We are Aoûtiens - Part 1

Having always been a teacher, I already know the joys of summers off but it's quite a different experience when all of your friends have super long vacations, too. As I have mentioned before, full-time French employees are guaranteed 5 weeks of paid vacation every year and most seem to save up their time and blow it all during the months of July (les juillettistes) or August (les aoûtiens).

We are decidedly aoûtiens.

After a hectic June and a mad scramble to catch up on everything in our lives in July, we were in pretty desperate need of a real holiday. Our old pals from Baltimore Pat and Soraya joined us for the first weekend of August and then we were off like a prom dress for the rest of the month. Here's a brief recap of our grand adventures, in four installments.

August 5-13: England and Wales with Rick

Even after meeting him just once, I knew Rick and I were going to be good friends. This summer, things got really serious when we decided to travel to his native land, meet his friends and family and roadtrip across his beautiful country. We flew into Bristol and we were immediately met by a bit of skepticism from the border police when we explained what our plans were for the next 8 days: A 750-mile tour around the UK, starting with a 2.5 hour drive straight to the Brecon Beacons in Wales. Anything longer than 45 minutes is quite far by British standards but where we come from in 'Murica, anything less than 6 hours is basically right down the road. Let's do this.

First stop: The Usk Inn. We could not have asked for a more authentic introduction to the UK. A cozy little pub in the middle of nowhere, an accent so thick I wondered if it was still English and the heartiest stews you've ever had in your life. And beer! Real beer! None of this Belgian bullshit that tastes like fruit and makes you want to die the next day. Real, honest-to-goodness ales. It was glorious.

We drove back down to Cardiff the next morning and spent the day running around the castle and drinking more beers in pubs that are older than my country.

That night, we made our way up to Rick's hometown of Preston, which is not far from Liverpool. We were welcomed by Rick's wonderful parents, Dave and Margaret, who promptly mocked Rick for the way his his lovely British accent has been tainted by our grimey American drawl. What can I say? This is what happens when you spend time with treasonous hillbillies.

We did a few little day trips to various places near Preston, including Blackpool, which some locals refer to as "The Las Vegas of England" despite it having literally nothing in common with Vegas except for maybe that twinge of shame and regret you feel after having visited. Perhaps not the prettiest city in the UK but there was a beach and an amusement park and some real good people watching.

We also spent a day walking around in the Lake District, a massive national park in the northwest corner of England. I have never been more glad to not know how to drive standard in all my life because the roads were really only meant for half a car and the number of times I thought we were going to plummet over a cliff to our deaths or get in a head on collision with another car was far too high to count. Rick navigated the winding Wrynose Pass like a champ and Jason and I needed a change of pants once we got back to Preston.

After a wild night out in Preston, we were off to Newcastle, which was probably my favorite part of the trip, other than meeting Rick's family. We joined up with some of Rick's friends from college and took full advantage of all the great pubs in the city. Unlike the relatively low-key Bordelais, everyone in Newcastle seemed like they were ready to party at any moment. Those Geordies sure do love to get dressed up and get crazy.

Partying hard in Preston

On the drive to Newcastle

Proper fish n chips in Tynemouth

After a getting a bit wild in Preston and Newcastle, we were ready for the quiet of the country. Rick's parents have a cute little caravan in the woods in the Yorkshire area and we spent two nights out there enjoying all that the countryside has to offer: The Black Sheep Brewery, llamas and SkyTV.

Traffic jam in the country

Llama trekking with Jack and Guss

We also had the chance to visit York, one of England's oldest and historically rich cities. It really is a cool place and the abundance of pubs certainly adds to its charm.

On the final leg of the trip, we stopped for tea back at Rick's place before heading down the road to our final destination. Home of the Beatles and people who talk like the Beatles, Liverpool is an interesting blend of history, modernity and pure grit. While some would say it's a bit rough around the edges, I would say that roughness adds to its charm. It reminded me a bit of Baltimore. We spent the evening with a few local Liverpudlians resulting in some pretty serious hangovers the next morning. Nothing that some greasy diner food and a walk around town can't fix!

When it was time to head back to Bordeaux that evening, we were all tired but truly amazed by the beauty and diversity of such a tiny little country, not to mention the wonderful, friendly people we met while we were there. And the food was way better than the French would have you believe. We'll see you again soon, UK!