Hello from bonney England. It is really nice to be able to turn the news on in the morning and get local news we can understand after three months of traveling in countries that speak their own way. We are in England for a pet sit; plus we have exhausted our 90 Schengen Visa and must exit EU for another 90 days. Traveling in English Speaking Countries will be a breathe of fresh air.
Travel Troubles, Language Woes
We had some excitement getting here and it really brought home the language barrier. We took a train from Braunschweig to Cologne, Germany on our way to Amsterdam. As we neared the last station the train stopped. This is pretty normal because there are only so many platforms and trains have to wait until one is free. The train was stopped at a small station surrounded by nothing but weeds. The weird thing was the doors opened so people could get off and stretch their legs. Normally the train announced stops and other mundane info in German and then in English. All of a sudden, no more English. And we could tell from the manner of the other passengers, that something was up. People had alarmed looks, and most we hitting their phones to call or text people. Alarming.
A nice passenger finally took notice of our situation and told us what was happening: a person had been taken hostage in the Cologne train station, the German version of SWAT was involved, shots had been fired, and the station was closed. We sat in the weeds a longer. Finally, another announcement, resulting in everybody getting off the train. Uh Oh! Another gal tried to explain that the train would not be moving for hours and we were to take 1 or 2 other trains. The second would have been better for us, but everyone else took the first train, so we elected to follow the herd. We ended up in Dusseldorf. Further from Cologne than we started, but in the other direction, so we could try to get to another Cologne station. But after a while of the interrupted line through Cologne, all trains are getting backed up. 2 or 3 more trains we were on announced in route they would not go any closer to Cologne and we had to get off where we were. Finally we got to Cologne. We still had a better day than the poor woman that was taken hostage. In the end, she was fine, the culprit was shot.
Exit Schengen for England and 4 Golden Retrievers
After two days in Amsterdam where we retrieved our winter gear (not a minute too soon), two fun days in London, we traveled to Stokes Poges to house sit. We had a wonderful week with Amber, Saturn, Kayla and Willow (and Willow’s gestating puppies). Willow had 8 puppies in her first litter, so is is a good bet that we were actually pet sitting 12 Golden Retrievers. These four girls kept us occupied and we got to know their distinctive personalities. Stokes Poges is a funny place because it is in the country, but a big movie studio is located there. So it is pretty affluent and gets it share of stars. Most notable, Brad and Angelina stay in a place on our street. Angelina and Colin Farrell before that, and Brad and Jennifer before that. According to Mick who we met at the Rose and Crown, he tried to teach her (Angelina) how to play darts, but in the end, he just let her win. The pub scene is exactly like our evening patios: neighbors show up, chat a little and have a drink. They may have their own glasses at the pub and bottles with their names on it stored behind the bar.
We had use of a car with the pet sit and we used it once. We could not resist visiting Costco. Got a rotisserie chicken, tortillas (the same Mission brand we have in SD) and more cookies than we could eat in a week. It is the first time since leaving SD that we have seen tortillas and refried beans. We have missed our burritos. But the trip was harrowing and not to be repeated. I was praying that none of the dogs would need vet attention, because we did not want to take the car out again. We did not expect that the left side driving would be so harrowing. But it is. And it is not just that: think, manual transmission in England: the gear shift is on the left. The pattern is still the same, and the pedal is still the left. But even that was not the real problem, the real problem was the narrow roads with hedges to the edge.
We are heading North, first stop is York. A small city with a big history. We are planning some pub visits and scenery.