Last week was A very positive week. It has also been A perfect weekend. The weekend has been an exciting one, as on Saturday I set out on some travels. I battled with poor weather, delayed trains, and long distances, but it was worth it, and I will be looking to do it again (whenever the "Hive meetup" is next organised). The photo below includes fellow Hive users and me. A special photo which will forever hold a positive memory.
@alessandrawhite
@gillianpearce
@chris-uk
@steevc
@nicklewis
@shanibeer
My Day started early. The alarm woke me from my sleep at 7:30 am. The sounds of wind and heavy rain hammered against my window as I slowly rolled out of bed, feeling excited about the day ahead of me. I skipped breakfast as I would grab something for the long train journey. I focused on getting ready as quickly as I could and picked a basic outfit in which I could sit on trains comfortably, navigate London's non-air-conditioned underground system and just be able to rush without hauling layers. Jeans, hoodie, coat and a backpack. I did actually spend time doing my hair, but it was a waste of time as the heavy downpours did not stop when I made my way to the station.
At around 8:15 am, I left and set out towards the railway station. I made it in good time, arriving 15 minutes before my train's scheduled departure. The plan was to capture the moments, take photos, etc, but with me being absolutely drenched, I just got my snacks from the various train station shops and dried myself off on the train. The train ride into London was pleasant for a change. The train wasn't super busy. I think it also helped that I sat at the very back of the train as I know what it is like to be first off the train in London, it is a battle to be at the front and first to the ticket barriers and in reality you don't really lose time and I had 45 minutes to make my connection train so no rush for me. I arrived in sunny London at London Liverpool Street station, but did not go to enjoy the sun; instead, I headed straight to the London Underground and boarded the Hammersmith & City line to get me to King's Cross St Pancras, just a couple of tube stops away.
Arriving at King's Cross St Pancras was a new experience for me, it was the first time I would be travelling from this station on the railway, so I had a short look around before looking for my train and here is where things got interesting. My train was due at 11:15, I was 30 minutes early after waiting around, I realised that there was another train to the same place that had been delayed, and I took my opportunity and boarded this one, and it paid off, I arrived into Bedford at 11:45 instead if 12 not a big difference but with the meal booked for 12 it was very helpful.
Bedford is A place I have not visited before. I was very surprised, it seemed very nice and from the restaurants and various people around, very culturally diverse. The walk from the station to the restaurant was not far, so I pulled out Google Maps and began the 10-minute walk. I found the restaurant very quickly. I walked around the back and found the back of it 🤣. After realising my mistake, I noticed it was inside a more enclosed area of a bigger building. I headed around to the actual entrance, where I think I caught a glimpse of SteevC entering, so after catching up, I went through the door too, and after the waitress directed me to the table, there I see Steevc, Shanibeer and Gillian. I quickly shook their hands and had the whole introduce yourselves among each other before taking my seat next to Steevc, Some small talk happened, and within minutes, Alesandra white arrived, followed shortly after by Nickeblewis. Small talk continued as we all sat getting to know each other before Alesandra and SteevC began digging through their bags, and what came out was presents! And I love what I got, so thank you guys :)
Amazing gifts, I love them all. There were a couple more too, but moving swiftly on...
After chatting and getting to know each other lots, it was time to order our food. I was very impressed with SteevC's choice of restaurant, and for me, it was the first time going to a Turkish and Mediterranean Restaurant. I opted for the Mixed grill, which featured a selection of meats, rice and a salad.
Everyone's plate looked stunning, and we had a wide variety among us all. I even ate food off Alessandra's plate. Helped clear food off Alessandra's plate. The drinks and food vibe was just perfect and a great choice again.
After a good while of chatting and dining, it was time to stretch out our legs, and once again, Steevc had a nice nearby route in mind, taking us for a short (2km) walk along the beautiful river in Bedford, giving us stories and insight along the way.
After the walk, we headed to A place called the Pen & Cob for a drink and further chat. Thank you Shani, for paying for my drink. I look forward to returning the favour one day :)
After lots of chatter and learning more about the Hive blockchain and people to search up and follow, the time flew by, and around 5 pm, it was time to consider wrapping things up, and so we did. It really was A lovely meetup, very fun and worth the travel. After saying our goodbyes, Myself Shanibeer and Gillianpearce headed to the train station as the three of us commuted via train. I can't quite remember Shanibeer's destination, but we said our goodbyes and gillianpearce, and I boarded the same train as I needed to head to London and her to Brighton. We spent an hour on the train discussing Splinterlands in-depth, and I learnt a lot from what has happened behind the scenes and the future roadmap. I actually need to log in, see what has changed, and see if it is worth playing after 2 years away from it. I also need to check out various other Hive games. The train passed through Kings cross, which was my stop, and after saying goodbye to Gillian, she continued her Journey as for me, while I headed to Hard Rock Cafe for some Guitar plectrums, as I am considering giving the guitar A go and love Hard Rock Cafe, so I wanted to browse there anyway. Sadly, they were out of stock, so I just purchased a T-shirt and headed back to Liverpool Street, London. I wanted to eat out, but with it being 7 pm and my train journey home being another 2 hours, I thought I would save that for another day and see London again when it is daylight and nicer weather. I got to the station only to realise the next train wasn't departing till 8:30, so I got back to Norwich at 10:30, so not early anyway, meaning I may as well have stayed longer, but oh well.
I enjoyed the meetup very much, and overall, it was a super fun experience and my first Hive meetup. I look forward to the next one, hoping that wherever it is located, I can get to easily and not break the bank.
With that, I conclude my post today. Thanks for reading.
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