Home Sweet Home

My last day of my big trip has come. That was quick. But it was time to go home. I was really looking forward to get back, see Yuni and all my other friends again. I was looking forward to lie on the couch and watch Netflix and get up when to get a cup of my own tea.
To make sure I don't miss my train or ship, I got up with plenty of time to spare at 7 am.
I was ready at 8 and went to Euston train station to get my tickets and some coffee and a muffin. It was nice to sit in the coffee shop, use the internet and enjoy the sunny Wednesday morning with the busy working people rushing to get their train to the office. My thoughts were "I am going home now"

Sitting on the train, looking out the window the feeling of the journey came up again. Seeing the landscape pass by with some rock'n'roll in the ears is simply the best way to travel. I also used some of the four hours on the train to catch up on my blog a bit. I am really far behind now.
When we finally got to Holyhead I had a couple of minutes to kill and got a Mountain Dew and a Snickers before checking in and boarding the MV Ulysses (of Irish Ferries). I found a spot at the window with a nice view and very soon after we already set sail and course due West.
I tried to use the bit of time on board, while we were crossing the Irish Sea with some more blogging but very soon the tiredness of the past couple of days (or should I say seven months) came over me and I had a nap on the generous couch looking out over the bow.

When I woke up again, the coastline Ireland was already in sight. Howth and the two Chimneys of Poolbeg Power Station came closer. I was nearly home.
It was a bright sunny day, even in Ireland.

I was really excited to be back and it was just as I planned it. It is just cooler to arrive on a ferry than on Ryanair flight.

For the cheery arrival I went up on deck, the sun felling warm and the wind blowing in my face.
My Meteor SIM started to connect again... but I was out of credit and couldn't make any calls.
But I could receive calls, as I did from Yuni. She was stuck on Strand road with the car.
When I disembarked, I picked up my bag from the luggage belt, I was back on Irish soil, and I felt a bit like a lost sailor. Yuni was still on the way to the Harbour and all the other guests of the ship had left already. So, I threw my backpack on the ground leaned my head on it and lay down in the sun... waiting for the arrival of my Schatz.

And after a while the little red Mini showed up at the end of the road and grew bigger. We were reunited and I was back home.

London Baby !!!

With only two hours left until our arrival in London Gatwick I woke up.
I was expecting 18 degrees (from the weather app) which would be a nice welcome fresh day after months in the sun and heat but it turned out to only be 6 degrees early in the morning which was a bit cold.

It was great to be back in Europe. Everything was so organized but also so expensive. I went to ATM at the Airport to get a couple of pounds for the train but saw that the exchange rate ridiculous and wanted to cancel the transaction but it gave out the money anyway.
Turned out that I could have just used the credit card in the ticket machine instead. Anyway, I had money and a ticket now... and the train ride into town was nice. It still is great to let the new city go by past the windows of a train or bus in a "new" place (well, London isn't a new place but it is always exciting to be here).

Just after we crossed the Thames going north a couple of Spanish business guys left the train and forgot to bring their laptop bag, so I jumped up and called them back - my good deed done for the day.

Very soon we arrived at St Pancras station... in theory I could jump on the Eurostar to Paris and then take a train to Kleinenbroich ... Europe is great.
But I didn't do that. Instead I went over to my hostel near Russell Square. It was a nice little hostel, in a great location for good money (small money I mean).
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) it was only 10 am, so I couldn't check in yet. I could however store my bag and go for a stroll.

I went over to Moorgate to meet up with my former colleague Billal and (as I nearly always do in London) had some Wagamama - the Ginger chicken Udon. I haven't had any sort of Asian food since New Zealand in January.

To soak up more of the great London Atmosphere, I went for a long walk ticking all the usual London attractions: Southbank, St Pauls, the tower and its namesake bridge, where I had a bit of rest on the grass, enjoying the weather (it was now warm t-shirt weather), Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly circus and then back to the hostel.

Walking through London got me thinking, to see so much consumption everywhere, from coffee to go to ridiculously expensive cars, buying things of very limited use just for the sake of it. Being able to do anything you want at drop of a hat, travel anywhere you'd like: it was all possible here. I liked and appropriated that after Cuba - the free world we luckily live in.

Back at the hostel I charged my own and my phones batteries before I went out to finish off my excursion to London with a typical culinary delight. A curry from brick lane. I have actually never made it to brick lane but have heard a lot about it so, this time I had to use my chance.
It was a bit of a walk and when I got there I just started looking around in order to select the best from the plentiful choice of Indian Restaurants.

But then the second restaurant I looked at the man at the door tried to lure me in. I said, I'd keep looking and he said, he'd buy me a beer. The restaurant was pretty busy (with Indian looking guests) and buying me a beer is a relatively safe way to get me into a restaurant, so I thought I might as well eat here. There was no way I was going to be able to know a better restaurant from the choices, so I just went in there.

I had a nice chicken Vindaloo and the service (and the free beer) was good.
This was my last dinner on this trip. It is all coming to a close now.
It was a sad though on one hand, but now I am mainly excited to go home.

After walking back to the hostel, I wanted to go to bed but there was a bunch of loud French people in the room. There was no point in trying to sleep in there and no point in going to bed early on my last day away. So I started to drink wine with the French guys and played Jenga.

This was a proper European city hostel, like it should be, full of young travellers wanting to party. Just like me 10 years ago. At 1 am I decided this was enough for now... I couldn't and didn't want to keep up with their drinking and went to bed.