Our first week in Madison

Wow, this blog post is long overdue but we seemed to have crammed so much into the past five weeks.

We moved from Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, UK to Middleton, Wisconsin, USA and here is how it went.

On Saturday 23rd April we kicked off our leaving celebrations by enjoying dinner at Pie Minister in Nottingham with my parents, brother and close family friends Anne & Don. Then it was off to our favourite bar in the UK - The Junkyard - for a night on the beers with many friends and family who stopped by. Thanks to: Mum, Dad, Andrew, Anne, Don, Ollie, Emily, Richard, Sammi, Ady, Helen,
Matt, Mike, James, Steve, Lesley, James, Anne, Neil, Andy, Louise, Clare, Andy, Pete, Nicola, Tom, Tara, Katrina and Craig for the send off.

Rather worse for beer, we were dropped off at home by friends Steve and Lesley for our last night in our house in the UK.

The next day -Sunday - we had a final visit from Steve and Lesley then chums Dave and Heather popped round with Nathan and then it was off to Manchester airport with Mum and Dad. We stopped at The Wagon and Horses in Stalybridge just outside Hyde for a rather splendid dinner before being dropped off at the hotel airport and goodbyes with mum and dad.

Our flight was American Airlines 55 from Manchester to Chicago O'Hare due to leave at 12:30 and we awoke on the Monday to a message from American letting us know we were delayed two hours so we had a rather more leisurely morning and made our way over to check-in. Whoops we were over our luggage allowance on both cases, so after a quick reorganisation just one case was over and we paid the $100 excess baggage fee.

We got air-side and had a drink and light bite before making our way to the gate, what a lovely surprise the flight was only at about 60% occupancy so was an easy boarding and we had our row of three seats to ourselves.

 The crew on the flight were excellent and a real credit to American Airlines. After a very smooth six hours we touched down at O'Hare and were quite quickly through customs and immigration and picking up our baggage before entering the terminal building and boarding the bus to Hertz to pick up our car.

After the lovely experience with American Airlines service the shenanigans with Hertz were rather a disappointment, we had booked a Toyota Corolla and they first tried to get us to upgrade to a Dodge Charger, then a Nissan Juke, before trying to fob us off with a Mazda 3, a lot smaller than a Corolla. We dug our heels in and after about an hour finally got what we had booked and paid for.

Apart from a dent on the passenger side the Corolla was a great car and we eventually held onto her for four weeks. Leaving O'Hare we entered the Freeway to Madison and realised that we were on the wrong road so ended up adding about 20 minutes to our journey by going via Milwaukee rather than Janesville. Arriving in Madison we soon found the American Inn off Odana and at 2130 local time - 0330 body-clock time - we crashed out in bed for the evening for our first nights sleep as non-immigrants!

Our first day in the USA and we had some stuff to sort out, first of all bank-accounts, so over to Chase on Old Sauk and High Point and we were soon the proud owners of a checking account and a savings account. Now time to find a bed, we looked in a couple of places before finding the perfect bed in Steinhafels which we paid for and arranged to have delivered to our apartment the next day, leaving our phone number just in case they had issues. We had a lovely lunch at Barriques in Middleton before checking out our local Costco for the bargains.

We then popped to pick up some essentials, namely bedding, but that is an entire other story that I no doubt shall relate one day! We made our way back to the Americinn ad were soon crashed out, only to be awoken several times by a party of unruly school children who were running up and down the corridors until the early hours of the morning.

Next, day, Wednesday our first task was to check out of the Americinn and pick up Social Security Numbers from the office on Odana before driving over to Deer Creek to get the keys to our new apartment. We had received an email from Steinhafels to say our bed would be delivered between 1400 and 1600 so we were all on schedule.

Only having a couple of suitcases it was quite easy to unpack here and I drove to a local sandwich shop to pick up us a 'Sub'. At about 15.45 we decided to call Steinhafels to enquire where the bed was - it was not coming the driver could not find us and had not wanted to make an international phone call to contact us - arse! We cancelled the bed and gave them a flea in the ear.

We drove over to Target, picked up a air-mattress, bedside lamp, two patio chairs and a patio table. The first night in our new home would basically be camping. That evening we ordered a mattress from Amazon for Friday delivery.

To console ourselves we had rather a lovely dinner at Hubbard Avenue Diner in Middleton before retiring to blow up the air-mattress.

Thursday morning and my first task was to pop into the office for a short daily team meeting and to introduce myself to the folks I shall be working with. I was back home just after 10 and Victoria and I were going out to buy furniture. Having checked their website but unable to place an order due to a UK credit card not being accepted for an on-line payment, Slumberland seemed very good place. We were soon selecting a new sofa, bedroom chair and console table for delivery at time unspecified and the prices in the store were much better than the on-line deals - bonus!

We also took the opportunity to check out some local supermarkets, both Wholefoods and Metro Market are very good, the latter especially has a great selection of British foods available.

A very nice chap came from Charter connected us to the internet, woot! Unfortunately they don't provide a wireless access point so we stopped at Best Buy and after seeing how much they charge, instead decided to go 'wired' for a few days and ordered one from Amazon.

That evening we walked into the centre of Middleton stopping at Capitol Brewery for a beer. It's great to sit on the terrace there and enjoy the live bands.

  On our way back we stopped at the delightful Hubbard Avenue Diner in Middleton for supper, the staff are great, the décor straight from the 1950s and the food and brews fantastic. As you can see Middleton is rather lovely.

Another surprisingly comfortable evening on the air-mattress and I again dropped by the office for the days team meeting and after we were out to do errands again. We badly needed supplies so went to Metro Market on the east side of town where we phoned our shipping company. Our furniture was due to arrive the coming Monday and we needed to ensure that all was running ok. Well, to cut a long and fraught story short they had lost our pallets, our furniture and belongings had done 5000 miles from the Uk and about 100 miles away in Janesville had gone missing. Arse! and Arse! again. After about an hours calling around it was located with the wrong tracking numbers and even better it would not be coming on Monday but tomorrow - Saturday. Also when we got home our new mattress had arrived from Amazon, things were really starting to come together.



That evening we ate at our local bar, World of Beers, yes my local is a proper brew-house with about 50 beers on tap and over 500 bottles of world beers to select from. They also do a rather splendid giant pretzel that we shared for supper with a kale salad.

Well Saturday came and our truck arrived promptly just before 1000, Work colleague and all round great guy Jeff arrived with his daughter Lily and we soon had it all inside. The bed was assembled and we had a proper place to kip for the evening.

Jeff and his wife Debra invited us for dinner that evening and we had a lovely time with some splendid food and drink discussing the differences between our UK existence and our USA existence that just a few days in the states had uncovered.

To be continued...

A long weekend in Brussels

Back in January it was my birthday - 49th for those who are curious about those things - and Mrs Scrivs presented  me with a Brussels city-map and a pair of tickets for Eurostar. Fantastic we were back off to Brussels for three nights, one of my favourite European cities!

We awoke early on the Thursday morning, I am not sure why because our train was not until 0920 and after a simple breakfast at Subway - egg & cheese flat-bread with an orange juice - we were on our way to Newark Northgate station. A brief fight with the car park entry barriers and we were soon on the train to London Kings Cross.

An hour and forty minutes after alighting we were in London and crossing the road to St. Pancras station, probably the most beautiful railway station you shall ever visit, loads of fantastic Victorian ironwork made by the Butterley Company, only a few minutes away from our first marital home.

If you get the chance I'd advise that you enter the building from the front as the architecture is stunning. When I was a young chap this place was a rather run down sorry place, but since being adopted as the Eurostar terminal this jewel has been truly and deservedly polished.

We drop into Fortnum and Masons at St. Pancras and have a late brunch of coffee and toast before heading over to Yo Sushi! to pick up some lunch for the journey. We are soon through security and waiting to board the Eurostar to Brussels.

Eurostar really is an easy journey, a short stop at Ebbsfleet and we are into the tunnel emerging in France for a quick stop at Calais then another slightly longer one at Lille. Just over two hours after setting off from St. Pancras we are at Brussels Midi and catching the Metro to Botanique.

Just a couple of minutes from Botanique Matro station is the Hotel Bloom, our regular stopping place in Brussels and is a lovely hotel. Each room is decorated with individual art works. This time we are in Room 818 on the top floor decorated by Dutch artist Amber Bijl.

After a quick stop in the room to unpack and freshen up we walk the 15 minutes or so into the centre of town, stopping at the nearest Exki for a coffee. If you get a chance drop into an Exki, the food and drinks are great and really cheap. A coffee and croissant breakfast is only €2.00!

After our invigorating coffee it is time to hit the hard stuff, fending off the restaurateurs on the narrow Rue des Bouchers we make a right turn and are at probably our favourite bar in the world! Delirium 

Oh bollocks, it is closed for renovation. Fortunately the Hoppy Loft at Delirium is open. We bag a table and both start off with a very refreshing Tangerine Wheat beer followed by a Raspberry Brown Ale, both are from the Lost Coast brewery.

We then head downstairs to the bottle bar, I have a refreshing Delirium Red and Victoria a Mongozo Coconut, served in its own Tiki bowl. Making a bit of a night of it we decide to indulge in the big bowl of Gouda with celery salt and mustard and I have another Delirium Red while Victoria has a Mongozo Mango.

We head over to Fritland where we share a bag of frites. We walk back towards the Hotel Bloom stopping at Galleries Royales St Hubert to pick up some chocolates for supper and then at the Brasserie on Place de la Liberte where I have a final beer for the night and Victoria has a coffee.

Waking on Friday morning I have a bit of a headache, I would have though that all last nights fruit beer would have been practically a health-food. We have an unhealthy breakfast of the chocolates we picked up yesterday evening.

Leaving the hotel pretty close to 11am it it raining cats and dogs and my Merrells are soon soaked through. We have a early lunch of cheese salad baguette and a cappuccino at Le Pain de l' Abbaye before catching the 61 bus to Chavelier and walk the short distance to the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History James and I visited this when we were here in November 2014 this time Victoria has the benefit. Mindful that although this is my birthday treat she does not want to spend all day looking at swords and guns we have a good couple of hours in the museum before catching the bus back to Botanique.

The draw of Delirium is strong and its now mid afternoon so we settle down with a rather splendid cheese board and a pint each of Delirium Red. The next course is a Floris Apple each and a bag of paprika crisps.

Victoria now tries a Floris Honey and I have a Floris Strawberry. The session continues with a Floris Cherry for Mrs Scrivs while I have a Campus Premium, probably my least favourite beer so far. By now we are quite tipsy so polish off for now with a Floris Ninkleberry for Victoria and a Rulles Triple for me.

Heading out into the early evening Victoria grabs a chocolate waffle from Galler on Grande Place, if you get a chance try one, a bit of a posh pop-tart! We wander around the alleyways stopping for the ubiquitous photo with Mannequin Pis before an early supper of pizza for me and pasta for Victoria at Pizza Napoli on Rue du Marché aux Herbes.

Walking back Victoria picks up a couple of teacakes at Mary Chocolate and we pick up a pack of Senseo pods for the coffee machine in the room. Back at the hotel after a skin full of beer and a pizza I'm shocked to find it's only 2100! Time for bed though.

The trouble with an early night after a day on the booze is that I wake at 0300 with a hankering for a pint of orange juice. I settle instead for a bottle of water and soon get back to sleep. Waking at a more humane hour I have an early breakfast of coffee and chocolate and we get dressed and head out back into town.

This time we walk through the Botanique park, picking up the main shopping drag we have one of the aforementioned €2.00 breakfasts of coffee and croissant at Exki before a browse around Hema  before diving into some of the comic book stores where we pick up another instalment of Pin-up Wings. I'm tempted by some of the WWI Verdun comics but resist in the end.

No visit to Brussels could be considered complete without a visit to the Tin-Tin Galleries. Again like moths to the light we  are drawn back to Delirium for a light lunch of a cheese-bowl and a Rulles Triple for me and a Floris Cherry for Victoria. We are quite restrained though and leave after just the one drink, too much of a good thing and all that!

As a few family birthdays are coming up we decide to pick up some treats for people in the chocolatiers and confectioneries that abound in Brussels, I'll not say what or for who as I know they read this blog. We have a slow walk back to the Hotel Bloom via the Palace and have a couple of hours relaxing in our room before the evenings onslaught!

We walk back into town and hit Delirium again. The main bar is now re-opened and it's really packed so we head up to the Hoppy Loft again and bag a table. It's packed in here too, at the bar I have a Half Moon IPA and Victoria a Floris Kreik. We play a little Carcassonne but the table next to us seem to be having a who can squeal the loudest competition.

Time for another round Victoria orders the Green Killer, I had a Pink Killer. Unfortunately the squeal the loudest competition is reaching a new crescendo so having had enough we leave Delirium and head across town to Le Cirio, a much more sedate place where we settle down for a more relaxed evening.

I order a Brugs Whitt and a Victoria a Fruit Defendu, we are soon joined by the fat ginger cat who it appears owns the place.

The surroundings are a lot more conducive to our ongoing Carcassonne campaign and soon we are on to a Leffe Blonde for me and a Hoegaarden Rose for Victoria, accompanied by a plate of Frites! When in Belgium and all that. We finish the evening with a Lindemans Framboise for Victoria and I have another Leffe Blonde.

Victoria trounces me 3-0 in that evening Carcassonne campaign!

We walk back via the Grand Place and stop for coffee and crepes at  Gaufre de Bruxelles before walking back to the Hotel Bloom and bed. We pause to check on Victorias grafitti :0

Oh no! It's now Sunday and our last day. We get up and do our ablutions and pack the cases before heading to an Exki for a breakfast of cheese rolls, croissants, juice and coffees. All lovely and fresh and for about €6.00

I am rather liking the chocolate olives that you can buy here so pick up a few for the journey home before heading back to Hotel Bloom were we finish our packing, have a coffee and then check out just before midday. We catch the Metro to Gare Midi and having a couple of hours to spare head over the way to Europa Brasserie for a drink. I maintain my preference for Leffe Blonde while Victoria has a coke light. Setting in for the duration we break out Carcassone again and Victoria maintains her winning streak.

Time for one last beer so we order another round, I have the Leffe again while Victoria tries a Belle-vue Kreik, we also have a portion of gouda with celery salt and mustard and a portion of Frites.

Finally it's time to check in and a few hours later we are back home. What a splendid trip!

Madison and home....

Our Madison Adventures continue...

Our time in Madison is coming to a close but we still have a little more adventure to share.

Still awaking rather early, we had a light breakfast and set off on the short journey out of town to Sutter Ridge Pumpkin Patch where we had a great time exploring the farm, playing the barnyard games and marvelling at the 'problem solving' goats. We then took the 'Hay Ride' to the pumpkin patch where Jasmin and Victoria selected a couple of pumpkins of their own.

Fortifying ourselves for the day with an apple cider doughnut we drove on to the small town of Cross Plains where we had our first open house viewing of the day, a really delightful little house built in 1948, well within our price range. The house was lovely, but, a bit further out of town than we wanted and the bedrooms were on the small side.

We then drove into the centre of Middleton and had a lovely coffee and shared a bite of lunch at Barriques Victoria and I shared a feta and hummus wrap while Jasmin had the soup, all very tasty, we plan to have many more lunches here.

It was now time for our next open house viewing on Friendship Lane in Middleton. This house had a lovely garden but the rest was horrible, as I write in December seven weeks later this place is still up for sale and knocked down by $30,000. Still not interested.

As we were in Middleton and Victoria seems unable to pass either a Michaels or Bath and Bodyworks without going in we dropped onto Greenway Station to check out both and also popped into the World Market store on the site. They have a European foods section and we were delighted to find that we can buy Rich Tea biscuits.

Time to go to our final house viewing at 6206 Camino Way, from the outset we were not sure about this one, not really the right location for us and a few things going against it. But wow, this place is perfect and I note that it is still on the market. If we were looking to buy straight away then this is the property we would go for. The realtor 'Barb' was a great help and I think we will contact her again when we do come to look.

That's enough house hunting, we now had another mission to enjoy a beer on the Memorial Union Terrace and watch the sun go down over Lake Mendota.

It is rather a lovely view, but there is a lot of building work taking place at the moment and rather spoils the terrace, hopefully, we can have some good times here next year.

After watching the sun go down we took some photos on State Street, I quite like this one looking up towards the Capitol building.

It was time to leave the city and head back towards our apartment. Unfortunately, I got rather lost trying to get back and the 20 minute journey took well over an hour and I was quite tired and grumpy when we arrived. I cheered myself up by picking up a pint of frozen custard (peanut butter cup flavour) from Culvers, I suppose we shall never find out what a Butter Burger is!

It was our last night and I was certainly ready for bed and was soon sound asleep.

We had a light breakfast on the left-overs in the fridge and the pumpkins were put up for adoption! Our final drive into Middleton and we enjoyed having another look around the locale that will hopefully be our home before checking out the apartments at Deer Creek.

These apartments are lovely and the site has great amenities. Another bonus is that they are situated a five minute walk from the office. Of all the apartments seen so far I think that this is where we would most like to stay and we have already started the process of applying for one.

It was time to head back to O'Hare, we made sure we paid all the tolls this time and were soon in the massive roadworks around the airport and had a 45 minute excursion in heavy traffic to fill up with gas so that those gits at Hertz did not charge us a fortune to fill it.

At the airport we dropped off the car and were soon at the terminal and checked in, then joined a 45 minute queue to get through security. Once air-side we browsed the shops and had an evening meal at Wolfgang Pucks before boarding our American Airlines flight back to the UK.

The food on the way back was nowhere near as nice as on the way out, but after watching Inside Out we all got some shut-eye before landing back in Manchester at 0630 and driving home to catch up on some sleep.