This is Sandown beach. The sun was shining and the sea was very blue.
One time, When I came back to Japan, I used a bus from London to Heathrow.
The destination of the bus was Portsmouth and an old man sitting next to
me said that he was going to some island via Portsmouth on vacation. Actually,
I don't remember which island he was going to, but I think it was the Isle
of Wight.
I don't know why, but I really wanted to go to the Isle of Wight. Probably,
it was because the old man looked very cheerful and happy, or I began to
know that Jeremy Irons was born in the Isle of Wight!
I was greedy for travel that year. First, I went to St. Ives. Next, I
planned to visit the Isle of Wight before going back to London.
We had to use many types of transportation to go to the Isle of Wight
from St. Ives. Firstly, we planned to change trains at Bristol and secondly,
we planned to board a ship to Cowes at Southampton. Finally, we planned
to use a bus from Cowes to Shanklin. It sounds very complicated, doesn't
it? However, to tell the truth, the train was late, so the means of transportation
became even more complicated. We had to change trains twice to go to Southampton,
i.e. at Exeter, Salisbury. We left Penzance around 10:30 in the morning
and arrived at Cowes after 7 in the evening. Moreover, just before our
arrival, the bus to Shanklin had already gone. Therefore, we had to wait
for about 1 hour for the next bus. It was already 9:30 when we arrived
at the B&B which we had booked. Do you think it was very troublesome?
If you plan to go to the Isle of Wight, I recommend you go from London--it
will take between 1 1/2 to 2 hours to a coastal town--then board the ferry.
The next day, we went to Sandown beach. I'd never thought the sun could
so shine strongly and the sky be so very blue in England! It was very impressive.
I thought that the Isle of Wight was wonderful!
After that, we went to Ryde to visit Osborne House. They say that Queen
Victoria loved Osborne House and I understood why. Everything about Osborne
is truly amasing ; interior, exterior and the fantastic grounds. I highly
recommend a visit. You will not be disappointed.
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As a matter of fact, I quareled with my friend, who lived in London at
that time, while we were at Osborne. She went back to London without me
saying that it was early enough to catch a train. I gave her tit for tat
; in some ways, maybe I am to blame.
That night, a carvinal was held in Shanklin where I was staying. The
carnival was friendly but not so professional. It was like your neighbors,
for example, the daughtor who lived next door, paraded. The atmosphere
cheered me up a little although I was at a loss.
The result of my trip was a disaster, but I cannot hate the Isle of Wight
probably because of the atmosphere of the carnival. I thought that I would
like to come here again some day to visit other parts of the Isle of Wight.
Actually, I want to bask in the strong sunshine durring mid-summer.
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The next day, I went back to London via Portsmouth. I planned to see the town of Portsmouth a little because I was there. However, I couldn't leave my luggage at the station because of a bomb scare. I was going to leave it at 'Victoria News', but I didn't have enough money. Therefore, I had to carry my heavy luggage while looking for a money exchange for a while. It was a disaster too. Nevertheless, I had a good feelings for Portsmouth because I took lunch at a pub and ate some tasty roast pork. If I visit the Isle of Wight again, I want to go there via Portsmouth and to eat the roast pork at that pub. Actually, It was the best roast pork I've ever had.
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left ; a ship that stopped at Portsmouth ; right : a cathedral
