An Okay Day

Today will not go on record as the pinnacle of our travels. It was an okay day, but filled with minor setbacks. Here’s the list:

 

1.   The rain: All morning and on to 3:00. Of course, I’m in England! Those green fields didn’t come from nowhere. Why even complain?

 

2.   The bus: Decided to go to Stratford-Upon-Avon while we were in the area and another long walk in the rain didn’t sound so appealing. Waited at the correct bus stop at the correct time, the bus appeared and drove right by us! Waited another 25 minutes thinking maybe it was circling around and decided there was no choice but to get the next one two hours later. And here I confessed— I was annoyed!

 

3.   The Railway Station: After a restoring lunch, decided to catch the bus at a more trustworthy stop at the railroad station, thinking we could shelter in the station while waiting. But the station was closed. So huddled at the bus stop with the intermittent rain continuing.

 

4.   The bus. Came and left on time. But apparently it was a special one that stopped at a school to pick up kids. I didn’t mind riding the bus with the kids, but it made the trip almost an hour longer than it should have been.

 

5.   The stores closing: It now was close to 5:00 when we finally arrived in Stratford and some of the appealing stores—like the Shakespeare bookshop— were just closing. Still inspiring to see his birthplace and old school and a small exhibit in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s theater and the swans in the river Avon. But not much time for it all as the last bus back to our town was at 6:45. 

 

6.   The bus: Came on time and took a slightly faster route. The rains had finally stopped, but now we were in a bus instead of out walking. 

 

And so ended our last official day of touring. Today it’s a train back to London, me preparing my workshop for tomorrow and my wife preparing her return journey to San Francisco. She’s ready to go home, I’m ready to be teaching again. All is well.