I'll Figure It Out When I Get There
Anyone who's asked me about my plans knows that this has become the theme of my travels.
I arrived at London Gatwick Airport Sunday afternoon around 12:30 local time after one of the smoothest and comfortable flights I've ever taken. The Zoom Airlines flight, direct from Winnipeg International, was underbooked and 35B was vacant. Luckily I was in 35A, which meant not only did I get a great price on a trans-Atlantic flight, but I got two seats to boot.
My luggage woes turned out to be unnecessary, as all my baggage arrived intact and (barely) fit in the green hatchback car of John and Marian Holmes, the retired couple who have taken me in and given me a place in their home in Findern, a village just outside of the city of Derby in the Midlands of England.
The drive from Gatwick was somewhat stressful. The Holmeses were insistent that the torrential rain was not normal. We took the M25 around London, which took the better part of an hour, especially around the entrance to Heathrow Airport, which was moving quite slowly. We eventually arrived at Findern via the M1, in the dark, around 6:30pm. A room much larger than I was expecting awaited me with a small bed, where I slept away the day's wakefulness.
For the past two days I've been taking it easy. Life in an English village is quite tranquil I must admit. And Findern is, as they would say, ever so English. Everything is still very green here and the sun has been shining much more than I was expecting it would. Derby is in the Peak District of England, so there are many hills and valleys about, and the local folk are quite friendly.
We went in to Derby today so I could get started on my quest for independence. A visit to a bank revealed that my suspicions about the British being very suspicious are indeed founded. I'm crossing my fingers that the bank that I have applied at will accept me as a customer. I likely wouldn't get an ATM card through them, but I would be able to deposit and withdraw money from any post office in the country, which is just fine for now. Once I'm working I can likely upgrade my account.
Tomorrow, a trip to Burton-Upon-Trent to see about some potential phone hookups and possibly another bank visit.
Cheers.
I arrived at London Gatwick Airport Sunday afternoon around 12:30 local time after one of the smoothest and comfortable flights I've ever taken. The Zoom Airlines flight, direct from Winnipeg International, was underbooked and 35B was vacant. Luckily I was in 35A, which meant not only did I get a great price on a trans-Atlantic flight, but I got two seats to boot.
My luggage woes turned out to be unnecessary, as all my baggage arrived intact and (barely) fit in the green hatchback car of John and Marian Holmes, the retired couple who have taken me in and given me a place in their home in Findern, a village just outside of the city of Derby in the Midlands of England.
The drive from Gatwick was somewhat stressful. The Holmeses were insistent that the torrential rain was not normal. We took the M25 around London, which took the better part of an hour, especially around the entrance to Heathrow Airport, which was moving quite slowly. We eventually arrived at Findern via the M1, in the dark, around 6:30pm. A room much larger than I was expecting awaited me with a small bed, where I slept away the day's wakefulness.
For the past two days I've been taking it easy. Life in an English village is quite tranquil I must admit. And Findern is, as they would say, ever so English. Everything is still very green here and the sun has been shining much more than I was expecting it would. Derby is in the Peak District of England, so there are many hills and valleys about, and the local folk are quite friendly.
We went in to Derby today so I could get started on my quest for independence. A visit to a bank revealed that my suspicions about the British being very suspicious are indeed founded. I'm crossing my fingers that the bank that I have applied at will accept me as a customer. I likely wouldn't get an ATM card through them, but I would be able to deposit and withdraw money from any post office in the country, which is just fine for now. Once I'm working I can likely upgrade my account.
Tomorrow, a trip to Burton-Upon-Trent to see about some potential phone hookups and possibly another bank visit.
Cheers.
posted by Mark Bauche at 3:42 PM
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