First Day in Cambridge!

So, our first order of business after arriving was discovering a suitable lunch destination. We chose a quaint, traditional English pub called, "The Mitre." It has been operating since the 1700's, and we found it to be, to our complete delight, exactly that for which we were hoping. Brad ordered the infamous fish and chips, and the kids were mesmerized by the enormity of their meals. Culture note: apparently "to go" boxes are not the norm around here...we asked for one, and the waitress was very polite, but looked at us as if she'd never heard of such a thing. After quite some time, she came back with each item individually wrapped in a very nice container...so nice, in fact, that we now use it as our official "lunch pail" when out and about...

Our day's second adventure was to buy a few groceries at a neighborhood grocery. We found one called Sainsburys, and I was giddy with glee. I just love neighborhood grocery stores! Let's see, a couple of things that stand out in my mind: First of all, the shopping carts cost 1 pound (roughly $1.70) to use. We (along with everyone else) opted for baskets, which were free, but didn't hold much. I decided these small baskets must be one reason folks here have to shop every other day or so...Also, we noted that the entrance to the store was completely open...a sort of extension of outside, and shoppers stayed bundled up in coats, hats, scarves, mittens, the whole ensemble, throughout their shopping experience. I kind of felt like I was in Narnia--inside the wardrobe, but dressed for outside...Then when we checked out there was this completely delightful cashier who reminded me of before-super-stardom Susan Boyle. She was apparently a local, and so friendly. She just talked and talked to us. I think she was speaking English. Her English accent was so thick that I kept thinking, "Her lips are moving and syllables are coming out...hmmm...I wonder what she's saying...