At the beginning of the semester, Bill and I decided to take advantage of an interesting opportunity provided by the University of Surrey. HostUK is a host program designed to match international students with families in the United Kingdom who are willing to open their homes for a short weekend visit. Filling out the application for an unplanned free weekend, Bill and I had no idea where we would be traveling during the third weekend of October. Looking for a chance to truly experience traditional British culture, I was excited when we received an email with the contact information for an elderly couple in Newbury, England. Located in the heart of English horse country, Newbury sounded quaintly enchanting in the few emails received from our hosts in the days leading up to our arrival. Thankful for a chance to relax, Bill and I grabbed our tickets and hopped on a train for yet another amazing weekend adventure.
Arriving in Newbury early Friday evening, Bill and I had no problem finding Ian and Lesley Park as they waited on the train platform with a HostUK sign in their hands. Enthusiastically shaking hands in a quick round of introductions, we loaded our backpacks into their rather spacious car for a short ride to their home in the countryside. As we pulled into their driveway, the first thought that popped into my head was, "Wow, this is a lot of house for only two people!" Living in Britain for over two months already, I have grown accustomed to small English townhouses with barely enough room for twin beds, basic kitchen essentials, and a dining room table. The Parks home, however, closely rivaled their American counterparts with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study, cute foyer, long kitchen, spacious dining room, comfortable living room, glass-enclosed conservatory, and a real backyard (as opposed to the usual small "garden" tended by most homeowners). Walking into their house was like stepping through the doorway of my parents' home in the United States -- a much-needed experience.
While Bill and I settled into our rooms upstairs, Ian and Lesley began setting the dining room table for dinner. Starving from a busy day of classes, I was thrilled to see Lesley dishing up my favorite traditional English meal: bangers and mash. Getting to know the Parks over dinner was an extremely enjoyable chance to learn about their travels across the globe and the other international students that they have hosted throughout the years. As an electrical engineer, Ian had retired from Vodaphone (a major European cell phone company) several years earlier. During his working days, Ian took frequent business trips to many great locations in Europe, North America, and Asia. Often traveling with him, Lesley also enjoyed the opportunity to travel and had made several friends on their trips, which only meant that they often returned for occasional friendly visits. As proof of their travels, their kitchen refrigerator was covered in magnets from every state and country that they had seen over the years. Planning our own trips to Spain and Germany, Bill and I quickly found that Ian and Lesley possessed a wealth of travel knowledge.
Moving from the dining room to the living room, we warmed ourselves with a cup of tea while Ian began stacking logs in the fireplace for a late evening blaze. Sipping tea while the wood began to crackle, Bill and I spent several hours talking to Ian and Lesley about everything from favorite books to typical American quirks. The liveliest elderly couple that I've ever met, Ian and Lesley had read nearly every book that I had ever seen (which is a library in itself). With so much in common, the evening quickly became night as Bill and I tried explaining the main differences between college in the U.S. and universities in the United Kingdom. Holding out for as long as I could, I found my eyelids drooping from the warmth of the fire and knew it was only a matter of minutes before I gave into the temptation of sleep. Taking advantage in an unusual break in the steady stream of conversation, I wished everyone goodnight before enjoying the most restful night of sleep that I've experienced since arriving in England a few months ago.
Always an early riser, I enjoyed a few minutes to myself the next morning just to take in the cozy feeling of relaxing in a country home during the prime of autumn. Watching the trees change color, it felt wonderful to appreciate a few moments of my favorite season that I had almost missed in the crazy bustle of European travel. Walking from window to window around the Park's home, I heard Ian hop downstairs to heat water for a ritual cup of tea. Accepting a cup of tea for myself, I marveled at his agility as Ian grabbed a cup for himself and dashed up the stairs to catch a quick shower before beginning a busy day of hiking across the countryside. A true British hostess, Lesley walked downstairs, poured herself a cup of tea, and immediately began preparing an impressive English breakfast. The traditional English breakfast is a phenomenon not regularly experienced by most U.K. natives. Consisting of eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, baked beans, mushrooms, cereal, milk, and juice, Bill and I found ourselves hard-pressed to shovel the last bite of food into our mouths as Lesley smiled at our appreciative glances. Loosening our waistbands, Bill and I helped Ian clear the table before bundling up for a chilly morning in the Newbury market square.
Walking along the river that runs through the center of Newbury, Ian pointed out the canal boats that travel up and down the river carrying goods and people. Expecting large cargo ships, I was surprised to see that the boats were actually rather small with barely enough room for a person to sit underneath the canopy. Listening as Ian and Lesley told us more on the importance of the canal and a bit of Newbury history, I allowed my eyes to wander further down the river where I saw an incredible sight -- an entire flock of over twenty swans. Traveling throughout southern England, Bill and I have often seen one or two swans swimming through Britain's many rivers and streams, but never before have I seen as many swans as I did that morning. They were the epitome of grace with their long necks and widespread wings. A handful of the younger swans were still gray, which reminded me of the "Ugly Duckling" where a baby swan must shed its gray coat of feathers before turning beautifully white. Scrambling to snap a few photos before they swam away, they hardly noticed my camera as a nearby man fed them scraps of bread and seed.
Straying from the river, Lesley needed to drop a few books off at the public library, which was conveniently located next to our next sight of interest. As Lesley ducked into the library for a few minutes, Ian showed us Newbury's most prized piece of contemporary art. Funded by a donation from Vodaphone, the mayor of Newbury (Mike Rodger) commissioned to have a "city mosaic" erected in front of the public library. Designed by artist Paul Forsey, the mosaic is similar to a long filmstrip containing scenes from Newbury's vivid history. Though many cities in both Europe and the U.S. can boast of local art in their own town centers, this mosaic was interesting in that it was actually created by the citizens of Newbury. Despite designing the artwork, Mr. Forsey only constructed the metal outline of each object and left the job of colorful tile-fitting to the townspeople. By placing the small tiles themselves, the mosaic is special to Newbury because the citizens worked together to complete a beautiful work of art.
Walking through the town market, the four of us headed towards our next destination -- St. Nicholas Church. As a member of the parish bell ringers, Ian took us up to the top of the church's bell tower for an amazing view of the city and a bell ringing demonstration. Though it might seem that pulling a rope to ring a single bell might be easy, imagine trying to ring a bell that weighs several hundred pounds. Add in the fact that the ringers must tug the bell pulls with perfect timing to create a melody, and you may begin to realized just how difficult bell ringing can be! Due to safety concerns and lack of training, Bill and I weren't allowed to ring the bells, but it was neat to see the highly specialized technique required for an age-old Anglican tradition.
After spending the entire morning meandering around town, we walked back to the Park's home for a light lunch before hiking through Watership Downs in the afternoon. A short drive from Newbury, Watership Downs is a large piece of privately-owned countryside used exclusively for horse training. With a a major British horse racing track located in Newbury, the downs are perfect for galloping up and down hills, jumping over hurdles, or just releasing a bit of pent-up energy -- that is, its perfect if you're a horse. ;) Despite the many fences partitioning the land among several horse owners, the Parks, Bill, and I hiked across the hills of Watership Downs just to catch an amazing view of the countryside. With the sun shining and the earth finally beginning to warm up on an otherwise chilly day, all of us were content to hike for a few hours before surrendering to fatigued legs. Reveling in the warm smell of autumn, I found myself slightly homesick with the reminder of fall in my small northwest Ohio hometown. For the first time since arriving in Europe, I found myself missing fallen leaves, American football, hot apple cider, homemade pumpkin pie, and curling up in my favorite chair with a good book. Even though I love Europe and am having the time of my life, I realized that sometimes there's just no place like home.
Satisfied with an incredibly relaxing day, we drove back to the Park's house and enjoyed a cup of tea in the conservatory as Lesley began working her magic once again in the kitchen. Wanting recipes for a few of my favorite dishes from the weekend, I chatted with Lesley about our mutual love of cooking and asked for a few recommendations for British dishes to mix up after returning home to the States. Copying from her recipe cards, I happily scribbled down ingredients for tea cakes, crumbles, mulled wine, and carrot soup. Though it's easy to find almost every recipe on the internet, some dishes never taste the same without detailed directions from the master chef! Settling in for another low-key evening in front of the fire after dinner, Bill and I watched the second half of the Rugby World Cup. Unfortunately, England got pummeled by South Africa, but it was a fun game to watch regardless. Desperately missing American football, rugby is a decent alternative even though I haven't really developed loyalties to any specific team. Between soccer and rugby running strong in the U.K., I can't imagine American football making a successful debut anytime soon!
Enjoying a second amazing night of sleep, I woke early on Sunday morning to get dressed for an Anglican church service with Ian and Lesley. Leaving the house 45 minutes early, Bill and I decided to watch Ian ring the church bells with the other bell ringers. Usually ringing with nine members, the bell ringers were a little short-handed with only five people. Despite the small number, they carried on without any problems, and I was amazed at their coordination and expertise. With only five bells ringing, they were able to sound out nearly every pattern of five-note tune in perfect rhythm and harmony. Needless to say, they all looked a little winded after their early morning musical workout!
Returning home after church, Lesley popped a Sunday roast into the oven as Bill and I sipped yet another pot of tea in the conservatory. (I seemed to drink more tea in that weekend than I had in the past month!) Agreeing that this had been one of our favorite weekends, we couldn't stop marveling at the incredible hospitality of Ian and Lesley. In a single weekend, we had been fed amazing meals, given a personal tour of the city, allowed to stay in an amazing house, and enjoyed every minute spent with Ian and Lesley. Between the two of us, Bill and I dubbed the Parks as our "British grandparents" -- extremely sweet and spoiling us at every available opportunity!
Unfortunately, our weekend seemed to end much too soon as the Parks drove Bill and I back to the train station on Sunday afternoon. Giving hugs to Ian and Lesley, I was sad to see them grow smaller as our train quickly pulled away from the platform. Though we didn't travel to a large exciting city or see another famous European site, Newbury left me feeling strangely satisfied, amazingly refreshed, and happily light-hearted!
Thanks again, Ian and Lesley, for an amazing weekend that Bill and I will not soon forget!
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