One of the place that I had in mind to visit (when I am in London) is the Ship At Dunwich where a 300 year old Fig tree is located .
By searching in the Internet, I thought that TSAD is not very far from Central London and easy to find .But I was wrong , the more I went deep into the info, the more I felt frustrated (taxi cost would be almost $450.00 round trip, 10 times more than a round trip flight ticket from London to Spain !!!) to take a tub then 2 trains, then a cab . But once I determine to do something, I will never give up .
My daughter wanted me to be home the same day for a family dinner . Well, I woke up at 3 :00 am , have all maps printed and got ready to be a ... gypsy on the road ! LOL
Why that early when the whole town was still sleeping ? Well, this was the first time I was using the tub (underground transit) by myself , so I was not sure I could hop in and out the tub/train as fast as a Londoner. Better have plenty of time ...
I left London at 5:30 am . It was cold but dry. The Portland Street Station was almost empty and strangely quiet . It was cold, yes, but I felt good . I sat on a bench waiting for the train (?) , nobody around . Isn't romantic ?
Go East 6 stops to London Liverpoll station . Take train to Ipswich Station then swicth to another train to Darsham . 3 hours trip . That was supposed to be .
On a train heading Darsham in the beautiful Suffolk countryside , I was busy taking pictures of myself (selfie)
When the train arrived Darsham Station, somehow I could not open the door . So the train brought me all the way to Norwich (last station) then finally on its way back to London, it dropped me at Darsham . The one way trip cost me 5 hours !!!!
Arrive Darsham at 10:30 am
From the train station to the Pub "The Ship At Dunwich" I had to order a cab because no way that I could walk 5 miles away . The taxi brought me into a very narrow road that zigzagged like a serpent and dropped me at an intersection ( taxi fare was GBP 23.00 ).
From that intersection, I could see the Pub
The front side
Next door was a museum . A museum told you the history of the place where I was going to explore
Once upon a time there was a village at this location with a busy harbor. Many ships from other countries came here , and merchandise were imported to England, including fig tree . Somehow the coast ravaged this part of the country and the whole village disappeared. The Fig tree survived and is still growing every year . Its true age is FOUR HUNDRED years, not 300 as mentioned somewhere in this forum . The picture in the Internet was outdated .
I entered the Pub . There were several rustic tables and chairs . A couple were sitting at a corner sipping coffee . They were from France, visiting the area , like me . I sat down at another corner waiting for services . No one showed up . I stepped inside looking for a waiter . An old guy greeted me at a hall , telling me that everyone was busy in the kitchen and "you are welcome to have a drink in the Pub" . Me drinking at that time of the day ? No way . I asked if I could go to the backyard to see a fig tree. The old man led me to the backyard
Another sitting area :
Into the backyard
.
There were several picnic tables and chairs outdoors . The whole backyard was not very big as I expected. At a corner on the left side a huge fig tree could be seen next to the back of the building . (I think the place is not only served as a Pub, but also a motel for visitors who want to stay there to go to the beach nearby) . A small fence was built around the Fig tree
General view :
On the ground nearby the tree, there were piles of freshly cut branches laying around, stem still green . I asked the man if I could take some . he said "Sure, they will be firewood anyway ..." . My problem is I dont know how to bring them into the States ...
A partial trunk on the ground
Another partial trunk crawling on the ground
The main trunks
Another angle of the fig tree
After taking some pictures of the Fig tree, i went back to the Pub . Met a young man who worked at the place . He said that the Fig tree was 400 years old not 300 . It did bear fruits but the fruits never get ripen . As he knew, they kept it because it protected the Pub building from the coastal winds and also because it did look good, something that attracts tourists every year .
I felt so hungry but the waitress said that lunch was not ready until 12:00 noon . I walked around and met several neighbors . Nobody seemed to care about that fig tree because they said that the tree was useless since the fruits were always green and dropped . I thought maybe this fig tree might need a warmer/long summer for the fruits to get ripen . Asking about its variety, the answers were always " Dunno" "Who cares" .
For me I do care ....
A fellow on FB recently said there was another huge fig tree across the Pub . I walked the whole neighborhood , saw no big fig tree, except one small one (on Blysthburg street) that bears some breba (s) from a small tree , about 3 years old . It looked like a Brunswick to me .
At 11:30 am, I went back to the Pub, hopefully to have a big meal, but helas , the kitchen was not ready for food yet .
I decided to call a taxi to bring me somewhere to eat . He driver dropped me off at Darsham Nurseries, not very far from the train station . There I met Kevin (Calvin???) who showed me some fig trees available for sale . They were Brown Turkey, Celeste and Brunswick . Of course I am not interested because I already have all of these varieties at home . I talked with him about the fig tree at TSAD. He said he was there 2 years ago and confirmed that he saw its fruits .
I had a very nice lunch at Darsham Nurseries : Pigeon with burned onions/buckwheat sauce
