Life is What Happens When You're Making Plans
Trip Start
Oct 16, 2007
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Trip End
Dec 16, 2007
Cromer England,
United Kingdom
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Yesterday dawned bright and clear, so early morning Lynnette and I hopped in the car and set off down the road to Newmarket - the headquarters of racing and thoroughbred breeding. The very first British race, the Town Plate, took place in the 1600's and was won by King Charles II
Gallops
. We witnessed some of the old and beautiful loving cups with dates going back well before our time. There were "ladies passes" from dates not so distant. We also witnessed hundreds of the over 2,500 racehorses being trained on the gallops and then watched them wending their way over the labyrinth of specially built horsewalks which criss-cross the town composed over 2,800 acres of training grounds. There is even a curve around which horses can work left handed to prepare for a certain course in Surrey! Horses definitely rule but I couldn't help notice the plethora of short men:) We stopped to warm up and have a bite at the National Horseracing Museum enjoying the company of the Brits and some warm scones. I tried the cottage pie which is definitely the precursor for Mom Young's smui. Took me back about 40 years (Oops, that must have been a type O), The adventure was made especially memorable not just because Lynnette is great company but because as we ate she told me about her family and their connection to the horse world. Her two brothers are not only accomplished horsemen and part of the racing business but have had interesting and exciting careers. Their past even included some bull riding which is always interesting to someone with Frontier Days in their genes. I think we both wished they could have been there with us. We stopped to make some purchases and gladly donated some of our pounds to the Injured Jockey's Fund
The National Horseracing Museum
.As I have mentioned in earlier blogs, I'm always in great places but most of the time it is the wrong time of the year. So it was in Newmarket. No races to be had and the National Stud was teaming with the new foals who are sequestered from the public so we jumped back in the car, set our GPS and headed to the Norfolk coast. WTH, it wasn't raining and we had the time.
We passed local small deer in the fields and beside the road. We mistook huge pigs for sheered sheep - the sheep here are actually of the very black faced variety. Pheasants were walking the fields and at times trying to cross the highway. 53 roundabouts later we pulled into Cromer, a small town on the coast of Norfolk which borders the North Sea. We walked the shores and the town until our fingers and toes weren't to be felt. I am always humbled by the devastation left on lands touched by war. The remains, however, were fun and engaging. Both Lynnette and I wished we were visiting "in season" to sample "John's Boiled Crabs" which was locked up tighter than Fort Knox
The Beach Walk
. We slipped into a local church observing the instructions on a sign telling us not to allow admittance to several of the sneaky local pigeons seeking spiritual asylum and warmth. We read about the giant mastodon discovered a little over 15 years ago on the nearby shores. We talked to the local fishermen who were casting for cod without much success. And then we jumped in the car and headed back to our temporary home.I have to tell you that the ride home was beautiful with sunset almost stretching to 5 PM. I also have to tell you that my Passat diesel is averaging about 55 MPG and it's an automatic. Do I really need to say more? It must be that cars with the steering column on the opposite side of the vehicle get better gas mileage. As many of you already know, depending on the day, I continue to attempt to enter (and drive) the car from the wrong side. My left tires bear witness to the fact that I am still hugging the far side of the road. The other night I watched Hope Springs. I couldn't stop laughing as I watched Colin Firth attempt to drive on the American side of the road. If you get a chance rent it and you'll have a very good understanding of what it is like when you start to drive on the other side of the road forming a parade behind you - I have yet to use my radio requiring every bit of brain power available to concentrate on the speific act of driving
The Pier in Cromer
. Lynnette who has taken the driving test (mums the word on how many times) has supplied me with the most important tips and tells me that should I be presented with a local deer in my lane the protocol is to plow ahead hitting him dead on. Unfortunately, I cannot then stop to pick him up for personal consumption. It is the priority of the car behind me. This has lead us to speculate whether or not families take weekend drives in two vehicles.I'm also going to include some of my London pictures. I braved driving to Epping Station where I hopped on the tube and headed into London. Of course, all of the direct tube routes were closed for repair that day so I crossed back and forth under the streets of London and exited right under the shadow (and yes there was a shadow that day) of Big Ben just as he chimed 2 or 14 hours as I am getting trained to say. I dialed up Gayle who happened to be feet away crossing the Thames and we joined up to walk to the City Inn which turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise. Our neighbors were the Houses of Parliament (quite a busy place with the recent political events), Westminster Abbey, The Tate, and Ben.
Billy Elliott was fantastic. Ah, British theater
First Sight
. Afterward we gyrated to the pounding beat of the music at the pub next door to the Victoria Theater as we waited for the sheets of rain fueled by the gusty wind to subside. The next day was perfect for sightseeing and we didn't waste a minute. We jumped on the double decker red bus and wheeled our way through and over the sights of London. From Harrods to London Bridge, to Kensington Park, to Notting Hill, Chelsea, Piccadilly, the Guard, St. Pauls, the Tate, Victoria Gardens and more. Oh London. We didn't finish until dark and although our toes were frozen and Gayle was administering EST to herself with every movement of her lower extremities, we had to admit, "A tour of London at night was the perfect choice." We returned to our hotel, warmed up and headed down to the accommodating dining room for a hot toddy and dinner before we called it a day. The next morning we headed to the Abbey where we strolled in the company of some of the world's greatest writers, scientists, kings, queens, and musicians. I fell in love next to Darwin with a volunteer that looked (and sounded) like Sean Connery. We talked about Darwin and Newton - who resided across the aisle. We talked about the recent election and the other party. We talked about Oxford - his alma mater - vs Cambridge. What a treat.
We decided that we had just scratched the surface and would definitely have to return to London AND to the City Inn - a great find.
I've put Cambridge on hold until we get some better walking weather but will head out to one of the local museums and probably catch up on laundry. And you all thought my life was all fun and games. Pretty mundane some days.
Missing you.
Cheerio
Comments
Ahh , london
London sounds so amazing and I loved the pictures...you have such beautiful prose about your adventures and your pictures are a delight.Thanks for the great entertainment,
hurry home soon
annie