Our British Invasion: A Wanderer’S Guide to Traveling England, Scotland, Ireland and Then Some

By Jill Gandy

It is 2017, and President Trump has put out a travel ban to certain countries. But guess what? England, Scotland, and Ireland are not on that list. And these are English-speaking countries. Want to know where the locals hang out and what fun things to do? Travel along with us through our British invasion. Adventure is just a page away.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543434859

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Copyright © 2017 by Jill Gandy. 763998

Library of Congress Control Number:   2017910493

   ISBN:   Softcover      978-1-5434-3486-6

      Hardcover   978-1-5434-3487-3

      EBook      978-1-5434-3485-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 07/31/2017

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Preface

Have you ever wanted to travel to England or Ireland or Scotland and hang out where the locals do? It’s easy and relatively inexpensive. My husband, Michael, and I had an opportunity to do just that while on a work assignment for his company. I kept a journal of our time there and all the places we visited. I have done my research to make sure our favorite places are still were they are supposed to be since it has been 15 years. I am following most of them on Facebook, uploaded some of my pictures to their page, and made a review.

If you love to travel or just want to go somewhere that is rich in history and relaxation, I encourage these trips. We met the most wonderful people and felt so welcome everywhere we went. I am looking forward to going back as soon as my children have left my nest.

Might as well start from the beginning before the trip even attempts to progress…

Michael worked for a large aeronautical company in Fort Worth, Texas. He has been there for three years. He was one of their smartest engineers. In October 2001, his company received a very large contract from our US government to start building the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter-F35). Michael was asked to be on the Prognostic and Health Management (PHM) team. Being in this department, he would mostly work with other aeronautical engineers from the UK since they would also be contributing to the JSF project. Somehow, Michael finagled a trip to go over there to get the ball rolling with his new team. Nevertheless, we would not be going for just a few weeks. This was a stay-for-a-while kind of trip.

After the shock of this news started to ware off, I asked for a leave of absence from my job at an oncology lab in Arlington. My big boss flipped her wig, but in the end, she composed herself and wished us the best.

By October 1, 2002, we were all packed. The house was clean and ready for our renters. Our cars were clean and ready for long-term storage. Mocha (our half corgi/ half lab fur baby) went home to Oklahoma with my mom and dad. I knew that she will be well taken care of while we are gone.

My sister, Holli, came over for last minute hugs and kisses. Michelle, Michael’s sister, and April, Michael’s mother, called to say their good-byes and come home soons.

Nevertheless, Mom, Dad, and Holli already had their tickets to come for Christmas. Santa’s sleigh was going to look more like an American Airlines plane this year 25612.png .

This book is

dedicated to

Michael D. Gandy

For being a Wonderful and Adventurous Husband

I won’t run, I won’t fly

I will never make it by without you, without you

I can’t rest, I can’t fight

All I need is you and I, without you, without you

-Usher singing lyrics by David Guetta

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1: Preston, UK – Our Home Away from Home

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: Still in Awe

Chapter 2: The Settling In

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: Chasing down a dream…in his underwear?

Chapter 3: Blackpool

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: Soccer Anyone?

Chapter 4: Levens Hall and World Famous Gardens

Chapter 5: Muncaster Castle, Cumbria, UK

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: A Night Out in Preston

Chapter 6: The Cadbury Chocolate Factory- Bourneville, UK

Chapter 7: Liverpool, UK

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: Eatin’ Good in the Neighborhood

Chapter 8: Hard-Knot Pass, Central Lake District, Cumbria

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: Penny for the Man – Guy Folks Day

Chapter 9: Bosham, Sussex, UK

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: Oops…There’s Stonehenge!

Chapter 10: Lytham/ St.Annes and The Circle of Life

Chapter 11: To the Middle…and Back

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: House Invaders

Chapter 12: Amsterdam

Chapter 13: Brussels and Damme

Chapter 14: The White Cliffs of Dover and Rochester

Chapter 15: London

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: Push Down for Reverse

Chapter 16: Christmas-N-Scotland

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: …And then there were Three…

Chapter 17: Lake District Getaway

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: Tea with the Crozier’s

Chapter 18: Saint Patrick’s Day in Dublin

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: Pub Golf

Tales of a Girl in a Foreign World: My Only Regret

Epilogue

CHAPTER 1

Preston, UK – Our Home Away from Home

Well, it is Tuesday, October 8th, 2002. Michael and I have been in the United Kingdom (UK) for four days now. What a ride! I guess I should start with our first steps off the plane onto foreign soil.

Michael and I arrived Friday morning with hardly any sleep on the plane. From the Manchester airport, we had to catch a train to Preston (see below). From that train station, we had to catch another train to Lytham, Lancashire to pick up the keys from the realtor, John. All the while carrying our laptops, a huge suitcase with minimal clothing, and two pillows. In other words, just enough to almost be a burden on weary travelers.

image001.jpg

Train Station in Preston, Lancashire, UK

When we arrived in Lytham, Michael and I just took in the sights and wondered how we were going to drive on the other side of the street. Plus, these were small streets. Small cars, small streets, and small towns. Very cozy!

We had lunch at a small café 25614.png . Great food! And from where we were sitting, we could see the Irish Sea. Yes, the actual Irish Sea! This moment went far beyond my expectations. Beautiful, just beautiful!

Afterwards, we walked along the shore and then headed back to the real estate office to meet with John. He was very nice and helpful. He, also, gave us a ride to the house in Preston, which was a very good thing since we had no idea how to get around.

A few minutes later, we were at the house. (See pictures in Chapter Two – The Settling In) The house is owned by one of Michael’s co-workers, Luiz, who is now in the Fort Worth, Texas. You could call it a house swap of sorts. Luckily, the house came furnished with two couches, a dining table and chairs, and a futon bed in the bedroom. Tired and cold, John helped us with the heater and bid us adieu. We just wanted to take a nap, but that was just wishful thinking. We over slept a few more hours than expected. When we woke, we unpacked what we had brought and decided that the next day we needed to go shopping. There was no telling when our other personal items from Texas would be here since they were coming by ship.

That next day, we didn’t even wake up until 1:00pm (UK-time), and that was because the heater man showed up to service the equipment. I have never had so much jet lag before, and I don’t want to have it again. I felt like we had so much to do with very little sleep to do it. Michael had gotten some money from the ATM in Lytham, so we had some pounds (British money, not weight) on us. We took the bus which was conveniently located right outside our house to the central bus station to look around. To our advantage, there was a market nearby. We walked a little, then eat at McDonald’s. It is not the same as it is in the states, but it was good. We just enjoyed the sights again and kept walking. We found a bed and bath store that was going out of business, and they were having a huge sale on their goodies. We bought some blankets and towels.

Now, here is the first reason why I love the UK: The bus station, the market, and the Town Centre are all in a central location. Everything was so picturesque and easy to access. We realized that we didn’t have our camera with us. Dang it! Michael said that we were going to have to get a digital camera because it was going to be expensive to develop all the pictures that we wanted to take of our travels. I had to agree. So, I am leaving it up to him to get the camera and take the pictures.

*Let me just drop a note right here before we go any further: With any great team, each member has both strengths and weaknesses. Michael had his pilot’s license before he could drive a car, so he is our pilot (aka driver) and the photographer. He has a great artistic eye and takes great pictures. I, on the other hand, would like to think that I am somehow related to Rand McNally (the guy that made all the paper maps.). I love maps, so my job is to be the navigator (aka co-pilot) and keep this journal. As you read on, it becomes apparent that this combination does not work in reverse.

We continued to walk and sightsee. Fortunately, we picked up a bus map at the station. Little did I know that Michael had planned to use this map for our walking purposes. Few clothes, no towels to take a shower (since we just bought them), jet lag, and now walking everywhere. I was not a happy camper, but the weather was beautiful, and the town was all soft and cozy. So, why not!

We had no idea where we were, and even having a map, we seemed to be lost. But, we were heading in a general direction. Michael wanted to see the ship docks, so off we went. We came upon the Preston train station from yesterday. It seemed to look smaller from the outside. It must be a TARDIS 25616.png . We kept going and ended up finding the docks. It looked as if the ships had been there for a while. Two tugboats were tied to an anchor in the middle of the water which made for a very pretty picture. (Remember, no camera) We sat down on a bench and looked on the map to see where we had been and where we want to go next. We continued to walk along the dock to find a pet store, a pub, a grocery store, and a bus stop. Yah! I, oops I mean WE, were saved. We decided to go home on the bus and drop off our things, take a shower, and come back to the pub for dinner.

We got back to house to find that our toilet was not flushing well. So, we set out to find the friends of Luiz’s that lived near his house. We went to Carl’s house first because that was the address that Michael had on him. He and his family were eating dinner, so he directed us to Mike and Diane’s house which was across the cul-de-sac. We introduced ourselves and visited for a minute, then Mike lent us a plunger. He even gave us a lift to the pub so we could eat dinner. Thanks, Mike! At their house, we noticed a pile of gifts on the table. Mike said that tomorrow was his birthday. So, Michael and I agreed that while we were out tomorrow that we would pick him up a gift.

The next morning, which was Sunday, we planned to walk (imagine that) to the grocery store we saw yesterday. It was called Morrison’s. Michael looked on the map to set us in the right direction. Also, on the map, we saw a park called Ashton Park in our path. He never passes up a good stroll through a park.

We knew that we couldn’t buy a lot because we had to either walk or take the bus back to the house. I, obviously, wanted to take the bus. When we cut across Ashton park, we were impressed with how the English love their parks because it was a large, beautiful, and well-kept. We saw people with their dogs (which made me miss my Mocha-Mocha) and others walking and jogging. After crossing through, we came across another McDonald’s and had