I boarded British Rail for my trip down to Woking, nearly missed the stop because I couldn’t see any of the signs (I was standing and the tops of the windows were blocking my view) and grabbed a cab to get to the hotel.

Woking is about what one would expect from a suburb, though houses were a little smaller, there were no cul-de-sacs and it did have an actual town center with a conglomeration of stores, restaurants and pubs at which the locals would be able to window shop, eat, drink and generally hang out on weekends. I assume cruising is not that popular in England, what with the fact a liter of gas costs about as much as a gallon of gas in the States, but if it were popular, they would have a very good main drag.

The lady at the desk allowed me to check in, despite the room being under the name of "Nicole Trombetta", my roommate for the duration of my stay in Woking. Yes, I know how it sounds, but since I knew the name of the reservation, I think the lady behind the desk had a good idea that I was actually supposed to get into that room at some point.

As far as anything happening that I would not want to mention to Mom, have no concerns about any such goings-on. After all: a.) she is American and b.) so am I. For those who do not know, there is practically no point in trying to hit on an American woman while you (supposing you are American and interested in women) are in Europe because, as far as she is concerned, you don’t have a cool accent.

I entered the room and noted it was a room for two people, obviously, which meant, of course, there was one double bed. I spent a minutes or so just looking at it and chuckling and wondering if I was going to be sleeping in the bathtub.

After getting moved in (dropping my pack on the floor) I asked the lady working the desk where I could find some food within walking distance. She gave me a few restaurants I could try, though all of them were something of a hike. Not exactly what I was hoping to do, but at least I had shed about 20% of the weight I had been supporting earlier, so this walk would be significantly easier than the one I had performed earlier in the day.

About a half to three-quarters of a mile from my hotel, I grabbed dinner at the first restaurant I came across that was actually serving food before six o’clock. I settled into my seat and ordered my food near a woman who would occasionally look over at me and laugh. That and eyeing me suspiciously were actually pretty typical reactions from any women who so much as looked at me while I was over there. Come to think of it, those are pretty typical reactions everywhere.

Anyway, upon returning to the hotel, I realized I was supposed to leave my key with the desk. Thus, the lady behind the desk had to let Nicole into the room that was under her name. Oops. I was not making friends early.

However, I returned to the room to meet Nicole, we talked for a bit before we were apprised of the plan. Adrienne would be arriving later with her family and we would meet her at the pub right next to our hotel. A few drinks would ensue, though not that many what the next day being kind of a big deal and my not desiring to make a complete ass out of myself in front of Adrienne’s family, that was reserved for the wedding reception.

I took a shower to cleanse my body from the layer of stink I had left over from my day’s exertions. Following that, Nicole and I talked some more before we headed over to the pub. The rest of the night, commemorating Adrienne’s last night as a Cowey, was pretty uneventful. Eventually it got to be late and we had to turn in: the next day was going to be long and busy for those who were Cowey’s, those who were Harris’s and our beloved friend who was about to become both.