So much to do! So little time!

Wow! Tomorrow will be 16 days and counting! Seems like my mind is constantly on this trip. My Oyster card came in, we added a Nighttime Bus Top Tour, and decided to go to church at St. Paul's on Sunday. Terri and I ended up buying the 3-day London Pass since we will have time on Wednesday to tour while Pam is with her daughter. I went to the bank and got a Visa Travel Card and would have exchanged some US dollars for British pounds, but my small town bank doesn't do that. Terri has got her British pounds, so she's good to go there. I've been told by a friend's daughter that it won't be any problem to do the exchange at the airport after we land.

I keep adding and subtracting things from my list as I either get them or realize I need them. My PacSafe purse came in and I like it better than I thought I would. It's hard to tell whether what you're looking at on the Internet is going to be what you need. One thing that I really worried about was charging my Nook on the plane. I ended up buying an iGeek charger that will charge my Nook, phone, and camera. Carol talked me into buying a rolling carry-on bag. I like it! Aunt Jeri told me to tie ribbons on my luggage so I can tell which piece is mine. The ribbon is lime green with pink, blue, and gray dots. Should be able to see that. So far I'm not too nervous about the flying part. I think that may be because I've got so much to do. 

Trying to figure out what clothes to take is a pain. I want to be able to mix and match so I don't end up with too much. Everyone keeps telling me to lay it all out and then only take half of what is there. I will as soon as I get everything I think I need. 

It's not just the clothes that's a pain, but trying to remember all of the little things that I need too. I know that it's all going to come together. I'm the little engine that could! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! Whoo-whoo!

Money, Money, Money!

Well, it's been a couple of months since I've added any news, but that doesn't mean that nothing has been going on. This summer my friends and I have spent a tremendous amount of time online researching the places that we would like to visit and learning how to use a currency converter to determine what the attractions are going to cost in U.S. dollars. With that in mind, I thought that I might give a run down so far of the amount of money that the trip has cost up to this point.

Paid
Hotel and Airfare (booked through Expedia-Chicago/London; London/Chicago; Hotel 8 Days/7 Nights): 1534.83
Airfare (Louisville/Chicago; Chicago/Louisville): 247.80
State Vital Records (Birth certificate): 15.00
U.S. Department of State (Passport): 110.00
County Clerk (Passport): 25.00
Travel Insurance: 125.00
Parliament Tour/ Afternoon Tea: 65.90
Windsor/Stonehenge/Bath Tour: 131.86
Globe Theater Tour/Macbeth performance (includes program & seat cushion): 88.00

Additional Anticipated Fees
Oyster (Transportation Card that can be topped off as needed): 46.42
London Eye: 26.74 (Standard) 40.61 (Fast Pass)
London Pass (2 day pass to approximately 60 attractions): 99.28

There are many helpful websites out that can help a traveler make decisions on attractions, transportation, and dining. I'll cover some of those in my next post. We're down to under seven weeks and there is so much left to do!

Gotta Have a Passport!

Since I've never been anywhere out of the country, that necessitated that I procure a passport. I had heard from several people it could take months for one to come back, so I went immediately to the county clerk's office and asked for the requisite form. Once I had that, I saw I also needed my birth certificate. There was a pause on the phone from my dad when I called my parents and then he said, "Don't you have it?" Well, no! Like I would be calling if I did! And the hunt was on. They searched, I searched, we searched together, but no birth certificate.

Next stop was the health department to get a copy. More forms to fill out. The health department could give me a short form, but since I was using it to acquire a passport, I had to have the long form. Filled that out and sent it to the state, along with fifteen dollars, and waited a couple of weeks for it to arrive in the mail. After it arrived I was back in business. The form said that I needed to provide a photo. No big deal there, I went to a local pharmacy, where I stood in front of a white screen, smiled and an hour and  twelve dollars later they gave me two small photos.

I gathered up my form, the pictures, and the birth certificate and away I went back to the clerk's office. They took the papers, made a copy of my driver's licence, and asked for $135 ($25 for them and $110 for the state department). Fortunately, they said that now getting a passport back only takes 3-4 weeks and I began the waiting game again. Four weeks on the dot my passport arrived in the mail. It was so exciting to open the envelope and see the slim blue book that proclaimed to the world that I was now officially ready to travel.

I read all of the accompanying literature and took the time to sign up for STEP-Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, just in case I got lost or stolen, and put the London embassy information in my phone. Last of all, I signed my passport, filled out the emergency contact information, and made copies. The state department recommends that you put the copies in a safe place separate from your passport when you travel.That way if your passport is stolen or lost you can present the copy to the embassy to help expedite the process.

Have Passport, will travel!!!

Here are a couple of helpful links:
U.S. Department of State Travel
U.S. Embassies

Come Fly with Me!

I think I mentioned in another post that I have a fear of flying. I've had flying nightmares, and I shudder to think of boarding a plane. Maybe if I had flown when I was younger this fear wouldn't be here, but an occasion didn't present itself until a few years ago and by then I was too afraid. It's interesting that I'm a coward when it comes to flying when my middle brother owns and pilots a plane. He has always been the more adventurous one of the family. Riding, driving, or flying he's done it. Not me! I don't like heights and I don't like enclosed spaces like a plane. I sat on a big plane once and decided that was more than enough. You know though as you get older or maybe just beyond a certain point, life smacks you against the head and says, "Get over it!" The desire to visit London is more than my fear of flying. The trip is just a little over four months from now, and I'm pretty sure that the closer I get to that date the more I'm going to be nervous. Fortunately, I'll be flying with two great friends by my side, providing me with encouragement and holding my hands. However, just in case that's not enough, I think I'll see what the doctor can prescribe!

One Festival, Three Days, and a World of Stories!

Ah, Jonesborough on the first full weekend in October for the National Storytelling Festival. That's where I've spent the last nineteen years. There's nothing like it. The small, historic town in Tennessee has hosted the National Storytelling Festival for forty years. Gigantic white tents dot the green spaces around the town and from within you can hear the voices of storytellers from around the world recounting magical tales. Tellers like the renowned Donald Davis, dynamic Jay O'Callahan, and the witty Carmen Deedy fill the stages to delight the audience. Tellers like Michael Harvey from the UK add an international flavor to the mix.

So what does this have to do with my trip to England you might wonder. Well, for the first time since 1993, I will be elsewhere. I'll be on a plane crossing the Atlantic to a country where some of the tales I've heard  have their roots. Before writing there was telling. The way to pass stories on from generation to generation for thousands of years. Grand oral traditions that were universal and timeless. At last I will be able to see the birth place of not just the folklore of more common folk, but also the great works of English literature. Soon I'll have a tale of my own to share. Probably not a great literary piece, but just maybe a little piece for the common folk like me.

Social Media

Social media, i.e. Facebook, can either be a blessing or a curse. In this case it was a blessing, or at least where this adventure begins. I saw a post by my suite mate saying something to the effect that instead of going to the beach this summer, she was going to London with her college suite mate, my roommate, Pam. Teasingly, I posted that I was jealous, since I had always wanted to go there and suggested that they should have asked their other suite mate/roommate. I was a little surprised to get a message from my roommate asking if I wanted to go. Pam knows that I've never flown, that I actually have a fear of flying (which is a whole other post for later). I figured that she probably thought that I would say no, but instead, I said let me think about it over night.

First, I went to my husband, Jay, and asked what he thought. I knew it would be expensive and I didn't want to do something that was going to cost us extra. His response was that I should take advantage of the opportunity to do something with my friends. He pointed out that first of all, I wasn't getting any younger, second that I might never have a chance like this present itself again, and third that this was a lifelong dream of mine and that I shouldn't let money stand in my way.

Next, I called my aunt. Now the reason I called my aunt is because I respect her opinion and she flew to Hawaii last year after having never flown either. My thinking was that if she could get on a plane at seventy then I can get on one at 56. Her response echoed my husband's.

Then, I called my son. It's always a good thing to ask your children what they think. "Are you serious Mom? Get on the plane!" That sounded like a yes to me.

Last, I called my best friend Carol. She flies several times a year to exotic vacation locales like Cozumel and the Bahamas. Places with warm sunny beaches. "GET YOUR REAR END* ON THE PLANE OR I'LL KICK IT ON THERE!"
*Substitute another word that is a synonym for rear end.

It's settled. I'm going. My message back to Pam: "I'm in! No turning back now that I've sent this."

This is us the last time we got together. Teresa, Pam, & Terri

In the Beginning...

In the beginning, or in this case the mid '70's, there were four young college students who shared a suite at a small Christian college. They had a wonderful time together talking, laughing, exploring. Eventually, all good things must come to an end and like most college students they graduated, good married, and had families. Over the years, their contact was sporadic. Christmas cards and phone calls mostly, until they, along with other close friends, decided to reunite for a day or two of reminiscing . Jump ahead a few years and three of those now mature ladies are going on an adventure! They are crossing the Atlantic to London, England or as it has been called by some 'Across the Pond'!