Yesterday is Gone...

Yesterday we left for Southampton. I still have so much to do and honestly I think I'm dragging my feet because I'm not ready to leave northern England yet. I really like it here. I made some really good friends and still have so much I want to see and do!  But between Visa issues and projects I MUST attend to in the states - its time to return to the U.S. 
:(

The plan was to prebook a taxi to take us to train station in Penrith. Between traveling to Glastonbury, Glasgow and Inverness I have spent more time at this station than I have anywhere else. (Click to read if you missed any of those picture heavy posts.) Our village (very quaint and lovely has no train station or local cab company. So that was arranged days before. At the appointed time I moved our bags out in the alley, (remember I sent via courier most of the bags on to the hotel?) and waited for taxi, that didn't show up. 

He did call and say he could not find me. But he did offer to wait for me at the cross roads at the top of the hill, if I could please find him and then he would drive me back to house to pick up bags...ok sounds good. Off I go..

Run to top of hill..
No taxi. Hmm run back down and try next hill (These are steep hills too, people) and still no taxi. At this point I return to the house to see if he has noticed luggage piled up and driven there. Nope. 

---

Change into trainers since I am now jogging all over the village.

Attempt to call him. Call fails...
Run back to cross roads - no cab-
Cuss self for not jogging more often...catch breath and start again.
Run down the other hill to the store. Ask if he had stopped there looking for me? It's a long shot, I know, but my cousin from Washington state did that in Texas (a town of 7,000 + people) and stopped at a random store and asked, "Do you know Sarah? I'm not sure what her surname is?" And of course someone in the store replied, "Tall women with long hair?" Because that's just life, right? But my British cabby didn't stop and ask at the store. (They know me there too. How many women from Texas who have Canadian accents can live in a village of 800?)  See part of the problem is nothing in the village has a house number, so gps will not work. Everything is named and the names are really all similar. 

As I walked (No longer able to run) BACK up hill cabby called me!

He was on wrong cross roads! He found me and we loaded up the cab with our bags and off we went! After waiting a bit for road construction we made it to the train station with plenty of time to spare. (I took all this in to consideration when I planned my time line.) You never know in rural #England if there are going to be  sheep on the road or what....

And off we go...

See you at the next train stop!

After a few mishaps and a couple of delayed/changed trains we made it around 11:30 pm to our hotel. #Success! 
So look for me in Southampton for a few days and then we start the journey to USA. 
See you at the airport~