March 31, 2009
We lingered a bit this morning at breakfast as our table was sat by the window and the sun was warm and bright. We went up to the local market only to discover that it catered to the majority population of Cheadle and offered full covered, belly button hiding under pants! Eventually we decided to try and find some of the pottery factories for which this area is known. We found our way to the Wedgwood and Royal Dalton stores and the Spode factory which is goin
g out of business and no longer offering tours. After some misdirection and lots of walking, we also found our way to the Wedgwood factory which is set outside the city and is a little community all its own. We missed the tour but enjoyed wandering through the store admiring the beautiful items we could never afford. There was one last bus to catch so we walked out in the middle of no where until the bus finally came only to discover that the bus was not going back to Stoke! We hurried to walk the mile back to the main road only to get stuck at the train crossing with all the Wedgewood employees. After waiting 30 min for the trains to pass, we walked quickly to the road where there was no bus stop but where I was determined to flag down any bus that went by. We had no idea if a bus would even pass. Eventually, a bus did come around the cornier and the astonished face of the driver who had dropped us off stared out the window. He stopped for us as I’m sure we looked like two lost and confused vagrants by the side of the road by a field and small cluster of houses. And back to Stoke we went. Exhausted and more than ready to be back in our cozy guest house resting our weary legs, April and I boarded the bus for the 30 min ride back to Cheadle. As we boarded the bus and handed the driver our day pass, a pungent odor assailed our nostrils. The front seats were occupied and we were met by other passengers escaping from the putrid smell. Stepping into the back section of the bus, our eyes beheld the source of the smell; peas and carrots swimming in stomach bile oozed across the seat. A burning sensation rose up in my throat. April and I quickly found seats and passed out mint chewing gum to the other passengers in hopes of easing the journey. Already delirious from our day of endless walking and chasing after buses, April and I dissolved into uncontrollable giggles. This was only heightened by each stop we made where unsuspecting travelers entered the bus and their faces would distort into disgusted looks and exclamations of “gross” as their eyes beheld the gruesome image. Making it back to Cheadle and leaving the ‘puke bus’ we spent the rest of the warm evening snapping photographs of the town already closed up for the night. In Cheadle 
Staffordshire, April and I found it lacking in American food and have decided to open and American diner offering burgers and hotdogs!
We lingered a bit this morning at breakfast as our table was sat by the window and the sun was warm and bright. We went up to the local market only to discover that it catered to the majority population of Cheadle and offered full covered, belly button hiding under pants! Eventually we decided to try and find some of the pottery factories for which this area is known. We found our way to the Wedgwood and Royal Dalton stores and the Spode factory which is goin
g out of business and no longer offering tours. After some misdirection and lots of walking, we also found our way to the Wedgwood factory which is set outside the city and is a little community all its own. We missed the tour but enjoyed wandering through the store admiring the beautiful items we could never afford. There was one last bus to catch so we walked out in the middle of no where until the bus finally came only to discover that the bus was not going back to Stoke! We hurried to walk the mile back to the main road only to get stuck at the train crossing with all the Wedgewood employees. After waiting 30 min for the trains to pass, we walked quickly to the road where there was no bus stop but where I was determined to flag down any bus that went by. We had no idea if a bus would even pass. Eventually, a bus did come around the cornier and the astonished face of the driver who had dropped us off stared out the window. He stopped for us as I’m sure we looked like two lost and confused vagrants by the side of the road by a field and small cluster of houses. And back to Stoke we went. Exhausted and more than ready to be back in our cozy guest house resting our weary legs, April and I boarded the bus for the 30 min ride back to Cheadle. As we boarded the bus and handed the driver our day pass, a pungent odor assailed our nostrils. The front seats were occupied and we were met by other passengers escaping from the putrid smell. Stepping into the back section of the bus, our eyes beheld the source of the smell; peas and carrots swimming in stomach bile oozed across the seat. A burning sensation rose up in my throat. April and I quickly found seats and passed out mint chewing gum to the other passengers in hopes of easing the journey. Already delirious from our day of endless walking and chasing after buses, April and I dissolved into uncontrollable giggles. This was only heightened by each stop we made where unsuspecting travelers entered the bus and their faces would distort into disgusted looks and exclamations of “gross” as their eyes beheld the gruesome image. Making it back to Cheadle and leaving the ‘puke bus’ we spent the rest of the warm evening snapping photographs of the town already closed up for the night. In Cheadle 
Staffordshire, April and I found it lacking in American food and have decided to open and American diner offering burgers and hotdogs!
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