London Arrival and Family in Manchester

We arrived in London England on the 11th. We got our room at the County Inn and went out to find a bite to eat. We ate dinner at an indian restaurant which was very tasty. It was about 9pm [London time] by the time we got back to the hotel and we were pretty tired so we passed out quickly.

Complimentry breakfast was good, beans, eggs, tomatoes, and bacon--pretty standard but pretty tasty. We then voyaged a bit further into London to find a cell phone to use while in England [and other countries]. I had already planned this out so we made our way to a t-mobile store on Oxford Street, we got the phone and contacted Cathy's relatives.

We made our way back to Euston station where we caught a train to Manchester. The trains are very fast and quiet and stop for only a few minutes at each stop, this is good as it makes for efficient travel. However, this is problemmatic for those who don't realize the efficiency, we were just donning our packs and getting ready to move to the exit doors when the train began moving again--we had now missed our stop. Stops are literally only a few minutes long. Anyway, Cathy talked with one of ticket guys on the train and luckily we would be able to get off at the next stop and still catch our connecting train to Manchester airport. All in all, we made to Manchester and were greeted by Cathy's cousin Rosalind.

We went back to Rosalind and Robert's home and chatted with them for a couple of hours over tea and cake then we all headed over to James and Roberta's apartment for dinner. On arriving we met Rocco, a very handsome French Lop bunny. He is very dignified and soft and has a varied reputation depending on who's doing the talking but we think he's great. We had a quick tour of the flat before heading downstairs to the basement to check out a space that is being renovated - it was also quite nice although the ceilings are much lower. James and Roberta have done a fantastic job fixing up their place and have renovated all but the kitchen. It is very stylish and comfy. There are also some great pictures on the walls of places they've been and family including a great shot of Auntie Mary and Uncle Johnny. We all chatted over wine until Lucy and Andy and Ella arrived. Lucy looks great and Ella is a very beautiful baby. We all sat down to a fabulous dinner that started off with tomatoes and mozzerella with basil and olive oil then on to salad and pasta with bacon and tomato cream sauce - delicious! Dessert was a lovely panna cotta with berries. Great conversation and great food and great people - what more can you ask for!