Halfway through this trip. 10 days to go. It has been an adventure!
We left Leeds this morning at 8:00. We stopped at a rest area type place for a potty break and then went to Cambridge. We had three hours in Cambridge to explore and have lunch. The weather was perfect today with no rain and temperatures in the mid 70’s.
Cambridge has several hundred different colleges – some only have 150 students and some have thousands of students. There was row after row of colleges housed in old buildings.
The downtown square of Cambridge was full of people, sights and smells. They had an open market with everything from t-shirts to food being sold. Most of the major US brands seemed to have a shop in Cambridge. Lots and lots of shops and eating places. The only thing I purchased was some laundry powder so I can wash some clothes out. It is the one thing I forgot to bring with me. The container I had to buy is too big so I will put some in a zip lock bag I brought and ditch the rest of it. It was the only size and brand available. We really haven’t been where locals must shop for everyday things.
I had lunch and then walked around for a bit. I spent most of my time at St. Catherine Cathedral. I went inside and sat in a pew for the longest time. People were respectful and quiet inside the church and it felt good to sit and reflect on things.
We had a two and one half hour bus ride after we left Cambridge to return to London. We are staying on the other side of London tonight. This side is closer to the airport.
A taxi will take me to the airport in the morning at 6:00 am. My flight to Dublin is at 9:35 and lands around 11:00. We will be met at the airport and taken to our hotel. We will have a welcome dinner with our new tour guide tomorrow night.
We have a dinner tonight at 7:00. I am strongly considering not going to it. I don’t think I will be hungry and I don’t feel the need to get any closure with this group. Very few have even spoken to me and the ones that have are going on with me to Ireland. The dinner won’t be over until 9:00 or so and I want to be asleep by then.
Sure hoping the hotel room will be available tomorrow when we get to the hotel and I won’t have to kill most of the day waiting to get in a room. I tipped the bus guy when we got off this afternoon and I will see the tour guide in the morning so I can give him his envelop then.
I love the English and Scottish countryside. It is so green and hilly with lots and lots of sheep. There were some cattle but not big pastures full like I see at home. I was surprised at how diverse their restaurants are. Not sure there is a typical English meal or restaurant. Most restaurants represented many different countries and tastes from around the world.
Looking forward to going to Ireland. I trust it will be a highlight for me of this trip.
No one else has come down with Covid – at least not officially. I was a bit concerned last night I had it but felt much better today. My tummy was a bit upset this afternoon but that is normal for me and it settled back down pretty quickly.
I haven’t done much souvenir shopping or gotten gifts for anyone. Just haven’t seen anything that caught my eye yet. I gave up forcing myself to get gifts for family members a long time ago. I would end up focusing more on that while on a trip then enjoying the sights and sounds of where I was at. If I see something I think someone would like, I get it but don’t worry if I don’t find something.
I think I will take a shower and get refreshed and then decide what I am going to do the rest of the evening. Staying inside my room sounds wonderful right now It is a pretty day out and we are in a beautiful area so may go out and take a walk. We shall see what I decide to do.
Grateful for a safe journey through England and Scotland, grateful I felt better this morning, and grateful to be moving on to Ireland tomorrow.