April 27 – Au revoir, Paris & train(s) to Ludlow, UK

I was so relieved to have a sunny day for my walk to Gare du Nord and the Eurostar back to London. The plan was to hop on a train to Ludlow, but a series of canceled trains (most impactful being the train into Ludlow) meant no hopping, just running around trying to figure out how to get there.

It was quite early. Mostly saw folks on their walk of shame, or on their way to work. And a Parisian pigeon!

A little French countryside from the train.

I was certainly happy to find my Giffgaff SIM kicked right in as I returned to London (grrrrr). I was on a packed train from Euston to Crewe, and sat with a lovely older couple who were fluent in Welsh and helped me with my pronunciations. We also decried the failures of capitalism in the USA and UK, and the current political situation. A delightful social interaction after basically not speaking to anyone for 5 days in Paris.

I ended up in Shrewsbury, then had to take a bus into Ludlow. While waiting for the bus, I chatted at length about travel with the young barista and another young man, then inserted myself into a conversation with a like-age woman who had been camping at the US base in Shropshire, protesting US nukes on site. I thanked them for their service, and apologized for the US. On the bus ride, I sat next to a delightful woman (Lucy) and we chatted the entirety of the way. She is a lapsed watercolor artist, and she showed me some of her work (gorgeous). She and her partner walked me part of the way to my inn. A long day of travel, indeed.

This was a very late first coffee in Shrewsbury while I waited for the bus to Ludlow. I was relieved to have a sit-down and relax before continuing my journey.

Church Inn was delightful, originally a free house circa 1400’s! I was in the attic room, so it was very shapey and cozy, with all mod cons. The inn had a pub and restaurant, an added bonus. But lots of great places to eat in Ludlow, a small market town with a castle and lovely walks, close to the Welsh border. I had decided to stay here a few days to decompress between Paris and having to start an 80-mile walk. I chose well.

I Zoomed in with my Ink Drinkers book club for our monthly discussion! This time, I had chosen the book sort of based on my upcoming trip. “On the Black Mountain” by Bruce Chatwin. Everyone really liked it, despite it being rather depressing. Chatwin is such a fine, fine writer, dead too soon of AIDS-related illness. I begged off early, since it was definitely bedtime for me. This looooong day was done and I was glad of a very comfortable bed and no pressing need to rise early.