UK Road Trip, Part 1: Family Time in Newark

Ah, family.  I was going to start off in a jocular vein, pondering as to whether family is the bedrock of society or the source of all its ills, (probably a bit of both, eh?  😉 ) but the husband sagely surmised that my mother wouldn’t take kindly to my tactless attempt at humor, and the reaction of the husband’s family is a big unknown, so never mind.

Anyway, we were long overdue for a joint visit to the husband’s family in his hometown of Newark-upon-Trent in England, but first we had to get there.

Alighting from the plane at Heathrow, still reeling from the after-effects of a sleeping pill (me) and sub-par, drug-free airplane sleep (the husband), we collected our suitcases and bike box and made our way to the rental car pick-up area, where the agent brightly informed us that she was able to upgrade us from a…