THE NAGNFC
UK 2002 EXPOSURE TOUR
RIVETING CHAPTERS
One Numanoid's misadventures during Gary Numan's Exposure Tour
CHAPTER 3:
LONDON, ENGLAND
We awoke at Steve's place in Manchester at 8:30 am to get ready for a hot Gary Numan Saturday night concert on Gary's home turf in London. Steve drove Dave and myself in his car for this 4 hour trip. Being Saturday, I was kept well entertained by the weekly witty and topical political humor from BBC Radio 1 on my walkman headphones.
In London, the plan was to drop me off at the Ocean in the Hackney neighborhood of London where Gary was playing. Steve and Dave would engage in adventurous exploration and look for stuff to do while I stood in line. They had a handy small map booklet of London which they referred to often. While clean and safer than most cities, London's streets are hardly a grid system. Even roads that continue on straight can have 5 different names in as many miles. Despite this, they charted the way with ease and we found the Ocean with no problem.
As we passed the venue about 5:00 there were already about 20 folks in line. They found a good parking spot where I picked out the stuff I needed and we arranged to meet outside after the show. I walked alone to the line and took my place behind a cool teenager that had never seen Gary. His Numanoid uncle took him to the show, and judging from the teenager's eyeliner I could tell he had since become a fan thanks to his uncle.
As I stood in line, a few people came up to say hello. Some recognized me from the NAGNFC while others were folks I'd met from other concerts on this Exposure Tour. After some time, I heard some yelling about a block away across the street. I looked over to see arms waving in our direction. Then I knew these were my friends from Italy. Stefano and Maria brought their friends Roberto and Monica to England just for the show. We were happy to see each other again and took several photos of us all arm in arm.
The people around me started comparing tickets. All theirs said "downstairs" while my ticket said "upstairs". Oh man! That means I would be stuck in the balcony this time. Soon after the doors opened and we filed inside. Luckily, no one were routing us upstairs or downstairs so I raced to the stage where I scored a great spot right near the microphone. My Italian friends and I took some more pictures of us up by the stage where we traded tickets as Stefano and Monica, holders of downstairs tickets, wanted to sit upstairs anyway where they would wave to us frequently. Now I was downstairs legally!
Roberto, Maria and I spoke about Numan until the lights came down. A band called Rubiks came out to perform. They reminded me of Gwenmars who opened for Gary on the North American Pure Tour last year. The interesting video accompaniment made the comparison complete. The reviews of them weren't glowing but I quite enjoyed them and the female singer wasn't too hard to look at for the duration.
Then the Rubiks layer was stripped from the stage to reveal the One Pity layer. No one seemed to have heard of them. True to Numan's latest obsession with bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit, we were treated to this same genre with One Pity. They were quite hard and played their hearts out. But as I turned around it was evident the energy and noise was lost on the black-suited Numanoids whose kids would have enjoyed this band much more. Anyway, I turned back and jumped around and banged my head to the 21st century punk music.
With One Pity entrenched firmly in the hearts of the London Numanoids, the crowd began fervently shouting "Nuuuuuuuuman". The air was electrified in anticipation as the One Pity layer of equipment was stripped from the stage to reveal the now trademark Alesis keyboards, drums and Gary's red guitar.
The lights came down as the atmospheric Exposure track began to play, our excited heartbeats providing the percussion. The band came out followed by Gary Numan. Local journalists soon clamored with expensive cameras in the area between us and the stage to get the perfect shot for their magazines and newspapers as the rest of us worked up a sweating frenzy singing along with the music. Water was splashed on some of us in the front, and sometimes we were given the bottles of water to drink they passed out frequently. I grabbed one for Maria and Roberto.
The show visibly stunned old and new fans alike. So much energy, so much precision and anarchy. It was 21st century Gary Numan and the crowd only wanted more.
All too soon the lights came back on. As Numanoids cleared outside, I stood with Maria and Roberto as we waited for Stefano and Monica. In their email entitled "Come stay with us?', the plan was to stay together and spend the next day together in London. Ever the friendly Numanoids, they even brought pasta direct from Italy for my eating pleasure.
As I waited, a few people came up to say hello to me. One of them was a tall guy who introduced himself as Rudy Meijerink from Amsterdam in Holland. I'd never met Rudy in person, but knew him very well. We'd spoken on the phone several times since 1989. Rudy was one of the major players in the construction of the NAGNFC paper fanzine before the internet helping with news and pictures. Even the NAGNFC globe design was invented by Rudy. Him, Victor, and Thomas Dieckmann from Hanover, Germany even plastered the 1991 Belgium show with flyers about the NAGNFC, even creating 2 huge movie poster-sized NAGNFC ads everyone would see as they walked in. Gary even found a flyer under his microphone next to the his set list that night! It was a pleasure to meet him and his fiancée that night. He bought me a beer, and with a wave they were off.
I walked outside to meet Steve and Dave so I could grab the rest of my stuff from their car. They asked to make sure I would be okay and I waved them goodbye as they drove back to Manchester. Saddled with my gear I walked back to the front of the Ocean to meet my Italian friends.
The police showed up with sirens blaring to grab a patron at the bar. I never got the full story on that. Does anyone know the scoop on this? Apparently this was a seedier side of London but it seemed alright to me. But as a result it was virtually impossible to get a taxi. My Italian friends gave me their cell phone to call for a taxi as my English was much better, but surprisingly this could only be done with a credit card which no one wanted to risk.
In the meantime, a group of fun looking Numanoids came up to say hello to me. They were very kind with compliments for the NAGNFC website and asked to get some pictures with me to prove to the folks on their great Sacrifice Yahoo website that they met me. It was Steve (The Smiling Assassin), Nic, Greig all from the Greater London area, Talita from Brazil and Stefaan from the Netherlands.
My Italian friends were still looking for a ride to their Holiday Inn room at King's Cross and finally settled on a bus if only for the sake of getting away from the Ocean. I waved goodbye to my new Sacrifice friends and got to talking with them as I walked toward the bus. I turned around as the door rapidly closed and took off. Maria and I looked at each other as they rode away as I tried to communicate that I would call them at their cell phone number I had.
A hotel room in London was pricey. For example, the Holiday Inn room they had that night was over $250 US for the night. I could have gone to this great hostel in the Earl's Court section of London that I love, but being so late at night I instead turned to my new friends and offered cash in return for a place to stay. I would have understood if they said no, in fact I expected them to. I was but a stranger in a big city. Instead they were visibly excited to have The Machman from the States over at their place. "As long as you don't mind sleeping on the couch". No problem!
By now everyone had long since left and we stood outside the Ocean without a ride. One of them spotted a cab company a block down the street. As we waited for the next available taxi we got to know each other very well. As we got into our taxi, I mistakenly got into the front and driver's side on the right side of the car, much to the laughter of my new friends.
I surrendered the controls to our cabbie and we shot through the London streets to get to the Paddington train station to get to their home in Reading. There was much laughter and unbelief as they kept saying how incredible it was to have met the guy who runs the NAGNFC and that he was staying over, all thanks to the sub par transportation system in this end of London.
At Paddington Station, London's partiers were cramming the last trains home to their respective suburbs at 1 in the morning. There was a Burger King open at the station where we all dined. It was handy as I then remembered I hadn't eaten a meal all day. Steve, Nic and Greig kept offering to help with my bags, and they often did.
Steve kept asking if I was sure that I wanted to catch a train way out into the suburbs, but it was a privilege to be invited with them. We were in awe that fate brought us all together, even after everyone else had left the Ocean venue.
We continued to whoop it up like true Numanoids even on the train home, in stark contrast to the mostly quiet and drunk partiers surrounding us. In Reading there was organized chaos as everyone got off the train and into a very long queue for one of the taxis that continually came by to pick up more customers. We got talking to a guy who was at the Ocean that night and recognized us from our trademark Numan clothes.
Greig was wearing a spiffy Touring Principle uniform complete with the tie which must be near impossible to come by. I remembered him from the show in April at the Shepherd's Bush Empire. I was speaking with about 15 people after the show or else I would definitely have approached him to compliment his outfit. Steve also was friendly and outgoing. He spoke at length about an interesting Yahoo group they all ran called Sacrifice. I was going to have to check it out for sure. Nic was also quite knowledgeable about Numan, and couldn't have been more welcoming and friendly.
The taxi was a 1940s style, the seats facing each other in the back. To my surprise, they said they are still making these for taxi companies here. At Steve's place, Steve hopped on the computer to check for the latest messages that were posted into the Sacrifice group as the rest of us chatted lively.
I got on his computer so we could sign me up for Sacrifice. I signed in on my Yahoo name "polarebear1" as Steve watched on. Strangely enough, Steve recognized this name yet he just continued to watch. As it turns out, I was one of the very first members of the Sacrifice group in April, yet I had long forgot that I joined. I'm sure I'd never posted in with a message.
Greig and Nic went upstairs for the night and Steve and I stayed up to play on the computer. I thought I would be clever and update the front page of the NAGNFC from his computer. From what I could tell, the update came through perfectly, but in actual fact, what I did was crash my own site. This was why this site was down for about 3 days. Turns out I'm not nearly so brilliant.
Interestingly, Steve knew several Numanoids that I did. Folks that write in with stuff for the NAGNFC were folks that Steve conversed with regularly. One of them was Josh in British Columbia, Canada. Steve and Josh had e-mailed each other for months, but tonight we tried something new. We set up the Yahoo Conferencing feature and spoke with each other in real time from halfway around the planet. Steve wanted me on the air to prove to Josh that I was really there!
Josh is an awesome creator of music and let us hear some of his stuff, and Steve followed suit with some of his own great music that he performs. I was also kept entertained by a superb book, a Depeche Mode biography by the revered Steve Malins. We stayed up until about 6 in the morning, but neither of us had to get up early.
Nic and Greig left the next afternoon to go home, but we made sure to get some pictures of us all before they left. Steve insisted I stay as long as I wanted which was incredible of him. I insisted that I buy dinner today in thanks. We drove to the New Inn some ways outside of Reading. The building was much older than my country was and the food and service was really good. Being a history buff, I enjoyed what Steve said was taking place in the area around the Napoleonic Era.
Back home we raced cars on the X-box and watched some TV while we waited for the big time chat every Sunday night on the Sacrifice group. Steve said he was looking forward to showing me off. What made it really fun was that folks in the chat room could start playing songs everyone in the chat room could all hear. Steve set up his microphone and started playing the Void Remix of Noise Noise. As the tuned played I grabbed the microphone saying "This is DJ Machman coming at you live from the World Headquarters of the Sacrifice Numan group, beaming the live Numan sounds from the UK to Canada, the USA and all points in between, so listen for the phrase that pays. Here are the break out beats of Noise Noise, the Void Remix!" Very fun...
Later, Steve kindly burned some interesting Numan concerts for me, and I hooked him up with some great software to burn the CDs, and even tweak the BIOS so the computer would run better.
We turned in early to compensate for the previous night. I stayed up awhile reading the Depeche Mode book. We were so tired we never felt the earthquake. It was centered in Dudley near Birmingham and shook buildings as far south as London. There was some minor damage to buildings and roads near the epicenter, and luckily the only injury was a guy who broke a leg running down the stairs after the quake woke him up.
The next morning Steve helped me with the last of my laundry and got ready for work. He invited me to stay yet today I would be off to bum around London. Steve rang a taxi for me to get to the train station. I thanked Steve profusely for the excellent hospitality and promised him a major plug on the NAGNFC for the Sacrifice group. Since I gave them a mention, their ranks have now swelled another 40 members at last count. It was the least I could do.
The cabbie was very friendly and he took an interest in hearing about my trip on the way to the train station. I took an interest on his stories riding around those weekend partiers. Did you know some of the cab drivers use their own cars?
The Reading train station was the very definition of bustling. Sharp dressed people walked at high speed with briefcases and half-eaten pastries. I queued up in a long line for a ticket for the 40 minute train ride into London. It was easy to pick me out in the sea of black business suits that stood in the aisle with me on the busy train. These were Britain's movers and shakers eating their power breakfasts and talking on cell phones. Whereas I was the only one in a sweatshirt, jeans, a duffle bag and no schedule to keep.
Upon reaching Paddington Station in London, the first thing I wanted to accomplish is to grab a room at my favorite hotel, so I grabbed a seat on the London Underground to the Earl's Court neighborhood. The bad news is they were full, but that if I wanted to share a room, I could get my own bed for 15 pounds (about $25 US). This was way better than I'd hoped for, so I gave them the cash and wandered across the street to Benny's which is purported to be one of the best breakfast spots in London.
It was still about 9:30 am and they were still readying the room for occupancy so I hung out at a Starbucks with a hot chocolate and newspaper until 10.
The view outside the hotel window
I dropped off my stuff and headed to the nearby handy Tube stop to get into the heart of downtown. When I was here 5 months earlier, I didn't even see Trafalgar Square, a major tourist mecca, so that was the first stop. In the hallways of the Underground, different types of artists gave excellent concerts in exchange for the occasional pound coin. As everyone else hurried past them, I stood awhile to enjoy their shows.
I climbed out of the subway system and ignored the magnetic pull of the internet cafe on the way to Trafalgar Square. The square was full of beautiful fountains, pigeons, lion statues and was surrounded by art galleries and museums. The National Art Gallery was one of them (and was free) so I dropped in to check it out just to say that I did. I'm not so interested in art and reckoned that I would just blow through the place, but as I walked through the huge place I was finding myself quite drawn to paintings hundreds of years old. They not only appeared brand new, but were so multi-faceted as to be looking straight into the soul of the artists. I was going to just jog through the building, but I was stunned how some of the paintings called out to me with their incredible themes and beauty.
Upon exiting I saw the Canadian embassy. I wore a Canada sweatshirt and the guy out front of the building gave me a friendly wave when he saw my clothing. I grabbed the Tube to the Science Museum which was excellent. It was huge and featured all manner of interactive displays. The highlights were the computerized roller coaster simulator you could ride in as it jostled you about, and the 3-D IMAX show hosted by Tom Cruise aboard the International Space Station. I've been to plenty of IMAX films, but 3-D IMAX was otherworldly. Another simulator was broken down that day so I even got a refund on my admission price! I used the refund to score a Blade Runner sequel paperback book I found in their bookshop.
I stopped for some fish & chips like a quintessential tourist and took the train back to Earl's Court to get to the hotel. I checked the internet there at the hotel I shared the room with 3 other guys. That's when I saw e-mails from kind folks telling me my site was down. I called home to the States to talk them through restoring the NAGNFC website from my main computer. As my roommates fiddled with the TV, I read awhile and fell asleep with no problem.
I bumped around in the dark the next morning as my roommates slept. Already about 7:30 am, it was high time to get to the shared bathroom and steal out for more adventure. When I returned to the room, the guys were still fast asleep, so I prowled around on the squeaky floors to grab my backpack and duffle bag and closed the door quietly behind me.
Both the ebb and flow were evident in London's morning rush hour. I had a day to kill before meeting up with good friends and fellow Numanoids Chris and Tina in Birmingham. What to do? I'd already seen much of central England, so I decided to go to Cardiff in Wales to goof off.
The train was efficient, fast and easy, but you miss a lot you would instead see from the roads. I had a lot of time so I decided to grab a coach bus to Cardiff. The Victoria Coach Station in London is the major bus station and was the most organized bus station I'd ever seen. As you can imagine the place was large, but getting tickets and finding your gate with the computerized displays over the doors was a breeze.
After a short wait I settled in for the ride through the city neighborhoods and out into the suburbs, into the countryside and eventually Wales. I had a great time when Steve and I went to northern Wales last time and I was looking forward to going back. On my radio headphones, most stations played anything you would hear on American radio these days. Eventually we crossed a long bridge from Bristol, England into Wales. The signs were part Welsh and part English.
Once in Wales, I had planned to walk to where the concentration of B&Bs are to stay the night, but I was so loaded down with gear and so changed plans to walk when I saw the taxi company near the Cardiff bus station. I think the cabbie was new and, like Northampton, England in April, had the need to show the driver the way via my maps.
My B&B of choice I had picked out of my Lonely Planet guide was booked. The good news was that there were tons of B&Bs in the neighborhood. Several were booked for the night, and I cursed my procrastination in booking a room here beforehand. Yet with minor persistence, I found a great room with a window overlooking this quiet leafy street. It was surely the smallest room I'd ever rented and the TV didn't work, but both were moot points as I wouldn't be spending much wake time in the room. I was keen on dropping off the stuff and walking the 2 miles into town to see what trouble I could get into.
It was still morning as I grabbed my walkman, camera and something to read and walked into Cardiff. It was the perfect city to wander around in on foot. There were blocks and blocks and pedestrian alleyways and streets blocked to traffic full of all manner of shops. One shop, Spillers, claimed to be the oldest record shop in the world. The owner and I got to talking about the old Edison cylinder records they must have sold when they opened in 1894. Today I found the Gary Numan 3CD set Disconnection and began to walk out when the owner stopped me. He went to the back room to grab a coffee cup with the name of the store on it. He carefully packed it in paper for me to help survive the flight home. I thanked him and left to grab a bite to eat.
There were the usual Burger Kings and McDonald's, but I could eat that at home. I wandered into a local Italian cafe for lunch. I was immediately tended to with very attentive waiters and I began to feel decidedly underdressed in my SpongeBob Squarepants T-shirt. The food was good and I was glad that it was lunchtime, as the dinners here must have been beyond expensive. I poked into the movie theater but nothing looked good, so I went to have a look at Cardiff Castle. It was late in the day so I didn't spring for the admission, but there was a lot to see outside the castle such as plaques and the like.
I saw a funny display on the return walk back to the St. Andrew's B&B. As I walked across the street from the long castle wall, a dog and his owner were walking parallel along the wall. The dog kept stopping to bark uncontrollably and humorously at all the lifelike stone carved animals as he walked past them.
The plan now was to rest up at the B&B, then partake in some Welsh nightlife, but as I fell asleep at 6 pm, I didn't awake until about 4:30 am. Armed with a good night's sleep, I read Dennis Miller's "The Rant Zone" for awhile, then got out of bed to shower up for the 7 am full breakfast the place offered. I spent the rest of the time before checkout filling out 5 postcards to drop into the post box on the walk between here and the bus station downtown.
I checked into the National Express office to grab a ticket and have a seat in the classy lounge to wait for my bus. God, I must have an honest face. Despite the fact I had on a walkman radio, no less than two people left their bags next to me asking if I could watch their luggage for them whilst they wandered off to the restroom.
An older lady got to talking with me about all manner of topics. Once on the bus we continued speaking until she found someone more age-compatible to speak with. I cozied in with my book and headphones for the ride to Birmingham to meet Chris who told me to call him once I arrived, no matter what time it was.
We took a route through central Wales back into England. This was more the countryside you'd think of when you thought of England. Lots of forest, thatched cottages and peace.
After the woods gave way to the suburban neighborhoods of Birmingham, I stepped off the bus to walk toward downtown. After a few blocks I thought I was lost until I stumbled upon the Hippodrome where I met Chris the last time he was here in April. Chris was good enough to get off work early to meet me here. In the meantime I sat outside a cafe with a burger and waited. I was looking forward to hanging with these two again!
Chris greeted me and we walked to the train station down the street to cash in some tickets, and I asked about the availability and price of a train ticket to York in 2 days. I decided to take the bus instead eventually. While we were there Chris gave me some Numan videos that he taped for me. He knew I didn't have them from the last time I was there.
We grabbed the bus to his lovely home where Tina met us. They had some fun stuff lined up for us to do. Tonight they picked out a great restaurant/pub for us to eat. The food was awesome. By now night had fallen and we walked down the road to the Walsall Lights. The place was unreal, probably the closest England gets to Las Vegas without the gambling. Laser lights and other lighted displays were everywhere. Hundreds of folks paid admission to walk in and gaze at the numerous creations.
Further in the park, there were rides and carnival food followed by ever more impressive laser displays. It reminded me of those Christmas deals in the States where people drive through and look at the holiday lights, but this was still more extensive.
We stayed up that night watching classic British comedy television shows from long ago I'd never heard of. They were fun and witty to watch.
The next day, we all jammed into Tina's brand new Ford Focus to do something we'd talked about doing for months. We visited Cadbury World! The factory was really quite something. It wasn't quite Willy Wonka, but possibly the closest thing on the planet to the movie that you could find. As you toured around the working factory, there were rides and workers in white suits just like oompa loompas. Along the way, people continually passed out candy bars. You could even make your own candy.
One ride was more geared to children with sugary sweet songs and puppets as you rode by, but everyone had their picture taken as you rode through that you could buy at the end of the ride. They told us to smile as we rounded the bend, but we all forgot. The picture that appeared was hilarious. Chris and Tina rode in the front of the car, both with a "What the hell is this" look, and I was lounged in the back taking it all in. I really should have bought that picture, words can't do it justice. I'm laughing now thinking about it.
The night we stole out and away to near Wolverhampton to a place called The Crooked House Pub. This place nearly sank into a mine pit when the earth gave way, but it was later shored up by a large brick wall. It was interesting. Once inside it looked perfectly normal, yet a marble will roll from one side of the window sill to the other mysteriously. Even in its present state, it was still open for drinks and pool.
Chris and Tina asked where I wanted to eat. I knew Chris liked Mexican, and it's become a bit of a dinner tradition by now. They sprang for a really nice place and I kept busy bombarding our waitress with American sayings she'd never heard like "the whole kit n' caboodle'. She picked up on them quickly. By the dessert menu, she was flinging a few of them back at us!
The next day, Chris and Tina both were back to work and I was off to continue my journey. Chris walked me toward the bus station and made sure I was okay. I thanked him for their incredible hospitality and went to purchase my bus ticket.
The plan was to bum around York for 3 or 4 days until I hooked up with Steve in Manchester where my flight left for home. Upon reaching the ticket counter I learned the morning coach to York was booked. I'd have to wait about 3 hours for the next coach. Sod that, I thought. Ummmm, okay, what about Edinburgh, Scotland? The next bus left in an hour. I grabbed a ticket and went around the block to a tiny sub shop where there were zero people. I don't know why as the shop was friendly, the sub reasonably priced, tasty and large. I took a seat at the bus station, ate my early lunch and watched more people attempting to keep a schedule.
It was a long way to Edinburgh but I scored a good spot on the express bus. There was only one stop in Glasgow. I was looking forward to seeing a city I'd never been to, but I wasn't prepared for the gorgeous, friendly, historic, Gothic vibrance that was Edinburgh. As the bus rode into the city there were statues in the middle of the wide streets and I saw a massive castle with a massive ancient moat that is now parkland. Monstrous old buildings were everywhere and the place instantly reminded me of Moscow.
There was no station and we were dropped off in town at St. Andrew's Square. I spotted the Firth of Forth north of the city as I scanned for a phone box to ring around for a hotel. Once again I cursed my procrastination as I rang the fourth booked hotel. The fifth one had a room but only for 2 nights. I told them I'd be right over. I spelled out the letters of my last name like I always have to do, but here it wasn't necessary as Napier University was nearby. I was really beginning to like Edinburgh.
I was about to find out how easy it was to get a taxi here. Every time I needed one, a taxi would instantly appear. The cabbie even chatted about Gary Numan with me. I told him about running the unofficial fan club in the States after which he asked me why I wasn't wearing makeup like the typical 1980s Numanoid. I tipped him extra.
The Argus Hotel was very nice for the price. The place was as gorgeous as the rooms were small. The pretty girl remembered me from the phone call and gave me the key. This was the first time ever that I wasn't asked for payment in advance, but I paid anyway to get it out of the way.
My room was on the 3rd floor. It was the only one that didn't have a shower in the room, but I had a private bathroom with my own key for my shower down the hall. It wasn't until near the end of the second night here that I opened what looked like the closet door to reveal a sink and toilet. Gee.
It was dark by now but I felt very safe as I walked toward downtown to partake in some nightlife. There was a real non-threatening college atmosphere all over town. I had directions from my book for an interesting sounding nightclub but I couldn't find it at all, so I meandered around the Edinburgh night watching the very trendy and sharp-dressed partygoers in VIP looking clubs and bars.
I ended up at a casual bar that advertised karaoke that night, so I dropped in for a couple of beers. The place wasn't hopping yet but there were a couple girls at the next table. I never got the nerve to say hello and continued watching Europe kicking the USA's butt in the Ryder Cup on the television from earlier in the day.
I walked back to the Argus Hotel looking forward to spend the next day exploring the city when everything was open. The television entertained with some stand-up comedy before the tube's warm glow made me ever sleepier.
I woke up nice and early to have breakfast downstairs. The breakfast here at the hotel was so good and extensive with all manner of cereals, fruits and any amount of eggs, bacon, ham, sausage and toast, that I was compelled to ask Mr. Fawlty if the breakfast cost extra. But it was included in the room's excellent price!
He asked what I'd planned to do in town today. He suggested a Guide Friday tour bus that takes you around town pointing out the interesting historic points along the way. Even he took one recently and found out some stuff about his own town.
First on the agenda was to get ready for the day. I used the key to get into my own bathroom down the hallway and locked the door behind me. The bathroom was spacious but the shower had no curtain. I would have to be careful not to get the floor wet.
As I was good and soaped up in the shower I heard someone unlocking the door. To my surprise the door opened as I looked behind me. I was stunned to see a young Scottish lass looking at me. All I could think of to say was "Hello". She looked at a nude Machman for what seemed like a few seconds then apologized and quickly closed the door. It was past checkout time and the maid didn't expect anyone to be in this bathroom now.
I had paid for two days the night before though. I fully expected to see some kind of note on my door after I dressed and went back to my room, but there was nothing. Surely I could have scored a discount but the folks here were friendly (in more ways than one), so I didn't push it.
The comparisons I was making to this place and Fawlty Towers were becoming ever more complete and I left to walk into town past interesting statues and authentic Scottish bagpipers.
The Guide Friday busses were quite good. There were several of them running at once. You could hop on and off any one of them for the entire day with a Day Pass, and the guides were excellent in their commentaries. Each guide had a more interesting approach as I rode a different bus.
I got off at one point to hit the Hard Rock for an Edinburgh sweatshirt. I stopped off at another place that offered a family tartan scroll with the purchase of the Guide Friday day pass. This Scottish shop was massive with all manner of items with my family Napier name on them. My brother is far more into our Scottish ancestry than I am, so I gave him the scroll.
The local college studentry have some fun with traffic cones and a statue
Later I walked down to the Old Town section. The place has been a downtown since the 12th century and was bustling with historic diversions and very interesting shops and cafes. I'm glad I chose Edinburgh to spend 3 days in, but 3 days was hardly enough to fully explore the place. It was big without feeling foreboding. Despite its size it was a disarmingly friendly place.
The next day I jammed quite a bit in. I explored the Edinburgh Dungeon which was artificial but extremely well done with several sections and funny actors in period costumes that got the audience involved in mock courtrooms and helping with weird medical practices of the period.
After that, I passed the Napier Dispensary to take part in a tour of some authentic 12th century caves that were just discovered in 1985. They are still learning about the history of the extensive tunnel system but they do know it was used in the manufacture of illegal goods and later as storage space. It is widely accepted that some of the rooms are haunted and midnight ghost excursions of the caves were offered as well, though I didn't have as much time.
The next morning my shower wasn't interrupted and my breakfast was just as good. Alpen cereal is hard to come by in the States but it was offered here at the hotel in abundance. I had to check out as my room was booked. Luckily a place across the cobbled street took me in for the night.
I explored the college area this time. I decided to try the world-famous Scottish restaurant McDonald's for a burger and fries. The friendly girl at the counter noticed my Canada sweatshirt and asked if I was from there. It turns out she was from British Columbia. I was intrigued and asked why she was behind the counter at a McDonald's in Scotland. "Because it's not home", she replied. Fair enough, I said. She told me to have a good trip and I ran upstairs to eat lunch to the gorgeous techno music overhead.
Back on the street there was a girl taking surveys. As I approached, this other guy ignored her request for a survey. "Can you believe that guy?" I told her. She asked if I was from Canada. Turns out she was another Canadian here in Scotland. I told her I was from the States but proceeded to sing the first few lines of the Canadian National Anthem just for kicks. She then didn't buy the fact I wasn't Canadian. We were becoming ever more friendly but I stole away for further exploration. I found an ancient cemetery right in town with massive headstones which was an interesting diversion.
I looked for a place to purchase a bus ticket back to Manchester the next morning. Without a bus station this search was proving fruitless. I decided to hit the information desk downtown for the answer. As I approached the info desk, I spotted the bus ticket counter right next to it, so I scored a ticket out of town.
Before looking for some nightlife, a Subway sandwich shop called out to me. A very friendly girl constructed my sub. She was very interested to hear about my trip so far and what I thought about Edinburgh. I told her she was very lucky to live here. I got a seat by the window and had a great dinner. On the way back to the hotel room to get ready I found a pub that advertised live folk music. Sounded good to me.
I returned there later that night to discover a very tiny pub. In the back was a lively musical performance. There wasn't even a stage, but a reserved table where anyone with a fiddle or clapping hands could hop in and jam along.
I shimmied my way to the bar and asked for Canadian beer. Someone overheard and said I should instead drink a Scottish beer in Scotland. I fully agreed. The bartender didn't mind though, as he was yet another Canadian that I met in Edinburgh. I wasn't familiar with the brands of beer, but the bartender gave me samples of different kinds before I dove into a full beer.
The singer of the fiddle group was extremely friendly when I got a chance to speak with him. He asked if I played an instrument, but I didn't bring my synthesizer. I told him I really liked the music and I asked him the name of the instrument he played as he sang which was a bazookie.
I didn't want to leave before the jam session was over but I had to get up nice and early to catch the bus to Manchester. I walked the long distance back to the hotel quite late at night promising myself I'd return here soon.
Sadly, I only had limited time to enjoy the lavish breakfast the hotel offered the next morning. Especially as the lovely daughter of the owner struck up a conversation with me from the next table asking me how I was liking Edinburgh.
Turns out I wasn't in much of a hurry at all though. I expected to walk to the bus stop, yet the moment I left an empty taxi rolled by which I hailed. This city was impressive in every way and I am so looking forward to returning. I'm sure I could return 3 times and still not see everything.
My bus to Manchester rolled up. There was a male and female bus driver. This was a local 9-hour bus to Manchester which stopped at countless tiny towns along the way along twisty roads. She asked why I was going all the way to Manchester. After I told her I was catching a plane, she asked if I was going anyplace exotic. Nah, just New York City, I replied. She sounded impressed and asked if I wanted to change places. I thanked her but I didn't think her petite skirt would fit me.
People were picked up and dropped off all along the route. I got talking with a young guy who was coming off his leave from the British army back to the base. He was interesting and friendly. I asked him if he ever thought about the possibility of being called to help the USA in Iraq. He replied that he thought about it all the time...
The bus stopped at a rest area in the middle of absolute nowhere. Turns out this was the border between Scotland and England. This border may become more significant by 2020 when the newly formed Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh aim to make Scotland fully independent from the rest of the United Kingdom. Today this remote border was marked only by a Scottish bagpiper, a tiny snack cart and a large rock with England painted on one side, and Scotland on the other.
We stopped at one bus station in Newcastle for a break. Next to the station, my new friend and I wandered around. We found what looked like a construction site. Turns out they were about to build an office building at the site, but instead found a 13th century archeological site. Several people were brushing off stone walls in the ground when we arrived. We asked a local who was also looking on. He said they have plans to build the building anyway. My friend gave me his mailing address so I could send him a copy of the picture of the site that I took.
The bus arrived at the army base which I recognized from the practicing British fighter jets overhead. I wished him well and finished riding to Manchester. The bus drivers were whooping it up the whole way. This was the UK's largest bus company yet she was belting out hilarious sex jokes to her fellow driver.
Upon reaching Manchester the drivers warned me to watch out for myself. I thanked them but somehow I wasn't too worried. I grabbed my backpack and duffel bag and walked to the metro bus stop to get to Steve's who graciously invited me to spend the night there before my flight left. A crowded bus stopped for me. I struggled on with all my stuff as the driver asked how far I was going so he knew how much to charge. I said I was going as far as the Aldi's store which the driver wasn't familiar with. A couple helpful young girls holding babies near the front helped out with the street name near Aldi's. I paid my 95p and found the last empty seat. I later returned their favor when their baby dropped their bottled to the floor which I retrieved for them.
It was good to see Steve again. I offered dinner out for inviting me over, yet he made pizza at the house which was delicious. He needed to leave for work about 4 am, but he offered a ride to the airport along the way, so I left with him the next morning.
As per the tradition, I left him some Cadbury chocolates in the car as a surprise after he got out to unlock the hatch to help me grab my stuff. I thanked him many times for the invite, the awesome Numan goodies and for the ride. As he walked back to the car, the chilly air and dark of early morning at the lonely Manchester Airport was shattered just for a brief moment by the loud shouts of NUUUUUUMANNNNN!!!
Once inside, I kept myself occupied by finishing my Dennis Miller book and listening to the local dance music radio station. Once my ticket counter opened later in the morning I checked the bags and went past security uneventfully. Once again I rode the people movers for fun and had an early lunch at Burger King.
I wrote and dropped off the last of my postcards at the airport and boarded the plane. The older gentleman next to me in the plane was fun to speak with and had lots of interesting stories. He was a good listener like I was too. The flight back hit some turbulence for a spell but was tempered by the beautiful sight of icebergs out on the ocean below us. And I was surprised to be watching the movie 'Big Fat Greek Wedding' which is still the Top 4 movie today 2 months later in the USA. I wasn't looking forward to seeing Spiderman but it turned out to be really good too.
We got into Philly nice and early, and I had some time to kill before boarding the twin engine to LaGuardia where my folks waited to pick me up. Well just my luck, our pilot was in Pittsburgh. Our flight was delayed an amazing 2 hours. Luckily my folks had a cell phone so I could keep them reprised of this incredible situation that we had no pilot. The New Yorkers around me weren't pleased and there was talk of renting cars, but eventually we boarded for LaGuardia.
After being away for so long, and after the several hours of traveling, seeing my folks at the gate to greet me was like a sight for sore eyes. They said they were looking forward to read the Riveting Chapters of the trip. I picked up my luggage and nabbed a free shuttle to the parking lot where they drove me back to Ithaca. The ride uneventful, boring, American and sweet home.