A Sort Of Homecoming
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
The day started with rain and it
wasn’t the light drizzly kind. I had dithered on visiting the Great Synagogue
but the weather dampened my mood. I spent most of the morning reading before
checking out. I then went down and walked the area around Oktogon before
returning to the hostel. I even had a gelato despite the weather. I left at a
quarter to 1 and took the metro back to Kőbánya-Kispest station. There is a mall linked to the station so I went
to the mall to use the escalators. No way was I going to struggle down the
stairs with my bag.
The bus came about ten minutes later
and it took us more than half an hour to reach the airport as we got caught up
in the lunchtime traffic. I only went to drop off my bag after transferring
some things into my backpack to keep within the 15 kg check-in limit. Then I
went through the security check.
I bought some muffin and hot
chocolate and fries at the KFC before hurrying over to the gate. Oddly, the
immigration check was after the shops (I didn’t go through any when I arrived).
The flight took slightly over two
hours (I napped most of the way) but there was a horrible bottleneck just
before immigration. Thankfully the queue for non-EU passport holders was short.
It was one of those moments when I was glad I wasn’t an EU resident.
I had bought a ticket for the easyBus
due to depart at 1830 and was hoping that the drivers of the earlier schedules
could take me on. No such luck. It was a blustery wait until the shuttle came
at 1820. As it turned out, he managed to squeeze in some passengers from later
departure times.
We reached the stop some 45 minutes
later and after getting my bag and thanking the driver, I walked down to
Marylebone Road and took a bus heading for Euston station. The hotel I usually
stay at in Bayswater was fully booked so I had to stay at another hotel this
time. I had earlier booked a room at a B&B in Chiswick but changed my mind
and booked another room at a hotel in Bloomsbury. The rate was higher but it
was more centrally located and I needn’t spend as much time and money
travelling on the underground.
I reached the hotel just before dark
and checked in. The Hungarian guy who checked me in (what a coincidence, I told
him, seeing I just arrived from Hungary myself) helped to carry my bag up the
narrow steep stairs. I was at the second floor and at the hotel, you need to
share bathrooms but I’m pleased to tell you that the bathrooms were very clean.
I then went out to buy some food and
some water at Tesco and Waitrose respectively.
Thursday, 9 May 2013
I had breakfast in my room before
leaving for the bank at 10. I had some banking transaction to do and I spent
close to an hour concluding it. It would have been long and painful but for the
customer service officer who served me. He was so friendly, courteous and
helpful that I didn’t mind having to wait while he did the paperwork. He even
offered me to use the office phone to call up Fifi and handed me a cup of water
too. What a guy. What excellent customer service!
After that, I returned to the hotel to
store my documents away before venturing out again. I walked to Oxford Street
all the way to Primark. The only thing I bought was some body lotion and
knickers at Marks & Spencer and the May edition of Arsenal magazine at
WHSmith in Selfridges. On the way back, I bought a jacket potato to go at
Benjys. I asked for cheese and beans fillings and it only cost me £2.99. If you
wanted to have it there, you’d need to pay extra for some reason but I was
happy to take it back.
I stayed in my room for the rest of
the day and spent the time reading.
Friday, 10 May 2013
I decided to visit Ashburton Grove
this morning despite the discouraging weather so after breakfast, I rode the
tube to Arsenal station. I spent almost two hours walking around the stadium
and fighting the wind (I had discovered the area around the stadium was very
windy on my first visit 5 years ago). I also bought some t-shirts in kids’
sizes, a collared t-shirt for dad, some postcards and a mug. Then I returned to
the hotel and had my lunch.
I ventured out again in the early
afternoon and headed to Knightsbridge. At Harrods, I noticed there had been
some changes in the store: where there used to be a few gift stores, now there
is only one gift store but it’s quite big. There were some items on sale.
After that, I went to Harvey Nichols
but didn’t linger long there. I then went to browse the boutiques along Sloane
Street before returning to the tube station. I rode the tube to Bayswater and
roamed the area. I was on my way to get dinner when I walked past the Trinity
Hospice charity shop and bought two novels. After getting dinner, I returned to
my hotel by tube.
Back at the hotel, I had the idea of
checking out the charity shops in London so I googled and found that it is
actually what a lot of people are doing especially in the current economic
climate. So I had the idea of spending Saturday hunting down bargains. Some of
the charity shops are located in upscale areas and get their supply from the
rich residents who would discard their clothes and accessories after wearing
them only once. So I googled a bit more and obtained some addresses for my hunt
the next day.
To be continued
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