Rye, England with no Bread

The old Mermaid Innn

Trip Taken: 2008

Rye was an after thought in my three destination journey through southeast England. Although, I do regret putting it toward the very end as I didn’t get to see very much of it. I arrived in Rye around 4pm and the sun was already about to set. I thought I would just walk the streets of Rye for about an hour and just soak in the atmosphere. I did stay in Rye for a full hour but I don’t know how much sightseeing I did.

First half hour

From the train station I walked past a very large, modern supermarket to the center of town (a Tesco market I believe). I wondered where the medieval cobbled streets are that were described in my guidebook. “A town pickled by Father Time and forgotten” is what it says. It wasn’t until the road got a bit smaller when the charm of the town kicked in. There were little shops selling curios and small restaurants with elderly couples sitting by the window. The sun sure was setting fast. It is to be expected since I was there in winter.

I clambered up Mermaid Street for a good luck at the old Mermaid Inn, supposedly one of the oldest inns. It dates back to 1420. It was cute. It is a hotspot for a resident ghost. Speaking of ghosts, there are suppose to be ghosts in some of the other buildings as well. Staying in Rye was a little out of my budget. Maybe next time. Hopefully.

Last Half Hour

The sky was already dark by the time I finished with my visit of the Mermaid Inn. I didn’t want to leave Rye yet but I didn’t want to keep walking. I ended up heading back to the area near the train station. I bought a kebab from a local stall and a cherry coke from the market. The kebab is probably the worst I have ever had. Even worse than the super salty one I had in Vienna. It just had no flavor and the vegetables made everything super mushy. After finishing what I could stomach, I took the next train out of picturesque Rye.

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