England » Champion of Breakfasts!

Exiting England

Jun 182012

Random thoughts upon leaving England today for my last week in Europe.

Didn’t get to use the London Eye ticket I bought, which is a little disappointing, but what I saw instead of riding a giant Ferris Wheel was more than worth it. Hopefully someone else will put it to good use.

The Oyster Card makes life easy, and I recommend it for anyone touring around England! Put down a £5 deposit, charge it up with some credit, and never worry about the tube again. It’s fast, figures out the best value ticket for your day’s journeys, and gives you a discount on every trip. You avoid collecting a load of used paper tickets, don’t have to put a name against it so there’s no anonymity problem (there, at least – the rest of London, the UK really, has deep privacy problems; thanks Tony), and at the end of your visit you stop by a ticket window to get back your remaining credit and the deposit. As they say, Brilliant!

I did leave with more GBPs than I wanted; a result of being extra-prepared for my hike, for those independent B&Bs which require cash. Not planning a return visit anytime soon, so will try to find someone up for an exchange.

The Eurostar from London to Paris feels the way all international travel should feel: fast, quiet, convenient, comfortable. The announcement alert tone in the Gare du Nord sounds like a clip from The X Files.

Oh, and a personal note to British Border Security: I’m leaving now. Deep breath.

English Breakfast

England, Food No Responses »

Jun 162012

Let’s assume for the moment that the sun does set on the British Empire. You might then assume that the sun would also rise again the next day. It’s a big empire, takes a lot of work to manage that… you’ll need a big breakfast!

From what I can tell, you have a few variants to choose from. There’s the “continental,” which covers breads and pastries, possibly cereals. Hotels love this one, which sounds far fancier than it tastes. There’s “porridge,” a self-explanatory category, the least interesting, and possibly the healthiest. And finally there’s the “full English breakfast.” If you’re hungry, go for that last one.

Ridgeway Hike – day 3

England No Responses »

Jun 122012

Woke up to a light misting outside, had breakfast, and packed my things up. My phone charger stopped working, which took away my source of reservations, communications, and any clue what hour it was, so I left my bags in the carport and took a half-day detour into town for a replacement. This became more complicated than planned, but I eventually got back to the Lodge, my things, and my hike in a varying rain which didn’t let up all day. A very late start.

But what a beautiful hike! Continue reading »

Ridgeway Hike – day 2

England, Hiking No Responses »

Jun 112012

The lovely couple running 97 High Street bed & breakfast (a name and an address in one) both made mid-life career changes, which gives us something to talk about in between the half-dozen courses of a Full English Breakfast.

Hot tea, juice, cereal, fresh-baked rolls, eggs with smoked salmon, tomatoes and mushrooms, fruit… usually you get a sampling of these – this morning it was all on the table! There’s clearly more food here than I could possibly eat, and yet somehow I managed. It was delicious.

It was fuel for the walk ahead, but at a certain point ‘fuel’becomes ‘ballast,’ and I was moving slow on the walk. Continue reading »

Guarding Eden

England No Responses »

Jun 112012

Had to visit an Apple Store to replace a faulty power inverter, so I went to the Eden Shopping Centre in High Wycombe. As it happens, I have a friend named Eden so it was also an opportunity to send her a quick snapshot of her name writ large, just to say ‘hello.’ Which I did.

Sort of.

Ridgeway Hike – day 1

England, Hiking No Responses »

Jun 102012

Here’s the detailed plan for my England experience: hike the Ridgeway.

The Ridgeway is the oldest route in England (though how they decided this is a mystery to me), being in generally continuous usage for the past 5,000 years; much of that time for sheep-driving. It’s part of a larger trail (or series of trails) stretching coast-to-coast along southern Britain, but the part I plan on walking runs from Avebury in the west to Ivinghoe Beacon in the east. This section became a National Trail in 1973, and stretches 87 miles (139 km).

Most walkers follow the trail from west to east (for various reasons) but I, ever the contrarian, will walk it from east to west (for my own reasons). So, Ivinghoe Beacon to Avesbury for me, starting on Saturday and finishing (hopefully) by Friday.

Bordering on the Absurd

England, Travel No Responses »

May 312012

For the record: I am not what anyone would call “dangerous.” (With the possible exception of the Saladeen Tribes, the Pastrians, and the Cheesor people of planet Fondue who live in fear of me, and rightly so.)

Also for the record: While I would enjoy living abroad in the near future, it won’t be as an illegal alien.

And since you’re keeping record: I’m in good health. No diseases, not a smoker, not overweight (losing five pounds would give me the six-pack and haunted-hungry look of an underwear model; ten pounds would give me the eight-pack and harrowed-starving look of a war survivor), no family history of anything to worry about, all the limbs and organs you’d expect and none that would surprise you.

Still with me? Well get settled in for a long, dull wait.

denied visa stamp Continue reading »

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