EASTBOURNE HOLYDAYS DAY 4 AND 5

My holidays are slowly coming to an end. Fortunately the last days the sun had come out and it also was a little warmer and less wind.

After breakfast I usually crossed the street and sat on "my" bench



from where I had this beautiful view. There were always people walking by and as I appeal apparently to dogs who came to sniff my feet (I swear I washed them) and so a conversation started. Then I walked along the beach, from time to time sat down and read my Kindle.

In the afternoons I usually went out.



I went with Doug to the graveyard to visit Anne's grave. It was a sad moment. But then we went out for  supper and ended the day with a last drink in my hotel.

I also met Hillary from "Positive Letters ...inspirational stories", who lives in Eastbourn. I had met her already last year and it was so nice to see her again. She proposed to take me to the Herstmonceau Castle in Hailsham, which is now an International Study Center, of Queen's University (Canada)



Fortunately we had very nice weather and we walked around in the superb Elizabethan gardens.



We also had a little lunch in the Tearoom



We walked around the castle and admired the Giant Sundial



In the ball room tables were beautifully dressed for a wedding ! It was certainly not for the daughter of a toilet cleaner ! It all looked very luxurious and beautiful;



Two men were busy to put little ribbons with the table numbers on keys, which were at the same time bottle openers so people could easily find their tables !

As I had started not feeling very well, I probably caught a cold with this icy wind in the last days, Hilary drove me to my hotel where I fell asleep ! I woke up because I was hungry ate a Sandwich and continued sleeping.

Today it's already better !

EASTBOURNE HOLIDAYS DAY 3

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY



Old man in Chinatown (London)


more participants here

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Unfortunately there is a very strong wind blowing, so even in the sunshine it's cold ! After breakfast I found a bench at the seafront just opposite from my hotel sat down and watched the sea and the seagulls !



The waves were quite high. The part of the pier which had burnt down last year when I was here, has not yet been  totally reconstructed, despite the promises of the government. It seems to be everywhere the same, a lot of promises are quickly forgotten. Politicians have a short memory.

Then I walked along the beach into the city center. I looked at some shops, but there was nothing interesting and I was surprised how much the prices had increased !

I took the bus to meet two of Anne's friends and then we drove to the habor where we should meet the others for lunch.



Last year we could sit outside and even did a little boat tour around the harbor, but this was impossible because of the wind. So we sat inside a pub and had our lunch. We had such a fun, and behaved like silly little and very noisy girls. We talked about Anne and the funniest memories we had of her and stayed there for almost 3 h ! Then we said good bye til the next year and two of them took me back to my hotel. I invited them for a cup of tea and they liked my hotel very much and also my room.

It had been a very nice afternoon. When they were gone I returned to the seafront, the sun had come out again and I walked to a stand selling sandwiches. I bought one and returned and ate my sandwich later in my room. I could have eaten supper in the hotel but I was still so full from lunch.