It's becoming very exhausting travelling around so often, but I believe we are in luck because for the next four nights we will be staying in one spot. Today, we got up at the youth hostel in Manchester and got ready to go downstairs and use our breakfast tickets for a meal before we got on with our day. There was good galore! Juice, yogurt, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, croissants... The list goes on! And tea, duh! The hostel's lunchroom had fantastic huge windows that looked out over the canal, so we got to eat viewing another lovely sight. Once we all were done, we put our stuff into the car and tried to use the last bit of wifi to figure out a map and directions to head London way. We were really driving to Croydon, a town on the outskirts of greater London. This is where our family lives in England, cousins to us through my mothers maternal side!
Before we left Manchester, however, we walked around the city a bit just close to our hostel. We were able to leave the car in the parking lot and take a stroll down about three blocks to get to.... the set and studios of Coronation Street!! Any Corrie St fans out there? We saw Grenada Studios, and one of the back entrances where we hoped the stars would be going in and out. This was to no avail, but we did however see some of the set from where we were standing! Scaffolding was holding up fake streets, which we got some pictures of. I got pictures but I have to upload them! The gates were open and there was a sign that said 'No Public Access' but of course my mother the ultimate fan walks right in to try and get a better picture. The guard politely told her to stay "behind the gate, love." She thought that because he said 'love' he was super nice, but really she was just breaking the rules like a hooligan and he was doing his job! We walked back and forth about four times, my mother still hoping to see some actors, but then we gave up. We did get to see the front gate of the studio, too, before we got back to the car and left Manchester to head to Croydon.
The drive was about four hours with a lunch break in between right after Birmingham. Our lunch today consisted of burgers and fries at Burger King at a service station, but honestly it hit the spot! The guy at the counter asked me if we were travelling far, and I told him we were headed London way and that we were from Canada. He said, "I thought so!" I wonder if our accent is distinct? People keep thinking we are American, so there can't be too big of a difference. Maybe it was because I kept saying "sorry" and "thank you" so much!
I gave up on the radio quickly and put on some music on my laptop, which I had in the front seat with me. I had on good ol' Mumford & Sons at first, but then switched to some stuff my mom knew better. This included Frankie Sinatra, the Four Seasons, and then some real music in the spirit of being in England: The Spice Girls, The Beatles, and The Clash!
Driving into Croydon was like driving into a quaint little cottage country. English cottage style, mind you. It was charming! Exhausted and done with driving, we arrived at the home of my nannie's first cousin John and his wife Dot's home to a fantastic welcome! I have seen my family over the years, mostly as a child but once about five years ago as well. However, it has never been in England. This was the first time I visited over here on their turf! Their home is so adorable and they were so kind to give me, Madison and my mom our own rooms! After sharing one room with these ladies for 7 days, it is beyond explanation how nice it is to be in a space of my own for the next four nights. The rooms are awesome and have huge windows, making everything seem so bright and cheery! We sat and talked for a while, and had dinner (homemade pizzas- thank you Dot!), then chatted some more while watching the news unfold on the TV. Unfortunately, the breaking news was the horrible crime that happened about the time we drove into Croydon. It took place in south-east London, in Woolwich. The story played on one news station for hours and details still seem to be unclear.
Hopefully things can be cleared up on that front, but we are safe and sound here and look forward to visiting central London tomorrow. It will be a long day, so I better get some rest!
Goodnight people!
P.S. No pictures here, but I will edit it later and add some when they are uploaded.
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