In an English County Garden...

Well.. hello again all. I'm now approaching the home stretch of my Italian Odyssey! I've returned to my Aunty's house in Lincoln, UK and feel as though I've come full circle! Not only did my trip begin here, but it's finishing up here as well. Staying with family has also made the feeling of being nearer to home that much more accute, and while I've had a wonderful time overseas, I am looking forward to returning back to faithfully familiar surrounds.

My flight from Paris to London was mercifully uneventful. Upon arriving in London, I rocked up at my hotel/hostel to be told that my room booking had almost been cancelled. I had apparently accidentally misquoted my arrival time by about 9 hours!! The guy then said that my room was quite small. Eager to be compliant and an "easy customer" (particularly as he had saved the room for me) I waved this off saying "Oh that's fine, I'm only here for one night after all!" I found, however, that my room was literally smaller than a jail cell. I used to joke that the room that I had in my old apartment was a jail cell, (and those that have seen it will agree!) however this was EVEN SMALLER! The room was about 4 metres long, however, for some reason, not even 1.5 metres wide! I am NOT JOKING! With one shoulder against one wall, I could reach other and touch the other with my fingertips! The bed took up the bulk of the space, and was covered with black sheets! (I wonder why...?)


I was quite tired by this stage, however the tiny room motivated me to get out, and I gussied myself up, threw on my 'going out' outfit and proceeded to catch the Tube to Covent Garden which was conveniently on the same line. Lisa from work had recommended that I sample a Long Island Iced Tea at the Covent Garden Hotel. I didn't really know what to expect, however when I stepped outside the station, it became clear that this was quite a posh area, and there were hundreds of people crammed into various pubs, clubs and restaurants! I wandered around for a while enjoying the ambiance of the night life and finally found the hotel. It was VERY swish and the maitre'd gave my casual jeans a brief look and nodded yes when I asked could I could sit at the bar and have a drink. Well...that's where it all started! I ordered an Iced Tea and the very professional waiter stated mixing away. I ended up with an enourmously tall glass. Now, generally, I must say that I'm not a fan of the Long Island, it's a bit strong for my taste, but this one was DELICIOUS! I told the two barmen my little story, that a friend had recommended I come in and try this drink. The second bartender then said; "Well, the Iced Tea here is good, but I wouldn't say it was our best cocktail." Intrigued, I wanted to know more! Out came the cocktail menu. So many to choose from! I asked for the waiter to tell me what he thought was good, and he recommended something called 'Purple Rain', a berry concoction with gin and vodka, I think. By this time I was nearly finished with my Iced Tea, and so just as I was taking the last sips of the Iced Tea, on the bar in front of my appeared a martini glass filled to the brim with a dark purple berry drink!

The evening finished with the most amazing drink I've ever had... and I can't remember the name! It was a strawberry, chocolate and chilli concoction that was out of this world! My tastebuds were tingling with the chilli after every sip! I did have to have a glass of water with it though! Ha! I left at about 11.30pm to make sure I caught the tube back to the hotel, otherwise, I might have stayed for another! It was definately fabulous, and the staff there were really friendly and made for the best night out I've had alone. Thanks Lisa!!

The next day was spent seeing the sights in London; the Palace, Westminster Abbey, London Eye. I wish I'd had more time to see them thoroughly, but I thought a bus tour to see the main sights would allow me to take in more overall.

Today I'm planning on heading into the town of Lincoln to look around and do some more shopping! I'm slightly astounded at the amount that I've accumulated already though. When I left, my main suitcase was about 15kg, and that was it. It's now 20kg, I have another bag that is 10kg, and I've already sent 10kg of stuff home!