Away in April 2011 – Day 3 Abu Dhabi to Kent

Wye Kent England

Sunday, 3 April 2011

8.30am Departed Abu Dhabi for Heathrow London.

1.15pm arrived in London. Hire car delivered to airport by company from St Albans.

Drive to Halfpenny Cottage in village of Wye Kent

Unintentional early start as body clock woke us at 3.00am local time. Reading and journalling until headed down to lobby at 5.30 to settle our account and drive to airport.

Joined all the other early risers in Abu Dhabi!

Lots of hotel staff up and about – concierge, 2 front desk staff, manager walking around with mobile phone, coffee shop must open 24/7, our driver already on standby to take us to the airport 30 minutes early. A real change from Sydney.

Driving to the airport, already lots of buses transporting workers and busy hum of an industrious city.

Abu Dhabi airport processed us very efficiently with lots of courteous staff.

Flight to London uneventful. I am continuing on my seafood diet! More movies and getting into reading on iPad – currently reading Her fearful symmetry by author of Time Travelers Wife. Novel is set around Highgate cemetery in England and story of twins and haunting http://www.amazon.com/Her-Fearful-Symmetry-Audrey-Niffenegger/dp/1439165394

Hire company representative met us at airport. Feels good to have someone waiting for you on arrival! He was very chatty, drew us a map for returning the car at St Albans and set us on our way.

We plugged in our Navman and Aussie nav-woman led us through “bend it like beckham” suburbs, breathing in as we wove our way through parked cars, turning right and left and through roundabouts and all those A roads. Anthony stressing – why can’t we just get on a motorway – until we finally reached some countryside! BUT more breathing in as we navigated villages with parked cars and hedgerows and driving through what felt like forests, following part of pilgrims way west more suited to walking than driving!

Was it only 90 kilometers to our destination? Finally arrived at village of Wye near Ashford in Kent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wye,_Kent

Our cottage is not really a cottage, rather a corner of a larger house with downstairs open-plan kitchen/lounge and upstairs bedroom and on suite bathroom. But comfortable enough although bed a bit bouncy and must watch out that Anthony doesn’t bang his head going down the stairs!

Village has everything we need – co-op grocery store, newsagent, bakery, two pubs, restaurants (Chinese, Indian, Italian and fine dining Wife of Bath). Seems to be an active historical society, women’s institute and greening group.

Dinner at The Flying Horse pub – Anthony had roast lamb and glass of local brew whilst I had smoked haddock with kale and mashed potatoes and glass of Italian Pinot grigio.

Early night. Tomorrow off to Canterbury.

	Driving to Kent [Map]		Halfpenny cottage [Map]
	Kitchen [Map]		Lounge room [Map]
	Bedroom [Map]		New Flying Horse pub [Map]
	Village of Wye [Map]		Halfpenny cottage gate [Map]