When we pictured England, we envisioned Tower Bridge, Big Ben, cozy pubs, and narrow country lanes. England was all of those things. We spent 4 days in London, where we met up with Paul’s youngest sister Lindsay. We did the quintessential touristy things like watching the changing of the guard, visiting the Tower of London, seeing the Rosetta Stone in the National museum, hanging out in Piccadilly Circus, and riding a double-decker bus.
Paul was especially excited to tour Stamford Bridge, where his favorite soccer team, Chelsea, play. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we couldn’t get tickets to see a game while there.
We then met Paul’s parents and drove down south to their home town, Plymouth. Plymouth harbor is where the Mayflower set sail from in 1620.
Mayflower steps
For two weeks, we hung out with family, and traveled around Cornwall and Devon. His uncle drove us around the Moors, where we saw wild ponies.
Dartmoor pony
We visited several beautiful seaside towns, such as St Ives
Burgh Island (Where you need to take a sea tractor to reach the island during high tide)
sea tractor
And Mount St Michael.
And a town called Mousehole. Seriously, that is the name. We were surprised at how beautiful the beaches were.
Who said English beaches are rocky?
Mostly though, we hung out with family. The majority of Paul’s relatives live in the Plymouth area, and he hadn’t met many of them before. It was a very sentimental trip. We got to see where his parents lived and went to school, and the place where they met. Seeing his grandparents’ graves, next to the church where his parents were married, was an emotional experience for Paul.
Traveling with locals, we got the inside scoop on the best pubs. We visited several old, cozy pubs that would be perfect on cold, rainy days with the fireplaces roaring. Many pints were consumed in this manner. English ales don’t impress me too much. They are too warm and flat and tasteless for my liking, but Paul enjoys them.
As for the other typically English drink, gin, we both agree that it is tasty. We celebrated Paul’s birthday by touring the Plymouth gin distillery. It is the oldest gin distillery in England. Plymouth gin has a geographical indication, meaning it can legally only be made within the walls of Plymouth, England (like champagne can only be from Champagne, France). We were able to sample Plymouth gin and Plymouth sloe gin (with berries from the Blackthorn bush) during the tour. After, we were given a gin and tonic, which was delicious. They used Fever Tree tonic water, and garnished it with lemon, not lime.
A trip to England to meet Paul’s family was long overdue. It was very special to be there with his parents and youngest sister.
Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we couldn’t get tickets to see a game while there.
Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we couldn’t get tickets to see a game while there.
