Final trips - wind down - July 3rd & July 4th
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14th day
Norwich AM / Cambridge Afternoon / London PM
Tuesday July 3rd
We had to get up at 8:30am to be on the road by 9:30am bound for Cambridge! We did that - Tracy wanted OUT! Hehe...fair enough.
9:30 to 10am, I took Tracy on a drive to my former university, the University of East Anglia, and then to my old house where I lived
for a year. Being that we only had 30 minutes, we only drove by and looked, so no photos there.
Our drive down to Cambridge was very good...and fast. Surprisingly, we hit NO traffic -
I say surprisingly, because I hit traffic from the beginning the week before, and it took
me then over 5 hours to get to London. Once in Cambridge, we parted ways. Tracy
went to some of the Colleges and took photos - I went for a walk, and visited Caius
College and Trinity. School was not in session, so there were very few people around.
At about 1:30pm, we re-joined each other for a nice tea/lunch: Scones, with butter,
clotted cream, and strawberry jam, with a nice cup of tea. Very nice. Here are some
Cambridge Photos:
14th day
London...
Tuesday July 3rd - Evening.
We returned to Kingston by about 6pm, relaxed ever so briefly, then headed into London. Tracy went to the Shakespeare Theatre
to watch "Love's Labour's Lost". I went into town, enjoyed the easy underground system, and met up with some friends for a final
dinner goodbye and drinks. We all ended up going out for Sushi by the London Bridge and a few pints. After dinner, we all headed
toward the Globe Theatre so we could meet up with Tracy and Andrea after their show. They got out around 10:30pm, joined us for
another pint, and at about 11:30pm, sadly, we all parted ways.
Tracy and I got back to Kingston by 1am - packed - and went to bed. Here are some photos of London, again by night.
16th day
Final Thoughts...
Thursday July 3rd
I had a very good stay in the UK. The last time I came to the UK two years ago, I only stayed for one week - clearly back then, that
was too short. My first week in the country was a bit iffy - travelling non-stop, making this recording, singing at Portsmouth,
singing concerts, going to the Pub. My god - I went to the pub every day, for several pints per day.
Tracy arrived in the country for my second week. We had a lot of fun and saw & did a lot of things together. In London, we heard
evensongs of some of the country's finest choirs. We went to pubs, art galleries, operas, shows. We took nice photos, ate
sometimes well, but most of the time shite! We DID England - and had a great time.
The UK Smoking ban went into Effect July 1st. The Prime Minister Resgned. Gordon Brown took over. London was bombed -
Glasgow was bombed. I certainly chose the right time to travel to the UK!
OK - here is the rating Tracy and I gave the choirs that we heard and sang with during the weeks.
So...strange to see who comes out on top. I'll leave it at that. I might say one thing though, that under McCarthy, both Tracy and I
average an '7' for the Washington National Cathedral.
--
I've been asked by about 10 people, 'Do I want to remain living in the US, or return to the UK?' -
I think, still the US. I love England - I think these two weeks has brought me back and reminded me of what I love about England.
The only problem there is that I love my life in the USA and my friends, and I'd like to return to it. England will always be England to
me - and I will also be fond of it, and return often, but my home is now in the US. I happily say I am a snob - a ponce and quite
stuck-up! I love it and have no intention of changing. God Bless the Queen...!
The CD I came over to record will probably be available Late December into January.
Tomorrow, July 5th, I'm driving to South Carolina for 5 days to see my Aunt and Uncle. July 10th, I'm driving to North Carolina to see
some other friends and staying in the Outer Banks for a few days. I'm back in DC as of the 13th or 14th of July. I start my RSCM
Teaching at the end of the month, and may go off to Florida either the beginning of August or the end.
It has been a good month off - and I'm looking forward to re-starting casually, toward the end of the summer, with nice weather. It
rained non-stop in the UK...torrential downpours...flooding...& coool/cold weather.
Best!
Chris Dudley
15th day
Kingston
Wednesday July 4th
Today, Tracy left at about 5:30am - she took the local bus directly across the street bound for Heathrow Airport for her AM flight of
8:30am. She has a long day of travelling ahead of her, and after three stops, she'll arrive at Dulles Airport in Washington DC around
8:50pm.
I have a long-boring-relaxing day today. I must pack...I bought a considerable amount of stuff over. I bought a Cricket Set - ball,
padding and all the rest; I plan to teach these Americans how to play a real game. I bought about a tonne ABRSM Graded music for
use back in the US. I also bought loads of Patriotic England Shirts...things I would never wear in the UK, but certainly plan to over in
the US.
My flight leaves Heathrow at 5:30pm. Due to all these recent bombings in London and Scotland, I have to get there now at least 3
hours in advance. I already checked in online, so I'll leave Kingston around 1pm, return my rental car by about 2pm, and get to the
terminal by about 2:30. For anyone interested, I'm flying with Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Flight #55. I arrive, THE SAME TIME AS TRACY,
on a non-sop flight to Dulles, at 8:50pm.
Upon arrival, and after getting our baggage, Tracy and I will hire a taxi back to my car...arriving around 10pm...and will go briefly
inside Martha's house to say hello and give out gifts...
HOLIDAY OVER!
CATHEDRAL
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TRACY RATING
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CHRIS RATING
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AVERAGE
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Portsmouth Cathedral
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n/a
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3
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3
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Norwich Cathedral 1st visit
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n/a
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5
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5
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Westminster Abbey
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3
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5
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4
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St. Paul's Cathedral
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5
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9
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7
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St. George's Windsor Castle
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9
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5
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7
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Norwich Cathedral 2nd visit
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8
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7
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7.5
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