World Tour Photographs: Days 32-36, England

From France onward, I visited places familiar to me from past travels visiting friends. Falling back on old habits, though, I nearly made the mistake of booking flights from Belgium to England, not realizing that the journey is now possible entirely by train. Years ago, getting from the continent to the UK was a more complicated affair: you would take a train to Oostende, a ferry to Dover, a train to London, and further on to your final destination from there; or, just fly… For those of us who love trains, the Chunnel makes it possible to ride the rails all the way — and why not?

For most of this tour, I have been transiting by air; in fact, from California, USA to Fiji to the Republic of Korea, I spent 22 hours over sea on just two, very long flight segments. Now, I get to slow down a bit, and take in the scenery from the cabin of a train as I go from one country to the next — a real luxury!

Once I get to Somerset, England, I will be met by old friends Karen and Steve — two very special people, in part for having built their own home (through their own effort). They are special to me in many other ways as well, and I am glad to be spending a few days with them. We plan on taking some driving tours of the English countryside, which I am thoroughly looking forward to.

Photographs in this series include: