I’m posting this on 26 June, but I wrote it on 23 June but didn’t have a chance to put it on the web until now.
Well, here I am in Brandon, a really cool little town outside of Lakenheath Air Force Base. I’ve already been to site and helped set up some but came back into town to get internet access which is in a local pub. Unfortunately, Dirik and Solange are expecting to find me in this other pub. I snuck out and checked my email for one beer’s worth of time, but am typing this entry in Editpad and will cut and paste later ont.
This entry will thus probably get posted two days hence and will be late, but I thought I’d type it up anyway.
The trip up was smooth. I had my BritRailPass validated and from that point I just rode the train from London King’s Cross Station to Cambridge to Thetford. I took a cab from Thetford to site but it was way early and hardly anyone is there so I came back to check my email and to get some food/beer for the evening. I’ve made arrangements for Dirik or Solange to know to meet me here. Hopefully this works before I get really hammered :). They have John Smith’s Ale here, and they have it very cold and it tastes delicious.
I’ve seen some interesting sites so far today. The train ride went through some nice countryside, but as Eddie said it’s much like Missouri. I had disagreed because the area around London and the A21 to Hastings was split up into smaller units by hedges. The area we went through today has much larger fields and is thus more like home. One difference is that some farmers put a buffer between the train and their field of some brilliantly red flowers. We stopped at Ely and as the train left there I managed to get a picture of Ely Cathedral. I’ll be interested to see how it comes out given the train was going in the 80mph range.
I can really tell that the money spent on the BritRailPass will be well spent. It really is nice to be able to float around the country with little care. I’ve got 14 days worth left. I’ll use some going to Leeds, York, and then wherever.
Met some real tried and true soaked in ale Englishmen today while roaming in Brandon. They were hilarious, though the bar owner was worried that they would offend me and so tried to get them to shut up. I’m suspecting getting them to shut up is a bit of a challenge ;). They didn’t bother me and they also pointed out that there’s a British ale festival in London during the time I’m in London in August. Hmmm 🙂
I’m taking extra time with this post because I’m sort of killing time, but I wish I were this detailed more often. There’s lots I’m not remembering to mention, like the Chicken Vindaloo Frozen Pizza we found. It was quite good. I will say, now that the USA is out of the World Cup (way to not take advantage of your talent), I’m rooting for England. It’s a blast to think about and watch soccer/football here where it’s embedded in the cobblestones.
I have to take this moment to mention that the loo at this pub has a Union Jack toilet seat. I’m not sure any comment I might make can improve that sentence any :).
You know, I sit and I am constantly reminded of a wonderful quote. I think it’s Oscar Wilde that said England and America are two countries divided by a common language. There’s a lot of truth in how difficult it is to communicate here. How many Englishmen are thinking: what an idiot (less than the number of Americans who think that only because I know more Americans ;).
By the way, I don’t know what it is about me, but no matter where I go I am the one that people ask for directions. My second time on the London Underground, I was asked directions. Yes, I did know the answer, but why ask the American?