London, England - The first day

Oct 24, 2004

We were up at 8am, showered, fed and out the door by 10:30 the next morning. Our plan was to head straight to London and find a little hotel there from which we could tour the larger part of the city on foot. Ambitious plans.

We had to stop twice for directions, which we secretly pretended were intended to get food or take rest stops, but at last we found ourselves in the heart of the city. With a little luck and the friendly advice of several Londoners were quickly located a hostel just a block away from Westminster Abbey. The tricky part was finding parking for the rental car. The men had to drive all over the place before they at last tracked down a lot that would let them store the car for more than one day.

With our bags stored away in the hostel, we set out on foot to see city. Big Ben, Parliament, the Victoria Gardens, Westminster Abbwey, Westminster Cathedral, the new Scotland Yard and Trafalgar square all in one day!

We stopped to buy postcards and trinkets on the way back home. We wanted to stop at one of the many colorful, and wonderfully named pubs, but we didn't think we could get back before it started raining on us again. And we were exhausted from all the walking!

While Robyn and I wrote postcards to those we'd left back in the States, Jason and Nate managed to sneak out and visit one of the pubs. It took Robyn and I about an hour to figure out they couldn't possibly be on the phone for that long and that they must have deserted us. We gave them hell when they got back, and only felt mildly smug over the fact that they'd each been able to afford only one drink on the cash they had in pocket.


Next: Touring London >>

Stonehedge to Croyden, England

Oct 23, 2004

It was still raining when we woke up the next morning. From what we'd been told by various people along the way, it rained a lot in October in England. All of us were feeling a little sad we hadn't stayed at Franz's chateau in France, we'd been spoiled rotten there and were sorry to give it up so soon.

We checked out of our room and headed downstairs for a warm breakfast and to use the hostel's only computer in search of a plan for the next leg of our journey. We all wanted to see Stonehedge, but it was rainy and windy, so we didn't think we'd want to spend very much time there.

Turns out we were right. What they don't tell you in the advertising brochures is that Stonehedge is surrounded by two fences. The first one keeps people from getting within ten feet of the stones, the second fence keeps people from getting within one hundred feet of the stones UNLESS you want to pay a rather hefty access fee. Our vision of walking around and getting magical pictures of the mystical stones shattered against the cruel blade of reality.

We grabbed lunch at the Stonehedge Kitchen, then got back into the rental car and headed out towards Croyden. We initially thought we'd hunt down Gabrielle, our friend from the ferry, but after driving around completely lost for most of the day, we decided we'd better just find a place to sleep. All of the hotels we checked were full due to some local event, but we were at last able to find a room in an adorable hotel that was currently overflowing with a wedding party.

They gave us a room up on the top floor, but we didn't get much sleep until all the wedding goers had settled done for the night.


Next: London England >>

Portsmouth "City of Youth"

Portsmouth "City of Youth"

Here is a curious child eager to see strangers
Curious eyes and eager gazes
A pleasant smile or impish grin
The weather is a thing to laugh at
The world around them a bauble to study
Strangers a welcome surprise
Here and there a wicked Irish joke
Here and there a flash of Scottish charm
The boats in the harbor look like playthings
Their buildings with a flare for the sea
The city has the feel of youth and playfulness
As a park for the young, a gameboard for life
Who are these newcomers?
Will they stay and play?
Tell us stories of your adventures!
They are full of curiousity and life
Here is a place to grow young!

- Taliahad Oct 22, 2004

Our Arrival in Portsmouth, England

Oct 22, 2004

Ah, the wind in my hair and the salty sea breeze in my nostrils...

The ferry ride was lots of fun. The boat was so large that even the big waves near the stormy coast of England didn't scare me that much. It was fun to ride them out and see how high they actually rose in comparison to when we started out in France.

We met an absolutely amazing woman named Gabrielle McCartan on the ferry, and she was full of great stories about the UK, her family and the best sites to see while we were there. We actually spent the majority of the ride just sitting pleasantly spellbound at her side in the ship's lounge. With eight hours of travel time ahead of us on water, she was a godsend!

Our arrival in England was nothing like our arrival in France. The people were friendly and appeared eager to ask us where we were from, where we were headed and how our vacation had gone so far. In fact if it hadn't been for their friendly demeanor we might have been miserable drowned rats that night.

The ferry landed just as the last rays of sunshine were vanishing on the horizon. We wandered out of the port feeling a little lost and worried, carrying our bags on our backs and hoping to find a nearby hostel before the dark clouds above us started dumping rain.

As the first big drops started to fall from the dark skies, we decided to divide our forces to cover more ground. Jason and I went one direction, while Nate and Robyn headed another. With the dark storm above it was apparent that few people wanted to be walking around in the weather, so we were having difficulty getting directions.

Seeing a pub just down the street gave us hope however, and Jason held my bag while I stepped inside to ask a few of the pub's attendees. The quickly pointed down the street where we'd come from, where there was a second pub that rented out rooms to travellers. Grabbing Nate and Robyn from a side street we headed to this second pub, where Robyn and I were invited to stay (in the beds of two locals) and Nate and Jason were given only goodhearted ribbing. After politely deferring on their playful invitations, all four of us headed off to a third location where we were told we would be able to stay together.

At last we found a hostel with four tiny single beds all in one room. They were bunk beds, and Jason's feet hung off the bottom of his, but at least they were out of the stormy weather. Robyn and the menfolk headed off to hunt down dinner, while I got out of my wet clothes and kicked back for some rest.

After a meal of authentic English fish and chips, we all attempted to get some sleep for the following day's adventures.


Next: Stonehedge >>

A Military Sendoff to Portsmouth, England

Oct 22, 2004

We had to be up very early to finish packing and get ourselves out to the ferry harbor. We ended up being early arriving, yet almost didn't make it on board in time. As we were attempting to board customs was checking everyone's passports, and bingo, here were four Americans with no proof of entry into France. (Remember the customs official at the airport that failed to stamp our passports, here's where that becomes a problem... getting back out!)

We were immediately pulled out of line by two serious looking men in full fatigues and automatic machine guns. They were demanding how we got into their country... in French, while we were trying to explain that we were going to miss our Ferry... in English. It was looking pretty bad for us. The French customs had every right to detain us for being illegally in their country, despite the fact that we had done so in ignorance. We were getting good looks at their guns and sweating a bit more than the weather might have recommended.

The last of the legal passengers had now boarded the ferry and it was getting ready to leave. We were starting to feel rather desperate about our situation when one of the girls taking tickets came over with an English speaking man. We explained our arrival and the actions of the customs official, and pleaded that we were only ignorant tourists. We showed them our airline tickets, showing the arrival time and the future departure time from Scotland. It was freaky scary to me, but Jason seemed to be holding it together pretty well.

At last they seemed to decide that since we were leaving the country they'd rather just get rid of us then throw us behind bars, or turn us over to the American embassy. The minute they gave us the okay, we grabbed our bags and RAN for the ferry. We were more than a little happy to find ourselves at last on the boat and safely out of the grasp of the French military.

Next: Portsmouth England >>

Destination Relaxation; Puttering around Berric, France

Oct 20, 2004

Wednesday morning we woke up to a drizzly day. Rather than spend the day driving around in the rain we decided to take a break from site seeing and just spend the day exploring the yards and just puttering around Berric, France.

We visited a few local markets, and stopped to mail some items back to the states (changing our minds after we realized how bloody much we'd have to spend for even a small box).

We had an early dinner and spent the rest of the night chilling in the main room, peeling the labels off from the Absinthe bottles and finishing off the rest of our horded liquor.


Next: A Military Sendoff >>

France - Tour of Mont Saint Michel Abbey

Oct 19, 2004

Jason and I were up early, but we stayed in bed and pretended to sleep until 8am. I was feeling a bit of gut rot from the food, so we had a late start to see Mont Saint Michel Abbey. It was a long drive there and a long drive back, but it was totally worth it!

Le Mont-St-Michel was used in the 6th and 7th centuries as an Armorican stronghold of Romano-British culture and power, until it was sacked by the Franks, thus ending the trans-channel culture that had stood since the departure of the Romans in 459 AD.

Before the construction of the first monastic establishment in the 8th century, the island was called Mont Tombe. According to legend, the archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. Aubert repeatedly ignored the angel's instruction, until Michael burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger! The dedication to St. Michael occurred on October 16, 708.

On the way back to the chateau we stopped at the train station to check on tickets to London, then at a supermarket for dinner. That night we were all up late talking and tossing around itinerary ideas.


Next: Destination Relaxation >>