts and lunches, we bought a small cooler that we can take for our day trips. When we went to the grocery stores and asked for ice for the cooler – we got a lot of strange looks. Most people tell us it’s too cold in Scotland and that you don’t really need ice for coolers. On some days, I would tend to agree with them!
As we’ve been travelling, Zoe has come up with the idea to build a real castle in our backyard when we get home. The more castles we see, the more elaborate her plans. I for one, think it’s great project based learning. I told her she can do all the designing, planning, building etc.. as it would be part of her homeschooling. At first she was unsure if she wanted to take it on…but now, the plans are becoming more and more fantastic. We’ll keep you posted on the addition to our home…she’ll have to see if City Council will approve her plans!
As we toured through Stirling and Edinburgh, we had the wonderful opportunity to Couchsurf with a fabulous family who lives in Cupar –a small city close to St. Andrews.
Petra, Petre, Miki, Simon, and Sebi, opened up their home to us and we quickly became fast friends. They live in a really neat flat that is perfect for their growing family. The kids started school in August so we would tour during the day and then meet up with them in the evening.
The parents were able to eat some delicious food as well as have some great conversations and the kids totally had a blast playing around. For one thing, they have a “Rock Wall” built into their staircase!!!! Of course, our kids were totally excited to put on the harnesses and explore the climbing area. Petre shared with us that Scotland gets dark very early in the Fall and Winter so the kids can’t play outside. With the rock wall, they can climb and have fun even on the wettest and coldest days of the year!
On another day, we all went to a beautiful arboretum with fabulous gardens that are open to the public. The kids had fun jumping and climbing everywhere. It was a beautiful space for everyone to enjoy.
We were able to climb some fairly steep hills to where the family has a fun swing hidden up in a tree. All of us had a great time swinging through the air and feeling like we might hit some of the other trees – but it was all safe!
We also had some great views of the city of Cupar from the top of one of the hills, (Petre had to shoo the bulls away!) Petra taught us how to find wild mushrooms that are edible and available everywhere in her area. She finds them in the forest, dries them out and/or pickles them – they were absolutely delicious!
This is the beauty of Couchsurfing…if we only stayed at hotels, we wouldn’t meet these great locals who share their lives and cultures with us. We have had such amazing experiences meeting wonderful people which is what travel is all about.
N.B. Zoe’s castle plans now include a rock wall and a giant swing!
Comments
4 responses to “It’s the People that you Meet!”
I love this photo of Oliver swinging!! Great that Zoe’s plans include building a giant one…we’re all going to want to have such fun!
Meeting locals and learning how they live is also my experience of how to truly travel and experience a country. It’s about people and culture…and I love that you are sharing that with your family, and through these blogs, with us! Couchsurfing really seems to make that easy…what a great idea.
Hi Mae,
I can’t say enough about Couchsurfing…we have met so many wonderful people and you’re right – it’s so easy to access them by going on the CS site. We have only stayed with families as we like the kids to meet other children. There are lots of different groups to filter your search such as age, gender, families etc… There’s a connection for everyone and the stories these people have to tell are amazing!
Cheers!
A castle in your backyard sounds wonderful, Zoe; but, what about that pool? Oh, wait a minute…if you add the moat, around the castle, that could be a lazy river kind of pool. Then again, by the time you get back home, you might change your mind and decide to build a Pyramid, or the Parthenon. Better keep up with those drawings!
Hi Aunt Mary,
We now have an idea book so that we can write/draw all of our new learnings to bring back to Canada….just wait for it!
Cheers!