Outside The Perimeter

Off to the races! Our 50 minute train from London to Ascot was entertaining to say the least. Hat after hat entered the train, and it was standing room only. Good thing we snuck into the first class cabin so that we had a seat to watch all that was before us! Although definitely underdressed, we crossed paths with such amazing and friendly people throughout the day- from the Financial consultant dressed in a cute lime green hat sitting next to us on the train and super excited about her Ascot invite by one of her clients, to the two English sisters celebrating Ladies Day in the Silver Ring next to us, to the group of four partiers at the bar who explained to us all about Pimm’s Spirits, to the Boston couple who now live in Ascot and were celebrating their first Royal Ascot, to the Irish man who told us all about his betting losses on our train journey home. All were so welcoming and so eager to engage in conversation (may have been the booze) but still quite fun!

One word for the day- hats! And lots of them- from young to old, to cultural to fantastic to obnoxious! The atmosphere was like a sophisticatedly-dressed tailgate party. They estimated about 75,000 people there for Ladies Day (Thursday of the races) to cheer the horses on, including the Queen herself. Yes, we were in the company of the Queen and too many Bentleys to count. A thrilling day- Marshall loved betting on the ponies, I enjoyed snapping photos of hat after hat, and we both were taken away by the thunderous run of the horses. Tired and muddy (some drunker than others), I think all 75,000 enjoyed the day. Train back to London…

Before making our way out of the Waterloo train station, Marshall took to this older lady who was a bit stranded by a broken elevator. It was so sweet how Marshall took care of her. It reminded me of the way he looks after my Mema, a 93-year old rock star! He offered to escort the little lady down the moving escalator, but either due to fear or physical ability, she refused. He assured her that we’ll get this figured out. Contacting the terminal staff, Marshall requested that they shut the escalator down so that he could escort our new friend step by step down the stairs to the ground floor bus terminal. Sure enough, they did and 45 minutes later, Marshall walked her onto her bus. It’s the little things that remind me of how lucky I am to have Marshall in my life.

On the way out of the Waterloo station, we got a look at King’s College. As expected, it was much less campus-like than the other colleges we had seen in the UK, with just a few buildings on an urban street. We made it a late dinner (a mere blueberry muffin had served as our only meal up until 9pm), so we were happy to get a table back at our favorite restaurant, Zizzi. Why mess with what you know is good, especially given the cuisine of the UK:)