As I was uploading pictures from my camera to my iPad this morning I got a massive flashback to my trip to Europe with Emily in 2010. On that Trip we'd feverishly upload the latest pics from Emily's camera each night, with great anticipation.
Get up!
Although my jetlagged body would definitely like some more time in this comfy bed, my camera keeps nagging me to get up and out into this gorgeous morning. OK, you win camera!
Flight #2
The plane was boarded on time. An A380 full of expectant sardines at the start of a 13 hour journey. Despite my careful seat selection I ended up swapping with someone else so they could sit with their companion. The new seat was still fine and I settled in for the journey. I felt refreshed and much more comfortable than on the previous flight.
As it would be another day flight I had no intention of sleeping. Hopefully staying awake would help my body clock. And so began a movie marathon only punctuated by meals and musical interludes. I watched The Immigrant, Requiem for a Dream (another past favourite), The Walk of Shame (unexpectedly funny) and Transcendence.
On arrival I hastily made my way to immigration to get a good place in the queue. It still took a while, but much better than last year. Once finally reunited with my suitcase I walked the endless corridors to the tube station to catch the Piccadilly Line to Russell Square. It was so good to be back on board these familiar carriages. I recorded a little of the station announcements, just in case I can use them for something.
Finding the apartment was easy; only 5 minute walk from the station. It's only a very small studio and, in hindsight, probably not worth what I'm paying. But it opens onto a small park and has a lovely airy feeling.
As soon as I'd washed the travel off me I set to the nearest supermarket to immerse myself in the unknown brands. Walking back with my purchases I got that wonderful sense of being overseas, being on holiday, being back in this place I love.
Flight #1
My first flight went well. (Only) 6+ hours and it seemed to pass quite quickly. I had secured a window seat and as we left Adelaide I was surprised by the patchwork quilt of green and gold fields. I'm so used to seeing brown.
But soon all the colour variations faded into familiar red of the outback. It was a bit of a shock to see the vibrant blue sea reaching into coves and inlets as we crossed the north west coast. Massive expanses of sea were now only occasionally punctuated by islands or a massive volcano in Indonesia.
I kept myself entertained with a couple of movies. To my excitement, in their art house selection they had Pi an intense black and white film that I hadn't seen in ages. Loved seeing it again. The other film was Grand Budapest Hotel which was also great though I have to confess to nodding off a couple of times. May try to catch it again to fill in the pieces.
On arrival in Singapore I managed to successfully navigate my way out of the airport and to my hotel for the night. It was still located a fair way out from downtown Singapore so I decided there wasn't enough to entice me away from the coolness of my room and the comfort and size of a bed (that came as a pleasant surprise after the first impressions of the hotel lobby).
I slept well, despite the occasional nagging thoughts of potentially forgotten details or arrangements.
Now I'm back at the airport. Here in plenty of time thanks to the airline pickup service. A croissant and coffee for breakfast and water to rehydrate; all set to go for part two now.
Next stop London.
Sinking in
Until now I've put a cap on my emotions, for a multitude of reasons. But now, waiting for my flight, it's all sinking in. And the feelings swell like a shy volcano, needing to burst through and erupt in a shameless explosion but contained by its innate English stoicism.
I think it's safe now. Is it safe now? To believe that in only a few days time I will see our beloved Kate in reality, in the flesh, in her element ... my musical hero.
I should stop for now. Not a good look in public.
The time has come for my date with Kate
The last few weeks have been a bit crazy. Potential eruptions in Iceland, a wayward ticket to night #2 that finished up returning to sender, fraud transactions on a credit card leading to a temporary "no card" situation. But all is resolved now. My wayward ticket is confirmed for collection from venue, new cards issued, and by all accounts Iceland will be kind to me.
So off I fly tomorrow morning, to London via Singapore. 5 nights in London and 2 dates with Kate. I've been reading some of the spoilers so I have a general idea of how the shows will go. But that doesn't diminish in any way the excitement and anticipation. In fact, until now I've been holding back; not wanting to jinx it. I dare say when I step on British soil again I will probably go a little crazy ... in a good way of course.
Now to sleep ... if I can.
Counting down #2
I know I shouldn't, but ...
Counting down #1
I have a spreadsheet. Actually, I have many spreadsheets. One is for planning my budget and comparing options. One is for checking that I'm allowing enough time at each location to do everything I want to. But the one I'm looking at this evening is the one for counting down the days. Now, I know it's not wise to wish one's life away, but having visibility of my timeline does help keep the excitement levels up as I wait.
Plans for my North American trip have advanced since my last post. As my spreadsheet reminds me, in 121 days I leave for Vancouver where I'll spend 5 nights. Then I catch the train for 4 nights across Canada to Toronto. I haven't decided about the next few days and it's kind of nice leaving them unplanned for now. Then I head to Washington DC for a couple of days before finally making it to New York where I'll stay for 12 nights. Very happy to be staying there for a decent stretch.
But the biggest thing to happen to my schedule since my last post was completely unexpected when I started out planning my trip. In March, Kate Bush unexpectedly announced she would perform her first live shows in 35 years, in London in September. Kate is one of my musical heroes and this was an opportunity I wasn't going to squander. So, even though I already have my trip to North America booked in for October I'll also be heading to London for a week in September; I have tickets for two of the shows! And that trip begins in only 89 days (thank you spreadsheet).
Though the title of this blog only mentions North America, I'm going to use it to document the whole journey from Adelaide to Singapore to London to Adelaide to Hong Kong to Vancouver to Toronto to Washington DC to New York to home and everywhere in between.
Commitment day
At one stage while I was in Berlin last year I found myself anxious that I wouldn't get to doing all the things I wanted to while I was there. Then it dawned on me. When I first travelled to Europe in 2010 I hadn't really expected to return in the foreseeable future. But there I was, back again only a few years later. And suddenly I realised that my trip in 2010 was no longer an anomaly. I've come back. I could come back again! At that moment I resolved to travel more frequently.
So this year the adventure is some of Canada and New York. I've wanted to visit New York for a very long time and it seems silly to go all that way without seeing anything else. Curiously, I've never been interested in going anywhere else in the US, so seeing some of Canada seems like the perfect plan.
This week I booked my flights. It's early. I probably don't need to book quite yet. But I did need to commit; to ensure I don't find excuses to change my mind.
Now begins one of the most fun parts - researching, planning, deciding...
As with Europe in 2013, I will be keeping a blog of my adventures in North America. This is the start. And in the months leading up to my departure in October I'll be posting updates as my plans progress.