The rapper has been repaired, my working shirts are ironed, I got new plants in my backyard, and the washing machine has finally been repaired. Yes, I got a visit from my parents.
On Friday I went to London to catch up with Bart and Leontien – two of my closest friends. On Friday eve we ended up in Soho – and what a crazy night it became. As it was Leontien’s first time in the UK we did the tourist route. It was great fun. Especially when we came out of the tube and saw a naked Tour d’Anglettre. We made a nice walk on South Bank, saw some live theatre, went to the Nothing Hill market, saw the Big Ben, House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and lots more. Saturday night we ended up in one of London’s movie theatres. Oceans 13, for the ones who haven’t seen it, don’t go – unless you loved oceans 11 and 12 so much, you just can’t resist. On Sunday, we met up with my parents who stayed over at my uncle’s house who happens to live in London. We had a fantastic lunch all together and said goodbyes to Bart and Leontien afterwards. They were going to spend another night in London while my parents and I would take the train to Salisbury.
My parents would stay till the weekend after, so we decided to hire a car and do some site seeing in the South of England. I worked until Wednesday, so we had Thursday till Sunday to travel around. The remaining days, my parents had time to explore Salisbury and its surroundings. One night, we took the car to Stonehenge. It was a beautiful sundown and although I was quite disappointed by the stones itself, the evening had a little magic in the air. As dusk was falling when we headed back to Salisbury, we stopped at Old Sarum. This is where the city of Salisbury was originally located and for 5000 years, people had lived there. During the day it is a tourist attraction, but at dusk it becomes one of the best spots in Salisbury. The hill is surrounded by wide open fields and forest. Afar you can see modern Salisbury and its beautiful cathedral while orange clouds pass by.
A cold, windy and rainy evening made us enjoy Bath – an old Roman city in England – less as expected, but nevertheless, it was a cultural encounter.
Thursday morning we equipped ourselves with a map, a fill of petrol, a kite, clean underwear, sunglasses and an umbrella. Today we were heading for the South of England. As we did not really have a plan – good weather was the main driver to undergo this trip – we decided to follow the signs ‘coast.’ Our first stop was close to Christchurch where high windy cliffs divided humans from the ocean. Somehow, breathing fresh sea breeze, always gives me an energy boost. It feels almost like the ocean it reminding me that I am still alive. After this encounter with the ocean, we headed for the New Forest. A beautiful national park with history and nature combined. Not knowing what sign to follow, we just took a random one, and before we knew it, we got stuck due to a group of wild horses who had just decided to cross the road on their slowest rate ever – a beautiful sight. After following a forest trail, before we even got it, we had passed a little village – called Bank – hidden in the middle of the forest. Due to tourists curiosity or historical myths, this village was surrounded by witchcraft and old, wrinkly women. One of the five houses was a teahouse, and I indulged my parents in the English cream teas. Witchcraft of not, I can assure you all three of us licked their fingers. The evening we spent in Poole. A beautiful harbour city which happened to celebrate .. [something] .. with live music and fireworks. This evening my parents spent their first night in a Bed and Breakfast. My mom: “He, we are having breakfast in these peoples’ living room.” My dad: “Breakfast, I’d rather call this dinner!” After the cream tea and a typical B&B, my parents had to agree that this was indeed like in the movies.
Day two we drove along the coast to visit some more harbours and little fishing villages. Again we saw some beautiful chalk cliffs where the wind and the seagulls performed a magnificent play. Our next stop was one of the most beautiful and breath taking villages we came across during our entire trip, Lyme Regis. The village was situated against a downhill mountain slope. When we found our way down to the ocean, the first sunbeam reported itself. Soon enough a ray of light felt down on us while we enjoyed on of the freshest fish meals I have ever had. We enjoyed for a couple of hours after we moved on to our next resting place – Exmouth. The day after we drove via Exeter up to Minehead. Before arriving there, we first stopped at a little picturesque village called Dulverton. We gathered our own pick nick consisting out of home made cheese and bread, fresh fruit and some other regional delicates. Later that day, we nibbled our ‘home-made’ lunch at the beach of Minehead. That afternoon, we drove back towards Salisbury. But of course we could not resist taking the forest paths again and visit a few of England’s old and forgotten castles. Saturday evening we arrived back in Salisbury and made Mr. Wong – my chines-take-away neighbour – a happy man.
Sunday morning we enjoyed a fresh breakfast with Janine – my housemate and decided to relax a little before the circus at Friends Provident would start again. We heard about a garden festival in Alderbury and drove there to spend our Sunday afternoon surrounded by flowers. When we arrived, we couldn’t stop noticing what a beautiful land house this was. Situated in the middle of nowhere, divided from the forest by the Avon river and with an enormous garden. Soon enough the rumour circulated that a bunch of foreigners arrived and it was only a matter of seconds before we made our first ‘friend.’ We learned that this was a Quaker – religious community – festival where their members were to display local and hand made products. This ranged from cards, pots, wool, books and fruit. The restfulness and serenity of this place was overwhelming. My dad got some garden advice, me and Janine were lost in some books while my mother spoke to the orchardman. Time flew by. At teatime, the Quaker ladies worked some wonders and conjured up some gorgeous cakes out of the oven. While enjoying these cakes and tea, the children gathered together to perform a play. All of them dressed up as a fairytale character – mainly cute little rabbits – and showed us why Shakespeare was British again. We could not have wished for a better British ending of this magnificent holiday.
After driving on the left side of the road, having cream tea, fish and chips at the beach, B&B and an English garden festival, my parents and I can look back at an English encounter. One we wont forget soon.
About two weeks ago I wrote my last post on this blog. Mainly due to the lack of proper internet and a lack of time – like always. But the big news must have reached you already, I’ve moved into my new house!
