Day 6: London to East & West Cowes
Waterloo Station
The ride to Southampton was just over an hour long, so we arrived around 11:20. I had booked a 1:00 ferry to West Cowes on the Isle of Wight, so I had time to find lunch. I saw a Marks & Spencer, so I decided to have lunch there. I knew I could find a healthy salad that would be inexpensive, so that’s what I did, and it was a good choice. While in the cafe, I read that check-in for the ferry was 12:30, so I didn’t waste any time getting to the terminal. There really was no need to rush, but I didn’t know what to expect. It was easy to find, but I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I asked someone, and she escorted me to the front of the line, around a large group of school children.
The Mayflower follows me through my life
I continued down the hill into town, and I discovered that since I took the wrong ferry, I had missed the really charming part of town–the High Street. There were many lovely shops and restaurants, and I made note of an ice cream shop that I might like to visit after dinner.
I would have died
As I began walking back to the inn, I passed the ice cream shop to find that it was closed for the day, so I decided to go to Marks & Spencer to get something to take and eat in my room. I got a chocolate pudding parfait and started the uphill journey back. I was tired from a day of travel and heat, but also my allergies were awful and making me feel more tired. I broke down and walked to a nearby shop and bought some allergy medicine. It seemed to help. I struggled to make it until 10 pm before going to bed, but I made it and slept pretty well since the room had cooled of significantly after the sun set.
