Europe Trip continued...

These are pictures of Norwich, England, and the beach cabanas are in Cromer, where our timeshare was located. We got to Cromer in the evening and walked from the train station to our timeshare, because google had said it was only a mile. But what a mile! After a steady uphill climb just about forEVer, we got to the driveway of the Cromer Country Club and found ourselves staring straight up a nasty, switchbacking gravel drive. We were exhausted from a full day of travel from Munich, and that driveway was just about the death of me.
But the town was gorgeous and after a good night's sleep, we were able to fully enjoy every minute.

The North Sea looks just like the North Atlantic, and so many of the towns in the area were familiar names from Massachusetts -- Ipswich, Boston, Essex. It was finally chilly and cold, the weather I had expected all along.
One day we took the bus into Norwich (the cobblestone street scene above). Michael got off a few miles outside of town in order to visit the aviation museum, and the bus driver and I chatted all the way into Norwich. He was an old white-haired gent, and has travelled all over the US. He was heading to Disney World with his grandkids in a couple weeks. People are always so surprising! I told him it was illegal in the US for passengers to stand and chat with the driver, and that the last time I'd done that I'd ended up dating the driver for a year! He laughed and said 37 years ago he met his wife when he drove her to work every day on his bus!
Another day we took a little boatride thru The Broads, which is the canal-laden area inland near Norwich. The houses along the waterways were gorgeous, and most had thatched roofs. We saw an otter, a kingfisher and several black swans.
Then there was the Coasthopper -- a bus that goes through all the little coastal towns from Cromer to King's Lynn. We had a great time stopping at little beach towns for shopping and lunch. I didn't chat with the driver this time, but we had fun talking to other passengers. Lots and lots of hikers and birders -- all "pensioners" - retirees who can ride the buses in England for free. What a great idea!