From Costa we walked along the seafront to the railway station.

Victoria Jubilee Clock Tower

On the way I could not resist photographing one of my favourite Margate landmarks, the Victoria Jubilee Clock Tower. Just before I took the photo, it chimed the three-quarters (1:45 pm).

Margate Staton, Platform 3

Our train was due at 2:30 pm. It was a few minutes late but it made good time during the rest of the journey.

We stopped at more stations than I care to remember but at last pulled into St Pancras. We reached the bus stop in time to board a 214 that sped up the hill to our destination.

During our absence, the indoor temperature had dropped to 15°C (59°F) but the heating soon restored liveable conditions.

As I write this, I am enjoying a good cup of my favourite Russian Caravan tea. One of the pleasures of going away is that of returning home!

As one relative was visiting the other, we were able to combine our own visits thus improving our visiting efficiency by 50%!

We took a cab

As the address was quite far away and we were lumbered with luggage we thought we could stretch to a cab.

Afterwards, we caught a bus to Margate because our return tickets are from there. The bus didn’t go to the station but dropped us at Cecil Square.

Costa Coffee

From there we would have to walk to the station. Our way led us to Costa, so we stopped off here.

Shops are open and the roads are full of traffic and pedestrians. There is definitely a post-Christmas feel to the atmosphere, despite the decorations and coloured lights.

Once we have gathered our energy and courage, we will drag ourselves and our luggage to the station.

Staying in the apartment was fun and a change but, truth to tell, I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight 🙂

As we had not brought much with us, the apartment looked pretty bare throughout our stay. Once we had packed, it looked even more bare, impossible as that might seem.

Bye bye, apartment

For the last time, we climbed down the 53 steps of the staircase. It’s bad enough when you are unencumbered but doing it carrying suitcases is an experience all of its own.

We managed it, however, dropped off the keys and pulled the street door closed behind us for the last time. Bye, bye apartment. It was fun knowing you.

Breakfast at Caffè Nero
(Photo by Tigger)

The first order of the day was breakfast. For this we went to the local branch of Caffè Nero. Yes, we ordered croissants as usual.

Tigger has some shopping to do and has left me parked in Nero with the luggage while she surfs the local shops.

This is our last day in Ramsgate. We will take the train back to London this afternoon or evening, depending on how the day goes.

Dull weather at Ramsgate Harbour

The day is cloudy and dull, as you can see from the above photo which is probably the last one I shall take from this particular viewpoint.

We have to quit the apartment by 11 am. This means a burst of activity tidying the place up and washing the dishes and pans used to make yesterday’s evening meal. Next comes packing our bags and making sure nothing has escaped and hidden under the bed or behind the settee. We shall have to take our luggage with us everywhere we go which is a slight inconvenience but we will manage as always.

We are to make two family visits, so we will not have much time for rambling and photographing. I’m not grumbling as we have enjoyed a couple of days of dolce far niente all to ourselves.

Let’s see how the day unfolds…

If you look at the above photo carefully, you can see that there are raindrops on the window glass. This means that this morning’s red sky was telling the truth. Those shepherds knew a thing or two about weather!

The weather forecast also indicated rain but only for later in the day. Something that the forecast did not mention was wind. As we returned, we were hit by a stiff wind off the sea that had me literally hanging onto my hat.

Our shopping trip has met all the day’s needs so I don’t imagine that we will be confronting the 53 steps again until tomorrow.

Later, we shall see about transforming some of out purchases into a meal. That’ll be fun, won’t it? 🙂