I arrived home on June 3rd about 8:30 in the evening, The next morning when I awoke I thought for a few seconds I was in a hotel bed, But I was Home! It is always a luxurious feeling to wake up in one’s own bed after a long trip.
I forgot to tell you that one morning in the Mondrian Hotel in London, after we were seated at a window table, Jon told me to look over his shoulder. A couple tables back I would see a woman’s curly hair showing beside a short divider wall; there was a small bald man with glasses sitting opposite her and facing me. When I located the place he was talking about, he said the woman was Bernadette Peters, the actress. From where I sat, I could see she was wearing print canvas sneakers. Not wanting to stare, I did glance at her on our way out. She was my only celebrity sighting on the trip.
That same morning, sitting at the window, I watched the wait staff of the hotel restaurant setting up tables on the terrace outside. I said they don’t actually expect people to sit out there, do they? The plants on the tables were bent well over in the wind. It became obvious, as we watched, that they did. A man was meticulously setting up the tables and his supervisor came along behind him, straightening a fork or a dish, weighting down a napkin, carefully instructing him to do it just right. Once the table was set, he brought folded knit blankets and draped them over every chair. Londoners seem to be tolerant of the wind. I don’t like it much myself but if I lived there I might not notice so much, I suppose.
The other thing about wait staff that was apparent, wherever we went, is that those jobs were most often held by persons of other nationalities. We were served by people from several different countries; one young woman from Romania I remember in particular. When a young man delivered my tea to my table once at the Mondrian, another staff person came along with him and instructed him, in a language unfamiliar to me, just how to serve the tea properly. I assume that waiting on table could be one of the first jobs that immigrants might be able to obtain, as the need for staff in tourist season must be great and turnover may be heavy. Most Europeans speak several languages which is an asset most of us in the U.S. do not have.
In Dublin and Edinburgh, the homeless sat against a building or a lamppost, even in the drizzle, their sleeping bag wrapped around them, with a cup setting in front of them, no signs, no outstretched hand. Evidently an unvoiced, silent plea was allowed. I did not see this in Inverness or London.
Bed and Breakfast places abound, particularly in Ireland, though we saw them in Scotland too. They are a nice choice over a hotel if you can find one near where you want to be. We certainly enjoyed our stay with Patrick and his wife in Killarney. There we had a “hot-pot”, always available for a hot cup of tea, without bothering our host. I appreciated this nicety.
In Inverness it became apparent that the River Ness was the source of the rapidly moving water, not the sea in the Firth. The River emptied into the Firth and would drain a whole series of highlands, of course. We did not go to see Loch Ness, as we had other agenda. It was a great trip and i can’t thank Jon enough for all of his “left-lane” driving. I don’t think I could have managed that. Certainly not while holding a phone map in one hand!
Mom’a home for a while. Until the next time I’m on the road again, bye-bye..
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