Wednesday 22nd June 2011
Bus due at 1.15pm to take us London to Gatwick airport for flight to Dublin at 5.30pm. The bus had only cost 4 pounds each. Had our free continental breakfast in the hotel, which was quite an experience. We were pretty much the only people there. this withered, blonde russian woman in her fifties came in to serve us, and she seemed to be prattling on to herself in russian, there was no one else in the room. As we had learnt the word for "thank you" in russian whilst in moswcow we threw it out there to see if she would react (she might not have even been russian...) her responce was to say in english "they are watching me, they are watching, the eyes above me....." then she spoke in russian again, then we heard the word "americans" then some more russian, she then snapped out of it and said "more tea...?" offering us the teapot. She went over and cleared away the empty table opposite us, but stopped halfway to stand and stare at her own reflection in the mirror and muttered about "boom boom behind my back... i know i know.... behind my back" and some other russian stuff. We ate up the rest of our breakfast pretty quickly and went to hide in our room....
Took the bus in the rain to Gatwick on an earlier bus. Checked in and brought some duty free presents only to be told by Ryan Air that it all had to go into one carry on bag only. So tall and small frantically crammed into their side pockets and bags teddy bears and chocolates, until they got onboard and put everything back into the carrier bag. The plane filled up after them with people scrambling for the good seats, there was a lot of Irish tinkers. A very fast flight and picked up in Dublin airport by small one’s friend Abba. Within an hour and a half back at Small one’s family home, to be greeted by his long waiting family. Before bed tall and small joined the father in the pub next door for a couple of Guinness, tall one’s first Guinness in Ireland.
Tuesday 21st June 2011
Tall and Small were reunited in London Victoria that morning, after both having travelled back a day earlier than expected. Took the underground across London carrying the big backpacks each, the train was packed but yet a snobby old man with a hearing aid and Australian hat took offense of being so crowded and being so close to a backpack and tried pushing small one away. Small one stood his ground and he heard the old man’s little wife say to her husband “he obviously doesn’t know WHO he’s pushing..... but you know who your pushing don’t you dear”. Went looking for a hostel or hotel over in Earl’s Court area where there bus to Gatwick airport was due to pick them up Wednesday lunch time. Everywhere booked out due to Wimbledon, but found one room left in a dodgy Hotel run by a couple of very friendly Asians.
Went out had breakfast, visited Traflgar Square to print off their Ryan Air flight after finding out you could only check in online and not at the airport as you’d have to pay 40 pounds to do so, also how it was a first come first serve on the seats, no carry on bag over 10kg and not more than 1 bag aloud. Borrowed a dodgy weighing scales from the hotel which seemed to put the weight of tall one’s bags between 5 or 12 kg.... Met up briefly with one of Tall one’s old friends Andrew from college, who sat in the park slowly eating a sandwich – he had always had the demeanour of an 80 year old man. Looked round the National Art Gallery where in the gents toilets a man was standing at the urinal with both hands on his hips, how he’d had any sort of control neither of us knew – and he was going when we entered and still going when we left. That evening came back out to King’s Cross to meet two of tall one’s old housemates from College days in Maidstone, one of them being Martin who he’d stayed with the night before, and also Ben who’d recently got married and had a child.
Ben had chosen the pub in King’s Cross station to meet up, only to find that the whole station was being refurbished. Martin was obsessed with the idea of taking everyone to Nandos and wasn;t happy until we got their. He led the way stalking off ahead “walking like he’d just been raised from the dead” as Ben commented. A strange greeting in Nandos by a young foreign waiter who said “have you been here before?” to which we said no, and he said “is that a yoke?”. Im sorry what?.... “is that a yoke?” he asked again. “Do you mean joke?”.... “yes are you joking?”. “No we are not joking we have not been here before...” He then explained how we ordered at the counter ourselves not from him, and had to do the same for our drinks and our bill... to which small one said to him “so we are not going to see you again?”. He confirmed this, which seemed a good thing. Ordered our food and beers, they do quite nice bottled Ciders. Martin suggested he ordered two platters and we shared, fine. But one platter came with one whole cob of sweetcorn between 4 people, to which Martin chewed off a quarter and put it back expecting us each to pass it round? He also pawed at the chips rather animal like with his hands we’d all seen scratching joyfully down his trousers... The platter idea was not the best in the end. Tall one gave them their travel gifts, including an I LOVE BANGKOK t-shirt for Ben’s 1 year old, and a shot glass from Moscow with a picture of Stalin on the side, which Small one had managed to drop on the tube and break after managing to carry it from halfway round the world. Went to bed around midnight.
Tuesday 14th June – Monday 20th June 2011
Tuesday afternoon small and tall headed for Victoria station, said their goodbyes and tall one was put on the train to East Grinstead while small one ran alongside the departing train as he sped away... Tall one was picked up an hour later at the station by his mother and his new 2 year old niece who cried as soon as she saw him. Meanwhile Conor waited round the station on free wireless until that evening when he boarded his night bus to Edingburgh. The bus was driven by a young, ginger, bloated Glaswegian man and the passengers were all black. A stop over at Birmingham around midnight, then arriving in Edingburgh around 7am wednesday.
Tall one was told by his mother back on their farm that he was not staying long enough and that they would not have time for a family meal. He then ended up having four family meals over the five days he was there, with the parents, two sisters and niece. The only day he didn’t he was round the young sisters house meeting her fiancé and getting fed there while harassed by an excitable westie. Between the many meals out, bbqs, roast dinners and other feedings that week Tall one climbed into the attic and went through 28 years of parcels sent from Australia, books from childhood and Maidstone, and about 60 teddy bears to have a good clearout. Well fed and sorted out he was dropped off in Maidstone to meet some friends on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile small one in Edingburgh had to stick to his well organized timetable to fit in every relative and friend he’d ever known in the space of a week. Unfortunately it didn’t work. The hostel he stayed in was a big dorm, but mostly empty except for a large American man who snored all night and a young girl who wanted to try hypnotherapy on him. Many Australia stories later he headed back down to London to meet tall one on the Monday night bus back to London.
Back to Tall one staying for 2 nights with his recovering alcoholic friend Sam, in Maidstone who seemed to be doing pretty well, with his girlfriend of 2 years, does not go out drinking anymore and had gotten better from the days of debts, drink, girls, health problems, depression, family falling apart etc etc. The next day however when tall one met up with another more bouncy friend in Maidstone for breakfast Sam had took the day off work but never came out to meet them. That afternoon he turned up drunk around 4pm, was kicked out by the girlfriend (along with tall one’s luggage from the spare room). Tall one met up with Sam at own flat in the rough part of Maidstone, to find the prospect of the scum bag neighbours dropping round and a bottle of red wine for dinner too much to handle, so made his excuses and headed up to London Monday night instead of Tuesday morning. Feeling bad to have left his old friend back to his old ways and hoped that he had not a thing to do with it (the friend does not read blogs.... ). He met up with Martin in London, his big hairy, stand-up comedian from Carlisle and previous housemate (who also does not read blogs...) and stayed at his house having one Tiger beer before bed.
Monday 13th June 2011
Sleep on late, then out to shop in Primark (small one brought a heap of clothes he later said he hated). Small one hair cut and then a lunch in Wetherspoons. Day pass for the tube brought and up to King’s Cross, walk around some movie sites and Charles Dickens’ house. Back on train to Camden Town, walk round the food stall and market, then long hour walk across Regent Park and London zoo to Abbey Road. Too many people and too much traffic to get a proper Beatles Album cover like photo, but still good to see. Train on to Notting hill and several film locations there, walk down Portobello road past an ugly dog, some bad blueberries, and George Orwell’s house?
Train again down to Chelsea, by now both really shattered, very hard to walk. Saw Battersea powerstation, alking back opted for a bus back to the underground station. A sign above the driver stated the bus capacity as: “65 seated and 15 standing or 64 seated and 16 standing or 64 seated, 13 standing and 1 wheelchair”.... When we got off the bus we thanked the driver to his dismiss responce of “yeah yeah yeah...”.
Train to Kennington where Charlie Chaplin had lived as well as The Elephant and Castle. Finally on to Greenwhich to see Millenium Dome / O2 and Canary Wharf.... completely shattered, in pain now, those cheap soft shoes from Primark are not built for this....
A late dinner in... a wetherspoons and then desperate for bed and sleep.
Sunday 12th June 2011
Walk up Oxford street, had healthy breakfast. Tube to Bank station, walked up Monument lookout where a friendly Englishman and woman chatted to us at the gate. 2 pounds only and a long, tiring climb up a spiral staircase... back on to the walking tour and it rained all day, the umbrella brought broke, turning inside out every time it went up. Down to tower of London and over tower bridge. Along the south bank of Thames past the dull London Bridge and waterloo bridge. Brief look round Tate Modern gallery, over millennium bridge to St Paul’s Cathedral. Down past London Eye, then on to Downing street. Big Ben in the rain and a new umbrella, to which the very London street seller went on and on about “yeah that’s a good umbrella that... yeah it’s the best”. Even after we brought it he was still going on, it was like he was reluctantly selling his child.
Past Westminster abbey, a needed rest in Starbucks then Buckingham Palace. A long walk round Hyde Park, to Royal Albert Hall, then up round to speakers corner for a hot dog. Back to the hostel for a break, then out for Trafalgar square, Nelson’s column, Leicester Square (half in building site), Covent Gardens. Looking for a wetherspoons roast but had all run out, finally found a pub roast with a very nervous waiter. Lots of walking, exhausted today. Small one really liked London, Tall one had done as well after being here a few times before but not really doing the tourist thing before. Even the rain was fine.
Bus due at 1.15pm to take us London to Gatwick airport for flight to Dublin at 5.30pm. The bus had only cost 4 pounds each. Had our free continental breakfast in the hotel, which was quite an experience. We were pretty much the only people there. this withered, blonde russian woman in her fifties came in to serve us, and she seemed to be prattling on to herself in russian, there was no one else in the room. As we had learnt the word for "thank you" in russian whilst in moswcow we threw it out there to see if she would react (she might not have even been russian...) her responce was to say in english "they are watching me, they are watching, the eyes above me....." then she spoke in russian again, then we heard the word "americans" then some more russian, she then snapped out of it and said "more tea...?" offering us the teapot. She went over and cleared away the empty table opposite us, but stopped halfway to stand and stare at her own reflection in the mirror and muttered about "boom boom behind my back... i know i know.... behind my back" and some other russian stuff. We ate up the rest of our breakfast pretty quickly and went to hide in our room....
Took the bus in the rain to Gatwick on an earlier bus. Checked in and brought some duty free presents only to be told by Ryan Air that it all had to go into one carry on bag only. So tall and small frantically crammed into their side pockets and bags teddy bears and chocolates, until they got onboard and put everything back into the carrier bag. The plane filled up after them with people scrambling for the good seats, there was a lot of Irish tinkers. A very fast flight and picked up in Dublin airport by small one’s friend Abba. Within an hour and a half back at Small one’s family home, to be greeted by his long waiting family. Before bed tall and small joined the father in the pub next door for a couple of Guinness, tall one’s first Guinness in Ireland.
Tuesday 21st June 2011
Tall and Small were reunited in London Victoria that morning, after both having travelled back a day earlier than expected. Took the underground across London carrying the big backpacks each, the train was packed but yet a snobby old man with a hearing aid and Australian hat took offense of being so crowded and being so close to a backpack and tried pushing small one away. Small one stood his ground and he heard the old man’s little wife say to her husband “he obviously doesn’t know WHO he’s pushing..... but you know who your pushing don’t you dear”. Went looking for a hostel or hotel over in Earl’s Court area where there bus to Gatwick airport was due to pick them up Wednesday lunch time. Everywhere booked out due to Wimbledon, but found one room left in a dodgy Hotel run by a couple of very friendly Asians.
Went out had breakfast, visited Traflgar Square to print off their Ryan Air flight after finding out you could only check in online and not at the airport as you’d have to pay 40 pounds to do so, also how it was a first come first serve on the seats, no carry on bag over 10kg and not more than 1 bag aloud. Borrowed a dodgy weighing scales from the hotel which seemed to put the weight of tall one’s bags between 5 or 12 kg.... Met up briefly with one of Tall one’s old friends Andrew from college, who sat in the park slowly eating a sandwich – he had always had the demeanour of an 80 year old man. Looked round the National Art Gallery where in the gents toilets a man was standing at the urinal with both hands on his hips, how he’d had any sort of control neither of us knew – and he was going when we entered and still going when we left. That evening came back out to King’s Cross to meet two of tall one’s old housemates from College days in Maidstone, one of them being Martin who he’d stayed with the night before, and also Ben who’d recently got married and had a child.
Ben had chosen the pub in King’s Cross station to meet up, only to find that the whole station was being refurbished. Martin was obsessed with the idea of taking everyone to Nandos and wasn;t happy until we got their. He led the way stalking off ahead “walking like he’d just been raised from the dead” as Ben commented. A strange greeting in Nandos by a young foreign waiter who said “have you been here before?” to which we said no, and he said “is that a yoke?”. Im sorry what?.... “is that a yoke?” he asked again. “Do you mean joke?”.... “yes are you joking?”. “No we are not joking we have not been here before...” He then explained how we ordered at the counter ourselves not from him, and had to do the same for our drinks and our bill... to which small one said to him “so we are not going to see you again?”. He confirmed this, which seemed a good thing. Ordered our food and beers, they do quite nice bottled Ciders. Martin suggested he ordered two platters and we shared, fine. But one platter came with one whole cob of sweetcorn between 4 people, to which Martin chewed off a quarter and put it back expecting us each to pass it round? He also pawed at the chips rather animal like with his hands we’d all seen scratching joyfully down his trousers... The platter idea was not the best in the end. Tall one gave them their travel gifts, including an I LOVE BANGKOK t-shirt for Ben’s 1 year old, and a shot glass from Moscow with a picture of Stalin on the side, which Small one had managed to drop on the tube and break after managing to carry it from halfway round the world. Went to bed around midnight.
Tuesday 14th June – Monday 20th June 2011
Tuesday afternoon small and tall headed for Victoria station, said their goodbyes and tall one was put on the train to East Grinstead while small one ran alongside the departing train as he sped away... Tall one was picked up an hour later at the station by his mother and his new 2 year old niece who cried as soon as she saw him. Meanwhile Conor waited round the station on free wireless until that evening when he boarded his night bus to Edingburgh. The bus was driven by a young, ginger, bloated Glaswegian man and the passengers were all black. A stop over at Birmingham around midnight, then arriving in Edingburgh around 7am wednesday.
Tall one was told by his mother back on their farm that he was not staying long enough and that they would not have time for a family meal. He then ended up having four family meals over the five days he was there, with the parents, two sisters and niece. The only day he didn’t he was round the young sisters house meeting her fiancé and getting fed there while harassed by an excitable westie. Between the many meals out, bbqs, roast dinners and other feedings that week Tall one climbed into the attic and went through 28 years of parcels sent from Australia, books from childhood and Maidstone, and about 60 teddy bears to have a good clearout. Well fed and sorted out he was dropped off in Maidstone to meet some friends on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile small one in Edingburgh had to stick to his well organized timetable to fit in every relative and friend he’d ever known in the space of a week. Unfortunately it didn’t work. The hostel he stayed in was a big dorm, but mostly empty except for a large American man who snored all night and a young girl who wanted to try hypnotherapy on him. Many Australia stories later he headed back down to London to meet tall one on the Monday night bus back to London.
Back to Tall one staying for 2 nights with his recovering alcoholic friend Sam, in Maidstone who seemed to be doing pretty well, with his girlfriend of 2 years, does not go out drinking anymore and had gotten better from the days of debts, drink, girls, health problems, depression, family falling apart etc etc. The next day however when tall one met up with another more bouncy friend in Maidstone for breakfast Sam had took the day off work but never came out to meet them. That afternoon he turned up drunk around 4pm, was kicked out by the girlfriend (along with tall one’s luggage from the spare room). Tall one met up with Sam at own flat in the rough part of Maidstone, to find the prospect of the scum bag neighbours dropping round and a bottle of red wine for dinner too much to handle, so made his excuses and headed up to London Monday night instead of Tuesday morning. Feeling bad to have left his old friend back to his old ways and hoped that he had not a thing to do with it (the friend does not read blogs.... ). He met up with Martin in London, his big hairy, stand-up comedian from Carlisle and previous housemate (who also does not read blogs...) and stayed at his house having one Tiger beer before bed.
Monday 13th June 2011
Sleep on late, then out to shop in Primark (small one brought a heap of clothes he later said he hated). Small one hair cut and then a lunch in Wetherspoons. Day pass for the tube brought and up to King’s Cross, walk around some movie sites and Charles Dickens’ house. Back on train to Camden Town, walk round the food stall and market, then long hour walk across Regent Park and London zoo to Abbey Road. Too many people and too much traffic to get a proper Beatles Album cover like photo, but still good to see. Train on to Notting hill and several film locations there, walk down Portobello road past an ugly dog, some bad blueberries, and George Orwell’s house?
Train again down to Chelsea, by now both really shattered, very hard to walk. Saw Battersea powerstation, alking back opted for a bus back to the underground station. A sign above the driver stated the bus capacity as: “65 seated and 15 standing or 64 seated and 16 standing or 64 seated, 13 standing and 1 wheelchair”.... When we got off the bus we thanked the driver to his dismiss responce of “yeah yeah yeah...”.
Train to Kennington where Charlie Chaplin had lived as well as The Elephant and Castle. Finally on to Greenwhich to see Millenium Dome / O2 and Canary Wharf.... completely shattered, in pain now, those cheap soft shoes from Primark are not built for this....
A late dinner in... a wetherspoons and then desperate for bed and sleep.
Sunday 12th June 2011
Walk up Oxford street, had healthy breakfast. Tube to Bank station, walked up Monument lookout where a friendly Englishman and woman chatted to us at the gate. 2 pounds only and a long, tiring climb up a spiral staircase... back on to the walking tour and it rained all day, the umbrella brought broke, turning inside out every time it went up. Down to tower of London and over tower bridge. Along the south bank of Thames past the dull London Bridge and waterloo bridge. Brief look round Tate Modern gallery, over millennium bridge to St Paul’s Cathedral. Down past London Eye, then on to Downing street. Big Ben in the rain and a new umbrella, to which the very London street seller went on and on about “yeah that’s a good umbrella that... yeah it’s the best”. Even after we brought it he was still going on, it was like he was reluctantly selling his child.
Past Westminster abbey, a needed rest in Starbucks then Buckingham Palace. A long walk round Hyde Park, to Royal Albert Hall, then up round to speakers corner for a hot dog. Back to the hostel for a break, then out for Trafalgar square, Nelson’s column, Leicester Square (half in building site), Covent Gardens. Looking for a wetherspoons roast but had all run out, finally found a pub roast with a very nervous waiter. Lots of walking, exhausted today. Small one really liked London, Tall one had done as well after being here a few times before but not really doing the tourist thing before. Even the rain was fine.
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