England 2011

What a great trip. Arrived in London from South Africa early on a Monday. I dropped off my bag at the hostel and started to explore. Bored after my first day, I asked my sister where I should go. She recommended Brighton. So off I went the following day. Arriving, I didn’t expect much. Brighton was in my mind this blue-collar town. Nope – I soon found myself in a sea of people, all going about their daily life in this most vibrant of shopping districts. And there was the sea. A beautiful long rocky beach nearby.

From there I went up north near Liverpool, where my sister lives. I stayed with her family for a few days, and had a great time. It was the first opportunity since I was seven years old that I was able to be around her, alone, for more than an hour. She had moved out of the house when I was 7, and a country’s span away when I was 10. Every time I would see her thereafter was a family excursion, and so we never had alone time.  When I got older and she moved to England, I wasn’t able to afford to go alone. So on this time, where it was finally just us, we were able to connect in a way that I hadn’t been able to do at all in my life.

I left Liverpool and stopped by a small town, where I met a wonderful couple I’ve known for a decade now through this warez bulletin board I was part of when I was a teen. We chatted and drank, and they made a wonderful wonderful meal. I ended up crashing on their couch. I left the following morning for York. Explored there for a day. Finally I took the train back to London where I left to go home.

There was a small niggle on the way back – American security made me miss my connection, so I had to spend the night at a hotel in Washington, DC. They only had one flight a day to Ottawa. That bit was rather frustrating. But it doesn’t overshadow the rest of this superb adventure.