England Travel Diary: Part One
Day One:
Waking before the sun always feels magical, mysterious even. I was off to the airport for a
You see, when I arrived to the airport, the line for security had spilled out further than I’ve ever seen it before. Just as I stood in the back of the line, a woman came around saying we could exit the airport and go to another entrance to speed things along. But then by the time I weighed my bags and dropped them off, I found myself back at the end of the queue. “There’s no way I’m going to make my flight,” I realistically thought to myself. Just in the nick of time, that same woman appeared and motioned for those at the end of the line to follow her. We all looked at each other in confusion as she ushered us back outside and to another terminal telling us in German, “It will be faster.”
As we approached the security line at the other terminal, I imagine from the amount of curse words being muttered around me, everyone else had the same fear as I about missing their flight. It looked just as long and yet we were in another terminal, further from our gates.
It was at this point that people started pushing and cutting and being blatantly rude. The security lines were barely moving and we all watched as time ticked on, approaching the closing of our gates. I kept repeating in my mind, “Just please help me make my flight.” Nearly forty minutes later, after painstakingly watching security pick up 10 jars of baby food belonging to the couple in front of me one-by-one, and carefully rearranging them into multiple bins, I made it through the X-ray scan, and the running dash to my gate began.
We were all running at this point. Schönefeld Airport was mayhem. As I climbed the stairs to my plane, I looked back at the others scrambling to board thinking, “I made it. I’m going to England.”
At 9:30am GMT, my plane touched down in London. With a delayed arrival and an 11:00am train to catch out of Paddington Station, I had no time to waste (though, I just wanted to squeal with excitement because I was finally in England!)
Now, for anyone who’s flown into just about any of the London airports, you know that they are quite a hike from the city center. It would take nearly an hour for me to take the Gatwick Express to Victoria and transfer to take the tube to Paddington. I made it to my train with one minute to spare.
Gazing out the window, I watched the stunning scenery of the English countryside float by. It was surreal. Me, the woman who as a little girl watched these very scenes in every British television program and film she could find, was finally here experiencing it for the first time in real life.
It may sound silly at first, but when a faraway place feels like home, I don’t think you ever really give up on that, do you?
As my train pulled into Bath Spa Station, I reached for my backpack whilst glancing out at architecture unlike anything I had ever seen before. Walking from the station to my hotel, the beauty of the weathered limestone buildings surrounded me, step after step.
Upon checking into my room, I immediately ran to the window to look out over the rooftops of Bath. There I saw Bath Abbey in the distance and the gulls perched outside, their feathers ruffling in the wind. I grabbed my camera and off I went on my first stroll around Bath, the first thing I always do upon arriving in a new destination.
I was completely captivated by my historical surroundings in this UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was quite possibly the most beautiful place I had ever laid eyes on and even that is an understatement.
I felt content yet intrigued. At ease yet in awe. From Roman ruins to Georgian estates, I had ages of history at my fingertips and this entire city was mine to explore, street by street.
Before I got lost in the world of the Ancient Romans, I treated myself to my very first afternoon tea at the legendary Sally Lunn’s which also happens to be Bath’s oldest house (c.1483). The first of many moments where it started to hit me that I was here, living in the world I had only just imagined.
After pouring the last of my tea from the kettle into the cup, I made my way down the historic spiral staircase and back onto the cobblestone streets of Bath, passing alongside Bath Abbey and into the entrance of the Roman Baths. Here, I’d spend the next several hours getting lost between the columns and exploring the underground ruins of a luxurious life once lived long, long ago.
With the last seconds of daylight upon me, I tucked into a cosy pub where I experienced quintessential British surroundings, delicious vegetarian pie, and down-to-earth conversations with locals.
My time in England was off to a captivating start.
Day Two
I woke up before the sun this morning, having slept more soundly than perhaps ever before. It was the start of a big day. Something exciting, fresh, and new was potentially on the horizon and today was the first step.
I made myself a cup of tea, the nerves racing through my veins. Why was I feeling so nervous? I wasn’t expecting this but I suppose that’s how you know how much something matters to you. By the speed of your heart rate. The unexpected increase
I buttoned the top button of my silky black blouse, carefully layering my long tartan coat over it, and pulling on my Chelsea boots as I made my way onto the early morning streets of Bath.
My nerves took over again as I entered the bus station, hoping I’d manage to find the correct bus to take me deeper into the English countryside. After speaking with the bus driver and finding my seat, a rush of reassurance washed over me. Everything was going to be okay.
Though I loved the view of the countryside from the train, the bus took me up close and personal with the greenest green rolling hills I had ever laid eyes on. The picturesque views offered me the inspiration I had been seeking for months. My heart was beaming, in honest disbelief, that I was here experiencing this.
And yet the real treat was waiting for me as I stepped off the bus and onto the cobblestone streets of a tiny English village. An older woman sat outside, sipping hot soup out of a giant bowl, her golden retriever waiting patiently by her side. A man behind me chirped, “Good morning!” to every passerby on the street. The
The cherry on top was walking along the street and past the charming pub where scenes of my favorite television program, ‘Poldark’ had been filmed. I grinned to myself, thinking yet again, “How am I finally here?”
As my time in the village came to a close, I boarded the bus back to Bath and as those beautiful green hills rushed past me again, I felt… different. I had so much on my mind and yet everything felt clear.
Some people dream of faraway islands or adventurous escapades, I dream of historic villages nestled in the English countryside.
The gratitude was hitting me as I felt proud for never giving up on this and for seeing it through. A trip that I had looked forward to since the first decade of my life that had been pushed back years and then months and then weeks until here I finally was.
Arriving back into Bath, I decided to wander the city some more with my camera, enjoying the green park space, the views of Pulteney Bridge stretched out over the River Avon, and the Georgian homes in all their splendor sitting along Great Pulteney Street.
The sun was beginning to set and yet my love for this historic city was only just beginning to blossom. As rain clouds started to set in above me, I tucked into a highly-recommended seafood restaurant to try fish and chips for the first time. I couldn’t believe how at home I felt here. Almost like I was eating in my own dining room, surrounded by old friends.
Bath has a way of making you feel like you belong. I don’t know what it is but it’s a feeling I had been searching for. Especially after many lonely days in Berlin.
As I made my way back along those cobblestone streets, the rain gently pattering along the top of my umbrella, I felt content. In fact, I felt happy.
Oh, England. You sure are capturing my heart.
Day Three
I wasn’t ready to leave. The thought of saying goodbye to a place that had so quickly made me feel at home while welcoming me in for exactly who I was brought a melancholy feeling to my heart. Yet, I knew with certainty that my time here was not finished. I’d be back, hopefully soon, to continue a story that was just beginning to form its foundation.
What a joy it was to have finally discovered that feeling within. It’s kind of like what I imagine it will be like when I finally meet the love of my life. A feeling you’ve thought about and dreamt up in your mind over and over for years. And then finally there you are, face to face. And it ends up feeling so much like you had once imagined it, except better. The colors are more vibrant. The connection, stronger. Each day somehow more beautiful than the last.
Though my love story with Bath was being put on hold, my love story with England would still continue, but not until I went for one last sunrise walk around this stunning little Somerset city.
As the pastel-painted sky grew brighter and brighter, it seemed I was the only one awake. I had the entire city to myself as I walked uphill to the iconic Royal Crescent. As I rounded The Circus onto Gay Street, I was greeted with the prettiest sound I think I’ve ever heard. With the warmth of the sun soothing my back, the symphony of one lone blackbird echoed over the buildings. I followed the sound of his song with my eyes until finally, there he was on the corner house. The song of the blackbird is my favorite. Just one “coincidence” of many.
As I stood in front of the Royal Crescent, my camera in my right hand, I spotted a lovely older gentleman out for his morning walk. “Good morning!” he smiled as he passed by. “Good morning!” I chirped back. An exchange of words so simple that meant so much to me because it was in those moments that I realized how much I had missed those pleasant exchanges from one human to another in my mother tongue.
The sun grew higher into the sky, stretching over the top of the Royal Crescent, its amber hue casting a warm glow over the lawn. I paused for a moment, taking in the beauty around me, the yellow daffodils ever so gently dancing in the subtle breeze.
After an hour or so of walking around Bath as the sun warmed up the streets on that beautiful Sunday morning, I made my way back to my hotel.
As the miles passed and the countryside grew further and further away, I could feel the anxieties of navigating London on my own beginning to bubble up. I knew it was going to be a challenge but I also knew that I was capable of whatever happened next. It was time now to shift gears.
My time in Bath was brief but the depth of my visit was boundless. I was already looking forward to my return.
#ChelseaGoesToEngland
This is part of my ‘UK Travel Diary’ series which I’m sharing parts of both here on my blog and over on my Instagram @ChelseaDinen. Be sure to follow along
