Sunday 29 April 2018: Costco and Basingstoke

Today, Caroline is taking us to Costco. That’s a members only hypermarket with a huge variety of goods on offer. And it’s HUGE!!! There are big screen TVs, clothes, barbeques, croissants by the dozen, boxes with 4 dozen eggs, 1.3 kg sliced ham packs, and there’s even a jacuzzi waiting for a new owner.

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The huge racks remind us of Ikea. And so does the food on offer: Hot dog and a beverage for 1.50 only. But here, the hot dog is supersized too, and the beverage comes with free refills. One really is plenty for lunch. I’m astonished by their pizza, too: 18 inch! That’s the size of a car’s wheel!

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In the afternoon, Gabi and I head to Basingstoke to visit their indoor and outdoor shopping centre at Festival Place. Here too, the owner came up with a nice idea to cover an empty unit by putting up different backgrounds and invite visitors to take selfies in front of them. And we also like a window displaying an underwater scene made from LEGO.

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When we arrive back at the hotel, we hear a lot of car noise from nearby. I discover on the internet that there’s a race track nearby where a dirt race is taking place today. I take a stroll there to have a look… but the feeling the race might be over is backed up by all the lorries with junk cars that drive away. No worries. It was still a nice walk past meadows where people played with their dogs, a Duke of Wellington statue and an old church – and all of it just opposite of our hotel.

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In the evening, we’re staying in the hotel. I get dinner from the adjoining restaurant and we watch Ru Paul’s Drag Race while eating. There are so many more episodes available on Netflix in the UK compared to Switzerland!

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Inspired by a tweet of Matthew Ashton, vice director design at LEGO and LEGO Masters judge, I open the LEGO Brickheadz GoBrickMe box I bought yesterday. Brickheadz are a series of LEGO figures modelled after superheros or movie heros. On May 1st, Marty McFly and Doc Brown from Back to the Future will be released, for example. The new set is all about building yourself. And I’m really happy with the result. And there even are enough yellow bricks left (for builders with blonde hair) to build Gabi’s chicken self! Do you like it?

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