![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kitanziIn which our intrepid heroes go to Gravesend, with side trips to London, then home, with a side trip to... Quebec??
Well, we made it to Gravesend in good order, and hauled everything out of the car and into the house.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bardling and djbp have a very nice, very tall house which is in the middle of quite a lot of DYI work. My first impression was nice house, but how are we going to fit three more people and their assorted suitcases in? There is considerable method to the madness, though, and we were quickly sorted out, with filkerdave getting an eyrie of a loft style bed and ACat and I getting beds up on the top floor, which provided good exercise and an interesting challenge, since that was at the top of a steepish set of stairs with a hairpin turn in it. We joked about coming to a messy end by misstepping in the middle of the night on the way to the bathroom, but I think that top room will be the nicest of the whole house once it's renovated.
We spent the balance of Monday talking and singing and generally being reluctant to let the con go entirely, plus a big of grocery shopping, since we still had the rental car for one last day. We also all took advantage of that car to have dinner withdemoneyes and oreouk, who were now hosting cadhla. We had a great time!
Tuesday was a bit more of the same, plus crawling through a number of interesting stores in Gravesend - charity shops, second hand book store, and a new-age style store. Tuesday night was a thoroughly relaxing and pleasant backrub swap and a bit more music, partly fromhrrunka who we corrupted to the LJ side of the Force while we were at it. *G*
Wednesday we had planned on traveling to Bristol and spending a day and a night withvaurien and Talis, but there was sickness in their household so instead we reluctantly saw filkerdave off to catch his plane home. djbp played native guide for me and ACat, so we three went off to London, had lunch at with callylevy (who is a charming sweetheart) and saw the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum, as well as lots of cool buildings along the way that ACat thoroughly photographed. I could have spent a full day in either of those museums, and they were only a part of Museum Mile. The ongoing theme of this trip seems to have been Not Enough Time! But finally we were exhausted, it was late, and we went home to see if bardling was done working yet. She was, so ACat and I took them both out for rather good Thai food to celebrate her birthday.
Thursday we were planning on going back to London withkhaosworks, who offered us a tour that sounded fascinating, but when ACat doublechecked our credit card balances online he found one of mine was several HUNDRED dollars less than it should have been. A little paniced, I tried to reach them and forgot about the time difference. I couldn't get a human being until that afternoon, and even then they wouldn't release the authorization that was left over from the con hotel, and was apparently causing the problem. We were still planning on going to see Rent with cadhla that night, but she had come down with a particularly nasty case of concrud in the past couple days, and everyone unanimously told her to Go To Bed. She must have been still feeling pretty sick, because she did, and we had a quiet evening with bardling. We put together a quick and eclectic supper of various stuff on hand, including butternut squash that I made which seemed to go over well.
This was just as well, since Friday ACat and I woke up sick ourselves. Thekhaosworks tour plans were reluctantly scrapped until next time, and since bardling had the same cold, we sat around drinking tea ,talking on #filkhaven and reading for most of the day. Poor djbp got home from work only to be put to work to make supper for all of us sickies - I hope he escaped coming down with it himself. We recuperated the best we could for a day, since we knew the next day we were, reluctantly, heading out.
Saturday began the Adventure of Going Home. After long good byes with lots of hugs all around and lots of subliminal suggestions that they come to Gafilk, we headed to the train station with our luggage. We got to the station, no problems, got our tickets and climbed on the train. Immediately, we heard the cancellation of that train due to a stuck train along it's route. After careful study of the map, consultation with the one human employee there and confirmation via cellphone withdjbp that this alternate plan would actually WORK, we took a train to a train to ANOTHER train and eventually wound up where we needed to be, at the Gatwick Airport, having only taken about twice as long as we originally expected. (As ACat pointed out, it was a damned good thing we didn't try heading out the next day to be just on time for our plane.) The taxi we hired carefully asked where we wanted to go, then promptly took us to the wrong hotel. We finally got straightened out, met up with LadyAT and Bill again, and all went out to dinner. The Saturday after Valentines Day is apparently a very busy day in that town, but we eventually got fed and beered at Weatherspoons, then went to collapse back at the Holiday Inn.
We knew Sunday would be a long day, which was the main reason we stayed at a hotel near the airport Saturday night. We all four got to the airport and on the plane in plenty of time, with no particular trouble - ACat even charmed the nice lady at the checking counter to swapping our seats for exit row seats with more leg room for his 6'5" height. We became exceedingly grateful for that when we found out that the trip that was 7 hours coming was 9 hours going back - presumably the tailwind became a headwind - and even more so when one of the passengers died in the toilet.
Yep, I never thought I'd see that, and I hope I never do again. I saw more detail than I cared to, since my seat was 3 seats away from that toilet, and it was pretty ugly. He was travelling with his wife, who didn't speak english, and two other women. I think the youngest was probably his daughter, and thankfully she did. We made an emergency landing in Quebec, but there was every indication he was dead or very nearly so, likely of a heart attack, when he was pulled out of the toilet cubicle. The crew kept trying to bring him around until the EMTs came, of course. It was, well, ugly.
That added nearly 3 hours more to our trip, since we had to wait for a new flight plan and more fuel and so on, so by the time we got back to Atlanta we were all exhausted. Thankfully, customs went with minimal trouble (they gave Bill some idiocy over a set of screwdrivers that had passed with no objection from anyone's security up to that point) and we all went home.
England is wonderful. Home is wonderful. Travelling between them SUCKS.
The End.
Well, we made it to Gravesend in good order, and hauled everything out of the car and into the house.
bardling and djbp have a very nice, very tall house which is in the middle of quite a lot of DYI work. My first impression was nice house, but how are we going to fit three more people and their assorted suitcases in? There is considerable method to the madness, though, and we were quickly sorted out, with filkerdave getting an eyrie of a loft style bed and ACat and I getting beds up on the top floor, which provided good exercise and an interesting challenge, since that was at the top of a steepish set of stairs with a hairpin turn in it. We joked about coming to a messy end by misstepping in the middle of the night on the way to the bathroom, but I think that top room will be the nicest of the whole house once it's renovated.We spent the balance of Monday talking and singing and generally being reluctant to let the con go entirely, plus a big of grocery shopping, since we still had the rental car for one last day. We also all took advantage of that car to have dinner with
demoneyes and oreouk, who were now hosting cadhla. We had a great time! Tuesday was a bit more of the same, plus crawling through a number of interesting stores in Gravesend - charity shops, second hand book store, and a new-age style store. Tuesday night was a thoroughly relaxing and pleasant backrub swap and a bit more music, partly from
hrrunka who we corrupted to the LJ side of the Force while we were at it. *G*Wednesday we had planned on traveling to Bristol and spending a day and a night with
vaurien and Talis, but there was sickness in their household so instead we reluctantly saw filkerdave off to catch his plane home. djbp played native guide for me and ACat, so we three went off to London, had lunch at with callylevy (who is a charming sweetheart) and saw the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum, as well as lots of cool buildings along the way that ACat thoroughly photographed. I could have spent a full day in either of those museums, and they were only a part of Museum Mile. The ongoing theme of this trip seems to have been Not Enough Time! But finally we were exhausted, it was late, and we went home to see if bardling was done working yet. She was, so ACat and I took them both out for rather good Thai food to celebrate her birthday.Thursday we were planning on going back to London with
khaosworks, who offered us a tour that sounded fascinating, but when ACat doublechecked our credit card balances online he found one of mine was several HUNDRED dollars less than it should have been. A little paniced, I tried to reach them and forgot about the time difference. I couldn't get a human being until that afternoon, and even then they wouldn't release the authorization that was left over from the con hotel, and was apparently causing the problem. We were still planning on going to see Rent with cadhla that night, but she had come down with a particularly nasty case of concrud in the past couple days, and everyone unanimously told her to Go To Bed. She must have been still feeling pretty sick, because she did, and we had a quiet evening with bardling. We put together a quick and eclectic supper of various stuff on hand, including butternut squash that I made which seemed to go over well.This was just as well, since Friday ACat and I woke up sick ourselves. The
khaosworks tour plans were reluctantly scrapped until next time, and since bardling had the same cold, we sat around drinking tea ,talking on #filkhaven and reading for most of the day. Poor djbp got home from work only to be put to work to make supper for all of us sickies - I hope he escaped coming down with it himself. We recuperated the best we could for a day, since we knew the next day we were, reluctantly, heading out.Saturday began the Adventure of Going Home. After long good byes with lots of hugs all around and lots of subliminal suggestions that they come to Gafilk, we headed to the train station with our luggage. We got to the station, no problems, got our tickets and climbed on the train. Immediately, we heard the cancellation of that train due to a stuck train along it's route. After careful study of the map, consultation with the one human employee there and confirmation via cellphone with
djbp that this alternate plan would actually WORK, we took a train to a train to ANOTHER train and eventually wound up where we needed to be, at the Gatwick Airport, having only taken about twice as long as we originally expected. (As ACat pointed out, it was a damned good thing we didn't try heading out the next day to be just on time for our plane.) The taxi we hired carefully asked where we wanted to go, then promptly took us to the wrong hotel. We finally got straightened out, met up with LadyAT and Bill again, and all went out to dinner. The Saturday after Valentines Day is apparently a very busy day in that town, but we eventually got fed and beered at Weatherspoons, then went to collapse back at the Holiday Inn.We knew Sunday would be a long day, which was the main reason we stayed at a hotel near the airport Saturday night. We all four got to the airport and on the plane in plenty of time, with no particular trouble - ACat even charmed the nice lady at the checking counter to swapping our seats for exit row seats with more leg room for his 6'5" height. We became exceedingly grateful for that when we found out that the trip that was 7 hours coming was 9 hours going back - presumably the tailwind became a headwind - and even more so when one of the passengers died in the toilet.
Yep, I never thought I'd see that, and I hope I never do again. I saw more detail than I cared to, since my seat was 3 seats away from that toilet, and it was pretty ugly. He was travelling with his wife, who didn't speak english, and two other women. I think the youngest was probably his daughter, and thankfully she did. We made an emergency landing in Quebec, but there was every indication he was dead or very nearly so, likely of a heart attack, when he was pulled out of the toilet cubicle. The crew kept trying to bring him around until the EMTs came, of course. It was, well, ugly.
That added nearly 3 hours more to our trip, since we had to wait for a new flight plan and more fuel and so on, so by the time we got back to Atlanta we were all exhausted. Thankfully, customs went with minimal trouble (they gave Bill some idiocy over a set of screwdrivers that had passed with no objection from anyone's security up to that point) and we all went home.
England is wonderful. Home is wonderful. Travelling between them SUCKS.
The End.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
They're Baaack!
Date: 2003-02-17 04:42 pm (UTC)survived them [ :) ].
From Part the Second -
survived them [ :) ].
From Part the Second -
<corpsing damn near everybody at one time or another
Sounds like a transitive verb. Just how *does* one corpse someone? >:{
From Part the Third -
<our intrepid heroes
Heroes? Please don't tell me you've had a sex change operation!
Ah well. Glad you had as good a time as you did. And sorry to hear about the kinks.
[mood: con lagged (Boskone), but probably not as bad as you]
[music: Sominex jingle - Safe and restful sleep, sleep, sleep]
Ann Onynous
I'm Baaack!
Date: 2003-02-17 04:52 pm (UTC)corpsing damn near everybody at one time or another
Sounds like a transitive verb. Just how *does* one corpse someone?
Ann O.
Re: They're Baaack!
Date: 2003-02-18 05:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-02-17 05:35 pm (UTC)A.‡
Re:
Date: 2003-02-18 05:18 am (UTC)Glad you're home!
Date: 2003-02-17 05:59 pm (UTC)Italy was incredible. Home is home. And the distance between completely SUCKS.
*hugs*
Re: Glad you're home!
Date: 2003-02-18 05:20 am (UTC)So, when are you coming to visit us, speaking of traveling?? >:)
no subject
Date: 2003-02-18 10:45 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2003-02-19 03:58 am (UTC)