It’s been a few weeks since I updated this blog. I left France in mid-November and returned to the UK.
Although I was born here, I don’t consider the UK home. I can’t say I ever did. It’s just the place where I was born. I only returned because someone I care about is having a few health issues including a problem with her heart. I wanted to be in the locality to offer my support.
The trip from Neuvic to London and then up to the North-East of England was interesting if a little cumbersome. I had to travel with three different FlixBus busses while I was still in Europe and then a Eurolines bus took me the rest of the way. I spent two consecutive night sleeping on busses.
Doing long bus journeys is always a pain in the bum. Literally! After sitting on a bus seat for several hours you bum can become so uncomfortable you kind of hope it will go numb.
It’s been a few years since I travelled with Eurolines. Instead of a cramped toilet in the middle of the bus, there’s a large toilet at the back. I’d forgotten about that. If you need to pee on a bus, Eurolines buses are probably the best ones to do it on.
Eurolines buses also have a nice, wide ledge near the window. I’d forgotten about that too. If you have a window seat, and I did, it’s easy to rest your elbow on it and try to go to sleep. The ledges of the busses belonging to many other companies are too narrow to use effectively in this way.
My journey across the channel was a bit disappointing. I was hoping the bus would drive onto a ferry. It seems FlixBus prefers to use the Eurotunnel instead. I hate the Eurotunnel. Next time I cross the channel I think I will do some research first and choose a company that goes over the water instead of under it.
The last time I spent time in the UK was in 2015. I had to return to renew my passport. I was hoping to be gone in a month but ended up staying three because I had a problem with my teeth and had to undergo dental surgery.
I was here briefly (2 days) in January but only came back to pick up some mail. After that, I flew to Naples.
When I came back to renew my passport, it was terrible. I hated being here. Part of the problem is, when I used to live here I always felt trapped. I had dreams of travel but didn’t know how to make them come true. During the three months I was here I think a lot of those old negative emotions resurfaced.
This time it’s not so bad. I’ve done so much travelling now I don’t think I could ever feel trapped again. I’ve become too good at arranging accommodation and travel. The other thing is, this time I’m here because I choose to be, not because I have to be.
These past few years of travel and living in different countries has enforced my sense of freedom to such a degree that the idea of returning to the UK in the future is not unappealing. I kind of wonder what it would be like to spend a month living in Liverpool, Blackpool, Edinburgh, and certain other cities.
I’m not sure if I will ever get around to doing that though. There are two many places in Europe that have a pull on me. The Netherlands is one of them. Spain is another. I also want to spend time in Egypt and have a hankering to spend a few years exploring South America. I always planned on “going” Latino next year, but it remains to be seen if I do so or continue exploring Europe.
Anyway, I’m going to be in the UK for a little longer so the next few blog posts will probably be from here.
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