Home Away From Home

  When I traveled in Europe with my parents as a teen, we stayed in one grand hotel, The Grosvenor in London, and one apartment owned by my dad's company in Milano, Italy.  Otherwise, for six weeks we stayed in what were then called pensions (pen-see-ons), essentially rooms in someone's home with breakfast provided.  We met so many wonderful people that way, tried out our language skills, and I just loved the experience.

   Fast forward to last fall and London where I discovered the modern version of the pension, the small  B&B.  I stayed two wet but lovely weeks in the village of South Ealing in an Edwardian terrace house with old working fireplaces, beautiful old woodwork, and chickens and rabbits in the garden.

It was a 15 minute walk to the Tube station, and then a straight shot into London on the Picadilly Line.  The quiet neighborhood was made up of young families and students and there were grocery stores and small ethnic restaurants an 8 minute walk from the house.  It was perfect for me. 


   Linda, my host, owned a business in London.   She was friendly, interesting, and couldn't have been more generous, stocking the cupboard for breakfast and buying little treats she thought I would like to try. 

 

   My comfortable room was on the second floor, but the whole house, including kitchen, was mine to use.  Linda worked long hours so we chatted in the morning and in the evening I usually had the kitchen and house to myself. I had a shelf in the fridge and cupboard, and use of the cooker and washer and dryer.

South Ealing, walk to the subway

   There are several websites out there for booking home stays, but the one I used was Airbnb.  From their listings and the recommendations people leave, I think you can get a pretty good sense of whether or not the site will be appropriate for you.  The cost of my room was about $40 per night.

Not a sight you would see in my town!

I so enjoyed living as a Londoner for two weeks, shopping groceries, stopping to buy a coffee on the way to the Tube in the morning.  If you are adventurous and friendly, I would recommend trying a homestay next time you are traveling.
  

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