Since the last blog post, I've traveled and written a crazy amount. The day after my last post, I headed to London to spend the night at Andreas and Rob's place since the following morning I had a 6:30AM train to catch. Andreas and I made dinner, watched Pitch Perfect and generally just hung out and chatted for awhile. At some point, Rob and a few of his friends came by and we all hung out before finally calling it a night (entirely too late based on what time I had to get up and be at the train station). I was super excited about training to Brussels instead of flying because I'd never been through the chunnel, but since I'd only had a few hours of sleep the night before... I definitely slept through the entire think. So much for exciting experiences.
Thankfully, I had no problems finding the hotel where I was meeting Andie and met up with her with no problem. The hotel room was beautiful, but clearly designed for solo business travelers or MAYBE couples... not for families. The door to the toilet was frosted glass... definitely could still see a person's silhouette, but even worse, the rest of the bathroom (sink, and namely the shower) wasn't in any sort of other room... and the shower, while beautifully tiled, definitely had a large glass door facing the bed. Awkward. After freshening up, Andie and I headed off to do some exploring. We saw the sights (honestly not really knowing what a lot of them actually are.... oops) but we saw some sort of parade, and I know we saw the Royal Palace of Brussels and the Grand Place market space before enjoying (I use that word loosely) an overpriced lunch.
A parade... not sure for what
Royal Palace
Royal Palace
Royal Palace
Grand Place
After lunch, we hunted down a converter and the statue of the peeing boy, and then we wandered back to the hotel (passing more sights and going through a lovely park on the way). We rested up and then decided to head to a cute area of the city that Andie had heard about for dinner. After wandering a cute strip for a bit, we settled on a place called 'Le Vistro' that had an 'outdoor' (really enclosed in clear plastic/glass) area near the little fountain/water area and so we sat out there. The food and service were both wonderful and we were very impressed. From there, we headed to Delirium, I think we ended up in one of the non-main parts b/c they didnt have as many beers on tap as I remember. Andie was super jet-lagged and had a beer to humor me, but then wanted nothing more than to head back to the hotel. We were planning on watching some HGTV (don't hate) and then head to bed, but when we got back to the room, we discovered that the wifi didnt reach our room. When Andie called to ask about it, she was told that it was a normal problem to not get wifi in that part of the hotel... when Andie explained she was there on business for the week and would really need wifi, they were pretty unhelpful, but a trip to the lobby and not backing down meant that we were soon moved to a different room (unfortunately still with a glass shower).
At dinner
Cutest tea bag ever after dinner
Jet lag hit at Delirium
The next day Andie and I got up and headed to Brugge to spend the day there. We got in and checked out the main square before finding a place to grab lunch. We then headed to Dumon for chocolates. From there, we wandered to a beer shop, and then took a boat tour around the city. It started raining right about the time we got on the boat... they handed out umbrellas, but that also meant I saw almost nothing of the tour... I did take a few pictures though, including the gem you can see below.
Arrival photo in the huge square
Loved loved loved this sculpture
Boat tour
Boat tour
Best photo ever taken of the Vaughn sisters
After the tour we headed to the brewery where we dried off and enjoyed a few beers, and then, because we clearly hadn't had enough calories for the day, we headed to a recommended place for waffles. They were incredible. Seriously so, so good. While we devoured our waffles, it POURED outside. I feel like normally in Europe it mists and is gray, and sure, it will rain some, but it doesn't normally storm very often... it was storming. Very strange weather. The shop we were in also sold sandwiches, so we bought some to take back with us for dinner so that we could relax and not have to go out later that evening. Once the rain slowed down, we headed back to the train station, caught a train back to Brussels, and made it back to the hotel where we enjoyed hot showers, chocolates, and sandwiches.
The next day Andie had work (in Brussels) and I needed to head back to Oxford, so I caught the train. This time, I made a point of staying up to go through the chunnel (success) and I thought it was going to be a super easy trip and I'd have plenty of time to get home, unpacked, re-packed, and rested before leaving for the Maldives the following day. Wrong. Something was wrong with the train (or the tracks... or the train ahead of us.. I was never sure what was going on) but we all had to get off the train at a random station just inside England and change to regional line trains and take those into London and then I had to get to Victoria to get my bus. Even getting ON a regional train was a nightmare as the station was packed with people, and I think by the time I reached Oxford it was 4-5 hours later than I had planned.
Obligatory "in the Chunnel" photo
Waiting to get onto the platform to get on a regional line train
Once home it was dinner, unpacking, laundry, and re-packing. I finally got everything semi sorted and headed to bed, only to get up the next morning to head to the Maldives for a mini vacation. Basically, I realized that travel will never be easier than it is right now (in terms of time and distance) and I love sand, sun and saltwater and so I decided to take a beach vacation. When I got to Heathrow, I was SUPER excited to realize I'd be flying on the Airbus 380 which is a double decker (the entire thing!) complete with a real staircase and an actual chandelier. I was in shock but I wish I'd gotten pictures because really a cool air craft. Unfortunately, I have pretty crappy luck in terms of getting anywhere on time, and so of course the flight from London to Doha was delayed by a couple of hours and I missed my connection. When we landed it was after midnight, but since my layover was 7.5 hours instead of 8 or longer, the airline did not put me up in a hotel, all I got was a crappy meal voucher. When I tried to use the meal voucher, it wouldn't work. I wasn't even particularly hungry, but on principle, I was ticked so I decided to get a new voucher. Three desks, two airport floors and out through security lady, I finally found someone who assured me that my original voucher had money on it.... I was polite but firm and eventually asked to speak to a manager... I just figure if all I am getting for a 7.5 hour layover (caused by the airline) is a measly voucher, I at least want to be able to use it. Thankfully, the manager was nice and rather than deal with vouchers, took me directly to the business class lounge which had food and drinks and big comfy couches. It ws significantly better than spending the night at the gate.
The next day I was supposed to spend lounging on the beach, but instead was spent as another full day of travel. After a 4 hour flight from Doha to Male, I had to wait for the next boat transfer to the island where I would be staying and Meeru Resort. Once we pulled up to the island, I knew that the nearly 30 hours of travels and delays had been more than worth it. It was paradise. After getting settled and taking a short walk, it was already getting dark and time for dinner. At Meeru, each group (in my case, just me) has their own table and a dedicated server... these stay the same throughout the trip. The food is meh (but by no means terrible), but the atmosphere was quite nice, with sand floors and completely open sided with a big fountain in the center. Once I'd eaten that first night, all I wanted was my bed. Thankfully, my room was beautiful (even though I went with the cheapest garden view rather than beachfront) and the bed was super comfortable.
My room
Room from a different angle
After a good night's sleep, I woke up the next morning ready to really enjoy my beach vacation. I ate breakfast, chatted a bit with my server, and then headed off to walk around the entire length of the island. This might sound daunting, but the island only covers about 90 acres so it's really not so far. After my walk, I felt like I'd scoped out the best beach spot on the entire island and headed back there for some sun. After only about half an hour, it was lunch time, and it looked like a storm was rolling in. By the time I was done eating, it was raining and there were some nasty looking storm clouds. Not to be deterred, I headed to the beach. I figured swimming in the rain would be fine as long as there was no thunder or lightening. Of course, within five minutes of getting in, it started thundering, so I headed back to my room, dried off and then sat of my porch reading for pleasure, doing some writing (for my dissertation) and watching the monsoon like rains. While not the beach, it was still a really relaxing afternoon.
Storm rolling in
That evening at dinner I got an invite to go hang out with some of the staff (I was the only solo traveler in a sea of honeymooning couples, so it was probably a pity invite, but I'm okay with that). After dinner I went to a dive info session and then was supposed to meet up with the staff group, but the bar was still too full (they aren't supposed to come in if it's packed with resort goers) and so I decided just to take a short walk on the beach and then head to bed. The next day was sunny and gorgeous. I spent all of it lounging on the beach, reading, swimming, and snorkeling. I even got to see an octopus hiding in some coral. It really was just the perfect beach day... plenty of sun and gorgeous water, perfect temperature; it really doesn't get any better.
Perfection
Enjoying the sun
Taking a short break from the sun to read in a hammock
Palm trees and paradise
The next day I was leaving, so I decided to get up and watch the sunrise. It was a great decision. After that I ate breakfast and had a short amount of time to lounge around before I had to get back on a boat for the hour long ride to the airport. The trip from Male to Doha went smoothly but my flight from Doha to London was a bit of a nightmare.... it was an almost completely full flight and there was a 3-4 year old running up and down the aisle screaming, babies crying, a family who gathered over my shoulder in the aisle to argue loudly.... it was sensory and spatial overload and after 7.5 hours, I was very, VERY ready to be off that airplane. At least we made it safely.
Dusky dawn in the Maldives
That week (the week of June 8th), I mostly just worked like crazy. I was starting to feel the pressure to get a draft of my analysis cranked out, so I was determined to write. My entire dissertation had shifted direction only a few weeks before, so there was a great deal of new literature to read and things to think through before writing could even take place, and while I'm happy with the new direction, it also was a bit crazy there for awhile. That Wednesday I had lunch with Juliana and Brittany at Juliana's. She made a really delicious lunch for us and it was nice to catch up a bit there. That afternoon our new roommate, Richard, moved in (he'll live here until the end of our lease), but I didn't get much time to chat with him because I also had dinner plans with NSEPers. Since then, I have gotten to hang out with him and he's a great roommate- so I think it's a good fit. Dinner that night was at an all veggie pub with awesome food and it was me, Katherine, Lizzie, Fran, Daniel, Brittany, Todd, and maybe one or two others? That's been over a month ago now so my memory is failing.
The weather also turned beautiful that week, so I did a lot of my reading and writing outside enjoying the sunshine, and also decided I am tired of being a lazy bum and should probably try to move more than I had been, so I started doing circuits, both on my own, and sometimes with Brit and Todd. That Saturday I had a bit of a meltdown, not about my dissertation, but about student loans (I'm in a lot of debt) and life and the fact that I will be 32 by the time I finish vet school and then will likely want to do a residency and I picked an interesting time in life to change careers and basically just how am I going to make life work. Rationally, I know these are ridiculous fears... life with happen and work out and i don't need to make anything work, but it still feels a little overwhelming at times... even when I was originally considering this I thought I would work full time for awhile and pay down some debt before jumping ship... but things don't always go as planned. Of course, my freaking out inadvertently led to a freakout for Brittany the following day and by the end of the day, we decided to just give up for awhile, do a circuits workout and go eat french fries and cake at the Victoria Arms pub which is right down from our house. I think it was the best decision we could have made.
Post circuits... love that Brit is watching me take this
That Sunday Brittany, Todd and I went to the Summertown Market, which I've done every Sunday since. I still order a veg-box so I rarely need produce, but I've started buying bread, cheese, olives, and normally lunch from one of the vendors, and I really look forward to going every week and all the different things I get to sample and enjoy. I really want to make a habit of going to one weekly once I am home, though I am not sure how realistic that is. Maybe I should shoot for once a month making it over to the huge one in Atlanta.
Don't worry... this was a petting zoo... not a place to buy meat
That evening, Richard headed up making dinner (along with some help from brit and todd while I worked) and we had fajitas/tacos for dinner which were really good. From there, we all cycled over to Cowley Road (which is known for being the more artsy/funky part of Oxford) to see our friends' band, the Infamous Flapjack Affair (IFA) play at the Bullingdon. They put on a great show, and I am really excited about their next project, which will involve a documentary and integrating the arts into national parks and environmentalism. I can't wait to see where that project goes and how it turns out.
The next day (June 15), Carmen (my cousin) and her fiance Matt came to Oxford for a visit. They'd been teaching in South Korea and since Matt is English, they are in the country for awhile until Matt's fiance visa clears for the U.S. and they will move there. Once they arrived, we headed to the Pitt Rivers Museum to see the shrunken heads and other anthropological finds. I always love Pitt Rivers so it was a nice way to spend the afternoon. From there, we went to get a beer at the Eagle and Child and then went to dinner at the Nosebag. From there, Carmen and Matt wandered a bit more, but I headed home, as I was really, really starting to feel pressure to get some serious writing done and I knew I also had an upcoming trip to Dublin.
Afternoon in Pitt Rivers
Pints in the Eagle and Child
Dinner at the Nosebag
Carmen and Matt left the next day (Wednesday) to head off to see Stongehenge and a few other sights. I'm glad I got to meet Matt and get to know him a bit and it was definitely good to see Carmen- hopefully next time I'll have more time to spend and not be frantically trying to finish a draft and also hopefully it's not such a long time between visits. For the rest of that week all I did was work, with the exception of going to an NSEP picnic style lunch in Worcester on the lawns.
Going to miss these views
That Saturday (June 20), I had a 9:30AM flight from Gatwick, meaning I had to get up around 4:15 so I had time to get dressed, cycle into town, catch a bus and get to the airport. When I got up, it was dusky outside, and I was standing by my window getting dressed when I noticed an animal walking up the lane that T's into our road directly in front of our house. It was dusky out and I didnt have my glasses on, but at first glance, it was the color of a deer... a tawny, tannish brown. I was happy to see a deer, so I was watching it and noticed that it was moving quite oddly for a deer, and also that it seemed strange to me that it was alone (none in the fields to either side of the lane, nothing else even moving). Then, I realized it was not a deer at all, but a cougar sized cat of some sort. I ran to get my phone and try to snap a picture, but by the time I got back to the window, it was jumping the fence and disappeared into the super tall grass in one of the meadows.
Now, I realize this sounds nuts. I might as well have seen Bigfoot walking down the lane. England is not home to cougars. But, at the same time, I knew what I'd seen. I was a nervous wreck when 15 minutes later I had to go outside, get my bike, and cycle right past the field where I saw it disappear. Once on the bus, I started researching to see if I could find an explanation for what I'd seen. A google search turned up tons of other sightings of big cats in Oxford, and even the wildlife officials here say that while there is no actual proof, they strongly suspect the presence of large cats in the Oxfordshire area. Basically, they suspect that in the 1970s when England passed a bill banning keeping large cats as pets, they think people that had then simply turned them loose. Wildlife officials suspect some of these cats survived and bred with one another, leading to a small population of wild cats in the area... nuts.
Anyway, my flight was uneventful, and I found my hotel with no problem and then showered and cleaned up and headed off to meet up with Tereza, who I taught with in Prague and who moved to Ireland when I moved to Oxford. We wandered mostly, with Tereza pointing out sights and mostly just chatted and got caught up on life. It was really, really good to have some time together and I'd forgotten just how fun she is and how much she can make me laugh. We ended the evening at a fantastic cocktail bar called The Bar with No Name, which I absolutely loved.
Old friends in new places
That night, I did some work, and then headed to bed. The next day I met up with Hilary! Long live chickness! Hard to believe I met her and Amanda NINE years ago as camp counselors and we still keep in touch via email (though again... I am failing lately) and I tell those girls EVERYTHING. Over-due for a meet up with Amanda, but it was amazing to see Hilary in Dublin. We started the day with a tour of the Guinness Factory which was a great decision. I expected to think it was cool, but it was way more interesting than I anticipated. We learned all about the history, production, tasting, advertising, etc. and at the end, we each got a drink :)
Tiny tasting glasses as we learn how to taste
'A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle'
Playing in the advert photo booth. Not sure a better photo of Hilary exists...
Bahahaha
Enjoying a Guinness!
Right when we were done at the factory Hilary's family arrived for their tour, so we stopped back by the entrance to say hi before heading off. Brittany had told me about a park filled with herds of deer in Dublin and I really wanted to see that, so we headed off, stopping for lunch at a pub along the way. Although we found the park, we never did spot any deer, which I was a bit sad about, but we DID find some sort of giant phallic monument and several cricket matches, so I'd call it a success. From there, we headed back into the town to see the castle (a total disappointment), found a cute market to wander through, checked out the Temple Bar district, and then headed to get a drink at The Bar with No Name. Hilary's sister Diana met us there and we hung out before deciding to check out another place... unfortunately, we were starving and the place didnt serve food, so we opted to find a place for dinner instead. We settled on a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean style place and the food was really, really good. I was impressed and really glad we stumbled across it. After a long dinner and lots of chatting, we finally all parted ways before Hilary and Diana fell asleep.
large, phallic thing
loved these doors near my hotel
I was supposed to get a drink with another friend that night, but he got caught at work, and so I did some much needed work on my dissertation before calling it a night. The next day I got up and went to an art gallery I'd heard about and wandered around before settling in at their cafe (which was a gorgeous space with wonderful light) and doing some reading. Then, it was time to head back to the airport and fly home.
When I got back to Oxford that evening I met up with Brittany who was bartending at the St. Cross bar to catch up a bit. I told her about both Dublin and the cougar, and she told me about spiderzilla. Our house has had a spider problem since we moved in-- big spiders, little spiders, fat spiders, spindly spiders... and I can deal with all but the house spiders, which are gigantic and also the fastest moving spiders in the world (this is not an exaggeration, please feel free to google 'giant house spiders' and read about them). Thankfully, Brittany and Todd are better able to conquer their fears and help me out when one appears. We've been having more and more of them... including a voyeuristic one that would come out of a hole next to some piping in the bathroom whenever I would shower, but apparently, Brittany had one charge the back door when she opened it while I was in Dublin and escape into the house. She said this one was even bigger than a normal house spider and that even she was terrified of it. No. Just no. Just so y'all get an idea, below is a picture of a very small house spider from awhile back as it hung out in my bathroom (before we caught it).
A SMALL house spider... no. Just... no. Now if this is small, imagine this times four and you get spiderzilla (which for the record is likely still loose in the house, though we caught a smaller spiderzilla last week.... more on that to come)
Anyway, the rest of that week (the week of June 22) I had a really quiet week of just working every day. Then Thursday I got some sort of stomach bug or gallbladder attack and was so, so sick. Less than ideal because I was so sick that I got zero work done that day. Friday I still wasn't feeling great, but I had my first osteopathy appointment and Andreas and I had plans to go to an event at the aquarium and I really didn't want to miss that as I hadnt been to the London Aquarium yet, it was somewhat relevant to my research, and also just that I wanted to see Andreas. Thankfully, I continued to feel slightly better as the day went on and although I opted for the train rather than the bus since I was still a bit 'off', I was mostly fine.
The even at the aquarium was really just an adults only, aquarium after dark event... the ticket bought entry after normal closing hours and a glass of champagne. I was actually slightly disappointed in the quality of the exhibits, but I think I've just been spoiled by the Seattle Aquarium which became one of my happy places while I was doing field work. That said, there were still some really cool things to see. A few of my favorites were the huge tank with sharks and some sort of MASSIVE grouper, seeing an anemone trying (thankfully unsuccessfully) to eat a clown fish, and definitely the rays, one of which seemed to be begging me for food. Afterwards, Andreas and I had entirely too much fun in the gift shop and then enjoyed some iconic views right from the exit of the aquarium.
Fish faces!
Aquarium after dark and champagne counts as research, right!?
This was a really sad looking stuffed fish
Multiple stuffed octopuses
Too much fun...
We even found 'tentacle' finger extenders...
Iconic (and beautiful) views of London
Love him!
I spent that night at Andreas' and we made dinner and watched 13 going on 30, because I love bad chick flicks. I headed back to Oxford the next morning (Saturday) to do more work (story of my life) and that Sunday went to the market and did even more work. That following week was the week of June 29 and at some point that week they finally put cows back into the pasture I cycle through to get into town (they have Cattle grates and there is a paved cycle path... definitely going to miss things like that about Oxford/England) and it makes me so happy to get to cycle through a herd of cows whenever I go into town. Also, that Wednesday I was sitting at the table doing work with Brittany and Todd when suddenly I saw a giant house spider peeking out from behind the bookshelf. It of course ran under the bookcase and we had to empty the shelves, tip the bookcase over and catch the thing. It was even bigger than most house spiders and I took a few videos of us trying to catch it. At the end of the last video, which is a really terrible one I took, you can get a glimpse of it (I didnt realize I was filming so excuse most of the video). Brittany thinks it was too small to be spiderzilla, but it WAS pretty huge.
The rest of that week and weekend I just wrote like crazy and then that Sunday night (July 5th) I sent a draft of my introduction, methods, and both sections of analysis to Jamie (my supervisor) for edits. We meet tomorrow afternoon so I can get feedback and considering I am aiming to hand in my dissertation in 3.5 weeks... I am a LITTLE terrified. Oh well.... pretty sure what I have is good enough to pass even if I dont do well (not that that is the goal, but trying to enjoy the last of my time here and not completely panic).
Monday (July 6), I headed to Bath to meet up with Brittany, Todd, Todd's brother (Del) and Del's girlfriend (Emily). They were a bit late getting in, so I did some exploring on my own, including the Bath Abbey, some historic meeting rooms, and even got an incredible lunch at a place called Blue Quails Cafe that might have had the best bread I've ever eaten. I had a toasted brie, honey and grape sandwich with a side salad. It sounds bizarre but I'm so glad I tried it... it was truly one of the best lunches I've ever had. I also got to see a school group and string group rehearsing in the Abbey and sat and watched that for a bit. The abbey also had an American flag hanging it as a tribute to one of the US politicians who donated a great deal of money, and that was interesting to see in a church in Europe.
Park in Bath
Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey
American flag in Bath Abbey
Once everyone else arrived, the were starving, so I hung out with them while they ate, and then we went to see the Roman baths, which is what I was so excited about. I thought the whole thing was really well done and it was much bigger and much better preserved than I had expected. Unfortunately, we'd only left about 1.5 hours to go through it, and I could have spent an entire afternoon in there, but I still think I got to see the highlights and it was absolutely worth it. I really, really enjoyed myself.
The large, main pool
Lead and clay pipes that the water flows through to feed the pool
That afternoon I caught a ride back to Oxford with Todd and Brit and Del and Emily (they'd rented a car) and then the next night, Katherine came over and we cooked together and then she spent the night, which was really lovely to have her back in the house, if only for a night. I've missed having her as a roommate since she moved back, so I love stealing her back, if only for a night.
The next day I left for the Lake District which is an area in northern England that in known for gorgeous mountains, hiking, and obviously lakes. It was about a four hour train ride, and when I got to the town I was heading to, Katy and Gary picked me up in their rental car (they were driving down from Scotland where they'd been visiting Jena). I taught with Katy and Gary in Prague, and it was basically like no time had passed. We headed to our airbnb place (which was super nice with a really fun family) and after checking out the views from the tree-house they are building, we headed off to a nearby pub (on foot) for dinner and drinks. Dinner was tasty, but nothing special, and afterwards, we were all beat, so we headed back and went to bed.
The next morning we got up and had breakfast with Elsa (the mom). She always makes breakfast for her airbnb guests so it's a bit like a bed and breakfast.... it wasnt anything fancy, but the bread she uses for toast was SO good so I really enjoyed it. From there, we headed towards Windamere and then to Glen Mary Bridge to start our hike.
We parked at Glen Mary bridge and got out and headed off. We got to see Yew Tree Tarn (a tarn is a small pond, normally glacier made but in this case man made) and then hiked on and up the eastern side of Holme Fell.
Yew Tree Tarn
Near Glen Mary Bridge
On the hike up Holme Fell
View from the top of Holme Fell
From Holme Fell we descended back down through a lightly wooded area and then hike across the ruins of an old wall. I don't like heights and at the very end the wall got narrow with lots of loose stones, and I sat down and scooted the last ten yards or so, but thankfully made it safely across. Here, we saw Tarn Hows and then hike onwards to Great Hole. The name of this place says it all.... it is an old slate quarry and is really just a giant hole with vertical walls down. Part of it is fenced off, but even being near is made me dizzy.... it's insane.
These pictures don't do it justice, but Great Hole
Great Hole
Katy was as scared as me... Gary loved it
To the left you can see a bit of the sheer wall that starts down
Gary is nuts... posing on the edge of Great Hole
After great hole we continued our descent and passed several hills of loose slate (looked like an avalanche waiting to happen!) and then down to a cute little bridge. There, we asked for direction from another hiker since we were a bit turned around trying to find Cathedral Cave. The guy told us to back track and hike up a hill and then descend through another cave... we tried this and found a cave, but after exploring it, it was a dead end. The hill we were on had great views though.
Loose slate hill
Before we realized it was the wrong cave...
View from the hill we were on
From here, we descended down the other side of the hill (it wasnt really a trail so it got a little dicey) and then managed to find Cathedral Cave. This was the high light of the hike for me. Inside is this HUGE cavern with a pillar in the middle and light streaming in from the top. It's a man made quarry, but it's so, so beautiful. There is a tiny pond inside, complete with goldfish, and you can exit the back of the cavern into a smaller, light filled enclosed area. It's truly incredible.
The tunnel into the cave
Light streaming in from the top
Gary in awe
Katy in awe
Katy heading into the next enclosure
Inside the main cavern
The light filled smaller enclosure
After the cave we hike back to the bridge, played a game of Pooh Sticks (Katy won!) and then headed off. After about a mile we felt like we were heading in the wrong direction, so we backtacked and found the correct path, only to take a wrong turn and end up walking a circle back to the same bridge. Finally, we got back on track and headed off. By this time, we were hungry and in need of sugar, but stupidly, we were VERY under prepared for an almost 10 mile hike and only had water. Thankfully, around the time we were really struggling, we came across a house on the hillside advertising juice and tea and scones... just a nice couple that sells to hikers.
Near the house where we stopped for juice
After a glass of juice and a quick break, the couple suggested a slight detour from our planned route to see a nearby waterfall, complete with a little house on a ledge nearby where upperclass girls used to go to paint the falls, which are perfectly framed by one of the windows. We were across the river from the house, but the falls were beautiful, and well worth the detour. We also spotted a fallen tree with coins driven in it, and added our own.
Smaller water fall before the large one
Fallen tree with lots of coins
Ours is the shiny new looking one!
The bigger falls... not sure of the name
View of the little painting cottage
Me, Katy and Gary
When we left the falls we were starting to be very pushed for time. Katy and Gary had an appointment at a possible wedding venue at 3:30 and it was going to take at least half an hour to drive there from where we had parked. That meant we needed to be back to the car no later than 3:00 and it was already 2:00 and we had a ways to go. We picked up the pace and cut off one of the corners, but we still didn't get back to the car until 3:10, so we immediately jumped in and were off to the Wild Boar Inn.
On the way back to the car
Right near where we parked
Since we were so late AND I was so tired and hungry, I tagged along to the venue. We were greeted with drinks (thankfully!) and I really loved the place. I won't go into details since it's not my venue or wedding, but I thought it was great. After a tour we wanted to stay for dinner and see how their food is since they would cater the wedding if it were to be there, but it was too early for dinner, so we ordered snacks off the bar menu and then hung around until it was time to eat. Both our bar snacks AND our meals were up there.... my dish was up there as a really, really incredible meal and I know Katy and Gary were pleased as well, so that's promising. From there, we were tired, sweaty, dirty and sore, so we headed back to the airbnb for showers and bed.
The next morning we had breakfast with Elsa again and then headed off to a farm shop to pick up picnic supplies and maybe go to Lake Windamere. I was tired and sore though, and I think the others were too, so we decided to do a self guided farm tour and then have our picnic. From there, we still had a couple of hours before my train, so we went into Kendal to wander around. It's a cute little town, but I was still so worn out from the hike the day before that I was much happier once we all sat and ordered smoothies at a cafe. From there, Katy and Gary took me to the train station and waited with me until I got on my train (really nice of them). I headed home to Oxford.
Free range chickens on the farm walk
That was Friday. Saturday (yesterday) I got up and did work and then headed to meet Juliana and Katherine at the East Oxford Community Center for the Food Surplus Pop-up Shop. Basically, when the food bank or certain places have a surplus, or food reaches it's sell by (but not use by) date, they give it to this group of volunteers who arrange a meal out of it and people can come and pay what they want and eat so that the food doesn't go to waste. The food was really good, and it's nice to know I'm helping prevent waste (and all the way down the line, hopefully helping environmentally and with food distribution and access, even on a tiny scale). It was also so nice to see Juliana and Katherine, it's always nice to spend time with them since they are both so thoughtful (both of others but also introspective and know themselves) and also so smart. Love conversations with them.
From there, I headed home, hung out with Todd and Brit and then went with them to go punting. Todd and Brit were supposed to go with Del and Emily and Finley and Dan (the last two are guys on Todd's course) but Del and Emily were running late getting back from London so there was room for me in the punt. AND since we live so close to the river (about a quarter mile) Del and Emily were going to meet us at the Victoria Arms which is right down from our house and right on the river, and they could get in and I would get out and walk home (there is a 6 person per punt limit). It worked perfectly! Todd punted us from the Cherwell boat house to the Victoria Arms, everyone got out and enjoyed a pint (along with Del and Emily who had arrived) and then I walked up the lane to home and Del and Emily punted back to town with the others.
Today I went to the farmers market and spent the rest of the day avoiding work by writing this mammoth blog post.
My time in Oxford is drawing to a close and there are still colleges I have yet to see, I want to see and tour Blenheim Palace, I'd love to make it to the coast (and eat fish and chips there), I want to work in the Rad Cam at least one more time, eat at a few of my favorite places (including maybe one last cream tea), and spend time with all the people I love and am going to miss so dearly.
Upcoming plans include dinner tomorrow night with Brit, Todd, Katherine and Juliana and lots of writing, with a few other weekend trips possibly in the works.
Hope y'all are soaking in life experiences as well!
