If I can't go in person, I'll go my way...

Hi everyone,
As you have probably guessed by now, I can be somewhat of a dreamer.  I plan things out in my head, hoping that all of those motivational speakers ("If you can dream it, you can do it!") are correct.  When I want to do something, I plan it all out, I visualize it happening and I do everything in my power to make it happen.  Sometimes it works.  Sometimes life gets in the way. But that's okay, I've enjoyed the planning part and generally will have learned something new.

So... here goes.  The Viking Cruise Lines trip around the world has been in my head for weeks now.  As I mentioned two days ago, I made an Excel spreadsheet with all of the dates, days of the week, locations the cruise will stop and the tours that I would most like to attend.  Today, I added in the average temperature for each location on that date so I can plan what I would pack. LOL  I know it's silly, but I get all excited about it. And now I know that the lowest average temperature is about 42 degree F. (5.6 degrees C.)  and the highest average temp will be about 90 degrees F. (32 degrees C).  Viking has planned the trip well, arriving in most ports when it's a fairly mild time of year, or when it's summer.  Many of the stops are near the Equator and temps stay around 83 degrees F. (about 28 degrees C.) for most of those dates.

https://www.vikingcruises.com Ultimate World Cruise

The trip begins and ends in London, England, a city I know fairly well after living in England for nearly 8 years.  The embarkation date in August 31, 2019 and then we spend the next day, Sunday Sept 1st touring London before heading off.  The tours I chose for that day were the included tour of Royal Greenwich on foot, or the Chelsea Physic Garden.  Since it's a Sunday, though, I'd probably arrive in England a few days early to spend time with friends and "heart family" before going on the trip and I'd just visit the Physic Garden on my own then.  Sunday I would probably go to church somewhere nearby and meet more of my Worldwide Family there.

What's a Heart Family, you ask? When we lived in England, we only flew home to the U.S. once or twice a year, generally in the summer.  So, holidays were on our own or with our friends who became our family while we lived there.  There are so many dear friends there, especially those who lived in Harrogate at that time, who are more than friends.  They are my chosen family members.  I have some great actual family members, but its hard when you don't see them often.  Since we've traveled around so much since Bob and I got married, (we lived in 8 different houses in the first 7 years of our marriage) we've gathered family as we've traveled.  Our boys had friends who became honorary members of the Stull family. And after being a Juror on a photoshop/photography/multimedia and text website called Worth1000.com for many years, some of my friends there have become heart family.  Bob teases me sometime about the vast number of family members I now have and just says he's thankful that I don't feel the need to buy them all gifts at Christmas.  ha! They are truly loved, though, and I'm adding to my family all the time.  It's a great way to live - and love.

So: Here's my list of Must-Sees in London, based only upon what I've actually done there.
1.  The Tower of London, including the tour to see the Crown Jewels and to see where the Princes in the Tower lived and where Anne Boleyn was brought in to the Tower and where she was beheaded.  The history alone is simply amazing.
The Tower of London

Photo from VisitLondon.com

2.  See a West End show if you can.  Last time I was there on my own, ages ago, I went to see Cats.  I got a seat right next to the stage on the end of a row and got patted on the head by the Rum Tum Tugger cat. LOL  It was great. :)
3. The London Dungeon tour was chilling.  Being a History major made the history just come alive for me.  It's horrifying what people will do to each other.

Photo from https://www.city-walks.info

4.  Big Ben - Most people think the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster is Big Ben, but it's not: it's the bell itself. When it was made in the 1850s, it was the largest and most accurate four-faced clock in the world.  Hearing the gong of the bell shakes your chest.  You don't just hear it, you can feel it too, when you're close by.  Definitely go near an hour with several bell peals.
5. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is heart stirring.  Little kids can get bored but I have loved watching it every time.  Be sure to look for the flag to see if the Queen is in residence. Even if you don't get to see her, it's fun to know that she's just beyond the wall.
6.  If you're up for a drive, head up to the Cotswolds to see the quaint thatched roof houses.  Stop in one of the older pubs (the White Stag was delicious when I was there about 10 years ago, and definitely gave you the feel of an ancient public house, since it's about 400 years old.)  Then head to Oxford and Cambridge to see the colleges and Kings College Chapel at Cambridge.  It was built beginning in the late 1400s, I believe, then Henry VIII had his and Anne Boleyn's initials carved in a few places there before their wedding.  You can still see the intertwined initials there.

photo from https://www.visitcambridge.org


7. And last but definitely not least, if you can take a tour or a drive, head out to Warwick Castle.  It's a masterpiece and one of the most complete of the ancient castles.  I go there every time I'm nearby.  It's like stepping back in time and they have some really interesting diorama-type displays with mannequins dressed in period costume, doing what the people there might have been doing on just a regular day.  I love it.  I've also seen a guy dressed as Henry VIII who will stop and take photos with you, so it's definitely an immersive experience.

There's so much more, but that will do for now.

Recipe Advent Calendar - Day 12 and 13 - Cornish Pasties

Weird.  I didn't realize until just now that I'd never posted anything yesterday.  I'd given Bob my cookbook so he could make rolls for our Christmas party yesterday (and yes, that man can cook!) :) and never took it back, so it didn't even occur to me that I'd missed it.

So... I wanted to post something good for the weekend days.  Cornish Pasties are one of my favorite things from when we lived in England.  For those of you who have never been to England, these are not pronounced PASTRIES.  You say it like Fast, or Nasty, I suppose.  Pasty.  Not like made of paste, either.  That's a completely different thing!

Pasties are meat pies with a shortcrust pastry on the outside and they are filled with all kinds of yummy fillings and you hold them in your hand while you eat them.  My favorite is the actual Cornish type with potato, onion and steak, so that's what I'm posting here, but you can fill them with most anything savory.

Originally, pasties were from Cornwall in southern England.  The miners would take them for their lunches and they had a savory filling in one side and a sweet filling in the other side.  The edges were crimped with a rolled edge and since the miners had arsenic on their hands from the mine, they would hold this edge while they ate the pie, then they would throw out the edge for the ghosts (or knockers) that they believed were in the mines.

If you're lucky enough to live in parts of Arizona or in Las Vegas, Nevada, you can even go to the Cornish Pasty Company here in the states.  There are probably others, but that's the one I know about. Enjoy! (And watch out for the knockers! )

Cornish Pasties

Shortcrust pastry:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp solid shortening
3 Tbsp cold water

Filling:
1 cup (8 oz.) finely sliced potato (sometimes I cut it into small cubes but that's not traditional)
1 cup (8 oz.) finely sliced onion and/or turnip
1 cup (8 oz.) sliced or cubed beef steak or chuck roast
salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten

Blend flour, sugar, and salt.  Cut With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter and shortening into the flour mixture until the mixture is the size of small peas.  Gradually sprinkle water over the mixture, blending well with a fork.  Roll pastry into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap or waxed paper and chill for one hour.  Roll out the pastry and divide it into two large or four small rounds.  Pile sliced veggies on one half of each pastry, but leave an open edge all the way around. Top with small pieces of beef.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place a few potato pieces on top of the beef to keep it from drying out.  Dampen the edges of the pastry with water and fold the open side over the side with the filling, to make a half-circle.  Crimp the edges of the pastry, like a pie crust, or even pressing down with a fork, although that's not the traditional way.  Make a small slit in the top of the crust to allow steam to escape and brush the tops and edges with beaten egg.  Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  Then reduce heat and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes more.