I arrived at the hostel about 10:30am.
They let me store my bags since check-in wasn’t until 2pm. I went to the
British Museum and looked at North American stuff and Aztec. Also medieval
European artifacts too.
Babylonian Art Too
I have to say I question my memory.
I remember the hostel being slightly different and I can still see how I
thought it was in my head but it isn’t. It’s not been remodeled so I don’t know
what’s up with my silly brain. So weird.
I went back to the hostel to
check-in about 2pm. I talked to a long term resident, a girl who was from Canada.
Then I checked in and my room was on the ground floor which was nice. Last time
it had been on the top floor, when I came here in 2002. It’s not fun to carry
your bags up four flights of steps.
After that I went back to the
British Museum to see about high tea in their restaurant. It was £18.50 and I
decided that was too much. I stopped to use the bathroom and this girl, two or
three spots in line in front of me collapsed. I don’t know what was wrong with
her. I left when the museum people arrived to help her. She was talking a bit.
Perhaps she was diabetic or something.
Then I wandered around and went in a
few bookshops. Finally I found a book that sounded half interesting to me. So
many are not appealing at all. It’s called “The Last Gospel” and is supposed to
be “Indiana Jones” meets Dan Brown. We’ll see. [It sucked!]
Then I found a sushi place for
dinner, called Sushi Hiroba. It was good. It was £13.20 for three small kabobs
of Yakidori, a glazed chicken on stick-type thing, and for some rice, a spicy
tuna roll and green tea ice cream. It had a nice atmosphere too.
Now I’m going to lay down and start
reading my book. It’s 8:44pm now. I got sidetracked by a brother and sister who
are backpacking together. They are staying in this four bed room with me. The
other girl in here I came across earlier. She’s from Germany, speaks with a
slight Scottish accent funnily enough, and was going to a play with Gillian
Anderson in it and was hoping to meet her. V. would be so jealous. She’s
always loved X-Files.
Then I’m going to sleep as soon as
it gets dark because I have to be up about 6am for my flight, which leaves at
10:25am. I need some good sleep because I have to drive four hours home
tomorrow.
Better showers at Oxford Backpacker’s
Hostel, but mattresses are quiet thin. I’m pretty exhausted.
First I walked all over Oxford
looking for Billy a football jersey but couldn’t find one. When I was here
before everyone had them. I guess they’re not in style now?
Then I took a train to Warwick.
There is a castle there and I heard they fire a trebuchet, so I wanted to see
it. But first I had to find lunch. I had eaten a sausage roll at the Bath Spa
train station but was ravishingly hungry by this time because that had been
hours ago and I had walked a couple of miles. I saw a pub called The Roebuck
and it had a leaping deer on the sign. I looked at their menu and didn’t see
anything that screamed out to me and I very nearly walked on, until I saw a
thing that said they were the oldest pub in the town dating to 1475. Well that
decided it. It was your typical medieval pub, awesome. I ordered fish and chips. With a fountain drink (with ice! no less) it cost £9.75. Not too bad. I
enjoyed it thoroughly.
Then I continued up the road and saw
tourist info. I stopped in there and they called up the castle to check on what
time the trebuchet was fired. It was at 2 and 4:30. At that point it was about
one o’clock so I decided to pay the £15 to get in and go see the trebuchet
fired.
There was a lot more to the castle
but I didn’t get to see all of it. I got there in plenty of time to pick out a
choice spot on the bank to watch them wind the trebuchet up, using four men in
two wheels to lift a seven ton weight, and then lob a 15kg ball (they said it
could do up to 150) across the lawn. It was pretty awesome and I got it all on
video.
Video Compilation - Backpacking Europe 2009
Then I was going to wander up to the
castle and look at it, but I got side tracked by a large crowd gathered. I
wondered what they were there for, so I decided to wait and see what was going
on. It was a falconry show! It was amazing. They had eagles, a bald one, it’s
child, a blue one and a white tailed hawk I think it was. I’m not sure of the
actual types of the second two. I knew Andy would have loved to see it. It was
very impressive. After the show hung around and listened to the guy answer
questions. In the course of the conversation it came up that he offered hunting
excursions! I was very interested at that point. He said it was £75 for half a
day or £150 for a whole day I think. I told him I was only here until Saturday
but I wanted his business card in case we ever came again. hawkexperience.co.uk
Then I went to the gift shop and
bought bookmarks with my, and my parents-in-law’s surname on them. They were
metal, thin and very cool.
At this point I was starting to get
tired so I headed for the exit. There was a man giving an archery show, and I
watched for a few minutes, but I was tired so I left.
Took the train back to Oxford.
When I got back I was able to check
in. They had held my bags for the day but it had been too early to check in.
Then I went back out thinking a
ghost tour would be fun but not knowing if there was one. Tourist Info was
closed. Everything closes really early here considering how late it stays
light. I wound up half lost and wandered back down to one of the main streets.
I was walking when I passed a sign
for a ghost tour that was leaving in fifteen minutes. I had been hungry and
thirsty but thought I could suspend my appetite long enough for the tour.
I popped across the street for a
soda and then came back and waited. It cost me £6 and only six people showed
up. The guide was a bit stuffy, but I learned a lot. Most of the ghost stories
were kinda lame. A couple were interesting.
By the time we got through I was
really hungry so I stopped at the Pizza Hut on the way back, near the hostel.
They had just closed their dining room but were doing take-away. I got a
Mediterranean pizza with chorizo and bacon. Delish. Only £6.95 for an
individual sized one and they gave me a medium because they were out of small
crusts for the evening. I didn’t think I’d eat it all but I did because I was
so hungry from all the walking. I brought it back to the hostel and ate in the
common room. I bought a Peroni beer from the bar. Also Delish!
There was a long term guy from Qatar
sitting across from me. We talked some. He almost got into how screwed up the
US government is, to which I responded, most governments are screwed up. Luckily
he changed the conversation.
The only other girl in my four bed
room is from Basque country. She’s teaching (or tutoring?) at the college for
four months.
I’ve had a shower, it’s late, I’m
tired. I’m looking forward to seeing Andy in two nights.
And here’s a quote for the day, to
pick up as before, “…aristocracy of fourth century Rome…empress…” These two
men, who looked very astute walked by while I was waiting for the ghost tour
and were having a very deep conversation. Only in Oxford could you overhear
such an academic conversation on the street.
The hostel in Bath wasn’t as bad as
I thought it was going to be. Sure the carpets were a bit worn, okay, a lot
worn, but other than that I have only two gripes. The first was the showers. No
water pressure at all. It was like showering in mist. Second was that the staff
didn’t seem to have or keep a routine. I had to tell them the toilet had no
paper and the girl was not at reception this morning even thought it was a
quarter after 8 and they open at 8. She apologized though, so it’s okay. They
were nice. Right now I’m on the train to Oxford. Hopefully the hostel there
will be better. One thing is sure, I think I’ll enjoy being in a smaller room
with fewer people.
I need a new pen. This one’s getting
low on ink.
Oh and one more thing. I met a
really nice girl in the hostel. Her name is Joyce. I sent her on the Mad Max
tour. Hope she likes it. I told her to add me as a friend on facebook and let
me know.
Also in my room were two anti-social
Belgians, three Aussies who had quit their jobs (as usual) and were backpacking
for six months. I’m a bit jealous but I think I’d get tired of traveling after
so long. And now I’m married I could never leave Andy for so long. There were
three Canadians there too. Students I think.
Anyway, Joyce had been on an
exchange program in Edinburgh.
The hostel is okay, cleaner than I
remember it I think. Though the water pressure sucks, and the lights timed out
and went off before I was finished showering. I had to get dressed in the dark,
and then when I stepped out the sensor finally realized I was there and they
came back on. Other than that, it’s okay.
I had “authentic Italian gelato”
which was nothing like the gelato in Italy. It looked like it in the case, but
didn’t taste as good. It was good, just not Italian good.
I also took a tour of the Tower at
Bath Abbey for £5. It was really cool. They just started offering them last August.
There was only one other girl in the tour which was kinda cool. 220 steps in
all.
Tower Tour - Bath Abbey
Then I had some Bulmer’s Pear Cider,
which was quite tasty, along with some chips at The Huntsman Inn. I then went
on the Bizarre Bath tour. I remember being in a bad mood when I went on it in
2002 and not liking it. I decided to give it another try and I thoroughly
enjoyed it. So apparently I like to say “I” a lot as there are now a bunch in a
row. Silly me.
Bizarre Bath Tour
I’m going to eat breakfast at Sally
Lunn’s in the morning. A couple of girls here keep coughing. Sucking a zinc
lozenge. I ain’t getting sick now!
