Two weeks ago, I flew to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to transit on my way to Heathrow Airport. It was my first trip in four years since the pandemic happened. When I was younger, I visited London once, but this was my first time going to Norwich, where my British friend lives. My friend, Martyn and his wife, Lynn were waiting for me at the airport, and it was our first time seeing each other in six years. It took us four hours to drive home, and I felt bad for Martyn. When we arrived, I saw a wild hedgehog for the first time. It was much bigger than I expected.

The following day was perfect for exploring the town, so Lynn became my tour guide, and we enjoyed looking around the city. Norwich is a very old city, and immediately I felt in love with there. As we walked, she explained the different types of houses, and I learned about a detached house, semi-detached house, terraced house and bungalow.

There was a red mail post box from the time of King George, just like the ones we used to have in Japan when I was a kid.

There are lots of old churches, especially Norwich Cathedral caught my eyes. Since I've read "The Pillars of The Earth" and watched the series both in English, I'm a huge fan of cathedrals. Most of churches here, even some houses were built from flint during the medieval period. I admire how much British people cherish their history.

We headed to Norwich Cathedral built in 1096, which has the second tallest tower in England.

Lynn and I joined a tour when we entered the cathedral. The guide was a lovely lady, always joking around as she explained things. Unfortunately, I didn't understand most of her jokes. British humor often references their culture, which can be difficult for language learners get.

When I found a small Zen garden, I was excited because I love finding pieces of Japan on my trips.

The inside of the church was breathtaking. I was completely overwhelmed by its beauty.

After we left the church, Martyn was waiting for us. Three of us headed to the center of the city. I really enjoyed exploring more of the city.

I met their daughter and her husband on the way to the oldest pub in the city called The Black Horse. Five of us had dinner there.

Their daughter is the same age as my own, and I've known her since we first started talking to help out each other. It was wonderful to finally meet her in person. Her husband had an accent I wasn't familiar with, so I had a hard time to understand him. Even so, he was kind enough to repeat himself until I got it.

My first day in England was full of new experiences, from learning house types and flint to adjusting to Lynn's Welsh accent and trying British food. The meal at the pub was incredible! It completely changed my stereotype about British food.

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