Crawley

I'm working in Crawley this week. That is the little town near Gatwick airport, South of London.

For some reason I expected it to be a dull sort of suburban or industrial place. All housing estates and business parks. I made sure I got a good hotel and I planned a trip into the city for tonight. But the plans fell through and I went for a walk instead.

Actually Crawley is quite nice. I wish I had started my walk earlier, and that I had bothered to leave the hotel last night.

There's a nice Tapas bar. Several restaurants, several pubs, and a big cinema. Most can be found in a pedestrianised street beside a large shopping area.

I've been here before, but I forgot. It was a business dinner in the Tapas bar a few years ago. I remembered it as soon as I got to the high street. At the time I just forgot what town we were in.

Right now I'm just outside the town centre in Nando's. A Portuguese chicken place, it's a chain restaurant, but I like it. They have Pastais de Natas, which I never yet saw in Ireland. I'm sitting here listening to Brazilian music, sipping Brahma beer, eating grilled chicken. All I need now is a Caipirinha and my holiday will have started early!

4 Weeks and 3 days to go and we'll be in Brazil!