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Oh, and I just realized that I'd hinted at my powers of tour-cursing while I was PMing with Rav, and I hadn't explained yet! So, since I was waiting to tell until I was caught up, since I figured it'd amuse everyone, here goes...

Now, the purpose of my trip was to meet people that I've known online for a decade or more (some since 2001!), and, as such, each of the 3 Saturdays I was there was a Meet with a day portion (that ended up being tour-based) and a evening portion (first one in a Wetherspoons (pub), second in my friend's brew tap, and the third in a restaurant, 'cause it was in Edinburgh during the Fringe and so everything was packed (this is relevant later)) So, the first Saturday was the London Meet. in my planning, I found the London Walks Brunel Tour, which, for reasons, was relevant to h2g2. The plan was to then join another London Walks tour of the British Museum. Both tours are the don't-book-just-walk-up type, which turned out to be a good thing. The Brunel tour was excellent, and I highly recommend it. Unfortunately, being London in summer, it rained in the middle. Enough that the whole group was stuck under a tree for long enough to erase the cushion that should have allowed us to catch transport, eat, and make the tour (15 minutes to make a 45 minute journey...) But, hey, weather happens, and I was with native Londoners, so I got to see the must-sees anyway.

The next Saturday was Manchester. I'd found a free walking tour by poking around Tripadvisor--it actually ranks higher than paid tours! Well, the h2g2 folks turned up, 8 of us. So did about 54 other people. J (tour guide) says his ideal tour size is 20-25, though he usually has less. The tour was wonderful--it just takes a bit more time for that many people to cross roads and gather 'round to hear excellent stories. But still, I'd only contributed 8 to the crowd, counting myself, and I came out of the day with a new friend (I ended up inviting J to the evening bit--he's the young man in my avatar, actually...) who was not weirded out by all the references to me finally being at a meet in 3D form (though he did ask) or scared off by the heckling that ensued during Pastey's impromptu brewery tour (you'd think everyone had known each other most of this century or something;))

The next official tour I was supposed to go on wasn't meet related--in fact, it was to be in the one place I was all on my own in, York. Since I was stopping in York for a few hours on my way up to Edinburgh, I needed to leave my luggage somewhere--and since I wasn't with anyone, "someone's boot" (trunk, to us) wouldn't work. While there is a left-luggage place in York, it's not affiliated with the station, though it's a very shot walk away, and I'd have plenty of time to make the free walking tour that would even let me climb around on walls. You know how Google maps sometimes gives you a cardinal direction for the first bit instead of a simple left or right? I guessed wrong. Over an hour later, I was back at the station with its wifi (York has free wifi! Inside the town wall, which neither the station nor the left-luggage place are in...)--the tour had been due to start 45 minutes after I'd first arrived... I decided to check the left-luggage place's website for directions--and it clearly stated to turn right out of the station. Once I'd done so, and actually left the station proper, the place's sign was visible, and I got there in 5 minutes... (It was not visible from the place I'd turned left at, so looking both ways would not have helped.) After missing the tour I'd wanted completely, I recovered in a Costa's (free wifi) and found that there was a tour of York Minster (I'd either just missed other walking tours, or they would be still going on during things I'd already reserved and paid for online) that I had time for. That one hour tour ended up being an hour and a half... The other York tours, that I'd prebooked to avoid long lines, did turn out fine, time-wise. Then again, York's Chocolate Story is all in one building, and Jorvik involves being in an automatic cart thing.

The Scottish Road Trip had one actual tour--poured.

The last Saturday was Edinburgh during the Fringe. I'd found a free tour again, and just barely made it (thanks to parking). The tour went on well for a bit--until I managed to lose the guide:he So did the other h2g2ers, and we managed to find each other, so that worked out OK. I did find it amusing that the person I know as lostinscotland was the one to take us to somewhere to eat, an after he had to leave, our guide around Edinburgh was the mostly blind person:lau (It is very amusing to see someone turn around to chastise someone for hitting them in the ankle, then watch them deflate when they spot the white cane. Even more fun is to watch someone panic and leap back a couple of feet when seeing a white cane coming--and Mouse can see just well enough to catch that, as well
BYCgig.gif
)

After all that, I've determined that tours in vehicles and tours staying in one building are OK, but walking tours, especially ones I've planned on joining, will be cursed by me joining them:D
 
Good morning pondies!
Nice read this morning...Lost my quotes again...
Great stories, great bunny save!
Loved the tour guides Amy.... Sounds like you had a wonderful time.
No Shaw, no cookies, migraine:sick seems cookies don't do much for those for me. So meds, cold pack and sleep. It's better this morning.
Ravyn I kinda like our accents..But I like different accents anyway so not sure that's saying much.lol
Morning Porky! Liverpool accents are an entity of their own! I do pretty good with most others but that one is hard on my ears..Lol
WV glad it's going good with the floor... Sore backs suck, seems once it starts you just get used to it and carry on don ya?
Hope y'all have a great first day at school!
Can't remember the rest!
Perchie how's the new pendant coming along?
Yep, that's all I got. :confused:
 

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