2019 UK Trip – Days 1 & 2 (Cambridge)
Today we leave for the UK. A trip of a lifetime! Eric and I are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. We are also exploring another change we feel may be on the horizon. You know, nothing big… just moving to the UK for Eric to get his Ph.D. We have tried to keep the dual purpose of our trip hidden from the kids, but I am pretty sure a few of them know more than what they are letting on. They will be staying with friends and grandparents. Wish all of us luck!!!
We have dropped the little kids off with Eric’s mom. The older one is off to work. We are on the road to Orland to catch our plane. I really wanted to find a cute pair of black boots to take with me. We shopped in town with no luck. I am secretly hoping we can make a quick stop at trusty TJ Maxx on the way. We are on track to get to the airport four hours early when really we only need to be there three hours before departure… which, by the way, I think is crazy!!!
Ok… I take it all back. First of all, TJ Maxx is not as trustworthy as I thought. You guessed it! No boots. Also, no bathroom! What kind of store has no bathroom for its shoppers? Anyway. We needed every bit of those four hours. Between Florida’s toll roads and my overactive bladder, we needed ALL the extra time. So I thank you, Orlando International Airport, for making us arrive early. This is the first time we have flown from this airport and even finding the right place to park was challenging. Eric and I went into this adventure knowing from day one that we would have challenges to face. We made the decision that we wouldn’t get overwhelmed or angry at the challenges. We decided we would just embrace them and roll with them. Who knew the first challenge would be toll roads and parking?!?
So now we are on the other side of check-in. I feel like it is a secret club of some sort. I held my breath for the lady checking my passport, afraid she would tell me I am not who I think I am. Better yet, she might tell me that I cannot go because I have too many library fines! Yep… that’s how my brain works, and we haven’t even made it to the TSA screening yet! Luckily I made it through check-in and security. Now I am in the “club” sipping my overpriced sparkling water and hanging out with a few thousand people as we wait to board our planes.
Well folks, that was a wild ride! We got on the plane around 5:30 pm (our time) and landed in the UK at 6:00 am (their time). No problem right? I should have slept like a baby through the night in first class. Only I was not in first class and there was a fussy dad sitting right in front of me… and by “in front of me,” I mean so close he’s almost in my lap. And yes, I said fussy DAD. I can deal with a fussy baby – I had four of them. On this flight, the dad was the problem. He was very loud with his “parenting,” which is putting it lightly. Anyway, I am off the plane and drinking a tall cup of coffee in the Gatwick International Airport, south of London. I do believe we now have to catch a train to Cambridge. I am not completely sure what this day will hold but I am pulling for a pair of black boots and a nap! In the meantime, Eric has to figure out where to pick up the train tickets he bought in advance and how we are supposed to get on this train. New things at every turn!
I will take a train over a plane any day. I just had the best nap on that thing. It could be the jet lag, time change, or pure exhaustion. Whatever it was, I will take it. Eric couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes; he wanted to see London as we pulled out of town and all the beautiful English countryside as we made our two-hour trip to Cambridge. We got off the train and headed to a little coffee shop nearby to wait for check-in at the flat.
We have just walked from the train station to our first little flat, only about a block away. It is super cute! I would love to just stay here and rest, but the day is calling. There is a good chance it will rain tomorrow, so we would love to get in as much sightseeing today as two tired travelers can. We are off for window shopping and punting. It’s a pretty famous thing to go “punting” on the river Cam in Cambridge. It’s basically taking a ride in a flat-bottomed boat directed by a tour guide who pushes the boat with a long pole. If you’ve ever seen pictures of the boats in Venice, it’s basically the same thing. I am sure there will be some coffee mixed in there also.
So guess what friends… I found them! Cambridge has my little black boots on the other side of a store window, waiting for me! Only the store was closed; apparently, it’s a bank holiday in England. Do you want to know where I found them? Across the Atlantic in a local Salvation Army thrift store! The boots were perfect! So window shopping was a win. Well, I am not really sure yet because I don’t even know if they are my size. We are hopeful.
Guys, punting was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It was so relaxing. The weather was perfect. The punting tour took us down the river Cam to see the back sides of all the colleges. The University of Cambridge is made up of 31 different colleges. Eric enjoyed all the history talk. I enjoyed the chill-out time. We saw lots of beautiful things, including the “mathematical bridge” (a bridge designed by a student of Sir Isaac Newton) and Trinity College (built by King Henry VIII). It was the perfect way to end the day.
We are now just enjoying dinner at The Eagle. The Eagle is a famous pub, but not just for its pints of ale or fish and chips. Scientists James Watson and Francis Crick often hung out here after long days of research at the University. On February 28, 1953, they busted through the pub doors and announced to the patrons and staff that they had discovered “the secret of life,” the double helix structure of DNA. This is our first meal and a pub and it took us a minute to figure out how to order here. We are going to share the fish and chips, which is a famous meal here in England. Please, dear Lord, bless this gluten-fried fish I am about to consume. Please!
Being up for 32 hours, drinking way too much caffeine, walking seven miles, and the stress of traveling may have just caught up with me. I spent the last 30 minutes feeling sick and riding the waves of a panic attack. I have a history with this monster so I was not totally caught off-guard. I took the little magic blue pill. I walked myself out the back door with a wet cloth to feel the cool of the night on my face. Before long the waves of panic had calmed. So… here we are, in Cambridge and very ready for bed. Eric meets with Dr. George van Kooten tomorrow, a New Testament professor from Cambridge who could be his Ph.D. advisor. It is also the day we find out if those little black boots fit. No time for worries. No time for fear. We are fully leaning into where God is leading. Rest, Vanessa.