I am still alive! I have successfully made it to Exeter and spent my first three days here settling in, exploring and dealing with boring admin stuff. My journey over to Exeter went well up until my arrival at Bristol Airport. My housemate was going to pick me up, we arranged to meet outside Departures and Arrivals...and promptly spent some time talking back and forth on the phone, confused as to why both of us insisted to be outside the proper area but neither could see the other. This went on until there was a pregnant pause followed by 'Which airport are you at?' Turns out she thought I meant Exeter, I meant Bristol and therefore the mystery of why we could not see each other was solved. Luckily I managed to catch a late bus to Exeter and the driver gave me the lowest possible price. My housemate Gina then picked me up at the bus stop in Exeter. She'd been a bit worried about me and apologised for the confusion, but honestly, I just thought it was pretty funny. Especially since she had been in an area that was actually closer to Bristol than to Exeter prior to picking me up. Anyway, I managed to get to Exeter regardless of any airport confusion and we drove to the house. It's located in Pinhoe, which is about 15-20 minutes (by bus) away from the city centre. I should be able to get to Uni by bike or bus in about 20-30 minutes, maybe a bit more. Exeter is full of hills and I'll have to check which way would work best for me if I am on a bike. I do not have one yet, but there are plenty of offers on Gumtree and similar websites to choose from.
My housemate took Tuesday and Wednesday off so she could show me around; we went into town on Tuesday, I bought a prepaid card for my phone and we talked to the estate agency to set up a new lease for me. We also went shopping and Gina took the time while we were driving and walking around town to point out shops, monuments, important buildings and services. I have now also seen the inspiration for Diagon Alley (JK Rowling studied at the University of Exeter). It's Gandy Street, for those who want to see it for themselves. A small street off High Street, so it is relatively easy to find.
On Wednesday we decided to go on an outing to Exmouth with a stop at Darts Farm. I had told Gina that I missed Fish&Chips and she swore that Darts Farm did the best Fish&Chips with locally sourced ingredients and fish. We had lunch there and I have to say she did not exaggerate - it was really good!
Afterwards we got back into the car and drove to Exmouth. Unfortunately fog was coming in from the sea and so the sky was quite grey. Still, the beach and sea were lovely and after a short walk around we drove back to Exeter to do some more shopping and then went home.
Gina's friend had invited us to a night out at a new Victorian themed bar down at the Quay, so we dressed up and headed down there. It is a lovely little bar with quirky staff and a small outside area sheltered from the wind. Their cocktails have some interesting combinations and ingredients, but some of them were decidedly too sour for me. After the drinks we went to a great Indian place Gina and I had discovered the day before and had a late night snack there. Gina's friend dresses like a Victorian gentleman by the way, complete with waistcoat, hat and cane. He also does Iron Age reenactment, LARP and tabletop - so a perfect person to know! I already scored an invitation to the next tabletop session (Pen&Paper for the Germans) and to an upcoming LARP weekend. My housemate also posed a question I never thought to hear: 'Do you want to be a Victorian prostitute?' Apparently there is a market in Portsmouth in November where she usually walks around dressed as a Victorian prostitute (similar to how the MPS has showmen dressed in medieval garb) and I am welcome to join her. It should be fun, so I agreed and Gina is going to make a costume for me. She has an entire sewing room full of patterns and fabric. At one point I'll have to go through them, because once she found out that I liked swing dresses, she told me that she had patterns for those. We might even be able to find a Harry Potter or LOTR themed fabric (I showed her a beautiful swing dress with a Daily Prophet pattern)!
Overall, we have been getting along quite well. If the past three days are any indication living together should work out just fine. Her cats seem to like me, even the skittish one (or should I say especially that one). Molly enjoyed sleeping on my bed yesterday (my resolve to keep them out did not last long...) and often waits outside my door if I dare close it. Fresher's week at the University is looming closer and I am still a bit nervous about that part of this adventure. However, I'll take it one step at a time.
Bye for now, I shall report back soon!
