Tandy Family Dorset Road Trip: Day 1
04/16/2019
This is not Dorset. We stopped in Arundel on the way because there was a tulip festival and I love tulips, but it was £15 each so I just took a photo of the castle and we looked around the cathedral. I had a nice chat with a lady about the notion of using a drone as a stills camera. She seemed fascinated by the idea and I was glad I had some photos to show her.
In the two weeks running up to easter, churches apparently cover all their depictions of people so that worshippers can "focus on the mystery of Christ", but the effect in this particular setting is that of a cabaret reenactment of a terrorist hostage video.
Henry is giving this gentleman a very suspicious look.
And now we're in Dorset
Bournemouth is a classic British seaside town. We used to live just down the road from it, but we only visited a few times (and one was for a stag so that doesn't really count). We've never ventured far from the pier, but we're staying the night in a quintessential seaside hotel a little way to the east of the pier, so we're exploring out of necessity.
We walked up and down the beach and over-cliff and enjoyed the lovely, flat, overcast light that only a true British seaside town can provide. We marvelled at the derelict funicular railway and lied to ourselves that we'd love to go on it if it gets restored. If this was running, Charlotte probably wouldn't even enter Bournemouth for fear that I'd drag her on it.
Having soaked up the ambiance of Bournemouth's seafront, we returned to the hotel to take advantage of the swimming pool. My negative body image has prohibited me from swimming for roughly a decade, but I actually enjoyed being in the pool. Even in spite of the fact that I was accompanying a child who seemed utterly intent on drowning for the duration of our "swim". I think I'd like to continue swimming when we return. I used to swim all the time when I was younger, and I think I miss it.
Finally, we trudged to Boscombe to visit a vegan restaurant we've been interested in trying. Food was good. Burgers were better than the hotdogs, but then burgers are better than hotdogs so that's not a gigantic surprise. Bellies full, we returned to the hotel room and began the arduous task of recharging camera equipment and putting a reluctant 6-year-old in bed before restarting the whole bloody cycle again tomorrow.