A Day Alone England
Dec. 10th, 2006 02:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
indigo_rose99I tried to sleep myself out. It is my one chance in weeks. My only weekend day to sleep late. A Sunday. I woke about 9:30am and realized that brunch ends at 10am (at least according to one piece of literature. According to another, it is 10:30am. The pieces of paper and the people seem to consistently disagree by 30 minutes. Strange for such an expensive hotel that they cannot get it together.).
I hurried down the maze of unmarked stairs and hallways to brunch (Seriously. Maze. The stairs have no sign. The elevator is very discrete. Doors starting with a 1 or 2 are all on the ground floor. Doors starting with a 2 or 3 are on the 2nd floor. I wasn't sure I could get back to my room!). Crowded, like a fancy Sunday restaurant. I got a table and without any directions to rely on, went to look over what I guessed was the buffet. When I returned with a plate to await my omelet, I found that my table was occupied by other people. *roll eyes* Invisibility works when I am not even here?! *sigh* I tracked down a server and asked about my now-occupied table. She found me another table, where I promptly set down my food to save while I went back for the omelet.
Omelet eaten, I noticed that it was a really pretty day. I was sitting in an enclosed porch, with lots of windows to show off the frost on the grass outside. Rolling hills, lots of trees. I had to get outside and enjoy the sunshine while it lasted. I can still feel the drag of jet lag most of the time.
Back to my room, I gathered up my things for my trip outside the hotel. Directions, purse, a bit of water... At the front desk, I stopped to ask for directions to an ATM and perhaps entertainment --- a movie theatre or some shopping. Both would require driving, but I have a rental car.
The first order of business was to drive to where I'm teaching tomorrow. Instead of the 15 minute drive it likely takes people who know where they are going, I wandered the area for at least an hour. I was pretty sure I was on the right track up through the fifth roundabout. After that... I tried every single option. And they all looked alike! It was a business park. I guess by simple process of elimination I eventually found it. *sigh* *grimace* Let's just say that I was trying to invent new curse words and leave it at that.
After finding it, I turned around, came back past the hotel to find that ATM. I have to wonder if everyone gets their gas on Sunday, because it was CROWDED. Finding a parking space to park while I took out money was a challenge.
And then came getting out of the parking lot. I took the easy way out and instead of turning right toward the hotel and my next destination, I turned left, thinking to take a spin around the next roundabout and head back. Foolish, foolish me. Quicker than I could turn around, the oncoming lane disappeared and all visible lanes when the same way as I was going. This is when I got REALLY, REALLY lost. Stupid kinds of lost. "This looks like as good a way as any" kind of lost. I kept seeing signs for big roads I had used to originally get to the hotel, and I tried to follow those. Unbeknowst to me, I actually crossed one of them. Thus losing me ANY chance of finding myself on a map!
Anyway, I ran across a movie theatre, and fought my way through five lanes of a roundabout (BIG roundabout!) to get into it. *laugh* Cosmic joke to my advantage? I went in and actually watched a movie that T would hate -- "Holiday." It wasn't bad, but when the ads (few previews, but 30 minutes of ads before the movie) ran long, I became afraid that the sun would set before I got out. Darkness would make seeing the signs harder.
On the movie: It amused me to watch an American try to navigate England. I kept having to restrain the urge to point at the screen, giggle hysterically and say "That's me! Right now! That's me!" Except for the part about being Cameron Diaz.
Sure enough, dusk was upon me when I came out. Four theatre employees later, I had specific directions that SHOULD put me on the path back to my hotel. Maybe. If I recognized it when I got there.
It was, and I did. *relieved sigh*
Ok, I think this clearly counts as my adventure for this trip. If coming to a new place didn't count all on its own.
I hurried down the maze of unmarked stairs and hallways to brunch (Seriously. Maze. The stairs have no sign. The elevator is very discrete. Doors starting with a 1 or 2 are all on the ground floor. Doors starting with a 2 or 3 are on the 2nd floor. I wasn't sure I could get back to my room!). Crowded, like a fancy Sunday restaurant. I got a table and without any directions to rely on, went to look over what I guessed was the buffet. When I returned with a plate to await my omelet, I found that my table was occupied by other people. *roll eyes* Invisibility works when I am not even here?! *sigh* I tracked down a server and asked about my now-occupied table. She found me another table, where I promptly set down my food to save while I went back for the omelet.
Omelet eaten, I noticed that it was a really pretty day. I was sitting in an enclosed porch, with lots of windows to show off the frost on the grass outside. Rolling hills, lots of trees. I had to get outside and enjoy the sunshine while it lasted. I can still feel the drag of jet lag most of the time.
Back to my room, I gathered up my things for my trip outside the hotel. Directions, purse, a bit of water... At the front desk, I stopped to ask for directions to an ATM and perhaps entertainment --- a movie theatre or some shopping. Both would require driving, but I have a rental car.
The first order of business was to drive to where I'm teaching tomorrow. Instead of the 15 minute drive it likely takes people who know where they are going, I wandered the area for at least an hour. I was pretty sure I was on the right track up through the fifth roundabout. After that... I tried every single option. And they all looked alike! It was a business park. I guess by simple process of elimination I eventually found it. *sigh* *grimace* Let's just say that I was trying to invent new curse words and leave it at that.
After finding it, I turned around, came back past the hotel to find that ATM. I have to wonder if everyone gets their gas on Sunday, because it was CROWDED. Finding a parking space to park while I took out money was a challenge.
And then came getting out of the parking lot. I took the easy way out and instead of turning right toward the hotel and my next destination, I turned left, thinking to take a spin around the next roundabout and head back. Foolish, foolish me. Quicker than I could turn around, the oncoming lane disappeared and all visible lanes when the same way as I was going. This is when I got REALLY, REALLY lost. Stupid kinds of lost. "This looks like as good a way as any" kind of lost. I kept seeing signs for big roads I had used to originally get to the hotel, and I tried to follow those. Unbeknowst to me, I actually crossed one of them. Thus losing me ANY chance of finding myself on a map!
Anyway, I ran across a movie theatre, and fought my way through five lanes of a roundabout (BIG roundabout!) to get into it. *laugh* Cosmic joke to my advantage? I went in and actually watched a movie that T would hate -- "Holiday." It wasn't bad, but when the ads (few previews, but 30 minutes of ads before the movie) ran long, I became afraid that the sun would set before I got out. Darkness would make seeing the signs harder.
On the movie: It amused me to watch an American try to navigate England. I kept having to restrain the urge to point at the screen, giggle hysterically and say "That's me! Right now! That's me!" Except for the part about being Cameron Diaz.
Sure enough, dusk was upon me when I came out. Four theatre employees later, I had specific directions that SHOULD put me on the path back to my hotel. Maybe. If I recognized it when I got there.
It was, and I did. *relieved sigh*
Ok, I think this clearly counts as my adventure for this trip. If coming to a new place didn't count all on its own.
