So I’ve been back for a few days now, and have gotten back into the swing of things at home and the office. Only 1500 emails in my inbox when I went back in. That’s what I spent all day Monday doing, if you were interested.
All in all, it was a good trip. Made some new friends, and had a pretty good time. I missed my family terribly, tho. I did what all dads do when they get to the BOQ on the first day of a deployment, det, or TDY assignment: put pictures of the wife and kid in the mirror.
The university town of Cambridge was just down the road from our base, so we spent quite a few nights (OK, almost every night) there sampling the local brewer’s wares. You can call it un-American, but there’s something to be said for warm, flat beer. Especially if it’s good beer. And although much maligned, British food isn’t so bad, as long as it’s Indian, Algerian, Thai, or some other ethnic import. Aside from Fish and Chips or Bangers and Mash, most of the native cuisine is pretty unpalatable. This coming from a guy who will eat just about anything.
Made it into London on Saturday. Saw St. Paul’s cathedral (where Nelson and Wellington are entombed) as well as the Imperial War Museum. Coming from a country where anything over 200 years old is considered “ancient”, being in a city where 500 year old buildings are still in use was a bit astonishing.
Lastly, on a familial note, a bit about a small village a few miles down the road from the base where we stayed. The area of England where we were based is called East Anglia, and is a lot like Nebraska. It’s mostly farmland with a few villages here and there. Why do I mention this? The village is named Ellington. Unfortunately, the only picture I have of it was from the car as we were driving on the A14.
