Across the Pond: My Trip Across the Pond

Thursday, October 22, 2009

My Trip Across the Pond

So I’m back from my trip across the pond, as promised this will be a blog about my travels.

The journey to JFK airport in NY was not without issue and I arrived just about ten minutes before the gate was due to be opened to board the plane. Once again I was surprised about how the security checks when leaving the US have relaxed since my departures a couple of years ago.

As normal I flew Virgin Airways, I can’t recommend them enough from service to food, from entertainment to flights always they seem one step ahead of other airlines. There was as normal a choice of about 50 films to check out during the flight as well as TV, radio and music shows.

The flight which normally takes around 7hrs was quicker this time as we hit the jet stream with a tail wind of about 150mph which reduced the flight time to around six hours, only issue was we had a few bumps along the way.

Unfortunately about a hour from reaching England a passenger was taken sick, and with the flight crew looking after them and the reduction in flight time, we never got around to purchasing “duty free”. No biggy for me, but a pain for the family members who had asked me to pick up cigarettes for them on the flight.

Once through UK customs I picked up my rental car, a diesel powered Peugeot, which was doing about 52 mpg throughout my trip. That was a good thing with petrol (gas) costing about $7.5 a gallon.

I traveled about half way to my destination and stopped to catch some sleep before heading out to meet my youngest sister and her family.

After a good night’s sleep I carried on the rest of my journey to East Sussex, stopped just outside Hailsham for some real English breakfast.

The rest of the day was getting ready for the shopping, a new Tesco’s (The number one supermarket chain in England)supermarket had opened in the town. One nice thing they have done is keep in line with the town. Hailsham has a history of rope making, so they incorporated this into the fence that surrounds the car park finishing in a statue of a man hauling in the ropes.

In the store as normal I just walked around wishing such a store was available in the USA. There is so much more variety, the prices generally for food are much cheaper than in the US. I wanted another 3 suitcases to bring home half the stuff I wanted to buy. Loaded up with fresh supplies to bring back to the US, I then completed the shopping trip.

The rest of the day was spent getting ready for my eldest sons wedding, taking dresses to where the bride was staying.

I made sure I stopped and snapped a couple of pictures on such a mild autumn day, with the sea as smooth as a babies bum.

Later that Friday night I went out with a couple of old friends and shared a few beers with them.

Saturday morning was sorting out the reception tables, cake etc. As for the wedding itself? All went well, and everybody enjoyed themselves.

The next day after stopping off for another breakfast, followed by a look around a “car boot sale”…

Car boot sales are a mainly British form of market in which private individuals come together to sell household and garden goods. The term refers to the selling of items from a car's boot (U.K.) (or trunk in the U.S.). Although a small proportion of sellers are professional traders selling new goods or seconds, the goods on sale are often used but no longer wanted personal possessions. Car boot sales are a way of focusing a large group of people in one place to recycle still useful but unwanted domestic items that previously would have been thrown away. Car boot sales generally take place within the summer months, however a growing trend of indoor boot sales and all year hard-standing outdoor boot sales are now appearing in some parts of the UK.

The rest of Sunday and Monday I spent with my parents, before heading back to the USA.

I had a good time, enjoyed myself, ate and drank well, had many laughs, met most of my family, even sold six "Across the Pond" books by me "Storyheart".

ENGLAND

The music is "ENGLAND" by Ralph McTell, perhaps more well known for his song "Streets of London" it is to me though a song that means so much. The pictures are of England, my own location and some sites that others would know.