FaceTime was successful!! Even if we both continually froze up
The room at the Castle View Hotel had a semi tilted floor (not as tilted as the room back at Longtown where I kept stumbling and felt like I was trying to walk up a steep hill to get to the backpack - but that added to the charm, character, and a memory), here the floor dips and rises, but added to that is a bed with a definite slope to the mattress, as in downhill. Almost makes me think I ought to just get up and turn the mattress around. Obviously the room is cleaned, but the cleaners have never tried to lay down on this diagonal.
Large Fat Well Fed Hawks in Wales. Kept trying to capture one with the camera. No success.
Breakfast in a mug (homemade muesli, berries, yogurt). Something southern looking, at least the mug was.
Packed up the CamelBak and collapsed the trekking poles, and walked off from Castle View Hotel. The days of having a castle out the window are winding down.
Caught train from Chepstow to Newport. Newport to Manchester. Goodbye Wales - it has been very good. I "love" Britain.
Three hour train ride. What a great way to traverse a country, move people about, save on car and gas usage. While waiting the train to London Paddington came and went. Tempting to get on. Very tempting!
Had to wear the boots on the train because they wouldn't fit in the pack.
Ladies day at Ascot. Saw a story on BBC1 this morning about the hats, and waiting on a bench at the Newport train station were two women on their way there. They were pleased to let me take their photo.
Lady walked by wearing the blue denim flared skirt from the Gap that Olivia had as part of the "uniform" for the CWSB/Wausau Dance Theatre trip to Germany. And as much as the girls complained about the clothing requirements, everyone did look great, and performed wonderfully. What a great memory that was.
Sat with lady on train from Hereford going to Edinburgh for a weekend girls get away. School friends she hasn't seen in decades. She talked about when they were all 18 and spent 5 months traveling all over Africa for 90£, including airfare. Days when people could use guide books about How To Travel On A Shoestring Budget. They often got rides on the back of lorries.
Horse betting going on behind me via cellphone. King of the Rocks. 14-1 or Shanghai Glory 12-1.
Well that was a strange way to spend the morning - sitting still and observing the landscape flow past.
Umbrella = brally
Oregano = or a ganie
Manchester. What a culture shock. PEOPLE and no sheep. Not even any dogs walking or being walked. Stores. Restaurants. Burger King. McDonalds. Buses. Cars. Trams. Street performers. Beggars. PEOPLE!
Easily found The Mitre Hotel as it had not moved since my last visit. This time rather than the window having a view of a brick wall, there is a Cathedral right outside. The room might be a bit small. A bit drab. A bit unclean. A bit of having seen better days. A bit pricey. But it has wifi in the room, a real bonus, and is right downtown. And my phone remembered the wifi password from two years ago. Technology!
Temperatures seemed to have dropped as I traveled north. A cold wind is blowing.
Manchester Cathedral
View from my window.
War Memorial
Went on a quest to find this statue of Alan Turing after seeing the movie "The Imitation Game" this winter starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Also because of an interest in Bletchley Park where all the Code Breakers worked.
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