Day 18 - Trainspotting, Thai & Tanqueray

You know you've reached an elevated state of relaxation when you can wait in a train station watching people and trains for three hours. That's how today started. After leaving our Salisbury cottage at 10 a.m., we made our way to the train station, found a bench and started watching the world go by.

We weren't in any rush today, and we could get a very inexpensive train fare to our next destination, Swindon, if we were willing to wait. As it happened, our ticket selection proved serendipitous. A tree had fallen somewhere along the tracks on the route we were to take, so the two trains ahead of ours (and at much higher fares) waited a couple of hours in the station until about 10 minutes before our train was scheduled to leave. So, in essence, we would have had to wait anyway, but at least we didn't have to pay more for the privilege.

As we had entered the station, we could hear a steam train leaving. We couldn't see it, but the characteristic chug-chug and whistle-blowing sounds are hard to miss, and even more difficult to ignore if you are at all nostalgic. When we took our seat on a bench on the platform, we noted a large group of trainspotters (the kind with cameras not heroin addictions), mostly older men were hanging about, chatting with each other and station personnel.

A while later, the stream train returned. We learned it was The Cathedral Express and was travelling from Faversham in North Kent, around London and on to Salisbury where passengers could disembark for a few hours to visit the cathedral and the market.

From out of seemingly nowhere, people began to pack the platform to get a look at the train. Serious trainspotters, families and others waiting for their own trains. You would have a hard time not being impressed. So much time and effort has gone into restoring and maintaining the engine and the Pullman-style cars.

There is such romance to travelling in this style. For all our modern conveniences and advantages, we seem to have lost something very special. It's no wonder people clamour to see these beauties.

If you're interested in taking a day trip on one, take a look at the website of Steam Dreams; they offer a range of options throughout the UK over the entire year.

We made it on our train. While not replete with linen , flowers, and fine china on the tables, the scenery outside the windows was beautiful. We travelled to Bath Spa where we changed to a London-bound train that would stop at Swindon, our destination for the next two days.

This evening, we went for dinner at Siam Thai in Swindon with our friends, Lady Jane Tanqueray of Alton Towers, and Lord Keith, or is it Keith of Lords ... I can never remember (it could be Lord Keith of Lords, now that I think about it). Lady Jane regaled us with stories of her latest clay pigeon-shooting charitable event. It involved patrons arriving by helicopter, hands in wallets when bidding on the opportunity for a famous chef to make you dinner, and hands on asses for, well, I never really figured out what that was for. But it was all ever so posh, so I'm sure it all makes sense to the horse set.

Lady Jane and Lord Keith being asked
to leave  Kate & William's wedding for
wearing inappropriate attire.
Photo courtesy of the Daily Mail.

You may remember Lady Jane and Lord Keith from Blog 1, when they greeted us at Heathrow airport with what we described as Marks & Spencers pre-glassed wine. Lady Jane has requested that we clarify that while this may have been in plastic wine glasses, it was of a superior 1969 vintage and that she would even have one of her staff vouch for its superiority when used on chips or as a window cleaner.

And on a final note for the day, and in our "Just Keep Saying Hello" style, we'd like to give a shout-out to Chloe at the Siam Thai. We asked Chloe if she had a Canadian connection, and other than meeting us, she said she did not. However, on reflection, she said she had a friend who visited family there every year. Close enough! Once again, we've proven that you are never more than 1 degree of separation from knowing a Canadian (take that Kevin Bacon). Thanks for the fabulous service, Chloe. We had a great meal and a wonderful time, and it was a pleasure to meet you.