After a few
weeks of preparing for the Admissibles to arrive, I had a weekend off and was
headed to England to visit Emma and Alex! Even though it was only a few days, I
knew it would be the perfect opportunity to catch up with my girls and discover
a new country. I set off for the old country, 5 hours of trains then a ferry
into Dover!
I was
welcomed into the country by Emma and we immediately went into tourist mode. We
walked through the charming streets of Canterbury. Emma shared stories of
things she had done in different parts of the town and played tour guide
throughout our walk. I loved the architecture and history of this little
village! I even saw ancient Roman ruins that were thousands of years old!
I was tired
after a long day of travel and it was almost dinner time so we headed home to
Emma’s where I would meet her lovely family! I can’t describe how nice it was
to be in a family home with luxuries and comforts us college students forget! I
am so thankful that the Castledine’s are so warm and welcoming!
The next
morning we headed out early to go to London where we would meet Alex who would
arrive from Ireland and briefly see Marina who was headed to see some friends
in another part of England. After a month apart, our reunion was blissful! We
had many things to talk about, stories to share, and places to see.
We only had
one full day in town and did everything we possibly could! We went to the
palace, saw Big Ben and the London Eye, and ventured down toward the London
Bridge and saw Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, then crossed the Millennium bridge
and went onto St. Paul’s Cathedral. My favorite stop was for lunch (of course)
at an amazing outdoor food market. There were so many vegetarian and vegan
options and I was ecstatic! I finally decided on a lovely Indian mix with fresh
brewed mint tea to drink. Later on, as it started to pour, we soon found a café
to stay warm in and we caught up over cappuccinos.
Once the
rain stopped, we headed back to the hostel and got ready for our night out. The
girls introduced Wetherspoons to me. A chain of reasonably priced restaurants
with great drinks and atmosphere spread around the UK. They had a veggie
burger, so I was content. We spent the night over drink in the quirky little
restaurant then headed out to a pub so that I could have the authentic English
experience. The next day, we went to a street market and did a little browsing
before heading to the train station.
I had a
wonderful time with the girls and Emma’s family during my stay. It was
extremely difficult to leave them but we knew it was more of a “see you later”
rather than goodbye. Fortunately I will be seeing these two lovely ladies in
Nice before I head back to the States!
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| London Eye |
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| Reunion at Buckingham Palace |
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| Wetherspoon |
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| Traditional Phone Booth Photo |
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