Matt and I woke up and got ready for our day. I packed my backpack which seemed a bit more heavy then when I arrived. And it certainly did not get any lighter on our walk to the train station! It was raining when we left and Matt kindly offered me his umbrella since mine was nicely tucked away and he used his hood. We got onto the train to Liverpool Street Station and then we jumped onto the Central line train. Once we arrived at King's Cross Station/St. Pancreas I hugged Matt goodbye and I was on my way, on my own again.
I walked to the new St. Pancreas station, which is a very nice looking station. I quickly panicked as I approached the Eurorail station because I realized I did not have a print out of my itinerary or even a reference number! What an idiot I am, so unprepared. I calmly thought to myself, I should just try to check in and see what happens. So I jumped in line at the auto check-in machines and swiped my credit card to look up my booking. "Eurorail does not recognize card for booking reference." Crap!! I tried a three times and then it dawned on me, I didn't book my train ticket with Eurorail, I am only going to Northern England, not to another country! Again, another idiot moment and I sheepishly slid out of the way and continued to walk further into the station. At this point I felt very embarrassed and ashamed of my unorganized and quite stupid self. But I decided to blame it on the early hour and move on.
I then found the National Rail Lines auto-check in booths and smiled at my mistake. I quickly walked up and swiped my credit card, the screen flashed "Please enter reference number:" Crap again! So I swallowed my pride and took the easiest option...called home. It did occur to me that it would be 2 am in the states, but I qualified this as an "emergency" and rang anyway. Dad answered the phone very startled and I quickly reassured him that "Everything is fine, I am perfectly fine, please don't panic." Once he realized that I wasn't in need of serious help, I explained that he needed to open my email, get into the train website and look up my reference number, he was able to help me. I can imagine he wasn't too pleased with me calling at 2 am to get a reference number, but he was very happy to help and saved me from a complete panic! Thanks Dad, I appreciate your assistance!
Once I was able to retrieve my tickets, I stopped for a chocolate croissant (YUM!) and some coffee. Then it was time to board. The train ride lasted about 3 hours, it was a beautiful ride through the countryside. Rolling green hills, fences made of stone divided the green countryside into squares or rectangles, and sheep where everywhere. We would pass through small towns or villages with large stone homes which had smoke pouring from their chimneys despite the very sunny day we were lucky to experience. The cathedrals in each town were equally beautiful to the next and I enjoyed most of the ride just watching the country move past my window.
I arrived in Sheffield and Kristin Kern-Lowe was gracious enough to pick me up at the Taxi Rank (whatever that means). Kristin found me just fine and we jumped in the car to head to her home in Bradwell. Sheffield is a lot bigger than I imagined. We stopped at a store called B&Q, which is equivalent to Lowe's or Home Depot. Kristin and Ian are looking for an artificial Christmas tree, but due to the large ceilings in the chapel they need a 10 foot tree. Apparently it is near impossible to find a 10 foot tree in England since most homes are much too small for such a large tree. Kristin had no luck at the B&Q and so we drove home. We winded through the narrow roads of the area and the views were unbelievable. It is very pretty up here and I enjoyed looking at the hills and villages as we passed.
We arrived at Kristin and Ian's home -- Bethleham Chapel. They purchased it just over a year ago. It was built as a church for a religion that is no longer exists here in England. The previous owner updated the chapel and turned it into a very modern home. We parked the car along side the chapel and as I got out my first glimpse was of their next door neighbors...a graveyard. The graveyard is very old and was used by the church many years ago. It looks eire as all the large tombstones lean in different directions from the movement of the ground below them. They are all stone and some are green from the moss and earth that have covered them. I loved it!
Kristin gave me a quick tour of her beautiful home. The first floor is a large open space with a brand new and I should say, very impressive kitchen. The room serves as the living room with a eco-friendly (added that for you Nicole) coal burning fire-place. This is the only source of heat for the main floor, and it quickly became essential for my well-being! They also have a dining room and a large modern spiral staircase leading upstairs. Upstairs is the master bedroom, guest bedroom, large storage area, their old kitchen space and a bathroom. It is all very nice, I think it looks amazing.
Also off the main floor, through the fire-proof door is a office and down another spiraly staircase a laundry room, storage room and bathroom. The downstairs area is not heated and the bathroom holds the only shower in the house. The room is FREEZING, but luckily the water is hot (thank you electric showers). So you can only imagine the temperature difference when you shower, my hands and feet were so cold they burned under the hot water and I couldn't feel anything.
The chapel is very cold and I have not taken my coat off since I arrived, except to sleep. Right now as I am typing I have 4 layers on, a hat, pants, socks and my fingers are so cold its hard to type. YIKES! I struggle to stay warm so thankfully Ian and Kristin offered me a water bottle that you can fill up with boiling water to keep you warm. I have it with me at all times, I even take it to bed to keep me warm under the covers!
After the tour I went with Kristin to walk a neighbor's dog, Monty. We walked up a very steep hill and I will admit I was struggling. I think Kristin was just trying to break me in for the next few days! After our nice walk we came back to the chapel and I worked on some emails. Kristin worked on getting a fire started for warmth and she began cooking dinner. Ian and Kristin are VERY good cooks and have fed me the most amazing meals. They swear by Jamie Oliver and I will look into getting one of his recipe books when I return to the states. Kristin prepared fresh pizza dough and a pizza sauce from scratch. I was already impressed and I was able to contribute by stirring the sauce! I didn't want to mess anything up, so she gave me something simple. Once Ian was home they worked on the contents for the three individual pizzas...peppers, mushrooms, pine nuts, and cheese. It was delicious!! We also had some wine and watched a bit of TV before retiring for bed.
Goodnight, Anna
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