Day 1 - Friday December 28. 2018
Oslo - London - Birmingham
After spending Christmas with my family, I came home to my own apartment the night before leaving for England. Even though I already had started packing, still there was something left. I did not come home until late in the evening, so I was not in bed until half past one. I felt that I had control of the packaging, as most of it had been found. I got up at half past seven to continue packing and have some breakfast. The food was simple, as my bread was musty and not eatable, but fruit can also be used as breakfast. Around half past eight I finished packing and was able to lock the door behind me and walking down to the bus stop. The first bus was a local bus a few stops down to the main road. From there it was to get to the other side of Østre Aker vei and wait for the airport bus. The timing was of course anything but perfect, as the airport bus had just left, but it did not matter much as long as I had a plenty of time. Arriving at Gardermoen aitport, I checked in and dropped off my luggage. Then it was to get through the security check and on through the passport check. I got through and then I just had to wait for the plane.
Well on board the plane, I found my seat far, far behind and slept for most of the flight. Arriving at Heathrow, at first I had to wait to get off the plane and then another passport control. The problem was that the machine would not restart, so some of us stayed extra for a while. But eventually it came back again and we were able to get through. Then it was to pick up the luggage with a little more waiting time. I had plenty of time for the train, so I just had to wait out the time it took. After getting my luggage, I moved down to the underground where I had to put a little more money on my Oyster card and then I could board the train. I was going to Euston tube station, with a change of lines at Green Park in central London. Arriving at Euston train station, I went to the ticket section and got my train tickets for London - Birmingham, round trip, which I had bought earlier online. Then there was yet again some waiting for the train to leave. For safety's sake, I had put in a good margin for not to risk losing the train.
Since I had about an hour and a half until the train left, and not eaten much earlier in the day, I sat down at Signal Box and bought a sandwich and a cider. The sandwich was really good with brie, bacon and cranberry jam. The bread itself could have been a little coarser, but ... The french fries next to it were typical English fries. The cider disappeared relatively quickly, so I had time for an extra beer before the train left.
When the beer was finnished and I had paid for the meal, I went down and boarded the train. The train would take about an hour and a half until arriving in Birmingham. On board I found my seat and sat down. Then I found the laptop and worked on it a bit during the journey. There were not very many guests on board, so I had a four-seater for myself most of the trip. Arriving in Birmingham I gathered my belongings and walked the short way from the station to my usual hotel. There I checked in, got the whisky bottles I had ordered online and then went up to the room.
After a short while I was ready to go out to get something to eat. I was not particularly hungry and had some problems with headaches due to my neck after most of the day been sleeping on the plane, so it would not be a late evening. Therefore, I did not go particullary far before I came to The Stable, where I ordered a pizza and a cider. (They specialize in that combination.) After eating and drinking, I walked back to the hotel. There I prepared for tomorrow and then around half past nine in the evening, this day was over.
Day 2 - Saturday December 29. 2018
Hereford
After a good and long night's sleep, even though I woke up a few times, I was ready to get up at half past seven. I took a shower, delivered my bets for the day and packed what I needed for today's excursion. Then I packed the whisky in my suitcase and locked it. Then I was ready to go.
At first I needed to have breakfast. I strolled through the Bullring shopping center and up to Bill's which was my regular breakfast restaurant. Here I got a good English breakfast and a pot of tea. I had my breakfast and relaxed a little bit with the remaining tea. Then I walked to the train station and bought tickets to Hereford and then I could board the train, barely 10 minutes before departure.
After Doing some working on the laptop and ease off a little bit, the train arrived in Hereford, about an hour and a half later. This time I had decided to go for a walk in the Widemarch area. Thus, after finding the right ticket - I tried the wrong ticket first - I managed to get out of the station, to head towards Widemarch. I walked calmly around the area, took some pictures here and there and after a while I returned to the city center through a green area. Eventually I ended up at HP Bulmer, known for its Bulmers cider. The guard came and wondered what I was doing, but when I explained that I only took a few pictures and orientated myself on how to continue to the city center, it was just a smile and a happy new year on the road. I continued the last bit down to the center and eventually found The Den where I had lunch.
Fully satisfied after a very good lunch, it was time to get to the stadium and the football match which was the reason why I was in Hereford at all. I still had plenty of time, so I walked calmly up to Edgar Street where I picked up my ticket for the match, which I had booked and paid for in advance, and then strolled into the pub and ordered an ale. After a while, the beer was empty and I found my place in the stands. Although Chester were favorites, it was Hereford who dominated the match from start to finish and won deservedly 2-0. Yesssssss!
After the match, I had decided to have dinner in Hereford, before returning to Birmingham. There was a restaurant called The Bookshop which looked promissing, but when I got there it turned out that they did not have any available tables for me. Thus, I had to find another place to go. Luckily, I had also devised a reserve place called Madam & Adam, and therefore I strolled there instead. When I got there they had not opened yet, but there were only 5 minutes left, so I chose just to wait. When I saw other guests coming in, I walked the few meters back and entered the restaurant. There was a free table here, so I sat down. The dishes were like a lunch dish, which really suited me well, as I was not very hungry. And the food was absolutely delicious, with dessert and a whisky in the end, I ended a perfect day in Hereford.
I paid the bill and walked quickly back to the train station, where it turned out that I had better time for train departure than I thought. I boarded the train and then headed back to Birmingham.
Well back in Birmingham I took a short walk to the pub The Wellington which probably has Birmingham's best selection of whisky. Partly to get a good whisky and partly to locate where the pub actually was. I enjoyed myself with a Glen Scotia Victorian which I found to be a very good whisky. Then I went back to the hotel and ended off the day with a Glenfiddich 15 in the bar and working a little bit on the laptop before returning to my room.
Day 3 - Sunday December 30. 2018
Birmingham
This day I did not have any special program to do. Thus I could sleep for a long time - very long. I had set the alarm at 09. When it rang, I turned it off and relaxed a bit more in bed, and thus I had slept for another hour. But then it was time to do something. I got ready and packed what I needed for the day, and then I went off.
My original plan was to have breakfast at Bill's today as well, but when I got to Debenhams I started shopping instead and suddenly I had three extra shirts in my luggage. By now it was so late that it was almost time for lunch, so I dropped breakfast and moved towards the cathedral to find a place for lunch. I stopped at Amantia, which was a Spanish tapas restaurant. Only problem was that they had not opened yet, but with only ten minutes left, I went a little around to the cathedral and back again and the problem was soved.
I entered and ordered three tapas dishes - a typical Spanish omelette (unfortunately they did not have Pimientos Padron), a chicken dish with serrano ham and peppers and a bacalao, together with a Spanish beer. The food was good and especially the bacalao was lovely. Afterwards I had a small pot of tea.
After lunch I started to stroll back towards the hotel. I stopped at The Railway and went in for a beer, or actually an ale. I found a place where I sat down and worked on my laptop while I could watch the football match Southampton against Manchester City on the big screen. During the break, the beer was empty and I bought myself a cider. During the match, a group of men had been sitting in one corner chatting and drinking together. During the break, all the ladies and children entered the pub as well. With plenty of life arousing! While I was buying my cider, I talked to a couple of the guys. The ladies and the children had been to the theater, but not the guys ... And as usual surprised to find a Norwegian Hereford fan. I went back to my place where I watched the match and finnished off my cider. And then it was time to move on.
I said goodbye and happy new year to my new "friends" and went on towards the hotel. But not this time either I got all the way back, but stopped at a new pub called Snobs. However, this was not a traditional pub, but a modern pub / bar. I ordered a new beer and sat down with my laptop, at the same time as I could watch another football match on the big screen, this time it was Manchester United against Bournemouth. During the break, the beer was once again empty and I ordered a new cider. I was expecting a standard apple cider, but now I got a cider on red berries. This was to sweet for me.
After the match had ended, I strolled the short way back to the hotel. I relaxed on my room for half an hour before getting into the Arcadian area by the hotel and into the restaurant Teppanyaki for dinner. This Japanese restaurant is popular, but luckily it was possible for me to get a seat after a few minutes of waiting. I sat down at the large frying tray where the chef prepared the food. Shortly after, two young couples came in and sat down next to me, while those who had been sitting on the other side finished and left. I had already ordered my food, while the couples ordered after sitting down next to me. The chef finished my food in front of all five of us and I was served. My fried shrimp and salmon with salad and fried rice tasted excellent with a couple of Kirin beer next to it. Finally I had a Hokushu whisky. While I was eating, the young people had ordered their food, and received the first dishes - salad, sushi and soup. Now the chef had to prepare their main course with beef and chicken. While he started on the accessories, he juggled some eggs and challenged the young ladies to try the same ... However, I was done with my food and excused myself, paid the bill and went back to the hotel. At the room I picked up the laptop and went down to the lobby where I ordered a Glenfiddich whisky and a pot of tea. I worked a little on the laptop and finished my drinks, and then it was time to end the day. I went back to the room and went to bed.
Day 4 - Monday December 31. 2018
Birmingham
Not even this day I had any plans. I had booked place for dinner in the evening, but until then I could whatever I wanted. I woke up a about half past eight and got out of the bed. I got ready and packed what I needed for a walk in the city. And then I went off.
The first thing I did was to go to Bill's and have breakfast. While I was sitting there, it was obviously common to have family outings for breakfast on a holiday. I had my usual English breakfast with a pot of tea.
After breakfast I decided to go for a walk in the southeastern city of Birmingham. This is not the best neighborhood in the city, but still it should not be any problems. And it did not happen either. I walked calmly around and took some pictures here and there. Eventually I ended up in the more southern areas before turning towards the hotel again. Before I got back to the hotel I had an English ale at a pub called Craven Arms. All in all, I had gone for a leisurely walk of about 3 hours. Even though I did not walk in a particularly high tempo, it was still noticeable in my legs.
Back at the hotel, I relaxed a bit in the lobby with a pot of tea and some work on the laptop, before returning to my room. At the room I relaxed a bit before taking a shower and getting ready for dinner. I had ordered my table at Côte de Brasserie at 19:00. Since it was New Years Eve I dressed up and was at the restaurant about 5 minutes ahead of time, perfectly timed. I was seated and had an absolutely superb dinner. The dishes were a terrine as an appetizer with a light red wine, followed by sea bass as a main course with a glass of sancerre (which actually became two glasses when I had to have an extra...) and with a chocolate fondant with port wine for dessert. To top it off, I had a pot of tea and a glass of Talisker whisky. Is it possible to have a better time?
When I was sitting at the restaurant and enjoying my final drinks, some new guests arrived at the table next to me and we had a light passiar while they had their starter and I still had something left. When they got the main course, I excused myself, said thanks to the friendly staff for the service, paid my bill and returned to the hotel. My phone was out of power and the power bank was left in the hotel, so that was one reason for getting back. Back at the hotel, I changed clothes to something more casual and then I was ready to go out again.
Now I was just going to celebrate New Year, so I strolled up to The Wellington with its good whisky selection. Here I managed to taste an 11 year old Springbank, a Glenfiddich XX and a Linkwood Flora and Fauna, as well as a pint of cider. The Tomintoul I brought with me was left unopened in my pocket. Shortly before midnight, the bar closed temporarily so even the staff could take part in the New Year's celebration. Five to ten minutes past midnight the bar reopened. There was a good atmosphere and Happy New Year in the whole room when the clock struck 12 and new year. When the celebration was over, I was satisfied and went back to the hotel where I crawled to bed.
Day 5 - Tuesday January 1. 2019
Kidderminster
This morning I noticed I probably had got enough alcohol the evening before, but shit. I slept a little extra and did not leave bed until a little before 10 o'clock. I delivered my bets online, finished packing and was ready to discover Kidderminster.
The train was to leave at 11:15 from an other train station - Moor Hill, so I did not have that much time, but I walked through the New Street station where I bought a wrap and a bottle of water, which was to be the day's breakfast on the train. I continued the not too long distance to Moor Hill station where I bought tickets and then went onto the platform and waited for the train. There were still 5/10 minutes left, so plenty of time.
The train arrived and I found a seat. This was a local train that stopped at many stations along the line. I had my wrap with duck and emptied the bottle of water and sat quietly and dozed off and looked out over the landscape as we passed away. Finally we arrived at Kidderminster where I left the train.
I walked randomly around the city center, but really thought it was a bit boring city. I had planned to have a pot of tea on a designated place, but it was not open on Tuesdays, so not this time. I continued down to the river Stour by a branch that was not much bigger than a stream and here I went into Coffee One where I got my pot of tea and a chocolate brownie. I relaxed a little bit and wrote a little on my diary.
Eventually, the football match was closing in, so I started walking towards the stadium. I still had plenty of time - something that would turn out to be necessary. I continued to take some pictures along the way and then after a while came to a ridge. My problem was that the stadium was on the other side and there were no roads nearby crossing. I thought I was going to be smart and just cross over the hill. It was relatively steep, but I came up to the top and looked on the other side just right into the backyard of the houses there. There was a small paved road stump, but this one ended up in a locked gate where I could not get through. There was a path along the hill, so I began to follow this one, with the steep section down to the road I came from on one side and backyards on the other. I got into an area where a lot of rubbish had been thrown away and then tried to get down again. The path here seemed to go down into a garden where there was no gate out. I walked a little downwards and then I found myself on top of a straight wall of a couple of meters hight where I had expected a staircase, but there was none! The fence to the neighbor was completely trampled down, so I took the chance and got over to the neighbor and tried the gate there. Luckily it was not locked, so I could get through and out on the other side. From here I went out into the street. Thus, I had finally gotten myself on the right track again, but it had taken plenty of time. Thereafter I just had to follow the road and then a walkway, and follow people with Harriers scarves and I had no further problem to get the stadium. At the stadium I bought my ticket and found a seat among the away supporters. And still there was a quarter of an hour left until the start of the match. The "shortcut" had taken me almost an hour to get through ...
The match itself was a cold pleasure in the sour wind and Hereford played very poorly and deservedly lost the match 2-1. After the match I had originally planned to go back to the city center again and have dinner before returning to Birmingham. But when I arrived at the restaurant I wanted, it was about to close, they only had lunch service that day. Another failure! In fact, the whole of Kidderminster was almost in lockdown, most places were closed or about to close and there were almost no people to see. OK, it was January 1st, but still. So, I just went back to the train station where I had to wait only approx. 10 minutes before I could board the train back to Birmingham.
Arriving in Birmingham, I left the train at Snow Hill station and could walk straight into the restaurant area next to the cathedral. It was time to have some dinner. Following a recommendation from yesterday's neighbors at the restaurant, I went to The Ivy, but it was fully booked and no table available. Instead, I went to a Cuban restaurant called Revolution de Cuba. I ordered grilled swordfish and a Spanish beer. The swordfish was a little rough, but with the spicy sauce and lemon juice, it turned out to be an excellent meal. And as a consolation for the loss, I also ordered dessert in the form of a cake with raspberries and raspberry cream. The cake was very compact, but had a good taste along with the ice cream.
After dinner I walked calmly back to the hotel. There I sat down in the lobby with a pot of tea, before I went up to the room, prepared a little for the next day and then went to bed.
Day 6 - Wednesday January 2. 2019
Wolverhampton
Today I was supposed to be in Wolverhampton most of the day. Therefore I chose to take it easy in the morning and not rush off. I had been given the impression and told that there was not much to see in Wolverhampton. While I was showering, the cleaning girl also came to the door and wanted to arrange the room, which did not happen this day. Finally I was ready to start the day. The first stop was the train station where I had breakfast in the form of a baguette and a muffin, as well as a pot of tea at the Caffé Concerto.
Then I just had to find out where the first train to Wolverhampton left from and getting down on this platform. I boarded the train which was relatively full and drove the short trip to Wolverhampton, it took less than 20 minutes since I got a direct train that was going further on to Manchester.
Once there, I strolled around in the city and stopped by the pub Hodghead where I had a pint porter. While drinking my beer, I looked through my papers and thought about how I should spend the day. When the beer was empty, I packed my belongings and walked through the city center while taking some pictures here and there. Eventually I had gotten through the city center and out on the other side of Banks' brewery. I continued a little further and then turned north towards West Park. Here I entered just a small corner of the park, before walking towards Hamilton's Restaurant nearby. But the restaurant looked very closed and it turned out that they only accepted reservations in advance. I chose to go back a bit further and found a small restaurant called Banks Bistro where I went in and ordered grilled salmon with risotto and a beer for lunch. And the fish was very good, just perfectly grilled.
After lunch I walked back to the city center and sat down at Caffé Nero with a pot of tea and a brownie, while I worked a little on the laptop. After finishing the tea, I closed the laptop and moved on. On the way I stopped by a shoe store where I found a pair of shoes that I liked. Thus, there were also some shopping this day. Then I went to the pub Lych Gate Tavern where I had a beer and a cider and worked a little more on the laptop. As I sat there, more and more people came in - all Wolves supporters. This was obviously a pub for the home fans.
Before the match I needed some food but this pub did not serve anything. I had planned for The Hungry Bistro as a place to eat and went there, only to find out that it was closed and apparently looked like it was closed for good. I went back to Hogshead where I finally found a place at a table where I could eat. Three boys were kind enough to give me a seat at their table. I went to the bar and ordered a pizza and a cider. I got my pizza and could start eating. Then it was time to find the stadium and my seat before the match. It was just to follow the crowd to the stadium, but then it was not as easy anymore. Where was my entrance? I searched and searched for the entrance that was on my ticket, but it was not possible to find. Finally I had to ask one of the guards for help, then I was told that I did not have a ticket yet, I had to go to the ticket office to pick it up! I got around the stadium to the ticket office and after a bit of queuing I got my ticket. Then it was time again to try to find the entrance. After much looking around, I finally found it with a lot of help. I could not go by the area designation (JL3) as this was only visible on the inside ... Inside I quickly found the area, but turned the wrong way, but soon realized this and turned around again and then I finally found my seat. The seats at Molineux were cramped, in fact the narrowest seats I had ever sat in regardless of stadium in England. I had to carry the backpack on my lap. The match itself is not much to say about, Crystal Palace won deservedly 2-0 and Wolverhampton barely created a chance throughout the match. But the neighbor of 80 years pluss was nice and we chatted a bit now and then during the match.
After the match, all I had to do was yet again to follow the crowd out of the stadium and down to the train station. There were many who were to take the train. I let the first train to Birmingham go since it was fully packed with people who run to catch it. It was only 11 minutes to the next train anyway. I got a seat and sat down. As I am about to leave at the station in Birmingham and pick up my backpack, one strap on the backpack snap off. As a result I had to walk down to the hotel with it my hand. Fortunately not far, but next day I probably would need to some more shopping! Back in the room I just went to bed.
Day 7 - Thursday January 3. 2019
Birmingham
This day I had nothing special on the program, except some shopping. So I stayed a little longer in bed in the morning before finding what I needed and storing it in the broken bag. Then I was ready to go.
At first I went to Bill's where I had my English breakfast. Then I went into the Bullring shopping center to look for a new bag. I stopped by some stores, but without finding any good replacement. Finally I came to Sportsdirect where I knew there were opportunities. I found a new bag that was big enough to hold my laptop after trying several different ones. In addition, I bought a set of leisure pants and jacket. Unfortunately, I could not get tax refund in the store, so I had to do without it.
After the shopping, I went back to the hotel, but as I got to the room, the maid was making the room, so I went back to the lobby. Here I bought a cager and sat down and worked on the laptop for a while. When I had finished drinking, I returned to the room that now was ready. Inside the room, I dropped off my new items. I felt a little drowsy and laid down on the bed and soon fell asleep.
About an hour and a half later I went up again and worked a little more on the laptop. Then I took a shower and packed everything I needed in the new bag and was ready to go out again. First I was going to get some food and then find a pub and watch today's big match between Manchester City and Liverpool.
I went up to the cathedral and into one of the streets where I had seen an Argentinian restaurant called Gaucho. I went in and had a two-course menu with a glass of wine. The food was very good, especially the meat, but then the prices also were higher than what I was used to in the town.
After dinner I had planned to sit down in a pub called The Old Royal which advertised itself as a sports pub. I went the short way down, but was really disappointed. There were almost no people here and the TVs were placed in a twisted way for watching. So I decided to go back to The Railway next to the train station. The only problem was getting there. I had now entered an area where there was a lot of construction activity and had to take a long detour around to get to the pub. But in the end I got to the there and went inside. Here there were many more people who followed the match, but I found a small table where I could sit down with my ale. When I arrived, 10 minutes of the match had already been played, but no goals yet. The match was fun and exciting to watch and ended with a 2-1 victory for City. After the match, I continued the short way down to the hotel and went to bed.
Day 8 - Friday January 4. 2019
Birmingham
This day was also a day without any plans. I started the day by repacking to see if I had enough space in the suitcase and the new backpack for all my belongings - and it was not! Which meant I had to buy myself a small suitcase or a bag. But first I was going to go for a walk in the Jewelry Quarter. I packed what I needed and got ready to go as the maid came to make the room. I just asked her to wait a little while I put on my shoes and jacket and then the room was hers to make.
I headed for Jewelry Quarter and walked around the area for a while and took some pictures here and there. This was not a special tourist area, but rather an office area. However, I made a stop at a store called "Hard to find whisky". Here I looked around a bit and talked a bit with the staff before I went on - this time without buying anything! After the whisky shop, I went back to the center and ended up at the cathedral. Nearby I found a place called Damascena where I bought a baguette, a cake and a pot of tea. This was today's brunch.
After eating, I went down to the mall and looked for a new suitcase. After going back and forth a bit, I decided to buy a better suitcase, ie a Samsonite. This was admittedly not for sale, but still. After arranging a "tax refund" I went back to the hotel. Here I worked a bit on the laptop, but after a short while my eyes started to slip, so I lay down for a while. When I woke up again, it was time to think about dinner. I gathered what I needed, got dressed, and left.
I had previously received coupons at Bill's, so I went there to see how the dinner turned out be. I ordered spare ribs and a bottle of dark Czech beer and a chocolate brownie for dessert. Absolutely nothing to complain about the food, but the coupon was only valid for couples ... After the meal I went down to the Bull Ring Tavern and took a cider, needed something light after the heavy food. At the Tavern I watched the second half of the cup tie between Tranmere and Tottenham which Tottenham won 7-0. Then I walked back to the hotel and went to bed.
Day 9 - Saturday January 5. 2019
Hereford
This day I was going back to Hereford for the final football match of the trip. I took it easy in the morning. Packed what I needed for the day and walked calmly up to the train station. At the station I bought tickets and stopped by Marks & Spencer and bought some food. I had started brewing on a cold and was not quite on top, but was still determined to complete my entire program.
I got on the train and had my light breakfast. Had actually almost finished eating before the train left. On the train I just relaxed and sat more or less half asleep instead of working on the laptop. Once in Hereford, I had decided to have lunch at Madam & Adam, so I went straight sown to the restaurant. But unfortunately the restaurant was closed that day and so was The Den, so in fact there was no lunch for me at all. On the way back through the city center I stopped at The Bowling Green where I had a cider, watched the football match between Manchester United and Reading on TV and worked a bit on the laptop. Then I continued on to Edgar Street Stadium.
Arriving at the stadium, I picked up my ticket and went in and found my seat. I had actually been given the same seat as I had a week before. Chatted a bit with the neighbors and then it was time for the match against league leaders Chorley. A fairly even match and when Hereford equalized 4 minutes into extra time, it was really well deserved and full cheers at the stadium.
After the match I went back to the train station and took the first train back to Birmingham. Well back at the hotel I went to the room and changed clothes. Then I went out into the "backyard" and into Los Iguanas where I had dinner - Chili con Carne with a Brahma beer. After dinner I went back to the hotel and ordered a pot of tea and a 15 year old Glenfiddich, and was even served peanuts. I sat down in the lobby and drank both the tea and the whisky. Then the day had passed and I went back to the room and into bed.
Day 10 - Sunday January 6. 2019
Birmingham - London - Oslo
Today it was time to pack up and start the journey home. I did not have a train to London until 11:30, so in the morning I had plenty of time to pack. I said goodbye to the hotel staff and walked the usual road up to the train station, but now with all my luggage consisting of a bag and two suitcases. Inside the station, I bought some food that I ate while waiting for the train. Shortly before the train left, I went down to the platform and stood there waiting for the train to enter the platform. After the train had arrived, I found my reserved seat and sat down. On this trip I did no work, but just sat there resting or dozing.
Once there, I grabbed my suitcases and went out. I had a very good time for departure and started walking a little down towards the center. After half an hour, the phone started to get a little bad on the battery and then I discovered that I had forgotten the backpack on the train! In the backpack was the laptop and the travel papers, so I hurried back to the station while I struggled to get both suitcases on the slightly uneven surface. Arriving at the station, I found where the lost property department was and entered. Luckily they found my bag and I was able to get it out. Saved!
After having all my belongings with me this time, I started walking down towards the center again. After a while I stopped at a pub called The Jack Horner. Here I went in and ordered a lunch consisting of Fish and Chips and an ale named Oliver's Island. In the end I even ordered a cider.
After eating, I moved on. I went to the next tube station which was Tottenham Court Road. Here I took the subway to Heathrow and terminal 5. Here I picked up the refund of the VAT, checked in, had checked luggage delivered, got me through the security check and then it was just a matter of waiting for flight departure. But first I had to find which gate my plane was leaving from. When it was clarified that the plane was to take off from terminal 5B, I moved over to this part of the terminal. There I spent my last British money and then it was just a matter of waiting. Finally it was time for departure and I was able to board. The plane took off and a couple of hours later we landed at Gardermoen outside Oslo. It took a while before the luggage arrived, as usual at Gardermoen. Now it had been quite late and I chose to take a taxi home instead of the airport bus. The reason for this was that I had to change to a local bus, but I would be too late for the final one. Besides, I would avoid dragging the suitcases through ice and snow for a much shorter distance. When I got home it was already Monday, so well inside it was just to unpack a little and then go to bed.
Even though I came home with a cold, it had been a memorable trip this time too.