The rest of Monday was a bit of a wash. We spent a long time reading in Dublin airport, with me fiddling with my phone obsessing over wifi connection and it not working for calls and texts despite having my phone company turn on international calling. At Heathrow I tried to buy a sim card and found that my phone was locked. I considered buying a new phone there with a wifi hotspot. My phone did not connect with the wifi at Charlotte Guest House, and nobody could figure out why. The wifi at most pubs and restaurants required you to sign up for a wifi account that asked for a UK postal code. I was extremely frustrated. This obsession would last another couple of days until I let it go. It was a relief to let it go. We got by. It was fine.
Anyway, all faith in my sense of direction was lost after we got off the Tube near our hotel and I steered us in the opposite direction. With our heavy backpacks on, down a hill, of course. Later I figured out that there were three different train stations near our hotel – the Underground, the Overground, and the National Rail. I was relying on a map in my head, but setting out from the wrong station on that mental map.
The nearby Tesco (one of the big grocery chains there) greeted us with a display of the treat that originated about 30 miles from our North Carolina home, which proves that every place in the world is starting to look alike.
For a inexpensive hotel, Charlotte Guest House was in a good neighborhood. Lots of restaurants and shops, and easy access to the Tube which got us anywhere we wanted to go in London within 30 minutes. The hotel was in a group of five renovated Victorian era townhouses. The beds were comfortable, the bathroom new and clean, the complimentary breakfast was good. It had a dining room in a sunny back room and patio. The staff were helpful and friendly. I found it too warm, and I did not sleep well, but I don’t know how much of that could be attributed to the room. Sandy and I aren’t used to sleeping together. He snores like a grizzly bear, louder than anyone I have ever heard, and his sleep apnea freaks me out. I toss and turn all night, snore sometimes, and on this vacation, I found out that I hum in my sleep. Anyway, I would stay there again, unless I absolutely needed wifi.
We had an excellent meal of lamb curry and went a little naan crazy at Guglee. We both considered it one of the best meals that we had on the whole trip. Then we crashed.
Okay, this was a boring post, and there weren’t many photos, but there will be no more complaining about wifi or snoring. I covered that. It will get better, and there will be MANY photos after this day. I’m really writing this for me, anyway, so I can remember the trip clearly after my memory fades.
slowly she turned 