Road Trip: Back to the Beginning

I packed road food (snacks that aren't usually allowed), and filled a small flask with green tea (healthy caffeine, I guess), and put the bags in the boot along with the unicycle so my daughter could show her grandparents her amazing balance. We left at 8.30 am. 

We passed several signs labelled The North. I always love the implication of those signs--a place so big and wild it can only be labelled The North. Overactive imagination, I admit. 

We arrived at Scotch Corner at 11.30 am. Scotch Corner is a services area on the A1. We were making good time, Saturday mornings are a good time to travel. While having another green tea and a toasted panini at Scotch Corner my daughter and I talked about Road Trips. I explained that at three hours into a road trip in the States you would be just down the road a ways, there would be days more of driving. This is relevant because were are considering a road trip in the States next summer, rather than going to Northern Minnesota. I would like my daughter (and step-kids!) to see more of my home country.

But rather than let her dwell on an endless drive stuffing herself full of forbidden food, I explained the classic concept that 'the journey is sometimes more important than the destination.' Some road trips are just circular with no real destination apart from home, I added. I then spotted the educational opportunity and linked the road trip in with literary metaphors.  One of her favourite authors in the past has been Sharon Creech. I explained to my daughter how Ms Creech uses the journey metaphor to help her main characters discover an important thing about themselves. We talked about lots of books she has read, finding journeys in many of them. She was excited with her realisation and I was delighted with her new knowledge. I then told her I was on a sort of real and metaphorical journey, and I explained how that was. 

I had planned this journey on impulse with no real design other than to spend more time with my daughter. As the journey neared and I thought more about it from the expat angle in order to blog about it, I realised how much of a metaphor it had become for me. It wasn't just returning to where her dad and I spent a lot of time, and where her dad's parents still live. It was returning to my first residence in the UK, the beginning of my adult life and the beginning of my nineteen years (to date) as an expat.

What I noticed when I first lived in Northumberland was wet weather that chills you to the bone, green grass in winter, public toilets with loo roll like wax paper, and that coal smoke lingering in narrow streets on a frosty morning is quite nice. I noticed the twist of thick roots in ancient hedgerows, the view of the purple Cheviots covered in bracken and heather, the golden grey stone cottages crouching on hillsides and the heavily imposing Border fortress castles built for defense against the Scots. I noticed the Geordie accent: a bit twisty and turny like the landcape, with old phrases and beautiful colours. It made me really listen, not just because it's nice to listen to, but because I had to concentrate to make anything out.

As I returned after a nine year gap, I was sure it would be different. I knew other history now waited for me. My former in-laws had invited us to dinner that evening and it seemed churlish to refuse. However, I had no plans to cloud my time with my daughter by spending very much of it with them. They were pleasant enough people, but they were from a past I didn't need to spend more time in. This is now and the future.

On we drove and when we arrived at Alnwick I decided to stop for a while before going on to Seahouses, the B&B and the former in-laws.  I parked up in Alnwick and we walked around the town. I showed my daughter where I used to hang out with my friends, where I shopped, and where her dad and I met. We walked to the entrance of Alnwick Castle and I pointed out the window to the room I lived in. I would include a photo here but as it is simply a double arched window in a stone wall I thought it might be more interesting in your imagination.

Not much had changed. The Woolies was gone, but that was old news. The town seemed busier. It was very pretty. Much prettier than I remembered. I realised how lucky I had been. I saw a young woman confidently striding along in white tennis shoes (trainers) and a baggy red t-shirt proclaiming the name of her university (my former university) in bold white letters: a representative of the current generation of American students staying at the castle. Did I look like that once?

After the initial excitement of seeing my connections to the place, my daughter was tired so we drove off to Seahouses. We found our B&B, had a pleasant chat with the very lovely owners, unpacked, and drove the five minutes to the beach where we went for a cobweb clearing walk before we went to the former in-laws, or grandparents' house.

The beaches in this part of Northumberland are unmatchable. They are wide, clean, beautiful and fascinating. There are often interesting sea creatures washed up for walkers to look at and dogs to roll in. This day we sat tucked in the edge of the dunes, finished a giant bag of Wotsits then ran to edge of the North Sea. I whimped out when I felt how cold the wet sand was, but Brave Daughter ran right into the waves, shrieking.

Cobwebs cleared, we went to in-laws/grandparents' house. They had a new kitchen, an old sunroom had been turned into a pretty conservatory, and the meal was delicious.  We laughed a lot.  My daughter was happily spoiled. I reminded her to wait to start eating until everyone had their food, use a napkin not jeans, don't slurp, and you-took-all-of-that-so-you-finish-it. Then at some point a whole packet of Rich Tea biscuits appeared in front of her and by the time I clocked what had happened she had eaten nearly a dozen. I realised it didn't matter. Isn't this what grandparents do? And weren't my rules and regs what my daughter enjoyed a break from? So I relaxed and in an attempt to remain somewhat consistent I just frowned discretely at her from time to time when she practiced a bit of boundary pushing.

The evening was spent with her grandparents' not my former in-laws, and it was so pleasant I invited them along for the next day. We decided to go to Holy Island so we consulted the low tide times and opted for the morning slot. My daughter and I went back to the B&B exhausted but content. We cuddled up and watched Dad's Army before sleep.

 

Michelloui is an American who has lived in the UK for 19 years. Although she loves Britain, she reamins steadfastly American and now has a Mid-Atlantic accent to match her Mid-Atlantic culture. Her blog is Mid-Atlantic English or How I learned to stop worrying and love the host culture (tips for enjoying your life abroad)

 

Photos are authors own.

Comments

[Gift of Green]

Great post - I could really visualize your trip although I have never been there. And I love Sharon Creech. Walk Two Moons made me cry and cry.

[A Modern Mother]

Sounds like a nice visit to the past/future.
PS -- I think green tea is healthy caffeine too!

[Michelle]

GoG--I couldn't stop sobbing during the last part of Walk Two Moons--how powerful!

AMM--thanks, and glad Im not the only green tea nut! Husband isnt convinced of the value in it...

[Mike Harling]

Sounds like a lovely trip down memory lane. And the area sound nice, as well. We're heading up there for a holiday soon; I'm looking forward to it even more now. Thanks.

[Brit In Bosnia]

It's a lovely area of the world. You must have really enjoyed revisiting it with your daughter. I love the thought of talking about journeys in literature with my kids, can't wait for them to get old enough for it!

Lovely post.

[Michelle]

Mike--I highly recommend a holiday there! Looking forward to hearing what you make if it!

BiB--I think the 9.5-12 age group is The Best (speaking from experience of all child ages). It is pre-hormones and you can have meaningful conversations, you can reason, and you can catch a glimpse of the person they will be as an adult before the weirdness of the teen years takes over and blurs all boundaries!

[Gift of Green]

BTW, have you ever read "How the Heather Looks: A Joyous Journey to the British Sources of Children's Books"? They just reprinted it. I think you'd love it.

[Michelle]

GoG--thanks for that recommendation, have just checked it out on amazon and it does look really interesting!!

[Expat Mum]

WHat a fab post. That motorway sign always lifts my spirits when I'm doing the long drive up. It's still another 50 miles but it feels like I'm almost home.
And the beaches - ah! It's always freezing cold but the kids love the huge dunes at Warkworth and the long sands at Tynemouth. I just hope it warms up before August.