Day 6 – When Jet Lag Finally Won

 After several days of juggling sightseeing, jet lag and working New Zealand hours from England, today finally caught up with me.

I completely overslept.

I’m blaming a combination of the late-night work sessions, the time difference and the fact that England had suddenly decided to remember it was actually summer. The temperatures were climbing, and if I’m honest, I wasn’t handling the heat particularly gracefully, 33 degress C is a bit much for me.

So rather than trying to power through, Lia and I opted for a much slower day.

Our destination was Wells-next-the-Sea, one of my favourite little coastal towns in Norfolk.

The drive itself is part of the experience. We passed through pretty market towns with their historic buildings, flower baskets hanging from shop fronts and the sort of village squares that make you want to pull over every five minutes for another photo.

One thing I always appreciate in the UK is how even an ordinary drive can feel like you’re travelling through a postcard.

Eventually we rolled into Wells, found a parking space (only £1.75 for the first hour… I’ll take that!) and wandered towards the harbour.

The weather couldn’t have been more different from the gloomy skies we’d had only a few days earlier. Bright sunshine, blue skies, boats gently bobbing in the harbour and people enjoying the warmth made it feel like the whole town had come alive.

Lunch was easy.  When you’re by the coast in England there’s really only one sensible option…

Fish and chips.  Freshly cooked, sitting near the harbour, with a slight sea breeze trying its best to stop me overheating. Sometimes you don’t need anything fancy.

On the drive home we made a quick stop in Fakenham, where Lia disappeared into a few charity shops while I quite happily stayed in the air-conditioned car.

I know my limits.  By the time we made it back to Mum’s place, I knew there wasn’t going to be much left in the tank.  So I head straight to bed.  Sometimes the best decision you can make while travelling is admitting your body needs a break.

Tomorrow is another day… and hopefully one with a little less heat!