The Cow’s at Hadrian’s Wall
For our first international trip we though we would start with something easy. Somewhere where they spoke the language. That someplace was England. 7 years have gone by since that wonderful trip and what do we remember most? The cows at Hadrian’s Wall.
It was a microcosm of the entire trip. We were a bit lost. We were trying to find this famous wall – the northernmost border of the ancient Roman empire and it supposedly stretched from coast to coast. I mean it couldn’t be that hard to find – could it?
Driving down hedgerow lined roads so narrow that cars could not pass each other, we looked for the elusive wall. My wife Amy was getting more and more upset, but I was determined to find it.
Finally through an opening in the hedges we catch a glimpse of the wall. We had found it, but with those darn hedgerows we couldn’t even park to see it. Then, at last there is a side road and a path to the wall.
Our goal was a sign that we had seen while driving by. To get there we had to hike through someone’s field and up and over the stone fences that marked each field. There were ladders and a path, so it must have been OK…
At last we are at the sign, but alas it is blocked by a herd of cows that is sheltering from the cold and blustery wind. Little did I realize that both my wife and my son were afraid of those cows. I found myself guarding them (against cows!!) so that they could read the sign before fleeing.
It’s all about the experiences
That trek down a little known side-road in northern England taught us that it was all about the experiences. Sure we had seen great things in England – from medieval castles to Stonehenge, to the streets of London, but the what we remember most is the cows at Hadrian’s wall.
These are the types of experiences you can’t have browsing through pictures, so get out there and find your own cows!!