Dear Sidmouth,

Sidmouth. England's Florida, if Florida was a state that I loved. Really Sidmouth only has a few things in common with Florida. Sidmouth is at the south of its country, has a fantastic coast, and boasts a large number of retired folks. Two of those folks are June and David. For three days and two nights June and David took me in and treated me like one of their own. And so this post is dedicated to them and their lovely part of the world. But before I talk about my stay I first need to talk about a friend back home.

Hello Emily.
Let's hope you read this, or it'd be a bit embarassing wouldn't it? Do you rememer Dr. Katz's class? That is the first class we had together right? I don't think we ever talked in it. And I'm sure that when you saw me you didn't think "One day that guy will go to Sidmouth and see my Grandma." But, that did happen. Isn't life odd. You see, June is Emily's Grandma. Emily and I became friends while attending an entry level physics class. If you go by what Facebook says (doesn't everyone?) we became friends in September 2013. Over the course of that year we'd build a strong friendship primarily made of pizza boxes, the strongest building material known to man. A special bond is formed during the ritual sharing of a Capone's Bonnie & Clyde. Of course things like giving a lift to work and helping with a move help a lot too. But mostly pizza. Once I made it to England Emily gave my contact info to her Gran. And the rest is now recent history. So thank you too Emily for being the tomato sauce on the pizza. You might be a bit out of the picture, but you form a vital link between the cheese and the crust. And I appreciate that greatly. More so after having eaten Hungary's sauceless pizza.

And so this past Sunday I found myself on platform 3 at the Taunton station waiting on the train to Exeter. David and I had been in touch and he'd be at the other end waiting on my arrival with a "Z E B !" sign. In less than an hour I'd be hopping in his car and cruising along to Sidmouth where I'd meet June. I'll never think of June as just another month. Certainly I'll now always be reminded of the south coast of England. And what a coast it is! After watching a Formula 1 race with David we'd set out on a walk. The word "walk" doesn't seem to do it justice. There should be a special term for when you go on a walk and see so much. On our journey we'd meander down hedge lined lanes, up and over a hill, and by pretty old houses. As the sun was setting we'd find ourselves standing above Jacob's Ladder at the shore. The sun had dipped behind a hill and its light had painted the sky with warm colors. There weren't many clouds but the ones present reminded me of the kind my Mom claims to mean it will snow. Down below us you could hear, and see, waves gently rolling on to the beach. The air felt clean and crisp. Along the coast you see the dramatic cliffs rising out of the sea. It's a bit obvious why people would want to retire here. Any day of the week you can walk into a painting. Or one of a number of paintings. We'd continue on through a well organized and beautiful garden area to a view of Sidmouth. Here you could see the town's waterfront with its shops, restaurant, and walkway. Soon we'd be down there. Stopping in at the Mocha for some tea and cake before heading away from the water, down beautiful streets, and back to June and David's. We'd return to a lovely roast dinner, June is quite the cook.

Monday brought more blue sky and crisp air. On the day's schedule was a walk from Branscombe to Beer along the Jurassic Coast. Fortunately free of dinosaurs. After breakfast we'd pile into the car and head for Branscombe, a town built up a valley. It was a pretty place and one day I'd like to return and look around. We'd head down along the valley until meeting the sea. Once again I was on the footpaths that I like so much. The walk over to Beer was filled with sun, views, and the sound of waves. We'd take our time and stop often to look at the scenery. Beer itself is a great destination. Lots of cool buildings and a nice atmosphere. Just make sure you get there before two if it's late in the year. Most of it is shut down or with limited hours during the off season. And if you're like David, a fish n' chip purist, you may be dissapointed by being offered huss instead of cod. But at least it's caught locally. You can walk down to the shore and see the boats. We'd eventually head back the way we came, this time on the high road. Along the way we came across many "kissing gates". The story being that a man would charge his lady with a kiss to be let through. Unfortunately I was a bit of a third wheel in this as I had no lady to tax and I couldn't wait around all day for one to arrive. Most we saw were already with their own member of the IRS anyway. Another highlight of this walk was recreating a photo or two from Emily's youth. It was fun to hear a few stories about her, nothing embarassing I promise Emily. As we continued and the sun set temperatures would drop quickly but soon enough we were back in Sidmouth enjoying a steak and kidney pie. For dessert I was even treated with a cream tea. Scones with clotted cream and jam, of course tea too. An issue in some households is whether you put your cream or your jam on first. I'm not sure what it says about me but for the record, I put the cream on first.

Tuesday would unfortunately be my last day in the company of June and David. We'd head into Exeter where they'd show me some of the history. A peak at the guildhall, a bit of the castle, and mostly the cathedral. The Exeter Cathedral really is quite a thing to see. After exploring it for a while we'd head to an old restaurant allegedly where Francis Drake used to go. I wonder what he'd think if he showed up there today. Too soon after leaving the restaurant I was at the train station saying my farewells. But it isn't a permanent goodbye. One day we may see each other again in North Carolina. There's also a walk close to the length of the Westweg that follows the coast, I think I'd like to do that. Either way Southwest England is somewhere I'd like to return to. I can't thank June and David enough for the hospitality that they've shown me, which included flying the NC flag. I wish them the best!

Sincerely,
Zeb

P.S.
Phew, sorry about this late update. Since Sidmouth I've returned to and left Wivey. I went back for a final dinner with Craig and Lis (and a pint in the bear along with a pickled egg). Two more folks, along with other Wivey locals, I'd like to see again. The next morning I caught a coach to London where I met up with my Mom! We've been exploring the city together along with her friend Sandi. It's really a treat. I'm sure I'll have something to say about all of that. We head to Amsterdam for a few days on the 30th and then Dec. 3rd I'm off to Scotland! I'll try to keep things more up to date.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving back in the US! As always I'm thanful for friends and family, the kindness of strangers, my health, and so much more!