No one needs to analyze me deeply to find out am
full of wanderlust! The other thing about me is that am very passionate about
the environment, and especially biodiversity conservation, so when it comes to
travelling and exploring nature- that is just my kind of gig! So here is my
story, of an excited Kenyan lady visiting the United Kingdom for the first time
and the experiences it came along with!
Setting off…
I was very excited when I started planning for my
trip to the UK. Everything just seemed to fall in place, with logistics being
easier than I imagined. All I had to do was present myself. My plan other than
my main business in the UK, was to see birds and add new names to the list of
‘birds I know’, to visit as many areas as possible and to take lots of
pictures- definitely! Some people travel through my eyes- so yes, pictures are
key! Niki, my camera, was ready for work and I was all set ready to experience spring
for the first time. Before I left was very impressed by the fact that the organization
was compensating for my travel as a carbon offset, which made me feel better and
how ‘eco-friendly’ this trip was set to be!
Just before
getting there…
Have you ever planned for something then you get a
sneak peek of it just before it happens? That is exactly what happened… though
slightly. So this year my bestie and I have been saving for a vacay in Dubai.
Desert safari, sunset dhow dinner and much more is the motivation- we have not
yet gone. Anyway, back to my main story, en route to the UK, I was transiting
in Dubai and I got to see this beloved city from above as well as spot the Burj
Al Arab. Well, I can say my eyesight is excellent! As we approached Dubai, I
was looking out with Niki in hand ready to capture beautiful sceneries but this
did not work too well as we were too high above. From above, Dubai looked like
a desert next to a sea- which is exactly what it is. Quite a number of
buildings are visible since the city is home to several sky scrapers. The Dubai
airport is a heaven on its own, if you are a shopper this airport will keep you
busy! I had a whole 4 hours lay-over in DXB airport which I felt was too short,
my eyes just couldn’t have enough. With that said, I am looking forward to the
Dubai vacay… for now I cannot write much about the place since I only had a
‘sneak peek’- but I am definitely more inspired to visit.
UK… we are
here now!
I was all smiles after flying in an airbus A380
from Dubai to London - people, this is the biggest aircraft I have seen!! Being
all excited and wanting to be awake to see everything, I watched some movies and
was captivated by this one: A Street Cat
Named Bob, I just have to recommend it. The food was good too, Emirates is
not disappointing!! I was comfortable all through, so happy me, all was going
on perfectly!
Nothing gets me more excited than arriving to my
destination! Finally I was in the UK, after months of anticipating. The UK is
an island nation consisting of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It is home
to many including the famous such as Shakespeare and of course Queen Elizabeth,
who has been Queen of the United Kingdom since 1952. The British Monarchy is
the oldest form of governance in the UK. The Royal family seems to be much
loved and respected, far and wide, I remember in Kenya the royal wedding of
Prince William and Kate Middleton was a national affair, screening live on air
on quite a number of television channels.
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| Anglesey Abbey gardens |
Driving to my ‘home’ for the next few weeks, I was staring at bare trees and huge tracts of what seemed to be farm land. The drive was characterized with lot of flowers blooming, and I understand that I will remember spring as the season of flowers.
I was also informed that the weather was getting
warm now and it was the best time to visit! I felt the cold through to my bones
and this was nothing near warm for all I knew, but still, anytime is a good
time for me to visit anywhere. I was not complaining, in fact I could not wait
to step outside and feel the chill directly on my skin. As we approached
Cottenham ‘village’ (what they call estates I believe), I spotted very neat
houses with brightly flowered gardens. I also spotted a few people tending to
their gardens and kids in no sweaters running around, clearly this was a warm
season, but I could not imagine myself in no sweater out there- no way!! I realized
Cottenham was about two hours away from the Heathrow Airport, but the drive was
good, no traffic (thank heavens!) as my focus was on getting ‘home’ showering,
getting a small bite and sleeping for an hour or two. We got to the house, as I
took a warm shower my host was kind enough to fix me hot breakfast which I
thoroughly enjoyed, and this again was a first for me, eating asparagus and halloumi
cheese- which makes a certain squeak when you chew it.
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| Halloumi cheese, asparagus, toast with peppered egg and tea |
Anglesey
Abbey: this is the first place I set foot for site seeing, yaay! Mind you,
it was still on that very day I had arrived in the UK. The Anglesey Abbey is
categorized under National Trust, and it was the home of lord Fairhaven.
Anglesey Abbey |
| The House |
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| Some of the collections in the House |
The gardens are a beautiful sight to see, hues of
all colors you can imagine decorate the gardens as flowers start to bloom. I kept
on thinking if I am to get married this would just be the ideal location for that,
lush green grasses, tree canopies, birds chirping and flowery walk way- perfect!
I got a chance into the House, for sure lord Fairhaven was strict about his
passion and lifestyle. I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring and getting
treated to hot chocolate and chocolate cake, just what I needed!
The following day I set out to the Lodge in Sandy,
this is the headquarters of the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB). I
was going to spend the entire week there. My trip so far was going on so well,
I was already wishing it was longer. The RSPB is the biggest conservation
organization in the UK, with about 210 reserves spread out in the region.
During lunch hour, you can take walks within the Lodge and spot several birds
and trees including squirrels and even deer! I snapped some pictures as usual…
I should mention that I met a very beautiful peacock named George!
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| Common Pheasant |
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| Peacock (named George) |
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| Grey-lag Goose |
There is also a souvenir shop located within and
all purchases go directly into conservation, talk about fundraising through all
available means! So you can spoil yourself there, like I did on my last day at
the Lodge thanks to an awesome gift from my week-long colleagues!
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| Outside Hope Farm |
During that same week, I had two days working away from office, with the first day working at Hope Farm, assisting in preparations for the highly anticipated RSPB weekend, which was going to take place in a week and unfortunately I would be back in Kenya by then. However, I still had a lot of fun and hoping to spot a Barn owl which decided to shy away from me. The next day as adventurous with a road trip to Titchwell Marsh, where the RSPB has a reserve. This was one of my favourite days during my visit because I got to experience a totally different environment. I come from the Kenyan coast, and I am used pretty much to a warm beach, but this was totally opposite of what I experienced. Titchwell RSPB reserve is a great spot for bird-watching and this was a huge learning point for me to know and see quite a number of birds of the UK. The Titchwell beach was clean, clear and cold; and I was excited that I was actually seeing the North Sea! After spending the morning at Titchwell, we drove down to Morston Quay and towards Blakeney point by boat where we had reserved for a seal boat trip tour! I was thrilled that I was going to see seals live and my mission was this and a ‘sealfie’! Well, taking the sealfie was not as easy as I imagined.
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| Titchwell Beach |
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| a seal at Blakeney Point |
Cambridge and London…
Cambridge was a busier area compared to Sandy.
There are lots of malls and shops within and I observed quite a number of
students streaming in and out of all corners. This is due to the fact that
Cambridge hosts many universities, some of the oldest in the world, dating far
back as the 12th century such as the famous good old University of
Cambridge. I loved the ‘compound’ just within the town, it is like some sort of
green corner area you can seat and have a breath of fresh air overlooking the
town, the people and their pets and of course not forgetting the flowers. The
River Cam is the main river flowing through the town and it made for a
beautiful backdrop. There are also boat tours that one could do. It is also
interesting to know that DNA was first announced in Cambridge, specifically at
The Eagle Pub and I had a chance to see this blue post signage which stated how
Watson and Crick on 28th February 1953 announced how DNA carries
information. If I was in that pub during that time I do not know if I would
have believed this duo, anyway… the Cambridge Conservation Initiative is an
interesting place to work! I was wowed by the literally green walls of the
David Attenborough building which hosts many conservation-led organizations
including the Secretariat of BirdLife International where I was working for the
second week. Also, outside the building is a huge dinosaur skeleton that has
been mounted upright with a signage on the glass wall stating that the school
of Zoological sciences will soon be operating.
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| River Cam |
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| King’s College |
Now to L.O.N.D.O.N!! This was unexpected but glad
it happened because I had an extremely amazing time sightseeing and walking
through the streets of London. If you have not watched Osofia in London, please
do, it explains why I really needed to see London, because through that
hilarious Nigerian movie, I had visited virtually. I took a train from
Waterbeach to London King’s Cross with one stop at Cambridge. The train ride
lasted about one and a half hours and as we approached the train station I saw
the big Emirates Arsenal Stadium. Well, I am not a soccer fan, but I wished I
was not in the train but out so that I could take a picture in front of the
stadium. King’s cross is a very busy station and it is easy to get lost within.
People with all sorts of baggage run across every section trying to catch a
train and especially not to miss a train. Outside the station, I was greeted by
fine blue skies and the sun, yes the SUN! This was the only sunny day I
experienced during my visit, though it was not that warm but it was great for
taking pictures. I had consulted and written a list of places I wanted to see
in London and this was the time for that. For your information, this list
consisted of London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge, Trafalgar Square and
Buckingham Palace. I made it to the first four, unfortunately I did not get to
visit the Buckingham Palace, but that is a trip for another day. From asking
around, I realized all these places were just all around one area. The London Eye
is a giant Ferris wheel that faces the famous River Thames, I believe there are
breathtaking views of London when on it. I did not get a ride on it, but again
I plan on doing that on my next visit! The Westminster Bridge is above the
River Thames and there are scenic views of the London Eye, Jubilee Bridge, Big
Ben and Palace of Westminster. Big Ben is an iconic clock tower and is located
at the end of the Palace of Westminster. I was ecstatic to see this and I took
just about a million of pictures of the Great Clock and even got a key holder
in the shape of the building. From Big Ben, I walked towards the Trafalgar
square, which is known and commemorated for the famous Battle of Trafalgar. The
common items to look out for at the Trafalgar square are the huge bronze lion
sculptures and the fountains and of course I took some pictures before I
started my shopping spree (read window-shopping!) on the famous Oxford Circus.
Oxford Street is for sure a circus of people from all walks of life and all
corners of the world. I think I even heard someone speak my mother-tongue!
Well, the street is a bit congested, but what do you expect with all these
great shops staring at you and begging you to walk in! After this very busy day
I took the London Underground tube, which made my ears pop, and dropped off at
King’s Cross to connect to the train heading back to Waterbeach.
With that said, I had an amazing and beautiful trip
and I hope to go back to the UK soon!
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| London Eye and the River Thames |
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| Trafalgar Square (National Gallery in background) |
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| Westminster Palace and Big Ben |
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Jubilee Bridge (behind me)
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| Westminster Bridge & Big Ben in the background |
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| on the streets of London |
