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Abstract

it all for me. My rationale was I was using the money I saved by catching the bus north as opposed to the train. $11 on the bus compared to$ 166 by train. I prefer to travel by train but I can’t justify that price difference. I won’t tell you what the private car cost or you’ll toss my “ budget traveller” tag out the window!</p><p id="2c95">Back to “after breakfast” with 2 hours to kill, do I go back to sleep, write a story or go for a walk. Yes, I went for a walk! Did you see that breakfast?</p><p id="71e4">Here are some photos I took on the walk.</p><figure id="1f38"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="4873"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="81f4"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="31d0"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="bfe7"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="bdae"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="3530"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="fd41"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="8c90"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*[email protected]"><figcaption>l love the

Options

trees! They are huge and shady and I van smell their freshness. Maybe that smell is the oxygen? . The grass is so green too.</figcaption></figure><h2 id="636d">The reason I rarely stay in a hotel</h2><p id="b353">This morning at breakfast reinforced the reason I prefer to stay in a small guest house, an airbnb or a hostel. In the small dining room, I met a young man from Gloucester (pronounced Gloster) who had been down in London for a meeting or conference. He worked in IT. He was originally from a city not too far from Mumbai. He loves to travel and is planning on seeing more of Europe next year. He’s just had holidays this year in Spain and Italy.</p><figure id="ebf5"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*QVZBF0fN8TqK6KZAQ8_mvw.jpeg"><figcaption>My breakfast companion Theron. Photo used with his permission</figcaption></figure><p id="b13f">We introduced ourselves and I told him I was a travel writer. He immediately googled me. This would never happen in a hotel. Also Antonina (from Lithuania) cooked our full English breakfast to order. This would be rare in a hotel.</p><p id="aac7">The family at the other table were speaking in a language I wasn’t familiar with. I thought it might be Polish but in fact it was Slovak. I asked did they live in Bratislava (the only place I know in Slovakia). No, she told me they lived in a city called Nitra about 90km from the capital. She proudly showed me photographs of her hometown. It looks beautiful so I may go and see it for myself.</p><p id="f2cc">When I mentioned that I loved castles, she recommended I visit Spis (pronounced Spish) Castle about 300 km further and the largest castle in Slovakia, she announced proudly. Would I have found this information from a fellow diner at breakfast in a hotel? Probably not. Everyone tends to keep to themselves in a hotel. Don’t you agree?</p></article></body>

My First Night in England

At Oakwood Bed and Breakfast

Here’s the full English breakfast. All photos by author.

After the shemozzle at Heathrow last night, it was lovely to be welcomed to my accommodation. My chatty taxi driver as well as the owner Tom carried my luggage in. I was knackered. Tom showed me some of the little eccentricities of the house and left me to have a cup of tea and shower in peace. I couldn’t wait to stretch out on the bed. It was calling my name but I was disgustingly dirty and sweaty and I couldn’t do anything without cleaning my body and teeth! Ah, that shower was pure bliss. I enjoyed it boiling hot to kill all the germs from travelling for more than a day. (I mostly have cold showers at home.)

And lay on top of the bed. I know I’m jet lagged but I could swear I was lying on clouds in heaven. Too hot for pyjamas, I turned the massive TV on and watched something for a few seconds before falling asleep.

I woke at 3am local time and didn’t go back to sleep. Watched half a dozen game shows. ( I love TV in the UK. I rarely watch it at home.) and started reading some of my favourite authors on Medium and published a couple of short stories. After breakfast, I had two hours to kill until my private car pickup.

Yes I know. I was planning to catch the train into Euston and the tube to Victoria Station but splurged on a private car. Tom organised it all for me. My rationale was I was using the money I saved by catching the bus north as opposed to the train. $11 on the bus compared to $166 by train. I prefer to travel by train but I can’t justify that price difference. I won’t tell you what the private car cost or you’ll toss my “ budget traveller” tag out the window!

Back to “after breakfast” with 2 hours to kill, do I go back to sleep, write a story or go for a walk. Yes, I went for a walk! Did you see that breakfast?

Here are some photos I took on the walk.

l love the trees! They are huge and shady and I van smell their freshness. Maybe that smell is the oxygen? . The grass is so green too.

The reason I rarely stay in a hotel

This morning at breakfast reinforced the reason I prefer to stay in a small guest house, an airbnb or a hostel. In the small dining room, I met a young man from Gloucester (pronounced Gloster) who had been down in London for a meeting or conference. He worked in IT. He was originally from a city not too far from Mumbai. He loves to travel and is planning on seeing more of Europe next year. He’s just had holidays this year in Spain and Italy.

My breakfast companion Theron. Photo used with his permission

We introduced ourselves and I told him I was a travel writer. He immediately googled me. This would never happen in a hotel. Also Antonina (from Lithuania) cooked our full English breakfast to order. This would be rare in a hotel.

The family at the other table were speaking in a language I wasn’t familiar with. I thought it might be Polish but in fact it was Slovak. I asked did they live in Bratislava (the only place I know in Slovakia). No, she told me they lived in a city called Nitra about 90km from the capital. She proudly showed me photographs of her hometown. It looks beautiful so I may go and see it for myself.

When I mentioned that I loved castles, she recommended I visit Spis (pronounced Spish) Castle about 300 km further and the largest castle in Slovakia, she announced proudly. Would I have found this information from a fellow diner at breakfast in a hotel? Probably not. Everyone tends to keep to themselves in a hotel. Don’t you agree?