Daytrip to Cromer

New, unexpected differences keep popping up every day - the way you pronounce "risotto", the measurement of a "shot" of alcohol, and the reliance of the English on their amazing rail system.

Taking a train in the States is nearly unheard of, but here, it's so easy to go to the rail station and book a ticket to anywhere in the UK. Greyhound buses got NOTHIN' on trains here! And plus, who doesn't want a chance to see more of the English countryside? It shocks me sometimes that this place really looks like this and a train journey makes it incredibly easy to drink it in.

So where did I take the train? Well, my flatmate Lois and I both have free days on Fridays and have declared them our Day-Trip Days! Destination One was the beach at Cromer, a seaside town which we decided to visit now before it was really too cold. It was gorgeous, though a bit chilly. The town is really quaint - lots of older folks about this time of year, but Lois reckons it gets pretty busy in the summertime!


The sea was very pretty and I went in up to my ankles, which was pretty brave for an Arizona girl. But the sun came out for a little while and warmed us up! It was actually a lovely afternoon. And when it got too cold, we went down to the end of the pier where they have a theatre (nothing good was playing) and a Lifeboat viewing center (sort of interesting, but in the end, it was just a boat. We thought we'd get to see it launched when an alarm went off, but the alarm might have just been a phone ringing).

We had lunch on the pier at Tides, and we were pretty excited for it because Cromer is supposed to be really known for its crabs and we'd never really had proper crab before. Unfortunately, the pier restaurant didn't even sell crab. Boo! I consoled myself with my second English fish'n'chips, while Lois had a classic - beans on chips. Beans are on everything here (except in tortillas, which confuses the Mexican food lover I am)! Most notable, and strange for me, is beans on toast. Beans on toast! Ugh, everyone eats it and I cannot wrap my head around it. There was even a Tides menu item called "Things on Toast" and several options (including, of course, beans). Maybe when it gets colder and I need something warm and hearty, I'll give in to this crazy notion of beans on toast, but for now, I'll just have toast and jam.

Some other highlights include - a proper English sweets shop, brightly coloured English dressing tents (I'm not sure what they're really called!), and more of Norfolk's beautiful churches (amazing, amazing architecture here!).

Don't forget to look at all the new photos I've put up on my Facebook! There's a link on the sidebar. There are photos of the Uni campus and the town of Norwich, plus some silly things like a nice picture of my cat, Yaya (who I miss dearly).