....previously our time in a Happy Hippy Vortex......
After a turbulent 13 hours of flying from
Bangkok, and a disappointing stop in
Cologne (not being able to leave the airport for 5 hours), we were happy to arrive in
London, and into the arms of Rich's brother.
A lot of travelers in
Asia reminded us that the
UK would be cold in February (no shit!!) and of course, on our arrival, the blast of cool air was a bit of a shock! But, actually, arriving here at the end of winter was perfect for us. We had a little taste of winter and enjoyed the wonderfully fresh air after many years without, but didn't have to wait too long for finer weather to begin. Luckily for us, the weather in
East Anglia, where we were based, is often the mildest and driest area in
Britain. When it did rain, it was so little, it didn't hinder our plans at all- it seemed almost comical compared to the tropical rain we're used to! The cold energized us, and we felt ready to make the most of it all! Well prepared with layers, jackets, scarves and woolly hats (without which we never ventured outside in a month!) we were spoiled for choice for such activities as local countryside
walks, visiting tiny quaint surrounding villages, attending car boot sales and markets, and gazing at the wonderful
historic city center of
Cambridge.
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| Gorgeous windmill cottage, Histon |
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| Walking around Fulbourne |
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| Barges along the River Cam, Cambridge |
Staying in the gorgeous little village of
Fulbourne with Richard's sister and brother-in-law was a delight, and we spent many hours walking and admiring sweet thatched cottages and winter gardens, and roaming the lovely, flat easy walking Fens surrounding the village. Exploring other villages in the area such as
St Ives,
Teversham and Rich's home village
Histon was also pleasurable, and wandering around the streets and lanes brought up many old memories for Rich. Firewood was somewhat of an obsession, with all of us constantly looking for wood when out and about, and chopping and stocking up at home. Many family and friend gatherings were planned at homes and pubs, and the reminiscing was enjoyable, with Rich's accent getting thicker the longer he spent
with his family and old friends.
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| Winter scenery around Fulbourne |
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| Flint wall, St Vigor's church, Fulbourne |
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| St Vigor's church, Fulbourne |
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| Double postbox, Fulbourne village |
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| Walking Flean's Dyke, Fulbourne |
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| Flean's Dyke walk, Fulbourne |
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| Sitting ducks, Histon village |
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| Histon village center |
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| St Ives, famous old bridge |
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| Feeding swans, St Ives |
Cambridge city center
is always impressive and charming, with it's historic churches, pubs and shops, medieval doorways, narrow laneways, market center, punting, whirring bicycles, students and manicured colleges, and the River Cam which was still picturesque in February even though the trees were bare and the sun wasn't always out. The double decker bus we took to get in and out of town was a treat, and a bit like a free tour sitting up the front upstairs.
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| Lane way, Cambridge |
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| Catholic church, Cambridge |
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| Bicycles, Cambridge |
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| Rich enjoying the winter sun, Cambridge |
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| Typical Cambridge scene |
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| Decoration on old building, Cambridge |
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| King's College, Cambridge |
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| Cambridge's famous round church |
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| Historic streets of Cambridge |
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| All Saints church, Cambridge |
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| River Cam, Cambridge |
We,
of course, made the most of the
British comfort food we (especially Rich)
had missed, and tried not to think about the extra kilos while tucking
into roast dinners, fish and chips, trifle, porridge, shepard's pie,
gammon joint, bacon rolls, baked potatoes and the rest. At night, we relaxed in front of a wood fire, then snuggled under layers of duvet in a comfy bed.
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| Pub Sunday roast, Cambridge |
With the days already becoming longer and the official start of Spring approaching, we finally dragged ourselves away from all that family comfort to explore a bit more of the country, and headed off to catch up with some old friends in not so distant places..............
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| Great idea- book swap in a disused phone booth, Teversham |
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| Moody day, Mill Pond, Cambridge |
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| Wandering off........ |
....more travels in the UK next- Tudor Houses and Orange Scouses......
