We knew that the journey back from Westgate-on-Sea was going to take a while, but we weren't banking on nine hours! It only took six to go halfway across Japan, and this was only 200 miles.
We went for brunch at Didge's restaurant, then walked up to Birchington train station to await our train. Since we hadn't bought tickets, we hoped there would be someone on the station to buy tickets from but there wasn't. There was a ticket machine though so we pressed buttons until we had found that tickets were £19.60 each. Fine, except for the fact that the stupid machine wouldn't take £20 notes.
Sooo, we got a cab to Margate station hoping there would be someone there, and since it's more of a main station there was. However, it turned out that there was a problem at Victoria as well as Paddington being closed (because of a train crash that happened the weekend we left. Paddington was finally re-opened on the 21st). So we hung around until a train was going to Charing Cross instead and we were subjected to jiggling, juddering and travelling at 30mph for two-and-a-half hours until we got to London. A quick cab ride to Victoria Coach Station but then an hour's wait as we're told we have to wait for the 6:30 coach. 3.5 hours on a hideously cramped coach later and we're back in Bath, more tired from this day's journeying than any other in the previous two weeks.
Thus ended our Japanese odyssey. As I write this (on the 26th August 2000) Fiona and I are reliving our journey back to Bath from Westgate in a way. We've been to London for the day and missed our last train home - it left Paddington at 23:30, a stupidly early time in my opinion, and we missed it by a matter of minutes. Shikata ga nai, I guess.
We went for brunch at Didge's restaurant, then walked up to Birchington train station to await our train. Since we hadn't bought tickets, we hoped there would be someone on the station to buy tickets from but there wasn't. There was a ticket machine though so we pressed buttons until we had found that tickets were £19.60 each. Fine, except for the fact that the stupid machine wouldn't take £20 notes.
Sooo, we got a cab to Margate station hoping there would be someone there, and since it's more of a main station there was. However, it turned out that there was a problem at Victoria as well as Paddington being closed (because of a train crash that happened the weekend we left. Paddington was finally re-opened on the 21st). So we hung around until a train was going to Charing Cross instead and we were subjected to jiggling, juddering and travelling at 30mph for two-and-a-half hours until we got to London. A quick cab ride to Victoria Coach Station but then an hour's wait as we're told we have to wait for the 6:30 coach. 3.5 hours on a hideously cramped coach later and we're back in Bath, more tired from this day's journeying than any other in the previous two weeks.
Thus ended our Japanese odyssey. As I write this (on the 26th August 2000) Fiona and I are reliving our journey back to Bath from Westgate in a way. We've been to London for the day and missed our last train home - it left Paddington at 23:30, a stupidly early time in my opinion, and we missed it by a matter of minutes. Shikata ga nai, I guess.
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