21st July 2024
Before they dropped me off at the airport, the Elliotts gave me a few options for my last morning in the UK. Initially we had discussed going for a long hike (longer than our Sabbath walk) up the nearby hill where we should be able to see quite a nice view of the valley. One thing that is always nice to do when visiting different countries is doing things people typically do or eating the kind of food people typically eat. I always enjoy a good serving of fish and chips which they usually have in the UK. I grew up on the west coast of the US in Washington State where the fish is fresh and the chips are also fresh so there is plenty of good seafood including fish and chips which is hard to beat, but I always try to find something comparable. Another common friend/family outing is to eat lunch or dinner at a pub. In many pubs across the isle there is the chance to eat some good traditional English food.
I woke up that morning and just wasn’t feeling a hike. Maybe I was just hungry. Maybe I had eaten too many cough drops the day before, or maybe I didn’t get enough sleep (remember I had stayed up talking with Dave and Hannah…and also stayed awake a little longer checking into my flight online). I did ask about fish and chips, and there were a few places that might have tasty (possibly comparable) dishes that would still be serving on a Sunday afternoon so that was the plan for later. First we decided (even though it was my last day and my decision) to have lunch at the oldest pub in England. After a quick breakfast and a shower, and making sure my bags were all packed, we headed down the winding English roads to The Royal Standard of England in Beaconsfield.
The Royal Standard of England is among several other pubs that have claimed to be the oldest pub in England. This particular pub, even though they don’t claim to have been around for as long as some pubs claim, have historical proof to their claims. Regardless of how long it’s been around, it’s quite a unique place to have lunch. I opted for the roast venison, mostly since I haven’t eaten a lot of venison in my life, and I was intrigued by the “locally shot” claim of the dish. The roast was delicious, but I wonder if I would have been able to tell the difference between the venison and beef.
After our meal (and some shenanigans by the staff involving some lemonade that was remade and then accidentally removed from the table too early) we took a few photos of the grounds. Just outside the outdoor seating area I found a local mulberry tree with the largest mulberries I’ve ever seen. We drove to another town to hopefully find a good cup of coffee. We ended up touring a really interesting local inn that almost looks like a combination bedouin tent, fancy hotel, Japanese garden, and English pub. We didn’t get coffee there. We also ran across an interesting old church that we toured.
We ended our day picking the dog up from training school, grabbing a quick cup of coffee in a favorite local shop, and running to the park. Having lunch in a very historic place, and traipsing around various parts of England made me ponder the history of the world and my own history. While I can’t identify specific villages where my family might have roots, I do know that at least some of my ancestors came from England … probably. It would be interesting to figure out some more specifics of my family background, but I do know it’s probably not of much importance to my life or my outlook on the future.
Climbing on a plane always makes me eager for future adventures. It also makes me excited to get where I am going, in this case heading home. This time I would be heading home to find a good friend who has been staying at our place and watering Lena’s plants. I would also be heading to pick up Lola who has been safe in the Bronx with a family who adores her. As I am writing this, I have actually been home from this trip for more than 4 days now. The first full day back was busier than expected, and then I laid low for a few days trying to get rid of this troubling cough (which is hanging on by a thread but still around). Returning from such a quick and invigorating adventure can sometimes be disheartening because there is a desire to quickly apply the things I learned and to tell people about the things I’ve seen and experienced. But regular every-day life happens in the middle. And then of course there are future adventures to look forward to that can sometimes overshadow and push aside certain thoughts that seemed so important. Lena is finishing up a week at a camp in Oregon and I will be heading to another camp on Sunday. Our busy summer began all the way back in April and isn’t quite over. While we are always planning our next big adventure, we are excited to just be home for a little while.
– Lewis VanAusdle
Leave a Reply