We flew out with Ryanair, a budget airline infamous for sneaky ways of charging extra fees after you pay the meager flight bill (rumors were circling about a bathroom fee! No thank you.) However, the whole experience was not as daunting as our friends made us think. Check in was easy enough, and we had reserved seats which, for those of you who have flown with me know, makes me feel so much better. We departed a bit later than scheduled due to the de-icing of the plane, but landed about an hour later at London Stansted Airport with Uncle Chris waiting on the other side of baggage claim. Thank goodness for free wifi so Grandma and I could communicate about the delay and the gridlock USA passport line that Bruce had to wait in (I think he finished a podcast or two during that time). Driving back to Grandma's cottage in Chelmsford around 1:30 I had a huge sense of nostalgia as we turned onto the small lane, past the open grassy area where we played soccer and the horse field across the street. After a quick hug and kiss with Grandma, we both stumbled up to bed to catch some sleep before traveling into London the next day.
The next morning we grabbed a bite for breakfast and then jumped on the train into Liverpool Street Station in London, where we would spend the day walking around the city and exploring! Neither of us are big on doing super touristy things, so despite this being Bruce's first London experience, we didn't do much that usual first-timers do.
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| St Paul's Cathedral |
We walked into St. Pauls Cathedral, saw that it was 17 pounds to go in, and decided that the entrance way was gorgeous enough for free. It was here that I met up with Amanda (cue romantic run across the steps of St. Pauls into each others' arms)!! Seeing her again made me miss her even more...if that makes sense.... We walked across the River Thames to see the Globe and wander the road following the river all the while catching up on everything we've done since Korea. It still amazes me how close you can get to someone in as short as a year. As we walked into Covent Garden, Amanda showed us some places we should look into when we come back on Monday. We stopped in and grabbed a pint (well they grabbed a pint) at a pub and of course tried their fish and chips.
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That evening, we said our goodbyes and Amanda grabbed the train back home and Bruce and I went in search of the restaurant for dinner (Valentine's dinner as it turns out! Who knew). Keeping it a surprise from me, Bruce booked a table at a restaurant called "Duck and Waffle" located near the Gurkin Building (or the one that looks like a bullet). The menu was set with multiple courses and champagne. While the restaurant's name has a British pub-sounding name to it (I'll come back to this later), when you walk out of the elevator and into the entrance area, you will see a very modern looking space with a bar in the center, graffiti decorated walls, and obviously windows wrapping around the building. We sat and talked, debating whether the vegetarian set menu was better than the carnivorous one for each course (I think we both agreed it was). The service was wonderful, super attentive and accommodating. I would recommend this place for anyone looking for a beautiful view to enjoy some drinks and company! After dinner we slipped onto the train back to Grandmas house ready for a bed after a long but lovely day.
The next morning, Chris and Bruce went off for a sprint...I mean run....while I huffed and puffed behind them at a slightly less ridiculous pace. Running through that area is such a nice change from living in the city. The green fields and tiny cottages makes it feel like you're running through a storybook. That afternoon, Grandma cooked us up her famous roast dinner with lamb, veggies, potatoes, and of course, Yorkshire pudding! A trip with Grandma wouldn't be complete without this meal, and I was looking forward to sharing this family tradition with Bruce! I think he liked it...based on the fact that there were no left overs, to my Grandma's delight. I think Chris had to be rolled to the couch afterwards though!
After digesting and reading, we drove over with Grandma to visit the Snowling family and their recent new addition! Leila is a beautiful, itsy-bitsy ball of love who cuddled and fell asleep in my arms. If that isn't a way to fall in love with a baby, what is?? Despite not seeing this family for nearly a decade, we fell right back into joking around and talking as if we saw each other every day. At one point it felt a bit like a middle school dance where the boys all sat on one side of the room watching rugby while the girls sat on the other oogling the baby. Some things never change I expect.
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| Rugby was on |
I wish I could have had another day catching up with them all, but living so close I know I will be over again! (or of course they are welcome to come visit whenever they'd like!) We left them with tons of hugs and words of love, filling me up until the next time I see them <3
From there, Bruce and I joined Chris on a short pub crawl (if 2 pubs count as a pub crawl) around the area. The first was the Axe and Compass, where the boys enjoyed some cider and we chatted until closing time. The next pub, The Leather Bottle, was small but cozy. The names of the pubs in England is something I absolutely love (referenced above, stick with me). Bruce and I spent a lot of the trip coming up with our own pub names. We decided that a small rodent or marsupial-like animal has to be involved. Some gems include, "The Wombat and the Spatula", and "The Badger and the Teaspoon". It seems we are partial to cooking utensils as well.
The next day we rose early to get to London for another day of exploring the city. The weather that morning was beautiful as we took the 3 mile walk along the river from Liverpool Street Station to Westminster Abbey. We stopped for a flake 99 (Google that if you don't know what I'm talking about) and walked up next to Big Ben, taking the standard touristy photos, then we went into the Abbey grounds. I had been there when I was younger, but I didn't remember too much about it. The line to get into the Abbey wrapped around the building, and would probably take about an hour or so. We decided to take our time walking around instead of standing in line and went to check out a restaurant one of Bruce's friends recommended for a pint of beer and better fish and chips.
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The next sight on our list was Harrods, which is probably not a good place to go AFTER you eat, as the food section is second to none. For those of you who don't know about Harrods, it is a SUPER upscale department store, carrying the top of the top brands. I'm sure if I was a millionaire I would have a ton of fun going through the clothes and jewelry section. That day we sat up in the cafe and people watched as we looked at our map to see what to check out next. At this point, London started to do London things (it was raining), but we came prepare with an umbrella (albeit small and pink), but we were going to enjoy the day no matter what the weather (grrrrr!).
We walked along the road until we reached The Green, the park next to Buckingham Palace. And, well, you can't go to London without at least seeing Buckingham Palace, so we walked up to the gate dodging school groups and families. While I wish we could have seen the changing of the guards, we will have to save that for the next London trip!
To get out of the rain we stopped in a cafe nearby. From there we decided to stroll into the Soho area to see if there was a cool bookstore or cool shop to check out. We stumbled into the Royal Academy of Arts nearby Piccadilly and saw that the free exhibition was showcasing works of up-and-coming student artists. We should have known it was going to be a bit weird. That's the thing about art I suppose, it is different for everyone. And while I saw some pieces that looked like they attached pencils to their cat's paws and saw what happened, others might see it as genius. A bit of comedic relief for us from the cold and wet weather outside, we enjoyed ourselves as we came to each new, incredibly strange, piece of art.
Then, as we navigated the zig-zagged streets of Soho discussing dinner possibilities I saw a sign for "Mediterranean and Lebanese". Naturally, this was happening. After seeing the menu of falefel, kibbeh, tabbouleh, and hummus, I knew we had made the right decision. This style of food will always be a favorite, reminding me of family and home <3
Full and happy we walked back to Covent Garden for a drink, hoping there would be a show to watch from the balcony, but unfortunately there was just a guy atop a unicycle, entertaining a small crowd in the covered market place.
Our final destination for our day was a restaurant called St. John that Bruce had seen on a show specifically showcasing the roasted bone marrow dish. I tried a bite, and it was so buttery and rich, I'm not sure how you could have a whole plate of it, even though it was an appetizer size!
By that point, the walking caught up to us (well...me...) and we made our way back to Liverpool Street Station to get back to Chelmsford. With only a minor train issue, where I almost left on the train to somewhere completely different as Bruce went to find out which our correct train was, we made it back safely and exhausted.
The next day we made tentative plans to visit Cambridge but after the long day before we nixed it for a restful reading day with a few outings here and there. While I enjoy getting out and doing things on these trips, it is also my vacation from the craziness and work, so I wanted to get some time to just sit and catch up on reading. We went out for lunch with Chris and Grandma at The Dog and Gun (morbid, but still the standard "animal/inanimate object pairing). The food there was amazing! If you find yourself in the Chelsmford area (I know...happens all the time), you should definitely check it out! It won the Food and Drink award for Essex in 2014, so it is definitely a must-try!
That evening as a goodbye dinner we went over to another family friend, Carol and her family's house nearby. She had a whole set up with homemade pizzas and snacks, as we all caught up. Again, it had been quite a while since I saw them, and their family had grown so much since then with new kids running around! It was a great way to catch up with them all again, and reform relationships as an adult (when you're 12 all you really care about is running around and playing, not talking to people). We said our goodbyes and headed back to the cottage for a short sleep until the early wake up for our flight the next morning.
All in all, the trip was short and busy but we had a few restful and relaxing days to balance it out. The house and area around my Grandma's home hadn't changed at all it seemed since my last visit which brought back so many memories. It was great to share it with Bruce and talk about old family visits there. Living so close I hope to get back out there a few times and visit over long weekends! Gotta love Europe :)
Now I have a few days to catch up on homework and planning before it's back to work Monday! We have a few new students and some coming for trials these next few weeks, so it'll be keeping me busy! Then it will be March! Time flies. Mum, Dad and Edward will be out here mid-March, so I'm working on a itinerary for them as well!
Until next time <3
German of the post: (translated from British English)
"Fancy a cuppa?"
"können Sie eine Tasse Tee?"
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