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Published: October 3rd 2022
Two Trains and a Subway to Hemel Hempstead
we really have gotten this public transport down!So, how did it happen that our last stop in the UK was Hemel Hempstead? Well, one of our blog entries triggered friends that we had made quite a few years ago while in Chatham with Tsamaya to make contact. My blog post mentioned we were going to St. Albans which is close to where they live. Unfortunately, I had to inform Martin that my blog post is never quite up to date as it takes me some time to pull them together before posting. In my response I happened to mention our tentative plans and that we were actually looking for a place to stay for a few days at the end of August to try to get a full 2 months away from Turkey. Why did we want to do that? It actually would help us when we got back to Turkey as our visa is only for 90 days and we had already been in Turkey for 30 days. If we are away for 2 months, that means when we return, we still have 60 days to be in Turkey. Fortunately for us Martin picked up on that comment about our plans and very generously offered a place
to stay. Toni & Martin own another house that they are fixing up to rent, but it is empty and they said we could stay there if it would help us out.
With looking at flights back to Turkey and transportation to Hemel Hempstead, a plan was made. We still are amazed how getting to know the very generous and giving Martin and Toni years ago, our blog posting and timing all came together.
The trip entailed two train trips and a tube trip, but all went smoothly. We definitely have enjoyed the convenience of public transportation here in the UK. Sure wish we had the same in the US. Martin picked us up at the station and took us to the place they are getting ready to rent. It was more than we could have hoped for – a lovely house with comfortable furniture, a fully equipped kitchen and close to Martin and Toni so we would have time to visit with them again.
After getting there in the afternoon, we settled in, walked to the store near by for a few provisions and then went out for a lovely Indian dinner at a nearby restaurant,
Sitar. We thoroughly enjoyed it as it is family owned and they worked with us to suggest items that would be “more authentic” rather than dishes that have been adapted for the British palate. It turned out to be one of the best Indian meals we have had. What a very pleasant surprise as we know that we won’t be getting another Indian dinner until we get back to the US later this year. As we have mentioned before, we definitely enjoy Turkish food, but it is nice to have a variety of cuisines.
It is very easy to get into London from this location so the next day we decided to travel there as I had read that there was a Notting Hill Carnival Parade. The first day was geared for families with children and the next day would be the adult parade. The information I read sounded like the adult parade would get quite “rowdy and very crowded” so decided to try the first day and knew we could always return for the 2
nd day if we wanted to. This carnival is an annual Caribbean festival that has been taking place every year except the last two
due to covid since 1966. They say that it is only second to Brazil’s Carnival and due to the delay in having it for two years, the prediction is that this would be “wild”.
From what I had read and seen from previous years, there would be lots of steel pan bands and plenty of groups dressed in sequins, feathers and other creative costumes. We got to the parade area by the tube and as soon as you got off you were met with quite a large crowd of people trying to watch the groups going by. Unfortunately, the parade was just getting started and it seemed to be quite slow going as we were near the judging stand so they stopped to perform in front of them. With the crowds quite thick already, it wasn’t easy to see. We did move around to a few places to see if there were better places to stand but the groups moved so slowly, we kept seeing the same couple of groups. A few 18-wheeler trucks also were in the parade as they were either carrying steel pan bands or DJs with extensive sound systems. As the day went on, the
crowds got larger and larger with many of the spectators wearing sequins and very colorful outfits. As a matter of fact, when we were on the tube, we knew we were going in the right direction because of the sparkling outfits of many on the tube. I realized when reviewing my photos that I didn’t take any of the amazing outfits of the spectators.
With the parade moving so slowly and no new groups to watch, we moved over to the food trucks to get some Caribbean dishes that were being offered. It was good that we did as we beat the crowds that we saw later in the day. Enjoyed seeing the various dishes being offered that we remember from our time years ago in the Caribbean.
It was great seeing the Caribbean flags that we recognized from our time there quite a few years ago. We also learned from another spectator standing next to us that many honor “Trini” at that corner as this seems to be the area of Notting Hill that the people from Trinidad had settled.
I kept hoping for more groups to show up in the parade as I was looking
forward to the colorful feathered outfits that I saw in the photos from previous years. Unfortunately, as the day went on, we didn’t get a chance to see any, just more and more spectators coming off the tube and making it almost impossible to pass through. Guess they may be on the 2
nd day of the parade. We finally decided that we needed to leave to get back. We knew from a sign that was posted where we got off the tube, that we had to go to a different station for the return trip. Well, that wound up being more complicated than we thought. We went to that station to only find that we couldn’t get on there. We were told to try a different station and at that one, a different one altogether. After being told to go to about 4 different stations, we finally found one that we could actually get on for the return trip. It definitely got us to walk through the carnival area which is quite extensive. We found that it seemed that almost every corner there were more food areas, music set ups and people everywhere! The crowds definitely were getting a little
louder with more “colorful” outfits and packed in so that it was difficult to get through. Bob is definitely not in to large crowds so he was very happy to be heading back.
It was definitely an experience: we got to listen to some great music, eat some Caribbean food that we haven’t had in a long time and got a chance to get a small taste of what the Notting Hill Carnival is all about. Afterwards we did hear that the 2
nd day definitely got more “rowdy” and there were a few arrests and injuries so just as happy we didn’t make it the 2
nd day. I have enjoyed watching some of the videos on YouTube to see some of the wonderful groups that performed as well as the very intricate (and sometimes very “scanty” outfits) – check it out if you’d like to get a taste of what this Carnival is about.
The next day was definitely a calmer one as we took the time to walk some of the lovely trails close by. We have known for years how the British are known for walking/hiking and it is obvious by the number of trails we
find wherever we go. We had to smile that some of the trails go through areas with livestock grazing. They have signs up at those areas to warn people and give rules about any interactions you might have with them.
There is also a lovely canal called the Grand Union canal that goes through this area. We seem to always be attracted to water and boats wherever we go so this was no exception. We had a lovely walk along the canal as well as visits with numerous boat owners. We learned that many of these boats had permanent residency here with hook ups to electricity and water, while others were temporary and had to move every 14 days. Along with that rule they must move at least 20 miles within a year. That doesn’t sound like much, but were told that they can not just move within a short space (going back and forth in the same area) but must go in one direction. The locks here are manually operated by the boat owners themselves. There is an extensive canal system here in the UK, but as one owner told us, you have to know which ones you
can go through as not all boats can fit through all the locks as the width and length of the locks differ. As always, we are attracted to the idea of renting a narrow boat some time to enjoy traveling on the canals ourselves. Who knows, maybe we will someday. Until then we enjoy seeing the variety of boats with their gardens, creative designs and personal touches that make them homes.
A real bonus of this stop was to connect again with friends we made back in Chatham. We were fortunate to have met them and enjoyed their company back then when they had their boat in the same marina we did. They were helpful then in providing information about the local area and introduced us to a few others at the marina – they definitely made us as transients feel very welcome in the marina. It was nice to have a chance to have dinner at a local pub (and a drink another night as well with them) to catch up on what we all have been doing since our time together. We are always so pleased at how easy it is to start up conversations again after
years apart from friends that we have made.
Our time here was short and in fact we never made it into the actual town, but it was a lovely ending to our two months stay in the UK.
In looking back, this trip was pulled together very quickly based on our need to get our navigational computer repaired and helping to surprise a dear friend on his 80
th birthday. The rest of the trip was pulled together with a combination of Trusted Housesitters “cat and house-sitting duties”, Airbnb’s, visits with friends, and a hotel thrown in to the mix as well. Trying to pull all this together as we went with the idea of using public transportation while here at times got a little stressful. We didn’t know too far ahead some times where we were going next, BUT in the end, we felt that we could say it was a wonderful trip. We got a chance to see more friends than we originally thought possible, we met some wonderful new people and visited some wonderful places in the UK. Definitely a winning combination for us.
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