Europe '06, First Installment: England

Four years ago I was sitting in Tessa and Mo's basement watching a 2002 World Cup game from Japan/Korea (at 6am, thanks to the time difference) when I discovered that the next host country would be Germany. I decided that morning that I was going to be there. I timed my graduation perfectly, because after walking across the stage in May I hopped on a plane two weeks later for a month-long romp around Europe. While the "football" game was the catalyst for the trip, the main goal was to see some new countries, especially England and Italy.

The excitement actually began at the Louisville International Airport. After checking in at the ticket counter, I accidentally fogot to button by back pocket. So when I used the restroom my wallet fell out onto the floor without my taking notice. While waiting for my flight I thought I heard my name over the intercom. Figuring that my parents must have realized that I forgot something in the car, I called the operator. It soon became aparent to me that I didn't have my wallet. Running back to the security checkpoint and flashing them my passport, I was reunited with my cash and credit cards, nothing was missing--what a blessing! I realized at this point that I wasn't really flying to Europe alone, God was definately going to be my travel companion.

I began the English portion of my excursion in London, taking the train to Oxford for a guided day tour (a good idea as I was quite jet-lagged). The highlight of the day was having a bite to eat at the Eagle and Child pub, where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to hang out.










That evening I continued north and met my friend Mike (from Rose), who now lives in Lancaster. Mike was kind enough to let me crash at his place for a week. (This is a picture of his narrow and long back yard--pretty landscaping, and still a work in progress.)


Over the next week I took a number of daytrips by train to nearby cities, notably Liverpool and York. Liverpool was a bust, as I spent most of the day in sensory overload--the Beatles museum and modern art at Tate-Liverpool. The coast was beautiful, but too windy for me to enjoy...not a good day to wear a skirt:(


York, on the other hand, was one of my favorite places in England. I wish I could have stayed longer, but as it turned out, I stayed too long. By waiting until the last train (which was delayed by an hour), I missed my connection in Manchester and had to stay there (unexpectedly) for the night. Luckily, Mike was able to direct me to a hostel so that I could have a good night's sleep in a bed.


The next morning I took an early train back to Lancaster. Mike had taken the afternoon off that
day so that we could bike in the English countryside. I got to "hire" a bike for the day.














Our destination was the Jubulie Tower (built to commemorate one of Queen Victoria's birthdays or something). It took us two hours to ride uphill to get there, but only 15 minutes for the return trip.


Rolling hills make for great pictures and sore legs!!!


The next morning (a Saturday) I returned to London, but had to make a pit-stop in Manchester to find a pub and watch the first English World Cup game on TV. I stayed at an amazing youth hostel near St. Paul's Cathedral. On Sunday I got up early for a walk along the Thames River, followed by a trip to the Tate Modern and a service at St. Paul's. After church, I grabbed a bite to eat and took off on foot to see London: the House of Parliment, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Eye of London, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, and eveything in between. All in all, I think I walked at least 10 miles that day!

Monday morning I went to Gatwick Airport to pick up my bother, Corey, for the next leg of my travels...