I\u2019m so caught up in my plans for my trip that I\u2019m not really spending any time thinking about the story I\u2019m trying to write. That\u2019s all right, though, it\u2019s going to work itself out. I\u2019m still thinking about it, and that\u2019s the important thing. I\u2019ll come up with something gorgeous in the very near future, I can feel it. Instead, I’m\u00a0doing\u00a0hard labour (in the form of rebuilding the patio), and watching Orphan Black. My plan, as it is, is to finish off the second series before I leave, that way I can either get it out of my mind for a bit, or at least have an opening where I can talk about it with other con-goers. Whee! Speaking of cons, here\u2019s my new-and-improved, revised schedule for my trip. It\u2019s insane, but I think I can manage:<\/p>\n
11th<\/sup><\/span>: I land at 10 am in London, Which means I can theoretically be at the bus terminal by 11:30 (unless there\u2019s some stupid strike or another on with the passport people, grump grump. I\u2019d hate to be stuck there for 3 hours as it\u2019s happened in recent memory). That\u2019d get me to Woking by 12ish, time for a gawk at the war machine and the cylinder from War of the Worlds, and then a train to Salisbury. This should get me to Salisbury for 2:30. Not a lot of time to check in and then hit both the Cathedral and the museum, I might have to pick one. Once everything is closed, I\u2019m going to stop for some supper, and then take a walk (or a bus, depending on how tired I am) to Salisbury Hill, aka old Sarum, and see if I can see the city lights. Hur hur hur. Then back to the hotel and sleep.<\/p>\n 12th<\/sup><\/span>: Do a bike tour(!!!! “Awesome!” he says, in his best imitation of Rainbow Dash) of Salisbury and Stonehenge and the surrounding countryside and go to London when I\u2019m done. It\u2019s an hour and a half from Salisbury to London, and then another 25 minutes to the hotel, not bad really. And London is the end of the line, so if I\u2019m tired, I\u2019ll get punted off the train, so long as no one steals my bag. I assume I\u2019ll want to sleep when I get to the hotel.<\/p>\n 13th<\/sup><\/span>: Up and eat and shower and brush my teeth and onto the DLR and the tube and the train all the way to Richmond to start my big crazy walk\u00a0(Yes, I\u2019ve taken it on myself to walk the entire length of the London section of the Thames while I\u2019m in town this year. It\u2019s a stupid goal, but it\u2019s a goal nonetheless). This should actually be aided by me suddenly not having a problem with riding the Boris bikes. I\u2019m not convinced that I will, but it\u2019d definitely make life easier. Not on this particular leg though, as they only have bikes at my terminus. I anticipate getting out the door for 8:30am, but we\u2019ll see what jet lag has to say about that.\u00a0 Annnnnnnnnnyway\u2026. So, walk walk walk, all the way to Putney Bridge (I\u2019m assuming I\u2019ll be able to grab food type substances on the way from Richmond to Putney, please Cthulhu say it\u2019s so), then hop on the tube and go to the Great British Beer Festival, being held at the Olympia Exhibition grounds. Been there! It\u2019s where the Doctor Who Experience was put on\u00a0back in 2011. From there to the West End! I\u2019ll be hungry again, I\u2019m sure, so Wagamama is on the menu (for old times\u2019 sake), then off to Forbidden Planet, where I will try not to squee all over the place. This last will be hard, as I\u2019ll have been sampling real ales all afternoon. From there it\u2019s a short walk to the\u00a0Duke of York, where I have tickets (OK OK Ticket, geez) for the Jeeves & Wooster based show, Perfect\u00a0Nonsense. It should be a delight! Crawl back to hotel and sleep the sleep of the dead.<\/p>\n 14th<\/sup><\/span>-18th<\/sup><\/span>: Not that long, cowboy! You\u2019ve got the Thames to walk! \u00a0Then con-con-con-con-cooooooon. NB: The 14th<\/sup><\/span> through 18th<\/sup><\/span> are all the same thing. If you\u2019re wonder where I am in the morning, I\u2019m somewhere near a specific body of water. If it\u2019s the afternoon or later, I’m in the Excel Centre, or out eating with awesome people (hey, awesome people, we need to make dinner plans, eh?)<\/p>\n 19th<\/sup><\/span>: I should be done the death march^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^hlovely riverside stroll by now, so I\u2019ll instead spend the morning in the British Library checking out the comics exhibit they have going on before hopping on a train to Watford Junction to enjoy the Harry Potter Experience. It\u2019s all about experiences with these British, isn\u2019t it? (A kewpie doll for catching the reference). And, I don\u2019t know, maybe I\u2019ll drink beer? Maybe I\u2019ll go see the adaptation of Let the Right One In? Haven\u2019t decided. Maybe I\u2019ll just go for a walk, since it\u2019ll be lacking.<\/p>\n 20th<\/sup><\/span>: Futz around, check out of my hotel, and take the train to Chester. Why Chester? Why not? It figures heavily in a Roman story I wrote several years back, and I feel I owe it to the town to actually see what it\u2019s like. Plus I want to promenade on the Roman walls, and check out the Cathedral, as that\u2019s what I tend to do, it seems.<\/p>\n 21st<\/sup><\/span>: More Chester fun, at least in the morning. I don\u2019t actually have anything planned other than Something CoolTM<\/sup><\/span>. Afternoon is another train, this time to Holyhead, in time to catch the ferry to Dublin, and Shamrokon! Rokon! I foresee an actual Ireland Guinness in my hand within the first 37 seconds of checking into my hotel.<\/p>\n 22nd<\/sup><\/span>-24th<\/sup><\/span>: Shamrokoning! And walking around Dublin. I wouldn\u2019t mind going to Sandycove, but we\u2019ll see. I\u2019d like to point out here that the schedulers at Shamrokon know their audience quite well. There\u2019s a conspicuous gap in the programming around the time the Series Eight premi\u00e8re of Doctor Who is on. Hmmm, coinkidink? I might also try to see a Gaelic Football match while I’m in Dublin, as there’s a big game going on at Croke Park (or, should I say, P\u00e1irc an Chr\u00f3caigh)\u00a0on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n 25th<\/sup><\/span>: Drink a bit more of the good stuff, then it\u2019s Dublin-London-Zagreb, and end the odyssey. The only real shame is that Medves\u010dak are playing on the 27th<\/sup><\/span>, but I\u2019ll already be on my way back to Canada. Pity.<\/p>\n OK, enough about me…<\/p>\n