Travel Team in England

Tuesday 2nd of January

09.41 It is time again. The travelling gentlemen are on their way again. We are sitting in Christer´s apartment in Sundsvall and prepare for a new trip. Coming up is a trip to Nyköping.

11.35 After a short bus stop wait with the sun in the back and the wind in my hair, we´re now on a bus on our way down to Sundsvall´s bus station.

Peter and Roberth ready for another trip.

12.32 We just boarded the X-train to Gävle.

14.41 Next station is Gävle. I hope we can get a little to eat before we embark the next train which will take us to Nyköping.

16.30 We bought and brought with us some fruit, candy and soda. After some walking around on the train, up and down stairs and through doors, we found our seats. Now we are between Arlanda Airport and Stockholm. It remains 1 hour and 20 minutes of the journey.

Anton and Janne.

Roberth is investigating the house in Nyköping.

Carina and Noah.

23.00 A calm evening has come to its end. We had pizza and just felt great. We are staying with Christer´s sister Carina and her husband Janne. They´ve just moved into a house in Bergshammar just outside Nyköping. We’ve been impressed by the luxurious bath tub and also played with the brothers Anton and Noah. Now the beds are calling.

Wednesday 3rd of January

06.54 All three travelling gents have slept well. Next in line is a trip out to Skavsta. We will be driven there by Janne. A BIG thank you to him for doing this although he has back pain due to a failed walk with slippers on a slippery road outside the house.

08.32 Here we are again. We are sitting at Skavsta airport. (4/1 2006) I changed some of my Swedish money to British pounds and also got us a ginger bread each.

Christer and Roberth at Skavsta Airport.

09.51 We’ve boarded the flight to Stansted. We are sitting on seats 21 D-F. Before boarding we had time to get some coffee.

09.44 Our watches are set for British time. We are on our way to England. That is good. We are on our way to soccer, ale and bitter that is better. We are on our way to English breakfast that is….. Oh my God what have we done?

UNITED KINGDOM

12.04 We’ve landed at Stansted Airport, walked a lot, showed our passports and fetched our bags. The time has come to carry on.

12.26 We arranged with a train ticket to Harlow. We hope that we are on the right train. It seems so.

Peter and Roberth counting money in the hostel in Harlow.

13.27 We reached Harlow and started to find our way to the hostel at School Lane 13. We found it but couldn’t get inside, the door was locked. Pretty soon we were let in and paid £ 108. How much each and every one of us has paid remains to be solved. We’ve been asked what brought us here in January. After all it isn’t the peak season, our host said. Well what can we say? It is holiday and we plan to spend it in Harlow and its neighbouring areas. According to our host there is another Swede staying at the hostel. He doesn’t stay in room number 2 because that is our room. Another gentleman is supposed to stay here as well but we haven’t seen him yet. The Swede is supposed to have stayed here for over one year. We have no plans to remain here that long.

Greyhound Pub in Harlow.

14.29 We think our economies might be in balance. We are sure that we walked out on the town. We are certain that we are at Caspians Grill in the town centre. Here we ordered kebab.

On a square in central Harlow, a "new" town with nothing much to see.

Roberth checking Christmas greetings.

Harlow

15.57 We’ve done some more walking in the centre. On our walk we found a bowling alley. We went up to it and booked a lane for 20.00. Now we´ve reached the Supermarket Sainsbury’s to arrange with breakfast. We are pleased to know that breakfast isn’t included in the price of the room.

17.34 It went well to shop and then we found a new way home. Now we just relax before we return to Firstbowl for a tough game.

18.01 The time has come to prepare ourselves to get outside again. Most likely we will make a short pit stop for coffee on our way to the bowling alley.

19.27 Starbucks Café was closed and so were the other coffee places we found. Mostly closed and pretty deserted in the town. We had thought it would be sprawling more. Now we reached the bowling place. While we wait for our turn we are having some coffee from Costa. The cup cost us £1 each.

Christer unbeaten in bowling (on British soil)

20.39 We’ve played two games of bowling. I guess it could have been better but I am pretty pleased with my games. Christer won it all and Roberth ended up last. Our over all game is getting tighter. While we were playing we also could watch the football (soccer) game between Grays Athletic and Gravesend & Northfleet on TV. In England you can watch a football match in the fifth highest division live on TV. They sure like their football.

21.07 We are back in our home area and sit in neighbouring pub ”Greyhound”. Here we ordered Guinness, Kronebourg and John Smith bitter.

22.36 We’ve back in our room after consuming cupcakes, scones and juice in the living room. The fourth man, an Italian, is sitting in the living room, in front of the computer. Roberth has went to bed,

Thursday 4th of January

08.16 Once more the three of us slept well. How the Italian slept we don’t know. He seems to have left us. Next I will have a shower and breakfast.

09.22 While we were having breakfast, juice and bread with ham the Italian sat by the computer. Has he moved there?

Morning walk towards the railway station in Harlow.

09.46 Outside the window Essex and England pass by. When we stop we know that we´ve reached London. To make it short, we are on a train, again. We got a ticket for both ways. The tickets might even be good for more. The man who sold the tickets mentioned something about discount and the underground. In some way we will be able to use our train tickets on the tube.

We have reached London.

Outside Liverpool Street Station in London.

10.27 We are standing outside Liverpool Street Station in London. We are looking at the map and will soon head out into this world city.

10.39 We just sat down to have a bench rest. In front of us in 30 St Mary Axe is a phallus symbol or is it some modern house?

10.51 The tower measures 180 metres in height and is called The Swiss Re Tower. Now we sit at Starbucks with a black coffee each.

River Thames and Tower Bridge.

11.32 We made a short stop by the river Thames. To our left is London Bridge and further to the left is Tower Bridge.

11.59 We´re having a new stop and we look at the map. We are standing by St Paul’s Cathedral. It sure is mighty to look at.

Christer showing where he is.

Peter´s Hill by Saint Paul´s Cathedral.

Saint Paul´s Cathedral.

Roberth in a very British phone booth.

Roberth and Peter shopping postcards.

Trafalgar Square

12.50 We are looking at the pillar with the hero from Trafalgar. Here it is a lot of people and we are hungry. We are at Trafalgar Square and looking at Nelson’s Column.

13.20 After a stop at Piccadilly Circus we have gone to the pub Leicester Arms. Here we will have lunch. Roberth has chosen Fish and chips; I decided to have Chicken Tikka Masala and last but not least have Christer ordered sausage and mashed potatoes. While we wait for the food we make up plans for the next stop. Will it be Buckingham Palace, the Parliament or Westminster Abbey? Wherever we may go we will go there by the tube.

Piccadilly Circus

14.15 The food was delicious. Now we ride the tube, well the underground to new views.

14.36 We got off and up near Hyde Park, passed the monument over Wellington and now we´re standing in front of Buckingham Palace. Behind us are the Ferris wheel London Eye and the tower at the Houses of Parliament.

In the underground. The station is Hyde Park Corner.

Roberth and Mr Wellington.

Buckingham Palace

Feeding birds in St James´ Park

Christer and Peter having a rest in St James´ Park.

15.02 Time for a new bench break. We passed through St James Park. There we saw several tame wild animals.

15.27 We make a new stop by the river Thames. On the other side of the river is “Big Ben” and the Parliament, to my right is London Eye.

Big Ben

London Eye

A classic London "footo"

15.58 We’ve stopped again, this time above Vauxhall Station. We are waiting for Christer who have to correct his contact lens which has dried and fallen out of his eye due to the wind in his face during the long walk along the river. On our way here we also made a short stop on a bench, where else.

16.05 The lens is back in the eye and we are on a bench by the track. The train is arriving now.

17.48 We went to the station at Oxford Circus and went to the toy store Hamley’s on Regent Street. Here we looked around and Roberth did some shopping. It sure isn’t the ideal place for a feminist. The boys’ area is blue and the girls’ area is pink. In the boys’ area were cars and exciting gadgets. In the girls’ area were dolls, make up kit, Barbie and prams. After this visit we walked along and against the crowd along Oxford Street and reached Hyde Park. There we rested in the dark and now we are on the move once more. This time from the station Marble Arch.

We played with a pink pig at Hamley´s.

Having a micro wave-dinner in Covent Garden.

18.47 We had decided before the ride to go three stations. This brought us to Tottenham Court Road and from there we began our walk. We aimed for presents and places serving food. We found lots of places offering food. One was in Covent Garden. Its name is Take 5 and lies inside at Covent Garden Market. Here we have eaten lamb- and chicken dishes. The price was right and the taste marvellous. The food was Indian or perhaps Pakistani style.

19.42 After some strolling we have reached the pub Blue Anchor somewhere in Holborn. Here we will order a pint each. On our way here we saw a man that was tossed out from a pub. He might have been the troubadour. He sure was drunk, carried a guitar and yelled at the "alcoholics" who had thrown him out. Here at Blue Anchor we are sitting in the wind from some form of ventilation.

20.46 We are now riding from Chancery Lane to Liverpool Street. 10,5 hours ago I wrote the first lines about London and now this.

21.50 We have reached home again. Our faces are hot and our limbs and muscles hurt. I tried to do some stretching. I will know tomorrow if it worked or not.