September 2 through 5, 2022
Lots of final sightseeing the past few days, and we're leaving the UK tomorrow, so I thought I'd put up my final England post now. We never know what our wifi will be like in each country (or city for that matter) so better to do it while we have good connectivity.
I spent the past three days squeezing in train trips to Stratford-upon-Avon and York and Oxford, while Art finished up his backgammon tournament in Laemington Spa. Although it was a bit hectic logistically, I'm so glad I did it! I had wanted to see York for the longest time, especially the Yorkshire Dales which I'd only read about or seen in movies. I also wanted to see Anne Hathaway's cottage in Stratford-upon-Avon since we had to skip it when we came here in 2013 (with two kids who didn't want to make the one-mile trek there 😑). And lastly I wanted to catch up with my friend Veera in Oxford who I hadn't seen in about 4 years. I'm happy to report all went swimmingly, albeit with some minor train hiccups 😐.
York is pretty gorgeous with its rolling hills (and dales) and adorable small towns and villages. It also has a pretty nice city center with impressive architecture. I didn't learn much about its history on this trip but I definitely soaked up the scenery. I also had the best ice cream of my life (10/10 would recommend!) straight from a dairy that I'm sure raises super happy cows 🍦. Stratford was also worth the trip, and the trek to Anne's cottage was along a charming footpath so it was just lovely (and I had the time and energy to do it slowly). The cottage itself is several hundred years old (as is just about everything in this country) and I loved standing on the original flooring where Shakespeare once stood with his pregnant teenage bride 😲. Oxford was a quick visit but worth it to catch up with Veera; she's the kind of friend who listens without judgement. It was so interesting to hear about her European-bred kids (who are not much younger than mine). Her 18-year-old just moved to Brussels to study there on her own since she was "so done with England" and still mad about Brexit 😬. Wild! We also seem to have the kind of friendship where we can pick up after 4 years, have lunch for 2 hours, and be back up to date 😀.
Tonight we have a hotel next to Heathrow Airport to make it easy for us to get to our flight to Venice tomorrow. As it turns out, getting around Heathrow is quite a maze and it might take just as long to get to our terminal but at least it's well marked and way better than LAX ever is. We are excited to head to a new country but I admit that it's a little bittersweet as well 😔. I do love England, and since we did live here for a year, I feel pretty connected to it (and very familiar with getting around it) so it's a bit of a "second home." Italy will certainly take more "figuring out" but I'm fortunate that Art (generally) has a much better sense of direction than I do. Our strengths do tend to complement each other in that way 💕
I have been sending postcards to friends and relatives, which is a dying art for sure. But I have made the extra effort to find cards and stamps and postboxes (sometimes not so easy!); I hope they are enjoyed by all who get them, even if they seem silly in light of email these days 😜. There's something so tangible and permanent about that kind of souvenir, I just can't give it up. I also have to fight the urge to collect coins from each place, or at least not so many, since they are heavy and my luggage just cannot get any heavier! Luckily my handy travel vest holds tons of stuff 👍. My other weakness is British candy in case I haven't mentioned that yet (I blame Cadbury for my clothes being tight LOL). Whoever thinks Cadbury in the US is the same as the one in the UK is missing out and needs to get on a plane ASAP.
Cheers, Deena and Art
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