June 6 has been impressed on my mind for quite some time now, not because it’s the anniversary of the invasion of Normandy (which it is! 75th anniversary this year), but because it has been for months now THE DAY I LEAVE William and Josh. Here are the stats on the trip:
– Three flights (Indy to JFK, JFK to Dublin, Dublin to Birmingham)
– One train ride (Birmingham to York)
– One cab ride (from the train station to York St John’s University)
– Several confused trips across York St John’s campus, as the poor security guide tried to figure out where my room was. (It’s not his fault; I checked in after hours, and the Porters who normally handle check in were gone.) Luckily the campus is small.
Less factual, but perhaps more interesting tidbits from my trip
– The Dublin airport is quite lovely, but not lovely enough to keep one busy for five hours. They do, however, have free wi-fi, which, really, is the measure of an airport. Also, I decided long ago that all Europeans and Brits must be perpetually dehydrated: not a drinking fountain to be found in the whole airport.
– The advertisement on NPR does in fact contain some truth—Delta long-haul flights do now come with USB outlets for charging one’s various i-devices.
– I did not have a single conversation with any fellow travelers until I got on the train in Birmingham and sat down next to a man wearing a clerical collar. I asked whether he was Catholic or Anglican. (I figured he had to be one of the two, and it turns out he is an Indian Catholic priest from Kerala, ministering to Indian Catholics in the north of England. We had a lovely conversation, and I got an Indian restaurant recommendation in York.)
– I had exactly three missing-William meltdowns once I left the house. One in the Indy airport, one in JFK, and one in Dublin when I face-timed (are we making that a verb yet?) with Josh and William.
Stats from today (Sunday), my first real day in York. I ran into another seminar participant in the shared kitchen last night, and we agreed to venture out together today. She has been in York before, and arrived earlier on Friday, so she already had the lay of land. Our list of stops included:
– Two trips the Vodafone store. I should have known when I walked out the first time saying “Well, that was easy,” that I would have to go back. My worst fears did not come true—the problem was with the sim card they gave me, not with ATT or my phone. I now have a working mobile!
– One trip to Betty’s. Delicious! The first trip of many, I am sure, especially since I showed great restraint today and did not order anything sweet. (For the Kriegers: we went to the smaller shop just down from St Helen’s Square. Since it was Sunday, there was a long line at the larger shop, but since I am “in the know,” we just headed back up the street and got a table right away.) For those of you who don’t know about Betty’s: http://www.bettys.co.uk/bettys_york.aspx. Get ready to drool.
– One trip to Trembling Madness (http://www.tremblingmadness.co.uk/), which calls itself a “medieval drinking hall,” but had more American beers on than British. I am, however, resolved to drink locally while here, so I had a Route 12 pale ale from Durham Brewery. I had forgotten how warm the British serve their beer. Oh, wait, I can hear Josh now, reminding me that beers are not served warm, they are served at cellar temperature. You say potato… Also, I sat in front of a wild boar’s head (mounted to the wall) while enjoying my beer, which may have been the most medieval part of the experience. The downstairs bottle shop was impressive, and Josh assures me I will have a shopping list soon. We can talk about the weight of my luggage later…
– A trip to Tesco, and a trip to Sainsbury’s. I am stocked up on all my favorite British foods—sharp cheddar, Branston pickle (a new fav, thank you Ashley), McVittie’s chocolate digestives, palatable instant coffee (no other options, since there isn’t a coffee maker in our shared kitchen), Yorkshire gold.
Tomorrow the real fun begins—our first seminar meeting, and our first time in the York Minster.
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