It was my last day of holiday which was really just a day of travel. My plans to get to the airport were thrown a bit of a curveball the day before when a traffic accident prevented people from coming to our Curryfest. Of course the family all rallied around and there were so many offers to help me out. In the end it was decided I would remain where I was for one more night and head off in the morning.
Steven drove me to the train station on his way to work. There was concern the train might not make it all the way to the airport so I left with a lot of time to spare. There had been so many stories about people experiencing really long delays at the airport; I figured it was better to be safe and early, rather than have to run through the airport with my no-longer-so-light bags.
I got to the airport in good time. It then took me only about 20 minutes to take the shuttle to the north terminal and make my way through security. I had booked time in the lounge since I had already been alerted that my flight was delayed but I was too early to go in. I looked for a spa, one of my favourite things to do when I have really long layovers in an airport, but they weren’t open yet. So, I wandered until I found a gate with no people and curled up on the benches to have a nap until I could go to the lounge where I ate, blogged, read and just relaxed in the big comfy chairs.
When they finally put the gate for the flight on the board, it said boarding. I think most people were panicked because there were a lot of people running in the direction I was walking. Luckily I have learned that boarding really means they are going to check your boarding pass and passport and move you all into a much smaller area where they will then make you wait for absolutely ages. I think they turn the AC off in those spaces too; by the time we boarded the flight most people were sweaty, a little woozy and a lot cranky!
I have to admit I had a little panic when I got on the plane and to my seat. When packing my bag the night before, I removed a fair bit of stuff I deemed extra because I was worried that my bag was going to be too heavy. Needless to say I was a bit surprised when I couldn’t for the life of me get my bag in the overhead compartment. It didn’t matter which way I turned it, or how hard I shoved it, it was not going in. I was putting everything I had into getting that bag in the compartment but it just wouldn’t go. I couldn’t understand how this was possible when it had fit with no problems at all on the much smaller planes I had flown on to and from Copenhagen. I was getting a little panicky, worried that they would make me put my bag in the hold, when I realized that the overhead compartments over the middle seats were deeper than the ones over the windows. It fit perfectly in there. Crisis averted.
As I settled into my seat by the window, I took out my phone so I could make my blog notes. As the years have passed, and after many an evening of trying to relive the day so I could write about it, I tend to make a list of key words throughout the day for when it is time to write.
Blogging is really personal for me. I started blogging in 2012 when I was going to travel around Africa for two months. It was going to be a way to let me family know what I was doing and that I was safe, and it was to be a way to keep in contact. It has since grown into such an important part of my travels.
When I first start a vacation I groan a little and whine about blogging. It’s true that it takes me a while to sort through my photos and then upload them, and then it takes a while to figure out what I want to say, and how. But as the days go on, it just becomes a part of my routine again. I complain less, start recording notes throughout the day, and listen more intently to what is going on in case anything stands out that I think is blog worthy.
I try to ask people first if I photograph them if they are okay being on the blog. As well, my blog is for me more than anything else, so it’s not a place where I would share embarrassing or cruel stories about others.
My titles tend to come from things people have said during the day that stuck with me. Often it’s something that made me laugh. Sometimes the title inspires a blog but often there is no understandable connection between the content of the blog and the title- other than to me.
Often there are things in my blogs that others would not even notice but I can go back years later and those small innocuous things trigger memories for me.
One of the best things about my blog is the comments that I get from people. I love connecting with people through my stories and I love to hear about the connections people make to their own life experiences. Sometimes people comment on the posts, and sometimes I get emails or texts from people. I love how connected I still am with people who started travelling with me years ago- it is always comforting having them along with me on my travels.
There are days when I think about putting my blogs into one big book. Most of them, until I fell behind a few years ago, have been turned into coffee table books with all the photos and words. Sometimes I think about doing a curated book of the best of Memoirs of a Wannabe World Traveller. The idea of turning some posts into a podcast came up recently. So many ideas…
In the meantime, I will bid you all adieu, until we meet again! Thank you so much for travelling along with me- it is always great to have company. Should there be any developments, I will definitely post an update here. If there aren’t any developments, then I will see you on my next travels!
After the youngsters all left, it was a chance to catch up with my aunt and cousins. We laughed, we cried, we drank Prosecco and we watched a little Love Island. The perfect start to Melly’s Hinxworth visit! I saw the itinerary yesterday on the fridge. There’s exciting stuff planned for the next few days! Buckle up!
It was great to hear him tell stories about Nina, learn more about him and learn more about the two of them. I’m so glad I had this chance to spend time with them both.
True to tradition, we stopped to take some pictures of me with statues. As usual we amused the onlookers as I worked to find the right pose and made my way around the statues.
24 hours isn’t long and I know some people questioned why I didn’t stay longer and why I went for such a short time. I’ve always said some time is better than no time and I was happy Nina and I had the chance to spend some time together and catch up. It was a quick visit but we managed to talk about ideas of where to go next and started talking about where we might go next summer- the 10 year anniversary of when we met in Beijing. Old habits die hard so shortly after we had said our good byes at the metro station we texted to admit we’d each gotten all choked up shortly after leaving each other. We are so cool and collected when we say good bye and then when we are suddenly alone it hits us that we’ve said goodbye. Until we meet again, my dear friend!
We wandered back to the city centre, passing Old Trafford on the way. I didn’t see Ronaldo but we did spy an orange Ferrari so you never know which famous person may have been nearby.
And so we did! There were so many people there and as we chatted with those around us we heard stories of other James concerts and other people’s experiences. The atmosphere at their shows is always so awesome! So much love and happiness and joy! We danced, and sang, and laughed and before we knew it the band were taking a bow and heading off stage.
Because it was an anniversary concert, they had published the setlist. We still hadn’t heard my favourite song but as soon as they returned to the stage, they played it. What an awesome night and experience!
I was fading; a sad side effect of a combination of getting older and not getting enough sleep means by the wee hours of morning I am usually running out of steam. It probably didn’t hurt that we had walked over 19km that day! Dan was right- the music was fun, the venue was good – after a few dances we decided it was time to pack it in.
Memoirs of a Wannabe World Traveller 