September 21 & 22
My dear friends Dan and Emily decided to tie the knot so off to the UK I went; it will be my first trip across the Atlantic. I booked on Continental, flew United and added miles to my US Air FF account. I took the 4:20 pm flight from Buffalo to Chicago then an overnighter to Heathrow. The flight went smoothly with no delays, they even served dinner and breakfast on the plane, I didn’t think they did that anymore. C&I was quick and easy, I was on the shuttle to the Budget office in no time. I hired a Fiat Punto for 16.5 GBP a day, I opted for the standard shift as it was $100 US cheaper. Once I left the M3 I took small backroads, the rolling terrain and farmland reminded me of home. In some areas the trees had grown completely over the highway and were trimmed back to form a sort of living tunnel. The old farm houses and barns looked like something out of a movie set, some of the buildings had sod roofs, and most were covered with ivy and moss.
As the road narrowed and I began passing tractors I became concerned that I was lost, but each time I came to the next roundabout, the sign read as noted on the directions I had printed off the internet. There are many roundabouts and if you are unfamiliar with the roads they can be confusing, it took me 2 ½ hours for what should have been a 1 hr 15 min trip, but thanks to the assistance of a postman I was able to find the hotel. I stayed at the Devere New Place in Shirrell Heath. The main building and grounds are very nice and were built about 100 years ago.
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My room was in a more recent annex and was quite small, with barely room for the single bed, wardrobe and desk. Using the wedding discount code I was able to get the room for 60 GBP a night compared to $200 US on hotels.com, my usual booking source. I arrived at noon, not feeling any effects from jet lag; check-in time is 3:00 pm so I took the short drive to Wickham for lunch and to get some local currency.
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I stopped at The Kings Head tavern, a Fuller establishment. Much to my delight they had 3 varieties of hand pulled ale on tap. I opted for the HSB, it was very smooth with a malty finish. The special of the day was venison steak with Portobello mushrooms and a port wine reduction, served over a bed of pearled barley. The venison was cooked medium rare as ordered and not the least bit gamey. After lunch and a couple pints I started to head out the door when the barmaid called over “Sir, you’ve left your money on the bar.” That’s your gratuity I answered, and she said “but it’s over 3 pounds!” I then added a few American singles to the pile and she asked that I sign one “good luck” for her.
I went back to the hotel to check in and grab a quick nap. Arrangements had been made for everyone to meet at the Prince of Wales pub, a 10 minute walk from the hotel. I was great to meet up with friends I only see in the Caribbean, especially on their home turf. Dan and Em run a charter boat in the islands during the winter as do many of their friends, so it was a reunion all around and we discussed our upcoming plans for the winter season. I enjoyed a dinner of fish and chips with mashed peas, 10 GBP, and of course more pints of a local bitter on hand pull. We all straggled out between 11:00 pm and midnight, with Dans uncle and I being the last to leave.

Drink all day at home, your friends worry about you; do it on vacation and they say "what a good time you're having". Save your friends needless worry, travel more!