Elmhurst Hotel Reading

Hi everyone,

It's now the 22nd Oct and we are a little behind with our blogging! So what I'm going to do is very very short written stuff and upload photos for you all to look at:

So we were at the Caravan and then we headed back down to Mat and Jo's to use their place as a base to head into London for a couple of days.

We went in on the 12th Oct to catch a show but unfortunately we didn't do much planning before we got there. As it ...

... We'll be staying in london for a week or so, probably just do the tourist thing. We are both a little tired of freezing everynight, being soaking wet, using public showers and toilets, etc. Eleven weeks is just a bit too long for this sort of adventure. Still having a great time, but we're about adventured-out and looking forward to being home. Hopefully we'll post again before we fly home. L and A

... Notting Hill carnival began in St Pancras town hall in 1959 as a response to the poor state of race relations in London at that time and as a backlash to the Notting Hill race riots of the previous year. It was such a huge success that it took to the streets and became a carnival in the tradition of Rio and other Latin American countries. By 1976 the number of party goers had reached 150,000 but the event became marred by small scale riots, with Caribbean youths railing ...

Back to Chelmsford and then Hammersmith. Gone are the days of drunken nights down the river and occasionally to Le Palais (thank god!). Instead we have a wild and debauched picnic on Saturday in the Square outside my parent's house ...

... and it was the train cleaner passing through the carriages collecting rubbish. I think he was slightly confused to see a mildly inebriated bloke on one of his carriages - who would not be. When I was asked how I got there I just mumbled something along the lines of....."Erm, I just was...... any chance I can get off please...... Thanks!" I was quite relieved to get off... literally! Ho ho ho! M'thinks I have to make a mental note to self to be less stupid (again).

... waste our time waiting in that queue. Did get some photos of the Palace though which I'm sure you will all love. We walked into the city stopping at the Royal Horse Guards buildings to visit Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square and while we were walking we looked at some amazing old historic buildings too numerous to detail. On our way home we walked through Soho, which is known for its girlie shows and we watched while the women in their short skirts ...

... of three counties, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire. The word Tor is an ancient Celtic word meaning hill. The conical shape of Glastonbury is natural - due to its rocks. It is made up of horizontal bands of clays and limestone with a cap of *************e. The sandstone resists erosion but the clays and limestones have weathered away resulting in the steep slopes. Glastonbury is thought to have been a site for pre-Christian worship, perhaps because of its location by the Tor, the ...

... seemed to litter the area my hostel was in. But still, not eating fishīnīchips in England definately seemed like losing an authentic experience. However, watching an important football match in an english pub was sort of exciting. Itīs like watching a canucks playoff match (if you remember what that feels like) in Vancouver but with singing and accents. I secretly preferred for Barcelona to win but did not voice that opinion to anyone else other than the two ...

... We had dinner at an Italian place near the hotel. Our shoes and socks are soaked, but since we're finally staying in one place for more than one night so we can actually set them out to dry. Emily is making hot chocolate & I'll probably join her with some tea. Hopefully tomorrow will be dry. Town of the day: MoD QinetiQ. Honest-check out the sign. I had some other contenders like Standerwick and Upton Scudamore, but they couldn't hold up against MoD QinetiQ. Pedometer report: 6.15 miles

... enjoying every minute of it!! Hannah March 2006 --------------------------- (entry written August 2005) I am just new to this so bear with me until I get this site sorted out :-) Anyway, we have a vague kind of plan worked out. I am leaving the UK on August 31st to travel to Granada, Spain. I will be spending the first few weeks in Southern Spain (and meeting up with Cindy and Andy, and ...