Weekend trip 2009, Basingstoke, UK

Weekend trip to the UK. I made this trip in front of my work on the Monday 24th August. I visited Basingstoke City which is pretty large I can say. It seems like Tilburg but English. I visited there the city but didn't get good around so i walked a bit in the Shopping mall Festival Place. This mall is enormous I can say. Well you can get lost. ;-)

pictures:  http://picasaweb.google.com/fred.dejonge/UK2009

Day 1 | Up to Basingstoke
It's Saturday 22nd of August. I leave at 7.00h CET to Calais, France where I take the train to Folkestone, UK.

This this train trip takes up to 35 minutes. Not that long it's going pretty fast. I had to get some petrol first before entering Belgium so I got that in the Netherlands. I drove from there to Antwerp. Just before I left Antwerp. My GPS mouse lost it's connection to it's GPS satellites.

So I felt I was screwed. but I new that I had to drive up to Gent and Bruges / Oostende / Calais so that was my luck. New the time schedule of 9:50 came shorter and shorter I got bit nervous to lose my train connection. I got in Calais at 9:49 just a bit to late.

I got the B for the next train at 10:42 but I saw that cars with the B had to carry on to the checking of explosives and the border of the UK. Every thing was fine not troubles. And I had my luck with me I could enter the train of 10:20 o.O the one I would miss. 35 minutes later I was in the UK. and drove up the next service station I wanted because I had already a drive of 3 hours. at 13:52 UK time I arrived at the hotel and I checked in.

I wanted to see some of the city of Basingstoke. I drove up to Basingstoke at 15 minute drive. It was okay. Not much trouble with the left driving. I went to see the town centre but didn't came further than the shopping mall. To be honest. I watched there a bit and found 2 nice CD's which I liked. The parking was awful actually the card machine on the wrong side. So I had to crawl in the car to the machine. It was funny also. In the evening I ate at the pub/restaurant for some teriyaki food. it was okay. only the chips were cold. And over the waitress nothing to say. She was cute... very kindly and helpful and more.

Day 2 | Drive in the area to see some hotspots...
It's Sunday breakfast at 8 am in the morning. I got some question about some for if i would liked that i didn't know what they meant. So the showed me it on the picture. I didn't want it that was  for sure. Further the breakfast was okay not special but okay.

After my breakfast meal. Went I for a trip south. I went to Salisbury a pretty old town with some castles which I didn't have on picture. I drove up to Stonehenge and damn it is really and touristic place some stones ha-ha. But it's nice to see for one time. You pay 3 pound for parking which you will get back when you go in to the entrance to see the Stonehenge. It is weird to see and how you should imagine how they build this back in the days some where BC. ( not British Columbia ).

After Stonehenge, I went to Southampton. To do some sightseeing over there. It was nice shops where open every one was sunny dressed except me. I saw some interest things and that made Southampton a nice city to go. happy people lots of cruise ships arrive there or build. I stayed for some 4 hours in that city. After those hours i drove back to Basingstoke. And see again where the company where i have to go to. But it's further than what they say about driving from the hotel to the company some 15 minutes instead of 5 minutes. Because of some dangerous roads. And my left sided steering wheel doesn't make it easier to get there.

After driving up for the second time I went to the hotel to write this piece of text.

Day 3 | Day at work..
I waked up pretty early again. The time was 4:25 am when I looked. I was pretty fucked. Because it's the UK time and not the Dutch time. which were 5:25 am. Took some shower. And relaxed until I could take my breakfast.

And further it was like every normal day. same shit different day. Only now in the UK. and of course I had to drive back to the Netherlands.