England and Wales

October 2006...It has only been 4 years since I was in England and Wales, so I should remember a lot of the details...but I don't!  For those of you who know me well know that my "sharp mind" only holds a very limited amount of information!  I cannot tell you names of cities I went to, names of significant historical sites I saw...and is it embarrassing to say I had to look in my email (from 4 years ago) to remember the names of the very kind family I stayed with!? 

Justin served his mission in Birmingham, England while I was finishing up high school.  When we got married I told him we should go back and visit sometime.  He looked at me like I was crazy...then he said "you wouldn't like it."  Of course I protested and said I would love it!  He said for the two years he was there he was NEVER warm, the sun never shined, it was always raining and drab weather, people didn't like Americans and the city atmosphere wasn't that pleasant.  Now don't get me wrong...Justin loved his mission and the people he taught there...you just have to understand a few things about Justin. 

For as long as I have known Justin he was ALWAYS cold...so he always wore his red long johns with at least two sweatshirts and then a Carhartt coat on top of that.  This was in Utah...so you can imagine how cold he must have been in England, poor kid!  Justin was also NOT a fan of the big city life...he was a country boy all the way.  Being confined in a big city was uncomfortable for him, so you can imagine the relief when he was transferred to Wales where there was a lot of open country with green rolling hills.   Wales was definitely his favorite area on the mission (and after visiting I could see why). 

After we had talked about it for a while, we decided we would plan on spending our 5th wedding anniversary in England and Wales.  But he kept telling me that I probably wouldn't like it.  Since we didn't even make it to our 2nd anniversary...I obviously had to change our plans.  It worked out great that our plane to Africa switched over in England, so I decided that since I was already there I would just extend my trip for a week and visit...alone.  I had heard of lots of people who traveled alone and loved it...I thought it would be the same for me.

Justin was right...I didn't really like it.  Maybe it was because I was alone and had a hard time figuring out where I was going.  England is a very busy city and figuring out the tube system was a nightmare.  I didn't go see a lot of things for the fear of getting lost and not being able to find my way back to my hotel!  I would go again...but only if someone went with me!

After spending a few days in England, I hopped on another plane and went to Wales.  A co-worker knew a family in Wales that ran a bed and breakfast, so I stayed with them for a few days and they showed me around.  Wales was BEAUTIFUL and being in the country was fun.  It was really green back there because of all the rain...but it was really cold too.  I don't think I was warm ever the whole trip.  We saw castles, lighthouses, little Welsh shops, a really old cemetery on an island, etc.  I can't remember ever seeing the sun while I was there though...it was always cloudy.  The roads were really narrow but they were lined with rock walls which was beautiful.

It was fun to see where Justin lived for two years and it gave me a better appreciation for what we have here in America.  People are happier here...or at least we should be because we have so much.  I thought of my ancestors who came from the European countries and how grateful I am that they did...we truly do live in the promised land!