Steel City

Sheffield, England, UK

Well, it’s definitely not Pittsburgh and it’s definitely not the Steelers I know, but hey it was pretty darn close.  Sheffield, like Pitt is known for its production of steel and therefore having a team that carried the same name just made sense.  However, their colors were black and orange instead of the traditional black and gold as I know the Steelers at home.  Plus, the other slight difference was this sport was played on the ice versus on a football field.  Basically, it would have been the same as if the Pittsburgh Penguins would carry the Steelers name.  I guess that is still pretty good for being on the other side of the world and having things relate so closely to home. 

And for as big as what we are into supporting our sports teams back home whether its football, hockey, or baseball, Sheffield does have one thing on us.  They have the world’s oldest football club, Sheffield FC.  It was established in 1857 and is still in competition today. 

Keeping it sporty, we definitely had an entertaining and enlightening Christmas themed class to welcome the holiday season; and just in time for the second week of Secret Santa. 

Although, we were all in the Christmas spirit, it really didn’t feel like it outside.  There were a few days that had temperatures in the 50’s and it was warm enough to run outside in capris and a long sleeve without gloves or a hat!

Speaking of running, I was able to find a nice secluded, park that overlooked the entire city and it wasn’t miles and miles away from the city center.  Who knew a city could have such quant places, but then again, who pictured me in a city every week and so far away from home?  I guess we are all full of our own surprises. 

Just like the three little girls that were seated downstage during an evening show that got up and performed their very own kick line with us as we did ours during the show.  Moments like those are ones that you can only hope to see.  Instead of us performing for those little girls, they were actually performing for us and they didn’t have a clue.  Thank you for making our night!

Until next time Sheffield!  Bring on Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, the London Tower Bridge, the holidays, and so much more!  See you soon London!

The Granite City

Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

Back to the plaid skirts, bagpipes, and little terrier dogs.  However, unlike the movies, we actually haven’t seen too much of that other than numerous plaid and wool shops that line the streets.  And even though it’s a pretty grey town, it’s not due to the weather.  Actually it is due to the fact that most of the buildings are made of granite which is heavily produced here. 

Therefore, building a castle here just made sense.  We ventured about an hour out of the city through the Scottish countryside, another sight to see on my bucket list and it was absolutely beautiful!  The Donnattor Castle was located on the cliff banks next to open country land and the North Sea.  It was home to the Earls Marischal and about 100 other people while lots of wild life flourished in the area. Not only was the kitchen haunted but another story that caught my attention that was posted on the walls of the castle vault was one that tied back to the U.S.  After the siege in 1651, the castle was actually damaged and used to house part time soldiers, but by 1658 things changed.   

There was a short rebellion involving those that refused to follow the Supreme Head of the church and believed in Presbyterian religion.  Most were from Edinburgh, Scotland where 122 men and 45 women were marched to this castle where they were held here in the infamous vault for nine weeks with no sanitation.  Of the 122, 25 men escaped, but two fell to their deaths and 15 were captured and tortured.  The remaining prisoners were put on a ship to the West Indies and eventually hit land in New England, putting America and the U.S.A. on the map!  And even though these poor people did not know a good life, it did take my attention that being American tied us to the Scottish and also to my family being that I have a portion of Scottish in my heritage. 

And we couldn’t have picked a better day to venture out to the castle.  Not only did we have it to ourselves when we arrived, but the sun came out and heated the air before we made a quick stop in Stonehaven and arriving back to the hotel. 

So, believe it or not, the weather hasn’t been all that bad here and its actually been warmer here than at home and we still haven’t seen snow yet, it was pretty convenient that there was a shopping mall attached to our hotel.  Some saw this as a blessing and others saw it as a nightmare.  I guess it all depended on how much you like shopping and how much Christmas shopping you had left.  And even though I didn’t make it to the Christmas market this week, I made it around the area.  The streets were decorated with lights hanging above the road and Christmas trees and banners were displayed all around.   

It was all getting us in the holiday spirit and ready for our first week of Secret Santa.  It also seemed as if everyone was breaking out their little decorations for not only their hotel rooms, but also for their makeup spots as well.  It’s amazing what we can think of when we have a little down time, however, we had to be space conscientious of our decorations because we were back in a small building with teeny tiny ice again. 

This time there was a twist…the ice was on a slanted stage and it was supposed to be from upstage to downstage, however when we were on the ice performing it seemed as if it was slanted from right to left.  It definitely through all of us for a loop.  But it didn’t stop of us from having a power skating and trick class!

I would have to say though, one of the cutest moments of the week was when a little boy in the front row blew me a kiss all by himself.  Ah, its moments like these…

And with the blink of an eye, we were on our way to Sheffield, our last stop before closing out the UK with London. 

Penny Lane, Penny Lane

Liverpool, England, UK

There are some places that you never really think, “Oh, I am going to be there someday,” and well, this was one of those places.  Let alone, being in the very bar that the Beatles were discovered in! There is so much history in this city, not to mention the beautiful city scape decorated for the holidays along the water and through the shopping area. 

From the Albert Dock to Derby Square to Liverpool One; Christmas lights and trees were out to start bringing in the holiday cheer.  A welcoming sight, since so much Christmas shopping was about to take place not only for the locals, but for us as well.  It was a good week to get ahead having access to the shops and eateries within a decent walking distance.  The weather also helped a tremendous amount this week as well.  Since we came further south than what we were last week, the temperature seemed to spike a bit in comparison to what we were used to. So, in turn that definitely got us out and about and yet again to another Christmas Market!  This one however, was probably the smallest one we have been too, but still loving the fact that there is one every week.  It’s very similar to the fall festivals that we have back home, but instead, there is one in each city that we go to instead of just one per weekend for a month as at home.  

And if that still wasn’t enough for you, a night ride on the Ferris Wheel overlooking the city and the multiple docks that surrounded the area may be or even a journey underground to the Cavern Club, where the Beatles were found, may be just the ticket. 

Brick tunnels extended in multiple directions and there were walls and walls of memorabilia and pictures of all the artists that performed there.  We each even left our mark on the Cavern Club walls as well with our autographs. :)

Speaking of autographs, we had a special appearance in our audience where the roles of fame were reversed.  This time, we were performing for him and his family instead of him being the hero, we were the ones his children were watching.  However, we were not scoring goals as he does, we were making his children smiling.  Steven Gerrard from the LA Galaxy, former Liverpool player and former captain of the English National Team and his family were seated front and center at our opening night show.  You could say a few were star struck.  And while we were all keeping an eye for him, I couldn’t help but turn my attention to another family.

I recently had conversation with a mother while we were both in line at the Disney store.  I merely referenced the beautiful Elsa hair clips that she had in her basket and she mentioned her two daughters and how they would match perfectly with their light-up Elsa dresses.  She was so excited that she was able to take them to see Disney On Ice that night and that they would be front row right by the ice.  She said that she wanted to make it special because it was something that they used to do as a family and with the passing of their father a year ago she wanted it to be extra special.  I almost couldn’t hold back tears when she told her story and I told her how touched I was and that I would do my best to make sure they felt special sending them extra kisses and waving in their direction at every chance I got.  I was more than filled with excitement being able to pick them out while I was on the ice.  They were the reason why we do what we do and it was so moving.  I wanted to give them a show that they would never forget and I can only hope that it is just the start of the world looking up for them.  To the mother and two young daughters, you are stronger than you will ever know and I will never forget you or your story. 

Trekking north to Aberdeen…