We packed up our belongings first thing; not an easy task since we have to cram a lot of stuff into the small suitcases we chose to bring. I brought a backpack because I thought it would be easy to carry but I discovered that you simply can't sit down with it on and it is otherwise very awkward. I've got to look for another carry on with 4 wheels; 2 wheels are not adequate when you are trying to slide a bag forward.
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| Saying Good-bye to the Grand Royale |
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| The Reading Room |
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| Bus stop on Bayswater at Inverness Terrace, a very convenient location! |
After breakfast, we made our way down and out to the bus stop and took another very convenient bus to Victoria Station. It left us off about two blocks away from the "Coach Station" where the intercity buses leave from; not too bad, but thank goodness for wheels on our suitcases!
We had booked the Megabus for the trip to Kenilworth, only a couple of miles from Coventry, which itself is only 10 or so miles from Birmingham (Birmingum in Brit speak), one of England's largest cities. This is where Evie's friend Margaret lives; it cost only L6 for both of us! (Remember that the L stands for "pounds".) The bus was comfy and had to wend its way all through London for 45 minutes before even reaching the "motorway". Good for sightseeing, but nothing like the speed of the trains, which we will be using from now on.
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| Map of first leg of journey |
We got in a little after 2PM but not to a bus station; since it was the Megabus, it left us in front of a Tesco store! Margaret was right there waiting for us and we laughed as we crammed our luggage into her tiny car and drove off toward her house.
The streets are very narrow here i with cars parked sometimes on both sides so there is room only for one car to pass throug, even though it may ostensibly be a two way street. I watched as she had to stop and wait for oncoming traffic to pass before she could proceed on multiple occasions during the short drive.
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| Parking is difficult since few have garages. Margaret's house is around the corner! |
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| Margaret's house has the black door on the left |
We walked down the block from where she was able to park and sherpa'd our luggage upstairs to her daughter's old room. We had a quick tour of the house; two bedrooms, one bath with a small kitchen and dining area, and a delightful back 'garden' (they don't say yard), which opens to a large field. The house dates to 1901, as is part of a long block of what we might now call "zero lot line" houses; wall to wall, continuous houses, with front doors opening directly to the sidewalk, which is but 3 feet wide. These are called "terraced" houses and comprise most of the homes in England.
After a little "lie down" to recuperate, Margaret suggested that we walk down to a local pub for dinner. The walk took us down one street and up another, by a local abbey, then across a park; it was quite a long walk for us as we both are not really used to walking any real distance in the cold night time air and we joked about it with our hostess; however, Margaret is very used to walking and prefers to this mode of travel to driving the car which is why she (and most Brits) seem to be very slim with no weight issues!
We each had a very nice meal; I had swordfish steak with a dill sauce and Evie had Hake fish. After a later wiki search I found that Hake is a relative of cod, and along with Haddock, and is one of the most common fish consumed in these parts, although under severe pressure of overfishing. My swordfish was delicious and we finished off with apple crumble with warm custard on top; yummy! We walked off the calories getting home and after a little tele' and talk, trundled upstairs to bed.
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