The Great Yarmouth Excursion... and other short stories.

Realized since this is really trip based it should be posted here... so here 'tis. Hopefully I'll feel the urge to write about my weekend excursions to The Globe and Bodiam/Leeds castle sometime soon.

For today, though...

Well, I'm officially back from my day off "mini break."I set out this morning at about 9:30, determined, for some reason, to reach the east coast of England and sit near the ocean for a bit. Easily shoving down the occasional voices telling me not to bother (including the one that told me to stay in bed and continue my morning's dream), I walked towards the bus station and caught a bus to the train station. Caught a train to Norwich (only after riding on four different trains do I realize how lucky I was to have caught that first train immediately... but then I remember that I had checked the time and was there about 10 minutes early, so not too astounding), and then switched to get to Great Yarmouth. Arrived a bit after noon.Great Yarmouth is, as the website and other tourist advertisements will tell you, quite a tourist/vacation town. Tons of stores and shops, a great span of sand, pier, and ocean tide, and many many fun things for the kiddies and adults alike.Being there alone, I was not overcome by the need to take part in much of these activities, but I did enjoy snapping some pictures for Jeffrey's viewing and walking through a few shops. I actually stopped into a store called "Size Up" which was quite fantastic, as clothing stores go. I purchased 4 items and spent around 75 american dollars --- £40.I made my way to the beach. It was a chilly and cloudly day, but I like that kind of weather so I wasn't bothered. The wind was a bit troublesome, however, as I had insisted on purchasing a take away meal and walking down onto the sand to eat it. Yum, sand and fish. The meal wasn't good anyway, so I ended up throwing it away and later going to McDonalds. Before that, I removed my shoes and sat stubbornly on the beach, wiggling my toes into the sand and pretending the beachfront was peopled by children and sunbathers and colorful umbrellas. I read some Shakespeare and wrote a bit in my journal. Quite enjoyable overall. And, after awhile, the sun actually did peep out. Quite marvelous -- if it had been too hot I'd have been grumpy, with no one to get grumpy AT (ah, how I miss you Jeffrey).Anyway, at half past four I tore myself away and walked back through a park and then the shops, picking up my Filet-o-fish on the way. I arrived at the train station by 5:00, and the train arrived by quarter after. Lovely. Boarded, switched at Norwich, arrived Cambridge, awaited a bus, disembarked at the city center, walked to Sainsbury's to purchase some more milk, cheddar, and frosted mini-wheats, and the rest, as they say, is that I walked home and came down here to check my e-mail.