Welcome to Wales!

Well I have been flaky while updating the blog lately, but as you can imagine moving from the S. Pacific to Wales, is quite the task with lots of flights, family visits, and border crossings involved.  Well I have finally finished it all and am in the UK, settling nicely for a VISIT, not working!

On June 27th Emma and I set off for London on separate flights from Atlanta, hers was routed through Toronto which had some bad weather delaying her by an hour.  Mine was routed through Pittsburgh, Boston, Iceland, and finally London.  I arrived anxious to enter the UK and see Emma on the other side of customs, but there was a hitch.  As an American you may visit the UK for up to 6 months, so that is what I was intending to do, but as they made it perfectly clear they did not want me there that long. 

I was detained while entering the country, as they did not believe that I would not be working, and was put into detainment for five hours.  I expected odd emigrants from around the world to be in there with me, but was surprised to find it was only another young American guy, about 20, and a 30 year old Australian.  All of us were visiting our girlfriends, the other two for only short periods of time.    I guess the English have become quite protective of their women!

After being interviewed twice, while they also conducted phone interviews with Emma and her parents, going over my finances, and plans, they decided I could come into their lovely country.   They were very clear that I cannot work, and even pointed out that I could not perform music in any forms, they even asked me in my interviews if I was a musician, I sang for them, and they suddenly believed that I would never be able to make it as a musician.  Luckily they did not need Simon Cowell to tell me that, the customs agent was a bit nicer.

After leaving the airport we drove back to Wales, about 2.5 hours from London, and started packing Emma's stuff to move.  Our new apartment is a new build, and very nice and comfortable inside.  Everything is a bit different here, the roads are tiny, the cars are tiny, and the houses and buildings are tiny.  In contrast I actually feel quite tall now, as everything else is, as we said Tiny.  We also found out some great news that Emma passed her exams and is now a Doctor. 

After the move we went back to Emma's home to meet her family for the weekend, and to celebrate her finishing Medical School.  It has been a trial over the past six years for her and her parents, as they listened to her vents about school, and supported her.  Both of her parents were great, and we met her brother and sister and their lovely partners, and attended her cousins wedding.  After the weekend we made our way back from Portsmouth to Wales, about 2.5 hours drive, and stopped by Stone Henge on the way.  It was incredibly interesting, as the stones have been in place for thousands of years.  They had a great audio tour explaining the history, and how they have changed over time.  There were also a few fanatics in robes around the stones too supporting Druid religion.

We then enjoyed the rest of the drive by staying off of the motor way and touring through the country side a bit.  It is so beautiful; everything is old and laid out very well between rows of hedgerows, fields, and small towns.  We stopped in a small pub for a pint and some lunch, it is true they do drink the beer at room
temperature, but that is quite chilly here compared to home!  I have been wearing a fleece jacket most days, as lots of days are rainy and overcast, with highs in the 60's F.  We also got a bit lost on the way back and came across a town that is entirely preserved as a country Manor, which is where part of Harry Potter has been filmed and Pride and Prejudice.  

This week we have been exploring Cardiff more, and went to the beach about an hour away which was very different to ours, it was like the beach from the movie the Goonies, with caves, and hollows in large rock out croppings.  I kept looking for a pirate ship full of gold but never found it.

I have put in some photos, and will hopefully be better at this soon, but we still do not have internet.  I also do not like the keyboards, as the spacing is different and I mistype more, guess I will have to get used to now.  Due to the immigration restrictions my plans are to visit here until November or December and then come back to the US and get a seasonal Job for the Christmas season in Florida at a dive shop while we sort out a better visa which would allow me to work here.
Luke