What do you get when you multiply nine by six?

[fenchurch]

Also known as "What we did on Wednesday."

We slept in a bit and had breakfast at the hotel -- I'm thinking fried mushrooms may become standard breakfast fare in our house now (we'd already added broiled tomatoes after our trip to Australia). Heading out of the Greater London area was as easy as we'd hoped it would be (and part of the reason we picked the hotel we did... right at the start of the M1). We took our time driving out to Warwick, just enjoying the countryside. And the rain. I'm so glad we didn't get that sort of rain while we were in London or we probably would have gotten drenched even after we bought the second umbrella... I know people joke about the rain in Seattle, but it's really more of a persistent drizzle. We very rarely get that sort of downpour... it was actually pretty cool (says the person who didn't have to drive through it).

First stop was Rickmansworth. I commented to rackham that I was probably the happiest tourist to ever stop in Rickmansworth... then added that we may have been the *only* tourists ever to stop in Rickmansworth. ;-) We got a few pictures of me "sitting on my own" in a small cafe, had some yummy hot chocolate (very welcome, considering the buckets of rain) and I completely failed to figure out what the universe was for, why it was here and how it could be made a good and happy place.

We toyed with the idea of exploring Oxford, but the traffic was so horribly backed up that we abandoned the idea and turned around at a Park & Ride on the outskirts (apparently the best way to get into Oxford is by bus). We pushed on to Warwick and got caught in even more traffic. Listening to the radio, it turned out there were a whole rash of accidents all around us (there were times we didn't move at all for fairly long stretches). We also got to experience our first Welcome Break (it reminded me quite a bit of some of the rest areas we saw on the turnpikes in the eastern US... except with a hotel), where we picked up some lunch: chicken tikka masala naan pizza. Intriguing idea, but not executed very well. I think it's the first thing I've eaten since I got here that I didn't absolutely love... naan with a masala base, chicken, red onion and mozzarella cheese. Very odd mix.

After checking in at the hotel, we drove over to Warwick Castle (which had already closed) and through the town a bit before heading back. Considering the absolutely horrid traffic, we decided to just walk over to the Porridge Pot restaurant next to the hotel for dinner. Not bad food! Certainly better than the "pizza" at lunch.

We got back to the room to find a message from gillo, so we called her back and she drove over to pick us up... giving us a whirlwind night-tour of the area! We got to see the old and new cathedrals in Coventry (beautiful even after dark) and we stopped by Kenilworth Castle for a bit before heading back to Gillo's place. There we got to meet her family and had a fantastic time chatting until Rackham and I started having a hard time keeping our eyes open (it's been a busy and tiring week!). Oh! And we got to see her gorgeous new kitchen! (I always find it really interesting to see the differences in design of things between countries.)

I'll post an update about today's adventures later!

Comments

[pmgoose.livejournal.com]

Interesting pizza . . .

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

Avoid anything with the words "tikka masala" in it. It will be nasty. Inevitably. Chicken Tikka Masala is a very strange dish invented by a restuarant owner who was trying to calm a drunken Glaswegian who wanted a curry with gravy on it and, although it has become mysteriously popular in Britain, that probably says more about British drinking habits than our eating tastes.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Well, I've had Chicken Tikka Masala at Indian restaurants back home that I've quite liked, though it's not my favorite, so I was expecting to like the pizza a bit more than I did... I think the whole pizza idea might work out better with a different curry though! I might have to give it a try when we get home.

[pmgoose.livejournal.com]

I like chicken tikka masala, too. Too bad the pizza wasn't that great. It sounded good.

[gillo]

It's not the concept, it's the motorway service station that does it. They are pretty much guaranteed to produce food which is very nearly but not quite totally inedible.

It was so much fun to meet you both!

[tenel.livejournal.com]

fried mushrooms are a delightful fair. Try them with tzatiki, greek style. so delightful!

I am glad you are enjoying europe.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Mmmm... that does sound good!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I'm just catching up on your travels - I'm glad that you are having such a good time.

I will e-mail you in a few minutes - which probably means you'll get it about the same time as this unless you are actually on-line at the moment!

And pizza-style naan seems a good idea - but I've not seen one yet that actually works...

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

We even managed to enjoy spending a few hours at a laundrette this morning (thanks to some talkative locals)!

I will e-mail you in a few minutes - which probably means you'll get it about the same time as this unless you are actually on-line at the moment!

Have you sent something off already? It hasn't shown up in my inbox yet...

We just got a reservation for a room tomorrow night... we'll be branching out a bit and trying Premier Travel Inn this time (since you recommended them) rather than sticking with Holiday Inn, up in Preston. This means we should also have internet access for one more night!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

We've stayed in PTIs quite a few times, and they have always been clean and well kept, so you should be fine.

I sent the e-mail at about 9.05 pm in the end, having had a long phone call from a friend. My mail server is usually OK, but I sent one to d-d earlier and she said it hadn't arrived when she rang me about ten minutes later - which led to some confusion as I thought she had rung in response to the e-mail!
If it doesn't arrive leave me a comment, and I'll copy the contents into another comment - then you can delete it when you've read it, or leave it, I don't mind!!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Still no sign of an email, though the comment notification from Livejournal got through... I'm probably heading for bed, now, so I'll just check things in the morning!

[nmissi.livejournal.com]

You know, you're so great about the details when you travel that it's almost like being there with you.

Almost. Except I didn't have to eat nasty chicken masala pizza. ;)

Hugs and I miss you! Can't wait to see pictures!

[gamiila.livejournal.com]

You were in Coventry on Wednesday? Darn! We just missed each other then. I was there Sunday & Monday.