exploring & escapades

Category: England

I knew this little town was one train-stop north of me in Cambridge; I did not realize how charming it is. We had visited it last year, but by car and only briefly to visit the famous cathedral. This time, I wandered on foot to meet friends for tea (the best tea ever) along the river. Later, we wandered through the nearby antique store, and we probably would have spent the evening there, if it weren’t for me realizing the time and darting out to catch the last train back. This was a special discovery for me. I can’t wait to return, with more friends, and for more tea. And maybe for my own antique china tea-set or two.

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Ely

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Sep 27
I’ve lived in England for a year now; it took me that long to visit Borough Market, in spite of everyone urging me to check it out sooner. Well, the stars finally aligned, and I met some friends for lunch one afternoon during the week. I totally understand the hype now – I loved it! There were so many options, delicious bits from all over the world. I even found my favorite Greek mountain tea from Crete for sale at one of the stands (!!!). If only it were a little closer to Cambridge. Still, I’ll be back (if only to sample one of those giant meringues in my picture… Note to self: next time, bring extra cash).

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Borough Market

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Sep 22
England in the summertime is a totally different place, which even the locals know and fully embrace. Before I lived here, I had only ever travelled to Europe in the wintertime, and I never thought much of it – it was more affordable. But now that I’ve had the chance to spend bits of summer here, it’s as if I have made a trip to an entirely new place. It’s something to be experienced. Picnic blankets and warm-weather bike rides, sweating from the sun on your skin, not from the three coats you’re wearing. Punt rides where the prosecco is truly refreshing. The streets are calmer, the students, gone. I’m happy that I’ve been able to be here to feel it, this brief flash of light.

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Cambs Summer

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Sep 20
Brighton was so *interesting.* I had been pre-warned about it’s rocky beaches and crowded pier – by no means was I expecting the natural beauty of Cape Cod. And even still, it was unexpected in a fascinating way. Just the swarms of people, everywhere – literally. The city overflows, it spills entirely over the streets and to the ocean. The buzz is pervasive. One could easily forget it wasn’t all natural to the land. And the color! The carnival! The fireworks! It was a lot; larger than life. A city that wants to be a beach, and a beach that wants to be a city.

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Brighton

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Sep 15
Sun, sport, and (maybe a little too much) prosecco. Does it get any better?

The Atlantic Cup is an annual polo tournament between Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, and Yale. A group of us Americans took it upon ourselves to show up at the Cambridge County Polo Club to root for our home team(s). I went a little Pinterest crazy beforehand with recipes… totally worth it in the end. Watermelon-feta bites, champagne strawberries, quinoa fruit salad, waldorf salad, blackberry balsamic bites, blueberry crumble. Definitely my ideal day.

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Atlantic Cup

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Jun 16
A spontaneous day-trip, back in time – the kind that would make my high school English teachers swoon. The Canterbury of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, our very own “pilgrimage.”

Canterbury is about an hour and a half drive from us in Cambridge; it’s also possible to take the train direct from London. That being said, I’ve barely ever heard it mentioned. Certainly it wasn’t on any bucket-list of ours. Really, only convenience and a burning desire to explore somewhere brought us there. But I *loved* it.

The entire town – it’s just so charming. Maybe it’s the soft purple of the wisteria, draping the entire town. The winding river. The thousand year old streets. We had a perfect day, walking around, wandering the cathedral (we did see the original shrine to St. Thomas Becket, a la the Canterbury Tales pilgrims!), touring the Canterbury Tales exhibit (of course, we HAD to), dining on the river. And to top it all off, we had the most delicious hot chocolate, whipped cream and all.

In Europe, sometimes, there’s pressure to get on airplane. Go to this city, to that city. See it all. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget about the adventures right here. Always, it’s wonderful to rediscover them.

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Canterbury

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May 24