Bob's Sabbatical 2018

Said to the man at the railroad station I want a ticket, just for one..... The best and the confounding of my Sabbatical...I enjoyed the mix of languages... getting locked out of my hi-tech hotel and having to find another hotel entirely...running to meet trains....trying to remember which currency to use for this particular country...asking endless questions about train names and destinations....simple cappuccinos that one lingers over for an hour and nobody hassles you...the eternal hunt for wifi, which is easy to come by these days...surprises like when your RR car suddenly is shunted onto an ocean going ferry... Good times....but here is a mix of experiences  over the past four weeks with no discernible theme.  My wrap-up             Here's the thing.... I found that a cappuccino a day...especially in the morning...gave me a place to go to and enough caffeine to start my day plus not too much to keep me awake at night. Rule of thumb....small c...

Early mornings and disorientations. I arrived on the Ferry last night from Cherbourg, France and wanted to get up to Reading as quickly as possible. I ate at the hotel, asked where the train station was and took my bags and went out onto the street to negotiate the roadways and the roundabout and the bright sun and the rush hour traffic of Poole, England. Across one of the highways was the train station but I was not sure which highway. Some guy was riding to work on his bike and was stopped at the traffic light. I asked about the train station. He pointed and asked which way I was going and I said "To Reading." "Right," he says, "You'll want the other side of the tracks for Reading, just take the subway to get there." I thought to myself...."Poole, England has a subway system?? This must be a lot larger town than I thought." I walked towards the "Subway" and realized it was the under-the-road-walk-way...they call them subways here....

I figured I would check out just where the Ferry Building was located. I was leaving on the 6:30 pm ferry from Cherbourg, France to Poole, England. I had plenty of time so I walked the quay in Cherbourg...figuring it to be a couple blocks away from my hotel. I walked and walked...I had seen one sign that the Car Ferry was...that way...down the street. But I had seen nothing for a number of blocks. Once again, I say, they really don't mark things real well in this country. After awhile, I was doubting that Navy Seal Team 6 could find the Brittany Ferry Building. Alas, I found it. About a mile or more from my hotel. Clearly I would be taking a Taxi this evening to the port when I have my luggage to carry.                              This was the first time ever that I was creeped out upon entering a church in mid-day. It was extremely bright today in Cherbourg after two days of torrential downpour. I walked around...