For the past few days we have been enjoying time in small towns just outside London. They’ve been just great – we’ve enjoyed doing a few of the local activities and mostly just checking out the towns themselves. York is such a charming city surrounded by city walls that are so much fun to walk – yes, just to walk the few miles around the town. The tourist center provided free rubbing materials so you could make your own map of the town with it – what a blast!
In Cambridge, we just missed having a day out with an dear friend but instead filled our time with his recommended sites – Trinity College and the Wren Library. It was so much fun to see the AA Milne Winnie the Pooh manuscripts and as well the 16th century Bible, but the best had to be the incredible rush we got when we saw Sir Isaac Newton’s original manuscripts on the study of gravity! I got chills reading through his actual writing and loved the close familiarity in tone that his documents took. I’m so happy that these are preserved for all of the future generations.
It was also really fun to see that college students barely change through the ages as I read document after document telling of the debauchery of the Cambridge students and administrative warnings against any loss of control in the areas of women and gambling. Too funny!
While I’ve really enjoyed these towns, in reflection I find myself longing for the Scottish Highlands (we got as north as Inverness). The area is absolutely gorgeous with alluring fishing villages and tiny farms tucked away in the towering, craggy mountains. Of course there were plenty of sheep there too but the prize-winner in cuteness just had to be the Highland Cow — we fell in love — they are simply too adorable. So much so that I swear it makes me think twice about eating meat when I see them — and Maylene now has a pic of them as her background on her PC!!
The people we met there were great – friendly and open and smiling. I did anything I could to keep them talking because I just love, love, loved the Scottish accent – maybe even more than the Welsh one. I had the funniest moment with one of the host’s at a B&B on the coast in a tiny town called Oban. She was trying to provide me with the wifi password and I sincerely couldn’t recognize one of the symbols in the string of letters and numbers. She tried explaining it to me but for some reason, it still wasn’t sinking in. She finally had to write it out a few more times while pronouncing it slowly until I understood (and laughed in my head) that it was an “f“. Seriously – I was like, okay … ummmm… I know we’re speaking the same language and all but we’re having a hard time communicating. The situation was even funnier because we had just experienced a conversation with an older gentleman who couldn’t understand our accents (of course we don’t think we have one) – we had to repeat Internet to him about four times before he understood what we were saying and even then, I’m not too sure if he did — too funny!!!
We’ve decided that we absolutely have to return to Scotland and Wales – both areas we really enjoyed and didn’t get to spend enough time in. But for now — it’s finally off to London!!