I feel like I’ve been living in a British novel.
We’ve spent most of June in England. I love the British accent, their unique phrasing and unusual terminology.
Seeking ‘chill time’ – our focus was to spend time in the country. We started with Newark on Trent, a well-preserved medieval town. It was charming, friendly and welcoming. We easily slowed our pace and learned the ways of the town. We walked everywhere, found shortcuts and revelled in the humour we found in the town … notes outside of businesses cracked us up. We fell in love with the town square and daily farmers market- great fresh produce and baked goods.
Whilst there, we climbed up inside a 900 year old castle. A real estate promo for the place might read: “Interesting, cold, dark, minimalist decor with a great view. Turn-key for boiling oil and armaments.”
After Newark, we headed north to the Lakes District -A three train travel day. It was well worth the trip. We stayed in village of Orton at Orton Hall, a 600 year old manor. It was surrounded by 6 acres of lush green – towering trees of varying species – each one with its own personality – and so many different shades of green! This was a thriving habitat for birds, bunnies and the endangered red squirrel. It was absolutely gorgeous and we never tired of gazing out of the bay window at a bit of Mother Nature’s finest work.
Our suite, the Royalist, featured a lovely living room with a hidden panel bookcase. The bookcase opened to reveal the hallway to the kitchen, bath and bedroom. Clever! There was a common area with a pool table, baby grand piano and a general seating area. While inviting, the musty smell was a deterrent to staying there too long.
Village life was quite agreeable. A five minute walk brought us to the village pub. Jennings Hotel George is quite the gathering place – especially for watching the World Cup competitions. But even more importantly, it provided good home cooking – no microwave pub grub!
That same five minute walk also landed us at Kennedy’s Chocolate Shop & Coffeehouse. Yummmm! A daily stop for chocolate seemed like a moral imperative. On one such visit, I had the delight to talk with a couple who were motorcycling their way from north to south. He was 78, a weathered, rugged, white hair, pony-tailed fun guy with his female companion who was a bit younger. They were enjoying their road adventures.
And then there were the ‘walkers.’
Turns out, Orton is smack dab in the middle of the Coast-to- Coast Walk.
[a charted route] People from all over, walk from the west coast of England to east coast. (or vice versa) Orton is a popular stop for them to rest for the night. From the folks we chatted with, we learned that the average amount of time it takes is about two weeks. Armed with their walking poles, they cover as much as 15 miles per day!
Ten days of peace & quiet – unbelievable quiet- pastoral views, sharing the roads with the shorn sheep, cattle and horses was good for us. We worked on making plans for where and when we’ll travel next. Travel research and planning takes quite a bit of time. Our plans and ideas have evolved with the time we’ve spent on the road. We’re no longer thinking of going to Prague to teach. I know that I’ve decided to stay retired and not teach English as a foreign language. Michael still might. But we are both enjoying being retired and being foot loose and fancy free. After years and years of structure and ‘have to’ we are wallowing in quality time together and doing what we want -when we want.
Now we’re leaving the country for a bit of city life – heading south to London for some theatre, art & history.
Cheers!