Not Hailey, the itty bitty washer-dryer (that is about a third of the size of ours at home and apparently takes FOREVER to wash and dry a small load of clothes). And taking Chris' clothes out at the right time to hang-dry could be tricky. This particular one in our short-term apartment totally smells like mildew so I think I will just wait and do several loads at a laundromat. I am so glad I decided to not do the cloth diapers anymore here in England! Hailey's diaper fell off in the middle of the night but I opted to wash her things in the sink because I wanted us to go to the castle today instead!
I had the train and bus routes mapped on Google maps and the train was right around the corner so I figured it would be a cinch! Ha, I should start building in more time for the "figuring it out factor". I had no idea how to purchase the train ticket with a bazillion different options on the machine and if I needed one or two zones and if it was an off-peak time and I wanted to ask about this bus transfer pass thing but of course nobody was working at the station. Thank God for the one other person waiting at the station who I asked and she showed me how I could type in the destination name and purchase it that way. By then I had hardly any time and had to pick up the stroller with Hailey in it and my diaper bag attached to the back and carry it up the stairs and across the bridge and back down to the other side of the tracks as the train was approaching. And then yell for Ethan to hurry as I held the train door open. But, we made it and didn't have to wait an hour for the next one.
On the train I realized I should have bought a ticket for Wareham (the stop I was getting off at) and not Weymouth (the end destination of that train). I asked at Wareham and luckily they refunded me the difference (nearly 10 pounds) and explained that they don't do the bus transfers there like they do in Poole and I can just buy bus tickets on the bus. I am going to totally have this down next time I'm thinking. :)
Luckily the kids are at a great age--we didn't have to pay for a train, bus or castle entry ticket (It seems to be 5 and under is free for most things here usually). Ethan was so excited to ride the train and get to ride on the top of the double decker bus. Ethan loved the castle and getting to wander around, explore and crawl in parts. I couldn't help but think of the movie "The Princess Bride" and the old couple yelling out "Have fun storming the castle!" It was a fun adventure.
What gorgeous countryside and old brick houses, some with thatched roofs.
Hailey insisted on walking by herself the whole time up the rocky uneven cobblestone paths and up and down huge steps. Ethan took off ahead and she was trying to catch up.
She was throughly worn out by the end and started crying loudly. I knew that she was tired and sure enough she passed out in the stroller about 10min. later. We had Cornish pasties for lunch (like a pastry pie, looks like an empanada and is filled with meat, gravy and veggies). Healthy, right? No. :)
Ethan asked two different people, "If you aren't going to the airport, than why do you have a suitcase?" And another guy, "Are you a construction worker?" No filter. :)
I was so grateful for the kindness of strangers today--from the commuter at the train station that helped me get my ticket to the worker at the Wareham station that worked the system to refund me the difference to the people that filled me in on which stop to get off on, where to go, and helped me get the stroller off of the train and bus.
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