The overnight flight to London was uneventful if cramped and I passed the time alternately doing crosswords, playing scrabble against the robot in my tablet and napping. Seven plus hours strapped into a coach airplane seat hurtling through the darkness in a metal tube with about 200 strangers. Still, I suppose it beats passing time on a sailing ship bobbing across the North Atlantic for a couple of months at the mercy of the winds. I wonder if those ships offered laundry services? At least jet lag would not be an issue on a ship as it was for us. Susan had arranged a car and driver for us from Heathrow to the Grange Wellington hotel so we set out into rush hour traffic heading into London. Being Saturday, the traffic was probably less than on weekdays, but it was still impressive. Everything from double-decker buses to bicycles were vying for running room along our route. Oddly, there are two Grange hotels on the same block, but with different second names. Our driver was as confused as we were until Susan found the address for the Grange Wellington which was just around the corner. We could not check in until after noon, so we stowed our bags and set out to wander the unfamiliar streets at what was for us about 4 AM, after only an hour or so of fitful dozing on the plane. Happily, numerous coffee opportunities were available and we proceeded to caffeinate ourselves with espresso beverages. We then attempted to orient ourselves as to where we were and how best to get to other places of interest. I seem to have a built-in compass that instantly provides a sense of the cardinal directions whenever I arrive at a new location. As strongly as this sense makes itself known, it sadly, has never been accurate. No homing pigeon genes at all. And it just makes getting properly oriented that much more difficult.
London and most places we visited in the UK are much easier to navigate on foot than most cities in the U.S. Pedestrian crosswalks are often set back a bit from the intersection and have a pedestrian refuge in a median. Drivers also seem more likely to observe the requirement to yield right-of-way to pedestrians than in our country. Maybe the large number of surveillance cameras reported to be in the UK makes them more likely to be held accountable. However, we were also impressed by the friendliness of most of the people we came into contact with. Shop keepers, wait staff, hotel staff; all were noticeably more friendly and good humored than what we expect in our country.
Another temporary cure for jet lag, at least for me, is eating. After our coffee and a bit more exploring, we ventured into the Prince of Wales Pub near our hotel and felt we had stepped back in time. There were locals standing at the bar with pints while telling stories and engaging in sometimes animated conversation. From what I could hear and understand, much of the discussion related to hard times in the past. Certainly, from their apparent ages (Contemporaries of myself?) they must have lived through some tough times. It was in this pub that I first found "warm" beer which I have not encountered in my four previous trips to the UK. It wasn't bad at all, just cool rather than icy, and I ended up trying two different "halves". Possibly, more traditional beer is making a comeback, or maybe I have been too sheltered on previous visits. At any rate, there were usually both traditional and cold taps at most pubs we visited, and we visited a lot of pubs. The term "pub grub" conjures up dishes like bangers and mash, toad in the hole and pasties. However, the pubs where we ate, even in small rural communities had comprehensive menu selections. I had a good vegetarian lasagne at one rural crossroads. One other aspect of pubs that is very agreeable is that one orders and pays at the bar after noting the number on an available table. Beverages are passed across the bar and a member of the staff brings the food to your table.
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| Not heard this expression before |
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| Just part of hotel breakfast buffet |
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| Takeaway is less expensive than eating in |
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