Wedgwood!

Today was my adventure day! I didn’t sleep very well the night before, and I didn’t fall asleep until midnight, so when my alarm went off at 5:45 I was not a happy camper. There is always that 30 seconds that I think about turning off my alarm and going back to sleep! I didn’t though and I dragged myself out of bed and got ready to go. Thankfully I had gotten out my clothes the night before so I just had to pull them on in my half-awake stupor!

I left on time and headed towards Willesden Green tube. I hopped on the train, arrived at Euston square, walked to Euston station, and was there 30 minutes earlier. Perfect. I love the feeling of standing with the crowd of commuters and watching the screens for my platform to pop up. I feel like a Londoner every time! I guy my age came up next to me and started talking to me. He thought I was crazy for being at the station at 7:30am to go to the Wedgwood Museum. After I told him where I was had been studying he said it was a little bit more understandable, but not much. He was really nice and we walked to our train together and chatted. He had two coffees… both for him because he had been at a wedding the night before and had gotten home at 1am. That makes for a rough Monday!

I sat down on the train and pulled out the ipod. The two and a half hours went by quickly with my Game of Thrones book and my pod!!! It is so weird how British the British country side looks with its green GREEN grass, sheep, and stone walls. I absolutely love it. I arrived at Stoke-On-Trent in the rain. I am getting used to the rain. I found the bus stop and realized that I had 40 minutes to wait so I went back in the train station so I could wait and stay dry! At 11:00 I went back out to the bus stop and caught the X1 to Wedgwood. I get on the bus and show the driver my plusbus pass (I bought it with my train tickets and it said any route!) He said no and asked where I was going. I said Wedgwood and he told me to just take a seat and that it didn’t matter. Nicest man ever! I said thank you and sat down.

I was riding along and realized that the bus wasn’t stopping unless someone hit the button that they wanted to get off. Uh-Oh. I was getting all worried that I was going to miss my stop when the uber nice bus man yelled “Wedgwood”! Phew. I get off the bus and realize that Im in the middle of nowhere. An old man gets off with me and then turns to ask the bus driver where to go. He point straight ahead so the old man and I start in that direction. We chat and both decide that this is the worst marked place ever. It was pouring. The old man told me to go on without him and to leave the weak and slow behind! I didn’t! I had an umbrella so we could find it together. We did eventually. At the store we parted ways. It took me awhile to figure out where the visitors center was, but I found it and went in to buy my “complete experience pass!”

It was 11:45 so the woman put me on the noon tour. I looked around the museum shop quickly and at noon went on the tour with only 4 other people!!! (2 elderly couples!) The tour was worth every penny that I spent on the entire experience pass! It was EPIC. I saw the clay, then the slip, the molds, the people scrapping the mold lines off, and then the kilns. That was all cool but the BEST part was after the kilns. I saw how the painting, gilding, and clay figures were made/applied. People make everything by hand. No wonder Wedgwood is so expensive! Then the best part was the end where we saw a man making a trial piece by hand. It’s a new tea set… it was exquisite! AND I touched it while it was still in the beginning process. So cool! The worst part was at the very very end. There was a shelf labeled “smash”. On the shelf was a couple of my very favorite teapot that sells for 175 pounds in stores (150 in the Wedgwood store!). They looked normal but they had been rejected so they would literally be smashed because Wedgwood doesn’t allow non-perfect items into the market. I wanted to rescue one of those teapots SO badly.

After the tour I went back to the visitors center and went through the museum. It was really cool but I knew a lot about Wedgwood already (I know that sounds conceited but I had an hour and a half lecture about him and his life so I had it all in my brain already!) It was fun to see the pottery develop though. At the end I was a little sick of seeing china!

After the museum I went across the car park (parking lot) to the Outlet Store!! I had been waiting for this! I walk in and the space is probably half of Sams Club and it is ALL dishes. My jaw dropped. I had the most fun shopping in there than I have EVER had in my life. (Yes that beat Black Friday) I was piling my basket with goodies. Then I looked down and decided that I had to weed through and pick things! I ended up with 3 little plates, a cup and saucer (the second to last blue on that they had!) and a large beautiful bowl that was 75% off of the 250 pound price tag. The only thing that was wrong with the stuff in the factory store was that it was LAST SEASON’S!!! Are you kidding me! Since when does jasper ware have a season?? While I was at the till I told the cashier that I wish I had worn willies and realized that I had left that out of my blog. Wellies are rain boots!

I walked out with a huge smile on my face and my bag full of Wedgwood. Then I remembered that I should take some pictures! (We weren’t allowed in the factory or the museum) I snapped some shots and decided to head to the bus stop so I would make my bus! (if I missed it I would miss my train!) I hiked back to the bus stop (it was quite a ways!) and found the one I had gotten off at. The sign said that the opposite side of the road was the bus going to the city center (duh I got that!) but there was just a curb on the other side. No sign. After freaking out slightly I looked at the timetable and noticed that the bus going the opposite way would arrive before the bus going the way I wanted to. So I stood on the wrong side to make sure that bus would stop. I didn’t notice the bus pull up, but the door opened and the bus drive said “you look lost”. I laughed and said I was and asked if I literally stood on the other side of the road or if there was a stop around the corner that I needed to stand at. He chuckled and said just stand on the other side. I thanked him and crossed the street to wait. My bus came a short while later and I get on and it’s the same driver that I had coming out!! I laughed and went up to him to pay my fare. He says “You were waiting on the wrong side of the road weren’t you?” I said “yes… how did you know?”… apparently the other bus driver had flagged him down and TOLD him that I was on the wrong side. Oh goodness. The entire bus was chuckling. He told me not to pay and I sat down in the front row, slightly embarrassed!

The rest of the journey is boring… just a train ride home! A London midland train was pulling in the station as my bus got in. It was the earlier train that I wasn’t planning on making, but I did and got into London at 6:50 (and hour earlier!) That was nice! It was a long but fun day!

P.S the first picture is of the Josiah Wedgwood statue! The second my bowl, and the third a funny sign that i saw on the way to the bus!