Another week has flown right by!
Brooklyn spent Monday through Wednesday in Luxembourg at a science conference at the University of Luxembourg. Of course, even after I specifically asked her to take pictures, she came home with exactly one of her waiting for an Uber Eats delivery. Teenagers! She said she had a great time, though, and the highlight was working with her team to develop a new sunscreen. She rolled back into town late Wednesday night.
On Thursday, both kids had softball and baseball practice after school. Then they rushed home, packed their bags, and headed back out to meet the bus at 9 p.m. This time they were bound for Lakenheath, England. The trip takes about 15 hours by bus and ferry, which sounds like torture to an adult; but it’s actually the kids’ favorite trip of the year.
Matt and I waited until Friday to fly up and meet them. This time we drove to Memmingen Airport, about two hours east of us. It’s technically called Munich West Airport, but in reality it’s just a tiny low-cost airport mostly used by Ryanair.
We’d never flown from there before, but the experience was almost comically easy. From the moment we parked the car to standing at our gate; bathroom stop included; only 19 minutes had passed. Nineteen! Safe to say we’ll be using this airport again. It might even be easier than Karlsruhe!
The flight itself was only an hour and ten minutes to London Stansted, about an hour and a half east of the city. We grabbed a rental car and drove straight to Cambridge, where we planned to spend the day and night.
By the time we arrived, we were starving, so after checking into the hotel we made a beeline for Nando’s for some peri-peri chicken.
While we were eating, we checked the kids’ phone locations and realized they were nearby. Naturally, we decided to hunt them down and eventually found them… in the mall. Which felt slightly ridiculous considering they had free rein to explore Cambridge. My nerdy self would have been halfway through a historical walking tour by then. 😂 But when you travel this much, apparently the mall is just as exciting.
After a quick hello (and goodbye again) to the kids, Matt and I set off to enjoy the afternoon ourselves. We wandered through Market Square, where a bustling market was selling just about everything. Bonus: we found some cute (and much-needed) Cambridge sweatshirts after realizing we were definitely underdressed for the chilly temps.
Since it was still early afternoon, King’s College was open. Somehow, it’s one of the major sights I still hadn’t seen in Cambridge, so we bought tickets and toured King’s College Chapel and the grounds. It was absolutely worth it.
Afterward, we ducked into a pub to escape the wind and catch the end of the Cheltenham Races over a couple glasses of wine. We chose The Anchor, right on the River Cam next to the punting boats. Remembering how much I loved punting last year, I convinced Matt we had to go again.
We grabbed another drink from a nearby pub and hopped aboard for a one-hour ride up the river. It was definitely chillier than last year, but just as beautiful as the riverbanks were lined with early spring daffodils.
The best part was the other passengers onboard. We were the only non-Chinese passengers in our boat, and twice we passed another punt, prompting our fellow passengers to erupt with excitement as they pulled out their phones and cameras to take pictures. It turned out that a famous Chinese movie star was also out punting that afternoon, and everyone was determined to catch a glimpse! 😂
After our ride, we headed to the famous Eagle Pub for dinner, where we fully committed to fish and chips before calling it a night. And not just any night; an early, glorious bedtime.
We both woke up the next morning saying the same thing: wow. Between the long sleep and what might have been the most comfortable Marriott bed ever, we felt completely refreshed. We fueled up with Eggs Benedict and a full breakfast buffet before packing up and hitting the road for Lakenheath.
At Lakenheath, the kids play on two different bases: softball is played on the main base, while baseball is over at Feltwell. It’s only a few miles away, but the tiny country lanes turn it into a 20-minute drive. So, we divided and conquered, starting with the softball game.
It turned out to be a great one! Both teams were evenly matched, trading the lead back and forth the entire game. It all came down to the final inning, when Lakenheath pulled ahead and sealed the win. Definitely worth watching.
Afterward, we made the drive to Feltwell for baseball. In hindsight, we probably should have done that in reverse. Ryan started the first game but not the second, so we missed seeing him early and had to wait until halfway through before he took the field. Still, it was fun to watch the rest of the team in the meantime.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn pitched the second softball game—of course, the one we missed. And then came the real heartbreak: a text from a friend telling us she hit a home run. Her first game home run ever. We were so sad to miss it—but thankfully, another parent caught it on video.
Both teams ended up losing their games, but honestly, they were all incredibly well played and came down to the final moments. It made them exciting to watch and definitely gave us hope for a strong season ahead.
Once the games wrapped up, the kids grabbed showers at the gym and we picked them up. Instead of making the long bus ride back to Stuttgart, they were coming with us for one more night in the UK.
Since we’ve done Cambridge several times, we decided to switch things up and head to Canterbury. After a two-hour drive, we arrived at our rental apartment; super cute and tucked right into the center of the old town near the Crooked House.
After settling in, we headed out for dinner… which, somewhat hilariously, ended up being Nando’s again. No regrets. After another round of peri-peri chicken, the kids headed back to the apartment while Matt and I stopped into a cozy pub for a nightcap.
On the walk home, we wandered through the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral. Unlike many city cathedrals, this one is still enclosed within its medieval walls and buildings, but the main gate stands open. Walking through it at night felt quiet, peaceful, and honestly a little magical.
I wish we could have visited inside but our late arrival on Saturday and early departure on Sunday meant it wouldn’t be possible on this trip. Will and Kate were actually here a week later (I’m a little behind on writing) for the ordaining of the new Archbishop of Canterbury and the inside of the cathedral looked beautiful!
The next morning Matt and I woke up early for a quick walk around Canterbury to check it out in the daylight and take some photos. The town was very quiet on a Sunday morning, with hardly any people. We walked all around the central city, mostly the only sounds being some birds and the chiming cathedral bells.
We gathered the kids from the apartment and then traveled to Dover for a day of sightseeing there. The kids have been through many times on their bus rides but never stopped and Matt and I had never been there at all.
We started with a short hike to see the White Cliffs of Dover. Although the weather forecast had been dismal, it ended up being a sunny day on the coast and the Cliffs were spectactularly lit up and chalky white.
The next stop was Dover Castle. We entered just at opening time and had a coffee and treat in the castle cafe before visiting the castle.
After Exploring the castle we headed into town and search up lunch. According to Google restaurants would not open for lunch until at least noon if not 1 o’clock. Since it wasn’t at noon, we started with a walk around the town center, and then the seaside and then the pier.
At noon, we set out to try different pubs and restaurants, only to find they were all completely booked: apparently it was Mother’s Day in the UK. As we walked around, time kept slipping away, and we knew we’d soon need to head to the airport. There was one place, though, that had plenty of room: Nando’s. So we ended up having our third meal of the weekend there, something a few of us were very excited about!
We all enjoyed our third peri-peri chicken of the weekend and then made the two hour drive back to Stansted. Our travels home were uneventful. Hilariously, when we got back to the car in Memmingen, it was completely covered in bird poop. We had parked under a light pole with a huge nest in it. We have learned our lesson for next time!
Gilcrests Abroad 