Cross Country

22 travellers. 2 countries. 14 days. This really is the ultimate guide to visiting India. And England.

Where’s the Green Man?

Where’s the Green Man?

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Day one in Bournemouth, and you really cannot wait to jump right into the middle of the hustle and bustle of this little town. A town, where everything is so beautiful and something is always going on. When you are in a new country, you’d think only things like food, language and currency would pose as a new territory to you. But very quickly you realise that even the simple act of crossing the road needs to be done right, or  you might just end up looking stupid, or, even worse, get hit by a car.

We are all very excited to treat our taste buds with authentic English fish and chips. Harry Ramsden by the Bournemouth pier is the place recommended to us by a local. A sunny evening walk down to the pier sounds like a great way to work up an appetite, right? Just a few crossings and you are at the pier. It sounds simple enough too, except it isn’t that simple…

 

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Now normally back home in India, we would look left, right and then bolt across the road amidst all the traffic. But here we have learnt to wait patiently for the ‘Green Man’ (as my friend calls him) to appear and give us permission to cross the road.

 

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The next crossing is a roundabout, which is worse because there is no Green Man to help us cross. A local pedestrian guides us to a staircase tucked away in a corner of the footpath. This is the entry to the underpass needed to get to the other side.

 

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Hats off to these guys! They are enjoying their ice creams in the cool evening breeze outside Sprinkles, while I had had to layer up in a ton of woollens.

 

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This free house gives us the very English pub feel as we walk by it on our way to the pier.

 

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A series of scenic little lanes leads us to this main road lined by hotels and restaurants that overlook the sea.

 

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Another view of the road leading to the pier. The building you see is the Bournemouth International Centre, one of the main landmarks of this town.

 

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You need to stop and give yourself a moment to take in this serene beauty by the pier. While you are doing that, a couple of selfies do not seem like such a bad idea either.

 

 

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A delicious dinner of fish and chips at Harry Ramsden is just the perfect end to our first day in Bournemouth.

 

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