T-minus one week

[beboots]

Day: Negative Seven

All right, so I can't remember how much I've spoken to you guys about this, but in exactly seven days (no, really, my flight would be taking off right about... now) I'll be leaving on a plane to London (Heathrow), then transferring to a flight to Dublin.

This is, of course, assuming that all goes well, and that the volcano cooperates with my travel plans. Which I hope it will; I've been trying to accumulate good karma over the past little while.

As-is, I'm kind of annoyed with myself for booking the flights that I did. I'm leaving just before 7pm on Wednesday, May 26th, and I'm arriving in London sometime around 10am in the morning. Then I sit around for six hours until my 4pm flight. So essentially I "waste" a day, travelling, when I could be exploring the beautiful British Isles! I think I remember looking at another flight, at like 11am or something, but decided that the connection was too tight. But six hours, especially with grabbing my bags, and then running around, probably between terminals, is definitely not enough time to even think about leaving the airport to check out London or anything. No way.

But then again, I'm sure that Heathrow, being the behemoth of a facility that it is, will have something interesting to keep me entertained for a few hours. ;)

I've decided, though, that if my flight is delayed by a day or something due to the ash of a certain malicious Icelandic volcano... I'll look into a train ride to Manchester. My grandmother lives in Leigh, which is apparently a bare fifteen minutes away from Manchester proper, so I'll see if I can drop in and see her. I haven't seen her in person since I was six, but I speak with her like every other week on the phone. You see, I'm not really stopping in England very much.

This is the plan: I'm meeting my friends (Erin & Sarah, and Erin's friends Kelsey and Chad) in Dublin. They'll have just come from exploring England and Wales. The very next day (while I'm probably still jetlagged), I'm going with them to check out Newgrange and the Hill of Tara, which I'm ridiculously excited about. :) My experience may even be enhanced if I feel a bit out of it. ;) Still, I'm a tough one, and I generally get over jet lag pretty fast. I'll just sleep like a rock for a few nights, that's all.

From there (oh shoot, I'm giving away the plot!) I'll be going with them all throughout the Republic of Ireland (Wexford, Waterford, Cork, etc., all of those lovely Viking-established towns), then up to Northern Ireland to check out Belfast (Giants' Causeway! :D ).

We will then head over to the Isle of Skye (by plane, although it would be awesome if we spontaneously developed the ability to walk on water), then we're checking out Inverness and Edinburgh. We spend a day in York on our way back to London, then home.

That's the rough outline. I'm hoping for a chance to check out a few choice museums in London (now that I've taken Art History and can appreciate more than just the Egyptian mummies). My friends are leaving for home on the morning of June 22nd; I'm leaving in the evening. I'll be alone for a night and a day (they're sleeping over at the airport because they leave so early). I'm almost wondering if I can fit in a visit to grandma between York and returning to London... If that's even possible.

So if anybody can tell me anything about what trains/busses are like between London and Manchester, I'd be much appreciated! (Being two large metropolitan areas, I'm assuming that people go back and forth between the two regularly enough for there to be an established transit system in place.)

I am definitely planning on writing a travel blog here, as I did two years ago for my summer in France. The posts may be shorter than those ones were, as this time I won't be toting around a laptop. I'll be backpacking it! I do have an iPod touch (although that touchscreen is annoying to type with), but I'm not sure how many of the hostels I'll be staying in have wireless internet/a computer for the lodgers to use for that purpose, so my updates may be sporadic. But there WILL be awesome photographs at the very end, upon my return. And amusing anecdotes, observations on the British Isles from a Canadian's point of view, waxing soliloquies upon the general gorgeous green nature of Ireland and Scotland (and the general brownness of spring in Western Canada), etc.,etc., ad nauseam.

I may also sneak history stories in as well. You can bet I'll be hitting up lots of museums, old crumbling monasteries, breathtaking views, etc. I hope that you guys shall enjoy!

For now... I'll fret and worry that I have everything on my list. I shall update as more ideas (and anxious travel jitters!) occur to me. :)

Comments

[anyjen.livejournal.com]

That sounds like an awesome travel itinerary! :D

I'll definitely be looking forward to your pictures, and your posts. ^___^

And here's me reminding you to stock up on sugar packets on the way. My collection is all giddy with excitement at the prospect of getting new members from the other side of the pond. ;D

(I really should get around to taking pictures... it'd help keep track of them. I've long lost count of how many I've got. ^^U)

[beboots.livejournal.com]

So far I've picked up a few sugar packets from the True North Strong and Free (AKA Canada) as well. ;) I've got a few restaurant-specific ones, and a few that are clearly Canadian (as they have both French and English on them). I'll probably send them all together when I get back. :)

[anyjen.livejournal.com]

Yay!!! :D

Thank you so much! *smishes*

though when you send them, is there any way to include some kind of tracking system? its just that it's not strange for things to get "lost" somewhere along the way before they get to my country, if they are sent from wealthy ones... -_-

Oh, and I found a better way to write my address! both work, but this one is the best, apparently... I'll send it to you on a pm

[beboots.livejournal.com]

I look forward to getting the address! :)

Hmm... tracking system? I'll probably have to send them in a small box (and thus as a package), so maybe I can swing that? I'll try! Remind me at the end of June and I'll see what I can do, okay? :D

[anyjen.livejournal.com]

Thanks! That would greatly increase the chances of me getting that package, though I suspect the odds are better anyway if the package comes from Canada instead of the US.