So it begins

Progress

Published Date : February 26, 2004

The end of yet another month draws near.  Lately I’ve had that bizarre sensation of time flying yet not seeming to move at all.  During the day to day, it seems to be moving so slowly, but when I stop and think about the fact that I’ve been here for 8 months now, it seems to have just flown by.  I’ve also just realized that this is my halfway point for Britain.  8 months down, 8 months to go.

So, on Friday it was Jess’s birthday party.  It was a very drunken pub crawl.  I actually didn’t drink that much, but Jess had been going since 1pm and was determined to keep going…and going and going and going.  At last count she had 20+ drinks over 10-11 hours.  It was about this time that she (understandably) passed out in the street on the way home.  It took 4 of us to carry her back to her flat, but we made it there eventually.  Quite a fun night all around.

Saturday, Steve and I – this would be the Steve that’s been coming and going since the summer – went out to Islington to see a travel expo.  It turns out Phoenix Expeditions (the company I was looking at doing my overland trip with) was there and they were offering a 20% discount for booking at the show!!  With a minimal amount of arm twisting I decided to go for it.  So £1000 poorer, I’m now booked on the Istanbul to Cape Town portion of my trip!!  I’m so excited!!!

Unfortunately, the expedition doesn’t go through Ethiopia and Sudan any more.  Apparently, it was becoming too dangerous and difficult to keep going.  It’s too bad because that was a part of the trip I was really looking forward to.  Ah well, I’ll just have to visit them on my own on another trip.

With the money that I saved on the expedition, I decided that I needed to take a little trip for Easter.  The original plan was to go to the Canary Islands, but that proved too expensive.  Then the plan consisted of going anywhere warmer than here.  Cynthia and I scoured the web and the travel agents for anything we could find and last night we reached a consensus.  The two of us, plus Emma and Olivia, are going to Mallorca for 4 nights for a good old fashioned girl’s weekend.  It costs only £229 each for flights, self-catering apartment, and local transfers.  The apartment complex has its own pool and it’s only about 500m from the beach.  Excellent!  I just booked it this morning, so it’s not 100% confirmed yet, but hopefully everything comes off without a hitch.

They're Ba-ack!

Published Date : March 5, 2004

People come, people go.  Chris, of the Chris and Jess duo, came back on Tuesday.  He’s looking good, very tanned, very happy.  Dodging the British winter was good for him.  He’s working/living with Jess at the Earl’s Court Tavern now.  I think their plan is to work for a couple of months and then hop over to Spain after Jess’s visa expires.

The other one who couldn’t stay away was Gray.  He came back yesterday.  He tried to get back into Olave House, but the guy who kicked him out the last time was working the desk when he came in, so he didn’t even bother trying.  So now he’s staying down the street at Ayers Rock.

As for the rest of this week, it has been pretty quiet.  Sian and Shaun are back.  The squat didn’t work out for Sian, and Shaun is back from Italy to make some more money and head over to Spain in a couple of months.  Frenchy left a couple of days ago as well, and Steve is leaving on Sunday.

Last night was quite good.  I went for drinks with Cynthia and a couple of guys she works with, Nicky and John.  It was nice.  We got out of Earls Court for a couple of hours, didn’t have to pay for any drinks, had good conversation – what more can a girl ask for?

I think tonight is supposed to be a big night.  It’s Danny and Emma’s going-away weekend, and Chris and Gray’s welcome-back weekend.  I don’t know what the plan is yet, but it’s bound to involve a bar somewhere! ��

Our trip to Mallorca for Easter has been confirmed!  I’m definitely looking forward to the getaway.

Caged Rat

Published Date : March 9, 2004

Lemme out, lemme out, lemme out!  I dunno how I’m gonna survive the next 7 months.  I’m going crazy.  Extreme outbreak of itchy feet.  I gotta get outta this city!  If I didn’t need the money I’d be gone tomorrow.  The weekend in Spain should help a bit; if it doesn’t I’m in trouble…

18 October 2004:  the day I make my dash for freedom.  It can’t arrive fast enough!!

A day in the country

Published Date : March 12, 2004

I decided that I couldn’t wait until April to make my great escape, so I’m heading out tomorrow for a day in the country.  I’m going to Salisbury, Avebury and Stonehenge.  Would you believe that after 3 trips to Britain this will be the first time I’ve ever seen Stonehenge?  It’s going to be freezing tomorrow and probably snowing, but it will all be worth it just to get out of London and spend a day by myself.

Forces of Nature

Published Date : March 13, 2004

Salisbury Cathedral

My great escape to the countryside went very well.  It was a bit of a challenge to get out of bed though, because I was up late with Gray last night, but I managed.  The group was composed mostly of Americans, plus one Aussie, a French woman and a couple of Filipino women.  The Aussie (I never got anybody’s names) was in basically the same state as me, so we ended up falling asleep leaning against each other every time we got on the bus.  It turned into the running joke of the trip ��

Salisbury cathedral was stunning.  Erected in the mid-thirteenth century, Salisbury was built in the English Gothic style in only 38 years.  Apparently, the cathedral also has the tallest spire in Britain.  We were given an hour or so to explore the grounds, and I particularly liked the cloisters with their delicate archways.  There was something very peaceful about the entire location.

After the cathedral, we stopped at a quiet little country pub for lunch and had a great roast. Yum!!  It has been so long since I’ve had a proper meal that my system went into shock.  I’ve been living off sandwiches, cereal and scrambled eggs for the last 6 months!  The Aussie and I started to feel a little bit more human after getting some decent grub into us, that’s for sure.  Our next stop was Stonehenge.

I was expecting to be disappointed with it, so I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the fact that it’s right next to a busy motorway

Stonehenge!!

detracts from the atmosphere a bit, but it was still fantastic.  There were very few people there apart from our group, so I had the opportunity to really enjoy it and soak it all in.  I think I even managed to take a few pictures with no people in them.  After seeing the stone quarries in Wales a couple of months ago, it blows my mind that people were able to transport these monoliths such a great distance.  Visiting places like this always spark my imagination and really get a feel for what it might have been like to live here thousands of years ago.

As much as I enjoyed Salisbury and Stonehenge, Avebury was definitely the highlight of my day.  The stone circle there goes around almost the entire village and is supposed to be the largest stone circle in Britain.   It had been quite a nice day aside from the cold, but not long after we got to Avebury an incredible storm blasted through.  And I do mean blasted.  There was horizontal sleet and winds strong enough to knock most of us over.  It couldn’t have lasted more than 10 minutes, but I was completely soaked through by the end of it.  To top it off, almost as soon as the storm passed, the sun came out and a spectacular rainbow appeared over the village and stones.  It was absolutely magical.

I wasn’t looking forward to returning to London, but I felt recharged after the day away.  Some fresh air and time to myself was just what the doctor ordered.  A few more days like this and I might start to feel human again.