It had been a crazy couple weeks since my arrival in London. Tony came into town, helped me to find an apartment, and had now left to head back home to Los Angeles. I won't see him in person until December 4th when he returns to London with the puppies, so the reality is I will be on my own for the next couple months. It was a fairly abrupt departure as we arrived at the train station with only a moment before the train was to depart for Heathrow. I've never been one for big long sentimental goodbyes, so we hugged, and I waved to him as the train left the station.
My friend Jeff and his partner Damien knew that these couple months without Tony would be hard, and with all the craziness adjusting to life in London and the stress of a new job, they knew that it would be great for me to get out of the city and see what England is really all about. As they put it London isn't England. It is part of it, but the countryside is what really makes England. I took the Tube to Waterloo Station and purchased my ticket to Farnham. They live in Surbiton, and joined me on the train at that stop to begin our 1 hour trainride out into the English countryside. It is really neat that they have this extensive train network that affords people the opportunity to get around without owning a car.
The plan was this: Jeff had gone online and downloaded a map from a Hiking Society that creates these amazingly detailed instructions on where to hike and what to look for along the way. Where there are forks in the path, they clearly indicate which fork to take, right down to compass headings. These people are serious! This gave Jeff a chance to use the built in Compass in his iPhone and demonstrate why one would even want a compass in the phone. I've since seen even more uses for it, and find it very useful.
We hiked through the beautiful verdant landscape and farmland. Blackberries were in season, and it was great to have a handy snack all along the way. It was a lot of fun to get out of the city and see some of this countryside. We saw Machine Gun installations - a remnant from WWII, when the British feared a German invasion on their land. There were some beautiful homes that are built out in this area too for the british welltodo. Most of the homes have names, usually including "farm" in the title. I don't think they're doing too much farming at their homes, but it makes for some quaint signs.
We ended our hike, or at least as much of it as I did with Jeff, at this cute Pub called "The Donkey". It is named for a donkey long ago that would haul a trailer up a hill for payment. I had my traditional Sunday Roast, and being outdoors in the warm sunshine with happy donkeys made my troubles drift away. It was a wonderful day with good friends and some beautiful scenery. With my belly full and my legs aching, and thinking of the myriads of things that needed sorting back in the city, I began the hourish train ride back to London.
I look forward to another day in the country. Especially once Tony and the pups are here. The dogs would love it.
It had been a crazy couple weeks since my arrival in London. Tony came into town, helped me to find an apartment, and had now left to head back home to Los Angeles. I won't see him in person until December 4th when he returns to London with the puppies, so the reality is I will be on my own for the next couple months. It was a fairly abrupt departure as we arrived at the train station with only a moment before the train was to depart for Heathrow. I've never been one for big long sentimental goodbyes, so we hugged, and I waved to him as the train left the station.
My friend Jeff and his partner Damien knew that these couple months without Tony would be hard, and with all the craziness adjusting to life in London and the stress of a new job, they knew that it would be great for me to get out of the city and see what England is really all about. As they put it London isn't England. It is part of it, but the countryside is what really makes England. I took the Tube to Waterloo Station and purchased my ticket to Farnham. They live in Surbiton, and joined me on the train at that stop to begin our 1 hour trainride out into the English countryside. It is really neat that they have this extensive train network that affords people the opportunity to get around without owning a car.
The plan was this: Jeff had gone online and downloaded a map from a Hiking Society that creates these amazingly detailed instructions on where to hike and what to look for along the way. Where there are forks in the path, they clearly indicate which fork to take, right down to compass headings. These people are serious! This gave Jeff a chance to use the built in Compass in his iPhone and demonstrate why one would even want a compass in the phone. I've since seen even more uses for it, and find it very useful.
We hiked through the beautiful verdant landscape and farmland. Blackberries were in season, and it was great to have a handy snack all along the way. It was a lot of fun to get out of the city and see some of this countryside. We saw Machine Gun installations - a remnant from WWII, when the British feared a German invasion on their land. There were some beautiful homes that are built out in this area too for the british welltodo. Most of the homes have names, usually including "farm" in the title. I don't think they're doing too much farming at their homes, but it makes for some quaint signs.
We ended our hike, or at least as much of it as I did with Jeff, at this cute Pub called "The Donkey". It is named for a donkey long ago that would haul a trailer up a hill for payment. I had my traditional Sunday Roast, and being outdoors in the warm sunshine with happy donkeys made my troubles drift away. It was a wonderful day with good friends and some beautiful scenery. With my belly full and my legs aching, and thinking of the myriads of things that needed sorting back in the city, I began the hourish train ride back to London.
I look forward to another day in the country. Especially once Tony and the pups are here. The dogs would love it.
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