21st Birthday!

Yesterday was my 21st birthday! In the United States this marks the day I can consume alcohol, however the drinking age in England is 18yrs. I didn’t let this small formality ruin my birthday fun! We went out to dinner and had some drinks after.

Today I continued the celebration by going to my favorite place in Cambridge: Grantchester Orchard! It was the first day since we have been here that I saw the sun, so I took the opportunity to spend the entirety of my afternoon reading for class in a wonderful venue.

However, the odds were against me this afternoon! While I was walking the 3 mile trek to the orchard through a public footpath (shown below),

Throughout England, there are many public foot paths that take you from town to town. They have been in use for centuries, so many cut through people's yards, meadows, neighborhoods, or cow pastures. This particular one runs through a meadow and a cow pasture! It connects Cambridge to Grantchester.

I heard the last sound I wanted to hear… THUNDER! I first said a prayer begging for my blue skies to stay overhead and then I took a picture to document my bad luck…

I finally made it to the orchard and I strategically picked a table that was half under cover and half in the sun in hopes that I could enjoy my tea regardless of the weather. After about twenty minutes, I realized that the storm traveled a different direction than the one I was on (whew)! I spent about two hours enjoying my orange, coconut and cinnamon tea, listening to Vivaldi, and reading about Russia. I cannot think of a better way to spend my afternoon!

I thought I had made it to the finish line when I made it to the orchard. Little did I know that the way home would pose more obstacles. Like I mentioned in the caption about the public footpath, this path runs through a cow pasture. As I was walking through the pasture, I came across an island of brown. All the cows decided to take a break right on the footpath. Normally I wouldn’t think twice about cows, but all I could think about was being smashed by a huge cow and no one in the whole world would hear or see it happen. I set aside my fear when I saw a bicyclist coming the opposite direction. I tiptoed through the sea of cows, only spooking one which in turn scared the fool out of me!

Luckily I made it back to Selwyn safe (with only a few new blisters on my feet)! I just really cannot believe this is my life right now. I am living my dream life!