Some signs along the way back to the car-rental place that made me think of home :)
Melrose "Rosie"
YMCA Lloyd's. Miss you Kenz and Aubs!
After dropping off the car, we headed to the ritzy hotel next door to see if we could find a taxi.
This really friendly man welcomed us in, carried our bags into the lobby, and told us we "must check out the grand staircase" while we waited for a taxi to come (he sent someone to book one). So we did:
It was a breathtaking hotel...and it was right on the water!
Back at Brighton train station:
Once we made it back to Victoria Tube Station, I instantly felt at ease...I know my way around London!
I <3 my grandpa
It took us awhile to find the hotel...we went retraced our steps twice (I guess I should take my above statement back...I know my way around some parts of London...haha). After we dropped our bags off, I showed them around Camden Town/ Market and then we went to Wagamama for dinner. Our waitress, Erika, was so sweet. She is a student living in Archway! We exchanged emails and are planning to hang out next week :) I love meeting new people so spontaneously :)
The view from their room. Can't get enough of this city!
Camden Lock. Grandpa explained how they work. I've been here several times and I've never noticed it!
Grandma at Wagamama's (left) and them on the escalator at Archway station...almost home!
After showing them around my place, I headed back to the hotel with them, the three of us Skyped with Mom, and then it was time to say goodbye. Mom told me to text her to make sure I got back okay by myself; I tried to explain that I travel by myself to my house from Holborn every day at night and she never knows or worries....but I guess that's what moms do.
[put apartment pic here]
I had the best weekend. I didn't realize just how much I was looking forward to seeing them until I no longer had it to look forward to! But I'm enjoying it so much here too...I wish I could live in two places at once ;) Sigh.
After breakfast, served in courses by Liz, we set out for some sightseeing.
Liz's husband, Andy, told us to check out this spot several miles from their house:
A short walk (barely a hike) gave us this gorgeous view:
Grandma took the above selfie!
Here's her stopping to talk to two dog walkers: "They are all so friendly here!"
One guy on the trail gave us a few suggestions for where to go next...so we headed back to the car and hit the coast:
I had never been to a rock beach so that was a cool experience. I thought of you, Grandma Audrey, and thought about all the rock collecting we like to do...but then I realized it's not quite as fun to look for rocks when that's all there is!
We wandered around a little town, where we saw an Elvis impersonator. Grandma and I both took a video of him, while Grandpa stood across the street (I don't know if he wanted to associate with us two nuts!). The man was raising money for 'Stand Up To Cancer', but we didn't have any change...so Grandpa and I went to a bakery to buy something yummy get change.
We then discussed how smell is deceiving and sometimes pastries aren't as delicious once we actually eat them.
So we went to a restaurant for lunch to test that theory... ;)
Next stop-white cliffs:
The Seven Sisters
We decided to trek up the cliff to the Belle Tout lighthouse (left), a fairly famous lighthouse because it had to be uprooted and moved further in to the land (due to cliff erosion). This, as one local told us, may be common for America, but is not at all common here. Moving buildings is normally "unthinkable".
The way up was slightly terrifying because there were no fences. (In America, I feel like they most definitely would have signs of fences...it's an over 300 ft straight drop!) But it definitely made the experience more real...there was nothing obstructing the view! Above: Grandpa pretending to teeter on the edge.
The lighthouse is actually a private bed-and-breakfast (I wonder how much that costs??). It's really beautiful.
The lady who took our picture insisted we also take one with "the better view". I'm glad we did.
We ended up talking with her for awhile and she told us a little bit more about the town (She lives in London but visits frequently). Apparently Sherlock Holmes came here to retire [in the fictional books that is! I forget he's not actually real!].
When we got back down to the parking lot, Grandma and I went to the small gift shop/museum.
We discovered that the building (right) was once double it's length. Due to cliff erosion, parts of the house have fallen into the sea. The picture (left) is from the exhibit. In the museum, a jagged line on the floor showed where the cliff was predicted to be in 2040. That was definitely strange to think about.
I haven't taken this cliched picture in London...but seeing this telephone booth outside of London was cause for a picture!
Home Sweet Home
We drove on for a while (correction: Grandpa drove. I slept). Then we arrived at a little farm...I have the feeling it is a pretty large attraction for city-dwellers to bring their kids for "rural" experience:
It felt a bit contrived but it was neat to walk around.
A mid-dinner snack at the cafe at the farm. Yes we like food!
For dinner, Liz recommended this hotel:
We think their was a wedding going on downstairs (the chef had his hands full!), but the upstairs was beautiful and private, the food was delicious, and the meal was affordable:
Also, the bathroom was adorable!
I'm probably weird, but I think bathroom decor shows so much about the character of a building :)
And then we went to see "fireworks" in an early celebration of "Guy Fawkes Night". It's basically a celebration of the arrest of Guy Fawkes, a man who was plotting to destroy parliament with gunpowder. (Kind of a strange thing to celebrate with fireworks--something not happening--but I guess that's what you do in Great Britain, when you don't really have any sort of independence day to celebrate!) Andy from the Rosehill B&B was marching in one of the parades, but we didn't see him.
This was the parade...a bunch of sticks with fire on them. They place the "firestick" in garbage bins to make a loud gunshot noise as they march. It was definitely an interesting parade to watch...much different than our parades!
We left for Rosehill around 8:30, well before the festivities ended, achy from walking around all day. But it was a Saturday well spend!
