In 2016, B-Rod and I were watching the show Sherlock. At that time, neither of us had been anywhere in the UK, and we started talking about wanting to actually go to London to walk along some of the roads we had been watching in the series, to experience a city that has such a rich history, to see in person some of the iconic English symbols and to simply go on an adventure.
Conveniently, B-Rod’s airline had recently started flying there, so we made a plan and booked some flights. Unfortunately (for us), like anything new, when starting new routes, there can be some hiccups. In this case it ended up being planes having issues which means people and flights were shuffled, and it was nearly impossible to get on as standby travel. Attempt number one to London failed.
The next year, we had the opportunity to book flights as confirmed guests with actual seats we knew we’d have weeks before the flight even left. We made some plans, booked some cool places to stay and got excited. Three days before we were supposed to leave, B-Rod had an accident while mountain biking and instead of catching that flight, we hung out at the hospital for him to have facial reconstruction surgery. Attempt number two to London failed.
In 2020, with vacation time coming up, we decided that this was the time that we were going to finally get to the UK. Well . . . . . we all know what happened then! Attempt number three to London failed.
This year, with a new inspiration to get across the pond, B-Rod intended to use some of his vacation time to finally get there. Attempt number four to London was not only a success, it ended up being EPICALLY successful!
While at the airport, hours before the flight with sighs of relief and excitement knowing that we were going to finally make it, B-Rod was wandering the halls when he ran into one of his friends that he’s known way back since the beginning of his flying career. Turns out, this friend would be flying us over! YEAH!
Just before boarding, we got called up to the counter. With a glint in her eye, the customer service agent handed us new boarding passes. I literally cried when we sat down and looked at them. See, I have a list (that I may tell you about someday), and I have been actively looking for creative ways to make this one thing from my list happen. I said that I only needed to have it once in my life (but will gladly welcome it to happen many more times if it does!) and on that day my dream came true!
The next sign that this flight (if not this whole trip) was going to be epic was some products that were given to us as we sat down..
London
Being fairly certain that we could find a way over, B-Rod had done something we don’t usually do . . . . he booked us something in advance 😮 Which means we had to be somewhere at a specific time, which means we only had a few hours in London after we landed before we had to leave.
So, after a long flight with little sleep (I was so excited and actively appreciating my list checking experience that even I didn’t sleep very well!), wanting to move and to try to adjust to the time zone as soon as we could, we did what we often do when we get to a new place . . . . . we walked our feet off to explore!
Stoke-on-Trent
The next morning we got up bright and early and boarded a train heading in the direction north east from London.
1 hour and 45 minutes latter we arrived at Stoke-on-Trent. We were early enough that again, we spent the day (this time somewhat unintentionally) walking our feet off and checking out the area. This area is well know for its pottery industry and this along with other factories made it a big industrial area back in the day. When the pottery industry declined and was moved elsewhere, the area suffered and still is somewhat today.
Gladstone Pottery Museum
Gladstone Pottery Museum was high on my list of places to see here and it didn’t disappoint. It was kind of cool because it reminded me a lot of Medalta in Medicine Hat where I have spent a bit of time, and it was cool to see what I still remember and retain about different ways that pottery is made. The history involved in this is interesting with a lot more mentioned about the child labour (often starting at age five!!) The difference from Medalta is that Gladstone Potteries used bottle kilns which we got to see up close. Back in the day, there were over 2,000 in the area. Today about 50-ish remain.
Etruria Industrial Museum
We also went to the Etruria Industrial Museum, which satisfied B-Rod’s interest/fascination with how things work!
Staffordshire Oatcakes
I was determined to try the Staffordshire Oatcake (or simply called oatcake here) while in the area. This “oatmeal pancake” famous from the region “dates back to the 18th century and became a staple diet of the pottery workers in the 19th century.”
Not only did we have some and they were delicious, but we also had one of those experiences/interactions that make travelling so worth it! We randomly ended up at the Staffordshire Oatcakes shop. The guys there (including the owner) were so friendly, helpful and informative and made our first experience with oatcakes a true pleasure. We learned about oatcakes, about the area and had great conversations. I always love being around people who are truly passionate about what they do!
Narrowboat watching
At one point, we were walking along a canal and watched some of the narrowboats glide gently by.
We came across a series of locks when a few narrow boats where getting ready to go through. We stayed to watch them and one of the boaters took us under her wing, explained the process and even had us help her with a couple of the locks.
This was a really good thing because starting soon, one of these will be our home base for the next week! B-Rod came across some videos about narrowboats and the lock system awhile ago and really wanted to try it! THIS is what inspired our latest trip to finally get across the pond!
So with a bit of nerves, yet also excitement we’re off for a week on our boat. Stay tuned to find out how narrowboat life treats us!