Move to Britain
After a hassled week of packing and moving I found myself at Portland Airport ready to depart to my new home in the UK. Here is my plane on the morning of Feb 17th. I felt surprising calm and not a little bit of excitement. When I started on my moving plans the excitement was mixed with good doses of fear as I began to cut my ties with home. Eventually though the excitement of being with Vicki and near Redington outweighed the uncertainty of a new job and home in a different part of the world. But it was still with great sadness as I leave my dad behind along with my old life.
The plans leading up to the move were complex as I had 5 weeks to prepare an international move, secure a work permit from the British government, get a work visa from the British consulate, and finish up my responsibilities at work. In the end everything happened exactly to schedule.
Bath is about 2 hours west of London along the M4. It is about 16 miles east of Bristol. Vicki and I live in her house on the west side of Bath near the village of Weston. In the map below (click to enlarge) our house is to the upper left with a red dot and the word 'Home'. Vicki and I both work at picoChip Ltd which is located on Walcot street on the Avon river. Walcot street is kind of an artist section of town. Vicki and I have a 30 minute walk to work.
Some of the pictures below show what the walk is like along Weston Lane and Julian Road which is the yellow road near our house.
It isn't unusual to see dozens of people walking the streets at all times of the year. People walk most everywhere here; to work, to go shopping, out to dinner or for relaxation.
The British enjoy walking as an activity so consider it no trouble to walk to errands. It must also be said though that parking is so bad in cities like Bath that driving really doesn't pay off. If you can find parking it is either a long way from your destination or it is very expensive.
The plans leading up to the move were complex as I had 5 weeks to prepare an international move, secure a work permit from the British government, get a work visa from the British consulate, and finish up my responsibilities at work. In the end everything happened exactly to schedule.
Bath is about 2 hours west of London along the M4. It is about 16 miles east of Bristol. Vicki and I live in her house on the west side of Bath near the village of Weston. In the map below (click to enlarge) our house is to the upper left with a red dot and the word 'Home'. Vicki and I both work at picoChip Ltd which is located on Walcot street on the Avon river. Walcot street is kind of an artist section of town. Vicki and I have a 30 minute walk to work.
Some of the pictures below show what the walk is like along Weston Lane and Julian Road which is the yellow road near our house.
It isn't unusual to see dozens of people walking the streets at all times of the year. People walk most everywhere here; to work, to go shopping, out to dinner or for relaxation.The British enjoy walking as an activity so consider it no trouble to walk to errands. It must also be said though that parking is so bad in cities like Bath that driving really doesn't pay off. If you can find parking it is either a long way from your destination or it is very expensive.
This is the edge of Victoria Park. It is the big parkin town and is host to amusement park events, an annual flower show, hot air balloon launches, and other events. It is well used and there are nearly always people walking in it with their dogs or those like us on their way somewhere.
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