Graham was there to welcome me and carried my heavy bag for me. He showed me my roo and the bathroom and offered me a cup of tea. He showed me the beautiful communal garden, which has such a sense of peace. Then he invited me to dinner, noticing I looked tired, which I was after travelling, so most grateful. Then Gill arrived home and the three of us had dinner together.
Their home is in a beautiful part of London and very accessible to the Underground. I liked their company and appreciated their helpfulness, with ideas of things to see and do or how to get around. Yet they did not in any way intrude. The room was lovely and I felt at home from the outset. I have been trying to think how best to sum up my stay and the closest I can come is to say that it was like staying with friends, whom I did not know I had and whom I may never see again but whose hospitality Had that quality of respect and friendship, they did after all open their home to me. For me that was a big thing. Gill went to the trouble of preparing me an authentic English meal, which added to the whole experience. It gave me an insight into their lives and the differences with my own and between our two countries, as well as the similarities. They are a part of a community and I guess I saw something of the fabric of their lives and they were able to accommodate my presence, without losing the pattern of their lives, or so it felt to me. I enjoyed my stay and meeting Gill and Graham and having our lives cross. I enjoyed their part of London and would recommend them to anyone I knew who was travelling to London. I was uncertain about airbnb, never having done it before and my experience was great. They were great.