Hi, again! So, as always, much as happened since we last wrote. :) Here are a "few" pictures of our adventures!! :)

So, do you remember the pictures of that HUGE Anglican church that was in our last blog..? :) Well, the next morning was a Sunday, and so we went to church in this magnificent church! It was quite an experience. It was huge and epic and the choir and the organ was incredible.. It was also the most solemn Palm Sunday service we have ever been to! In our churches back home, it is a huge celebration, but here it seemed more like a Good Friday service. Interesting. But the choir and organ was INCREDIBLE. I could have stayed and listened to them all day. :) The sound just resonated in that huge space. Awesome.

Down the hill from the cathedral was a huge cemetery, and it was beautiful. So, we spent a few hours wandering around down there. :) It might sound a little creepy, but its actually more like a park, and on beautiful days like this one, there are many people having picnics on the grass, playing football, etc. :)  



After our time in the cemetery/park, we went wandering down near the Albert Dock, down near the water. We came across some huge buildings lined up near the water, all with canadian flags waving proudly on top!  Apparently, this section of town is called the ''Canadian Boulevard''..!  Some good 'ol Canadian pride in the middle of Liverpool...cool!



 So, after we finished our wandering down by the water, we started to head back up to the house. We happened upon this random parade that was just starting up, so we sat at the start of the parade and watched as all the marching bands, accordion bands, beauty princesses and BAG PIPERS (a random mix? I think so!) made their way through the town.  It was pretty cool! There were at least eight different bands, so pretty soon, it was just a huge cacophony of noise held in time by the loud base drums...! 



Later that night, David and Tom (and their friend Jared) took us three to their local pub: ''Peter Kavanaghs''.  It was awesome!  Each room was decorated with different antique...things! One room had old musical instruments hanging from the roof, another had radios... This is the corner booth we all sat in, while soaking up the atmosphere and our apple cider beer!   



The next day, the three of us headed back out to continue exploring the town. We made it to the World Museum, where we spent an hour learning about bugs and Ancient cultures, but, to be perfectly honest, mostly played with the electronic learning games! Then, we headed down to the world famous Cavern, the real deal this time, where a 'cool' John Lennon was waiting for us. Demara (oh sorry, this is Anna writing by the way!) went down into the Pub and listened to a live performer singing some Beatles songs... About as legit as it could have gotten, unless Paul McCartney showed up.

This is one of the many churches in Liverpool, with a unique twist! There is no roof!  They call it the ''Bombed-out Church'' because, obviously, it was bombed! They rebuilt the outside walls after WWII, but for reason, left out the roof.  So, there were plants growing inside the walls and ivy crawling outside...so cool!

This church is the Catholic church!  When David was describing it to us, he said it resembled a space ship...I think he got that ''spot on''!  :)  Definitely the most unique church we have seen yet, and probably the most expensive to run, too - we went inside and read a sign saying it costs over £1000 everyday to keep it running!  (that's 2000 dollars-ish!...yikes!) It also holds Europes largest stained glass window, which is the whole top portion of the church.   

This is taken from the steps of the Catholic church and you can see the top of the Anglican church.  Apparently, there was a competition between the two churches for the tallest tower...I think the anglicans won.  We headed back to the house, exhausted after our last full day in Liverpool.  The next morning, we packed our bags, dropped Hannah off at a hostel and caught the train to London Euston Station.  We chilled in the station for a few hours and then hopped on a night train bound for Inverness, Scotland.

We were told by various people, that there is nothing too eye-catching to see in the town. Well, they were right. :)  There was a castle that D saw later in the day, but mostly we just walked around the town, and ended up here...beside a tiny lighthouse, overlooking the ocean! Just perfect! We chilled at this point and watched the tide come in...it was so fast that it only took about 6 minutes to overtake a huge rock!  We were both in awe. 

This is the view from the lighthouse.  Just beautiful!

After exhausting the sights of Inverness, we decided to take a day trip to a different part of Scotland.  A lady at the train station suggested a small town called Plockton, so that's where we went! Apparently, the train ride from Inverness (the east coast) to Plockton (the west coast) boasts one of the most spectacular landscapes of Scotland...One minute, it was flat and barren, the next we were in a mountain and then we were right beside huge lakes and ocean!  Definitely beautiful! 

The train ride also provided us with many views of sheep! We would look out the window and see one sheep, two sheep, red sheep, blue sheep!  Haha, but actually every kind of terrain held pastures for sheep... I didn't know that they were such versatile creatures...I wonder if sheep would survive in the city...?! 

This is our cute little 'train-that-could'! It was only two cars... :)

We didn't know which way to walk to get to the town, (the station was a few minutes above the town) so we just picked a direction... And here is our little friend who I like to call Moffle-Top...he had curly fur/hair/mane? Obviously I need to catch up on my cow lingo! This was a farm containing chickens, ducks and cows!  Moffle-Top was one of a handful of calves, who were in a pen with a bull...I don't know much about farming, but aren't calves supposed to be with their mothers, not the father?!  Maybe it was a bull-in-training course? ...

Demara and I have been living mostly on bread and jam, so when we saw a sign on the side of the road reading ''Eggs and Homemade Jam'', we knew we had to check it out!  The directions said to go to the red barn door, so we did!  I was expecting a bigger room, with a lady behind a desk and cash register, sitting beside rows of jam and eggs - I guess that's the city girl in me. Instead, this is what we got: a tiny room where two girls and two backpacks can not squeeze into, no lady and no cash register!  In fact, there was just a little box where you put your money after you take your merchandise...total honour system!  So cool! And our jam is just delicious!

After, we continued walking down some random roads and came upon the ocean!  We were really tempted to take a chort cut through this field, to get to it faster, but...that would trespassing, and trespassing is frowned upon in most societies!  haha. So instead, we found a winding, backroad path to the ocean. 

After a long walk over shells, seaweed and mussels (our favourite!), we finally made it to the waters' edge...aka: the North Sea. We were rushed for time because we didn't want to miss our only train back to Inverness.  So, we quickly looked out over the water, snapped a picture or two and rushed back to the station...well, as much as one can ruch with a 35 lb. backpack! 

Stopped to snap a picture of the beautiful Clydesdale horses.  Cool fact: Clydesdale horses were first bred in Clydesdale, Scotland...a mix of local mares and Flemish stallions.  Cool. :)

Also, we stopped to snap a picture of this...A palm tree in northern Scotland...what?  Figure that one out!  We made it on the train and headed back to Inverness, where we caught another night train back to London. 

The next day proved to be a God day!  We arrived at London in the morning, expecting to be able to make a reservation back up to Scotland, hopefully to Edinburgh.  Unfortunately, that day was Londons busiest train day of the year. I guess everyone wanted to travel home for the long weekend...don't blame them for that!  So, we were stranded with no place to stay for the night.  We headed to an internet cafe and made some urgent messages, some of which you all might have seen!  We did also look at hostels, as a last resort, but were hoping that one of our contacts might come through.  It's so much funner (I know, that's not a real word!) to stay with friendly faces and get to know the culture then sleep in a hostel...also cheaper. :) So, instead of spending all day worrying about the night, we decided to give our worries to God and take a day train somewhere around London...we ended up in Cambridge. 

As usual, we had no idea what was waiting for us in the town, so just set out down a street and hoped for a park.  I'd say we found one, and it was lovely!  Spent a few cozy hours in Cambridge, chilling in the sun and catching up on sleep and journalling!  It was the perfect refresher to the mornings worries!  Eventually, we dragged ourselves away and headed back for London.  We decided to check our emails before booking a hostel, just in case something showed up...and it did!  Thank you so much Auntie Linda! - who called a lady (Anne), who called a cousin (Lin), who invited us to stay with her and her husband on their dairy farm in Wales. God truly works through others!  :) So, D and I have been staying in Wales for the past couple of days, and it's been so awesome!

This is the welsh language...try and figure it out!  Totally makes no sense!  :)  Where are the vowels?  Here's a hint: W = an 'oh' sound...so, W is a vowel... :)

The next day was Good Friday (...and Courtney's due date!  We are thinking of you both, Courtney and Mark! ...and Noah!)  Through a random phone call with one of Lin's friends, Penny, we learned of a Good Friday service in town.  It lasted from noon-3, but people could come and go as they pleased, so D, Lin and I all went to the church at 1:30! It was very thought provoking and beautifully done. Just the right kind of Good Friday service...I even shed a few tears! (which isn't a common occuraance for me, but always happens around this time of church season... maybe it's the guilt of condenming Christ... maybe it's the sacrifice he gave for you and me - his life... probably both.) Afterwards, Jenny - who turned out to be the Deacons wife - invited D and I back to her house for coffee.  They are such an awesome couple, full of life and so welcoming!  Then, we decided to walk around the town a bit and, of course, headed for the water!

After wading in the water, we found this awesome rope swing!  I've never swung over a river before and it was so much fun! 

The swing was attached to this huge tree that D climbed!  We could have stayed there for a really long time. Just so peaceful and beautiful and even reminded us of Pine Cree, SK! We loved it. :)

Made it back to Jenny's house...this is the back of it. Isn't it awesome! The front was good, too. :)  We love the brick and open yard and classy-old feeling of it!  Would've lived there in a heartbeat.  In fact, we both really love Wales...I think it's D's favourite place, and definitely makes my top 5 list!



I was exploring the beautiful farm that belongs to our hosts, Lin and Dilwin. I (Demara again.. Anna and I are tag-teaming this entry) LOVE old tree swings.. :) One of my favorite things! I should make a "favorite things" song from this trip.. Hmm.. :)



For supper that evening, Dilwin's sister, Rhian, invited us, along with Lin and Dilwin, for a picnic!! She just bought a camper van, and was so excited to have visitors in it. :) We drove up to a place about half-way up a large hill, then went on a walk up the side of it, to near the top. ..I might even call it a mountain.. Its WAY more of a mountain than anything we have at home, anyways. ..I just looked up a defiantion (wiki..) of a "mountain", just for fun. And it said "a natural elevation of the earth surface rising more or less abruptly from the surrounding level and attaining an altitude which, relatively to the adjacent elevation, is impressive or notable." ..Yup. It lost me, too. :) But I would say that this large landform is a mountain. It is large and steep. :) And that is my diagnosis. :)

Anna and I with our sheep on our mountain. "Yodel-ay-hee-HOO!!!" :)

Our group. :) from right to left: Lin, Rhian, Anna :), and Dilwin. They are LOVELY people!! I would stay here forever if I could. ..No, not really, Mom and Dad and other family-and-friends-who-I-miss-so-much. :) But it IS so beautiful, and the people are wonderful. :) 

After our lovely hike in the mountains, we came back down for a "picnic" in Rhian's big, blue camper va. It was so fun!!! nd quite squishy with 5 of us in there. I think it can normally barely fit 2 or 3. :) But it was great. We didn't mind! ..But I totally forgot to take a picture!!! Darn. You'll just have to use your imagination. :)
But this sticker was on the back of Lin and Dilwin's vehicle!! YAY for farmers!! :) And its even better, because of the 'Alta' at the bottom. :) We thought it stood for Alberta, and were very curious why he would have an Alberta sticker on his bumper.. And he told us what it actually stood for, but I forget. :)
But anyways, Dad, this one is for you! Thank you!  (It told me to thank a farmer, so here I am.. Thanks!)

Early (ish) the next morning, I went for a walk around the farm, and I found their cows! ..Or some of them, anyways. :) It is such a great farm. I love it. :) They have 350 Holsteins!! And those are only counting the ones that they milk.. They have more heifers and calves. So cool. There are SO MANY. :)

Later during the day, Lin took us to Dinbigh Castle, about 10 minutes away. You can see it standing proudly and nobly on the top of the hill not far from their farm. :) It was so fun to explore. We could only go so far into it, because it cost a small fee... And we don't do fees. :) But we got a bit of a tour from a volunteer tour guide who was not busy at the moment, and so gave us a mini-tour., for free! It is a very cool castle, and in great condition. ..This picture shows the most degraded part... This was on the way up to the castle, and I was so preoccuied once we met up with the tour guide, I completely forgot to take a picture of the epic-ness of the front view. Oops. :)

Right after exploring the castle, we went with Lin to her son, David's farm. He lives here with his girlfriend, Rachael, but they were gone this weekend visiting Rachael's family. Rachael had asked Lin to water her plants while she was away, because it has been pretty dry here, which is REALLY unusual. (Apparently, no one is getting what they want, temperature-wise, this spring..)  Anyways, she was scared of her new plants dying. :) So we went up to their place way up on the side of the mountain/hill, to their farm.. WOW. So beautiful! My new favorite place! :) Anna and I explored the farm and hillside while Lin watered the plants, and it was incredible. :) SO beautiful.

That evening, Lin drove us to the Rhyl train station, because we were going to catch the train to Liverpool to visit our new friends, David, Tom and Erica! :) It was about an hour to Liverpool, and so we made it into town at about 9:45 pm. David and Erica are in a band called "Seven Suns", (check them out on Facebook!) and they were playing at a nightclub/pub called "Bad Format" :) at 10:15, so we went there to watch them! It was so fun. :) We were their biggest fans!! :) After the show, we helped them pack up, as much as we could without getting in the way.. The stuff completely filled a car and a van. Then drove home with them, stopping to unload some of the equipment at Giles and Terry's house. :) From right to left: Giles, from Liverpool, on the electric. A sweet guy..! Really fun. ..but a crazy driver!! They 'raced' home, and Anna, Tom, Erica and I were with Giles in his car, and we were all terrified. Well, except Tom. He got into the race, of course. He's a guy. :) We went a different route than the van, and both vehicles reached the turn into their house at the same time.. And Giles did the responsible thing and pulled back, saving our lives. :) Haha, Tom thought he was a chicken, but he saved us from getting into an accident, for sure! It was fun. :) Next in the picture is David, from Edmonton, Alberta. Yeah! He is their drummer, and, from the humble opinion of a fellow drummer, he is SO GOOD. :) I was very impressed. I think a band is so much better when their drummer is really good. And he is. :) Next, Erica, also from Edmonton, Ab. She is so cute. And a great singer! Unfortunately, she was just getting over a cold, and at one point during the performance, she lost her voice.. So, that was too bad. But she was able to finish the show, so that was good. :) Last, but not least, is Terry, I think he's from Liverpool... He was on bass. ..Yup. Didn't get to talk to him much, so I really know next to nothing about him. :) He is fast driver, as well, I'm pretty sure. :)
Overall, I recommend the "Seven Suns", and I think everyone should buy their stuff on iTunes! :) Support them, they are awesome. (Sorry for the little plug there.. actually, no I'm not. Check them out!) :)

The next morning, we went to Erica and Tom's church, called Frontline Center. Its a non-denominational church, and it was incredible! We were able to meet up with Hannah again, too, who has been staying at a hostel in Liverpool while searching for a job working in a hostel anywhere in England. So, she came with us to church! Such a stark contrast from the church we went to last Sunday..! :) But it was awesome. I want to go back. :) If I am ever in Liverpool on a Sunday again.. :) It was Easter service, as well, of course, and it was just such a celebration, and the lady who spoke was REALLY good, and got me thinking. :) It was a great Easter Sunday service.

After church, Erica, Tom, Hannah, Anna and I went out for lunch. Anna and I never go out for a nice, sit-down meal, but we figured we could treat ourselves to a nice, Easter meal. So, we went to a beautiful French restaurant, that was a favorite of Erica and Tom's. You can get a 3-course meal for a set rate of £8.75! So good.  There were five 1st course options, five 2nd course options, and then maybe 6 desserts we could choose from.. Ah.... SO GOOD. And we were FULL after. :) After lunch, we went to the cemetery again to play some frisbee. If you look really hard, you can spot the fisbee in the picture..! Its green. Good luck. :)
At about 5:00 pm, we decided that we might need to get going... :( Sad, though! We could have hung out with that group for a lot longer. :) So fun. We all really felt like having a BBQ, but.. alas. None of us had access to one. :) And we didn't have time. We didn't want to get back to the farm too late. :) We called Lin when we were about to leave with the time that we'd get in, and then said goodbye to Hannah, Erica, Tom and David. :( Tom and Erica are actually hoping to move to Edmonton, because Erica knows people from there. They have been looking for a job in the UK, but to no avail.. So, Tom will be introduced to Canadian living!! I'm excited for him. Because its AWESOME. :)

And we are getting kind of excited to return to Canada. :) Its wierd to think that its kind of soon..!! 6 DAYS! Woah. But it will also be sad to finish this incredible adventure we have been on for the past couple months. .. ..But its not over yet!! Lots of adventures to be had. :)
We returned to Ruthin, to Lin and Dilwin's farm, after hanging out with our friends in Liverpool, and spent another night, our 2nd last night, in this beautiful house on this beautiful farm. :) And now it is Monday. Ah! We leave on Saturday. Ah! :)
 We are going to take a drive to the sea this afternoon. Because we are so close to it! And its a beautiful day. We will write more later! God Bless you all. :)