Thursday, May 9, 2019

The final countdown to holidays in Europe AKA Picking up my Russian Bride




By this time I have hit the single numbers in the countdown before I end up on my journey across the world. There is a little over a week before I leave, so I am making sure everything I require is on hand including tickets that are printed off. I don’t want to worry about the next location and the what ifs as I will live in the moment as transport is taken care of.


I have made sure all my train tickets have been booked and I am on the home run where I have began to book the rail tickets for Belgium. I am wanting to visit some specific places especially Ypres part of the old Western Front during World War One. I have even resolved one problem that had appeared on my journey between Hamburg and Copenhagen. I was meant to catch another train two stops after the ferry, but I now catch a bus to Copenhagen after the ferry journey. I was offered to cancel the journey, but that is all part of going on an adventure as that’s part of the unknown.


Every train journey in the UK has been booked and is within my itinerary waiting for use. Some tickets have to be collected on site or I already have them now as barcodes. The foreign currency card has helped as I have paid for everything in the currency used in the country. Means I wont be charged conversion fees, which makes me happy. Travel passes within cities have been organised and even a British Heritage pass that lasts for 16 days, which covers most of my UK journey. I will get to visit Dover Castle, Roman Ruins in Northumberland and even Whitby Abbey, which I didn’t know would charge me entry until I bought the pass. I only knew about that one when I bought the pass and looked at the heritage map of locations, I was visiting. My travel sim card will provide me with maps and internet to find my way around. Something I have not done before.


I had already booked my ticket to the five day event that was Distortion as you never know when going to see music would come in handy. By now they have a complete list of locations where my pass can lead me to including the stage events on the Friday night. I leave on the Saturday, but will still be worth visiting and supporting the music event even if its not really my cup of tea. I never knew that there were heavy metal events happening in Nuremburg in Germany as several groups including KISS are playing. Next time I head to Europe after this time, I will make sure to visit that. Make the unknown to be known. A random music booking in Berlin has me going to a thrash heavy metal bands meet up. I have never heard of groups like Rings of Saturn or Nekrogoblikon until the band followed me on Instagram. I looked up their tour dates and they were in Berlin at the same time and I was staying within walking distance.


The whole of this journey is to visit as many historic locations as possible and do some family history research, which reminds me that I have already booked my arrival at the Durham Archives and need to sort out my entry into the National Archives in Kew near London. There will be so many distractions, but I am collecting records to read when I get home. Havnt figured out if the British Library would hold anything or I just visit for pleasure.


If friends ask me where I am going, my answer will be that I am going to pick up my Russian bride from the Ukraine. I have been talking about this journey away for the last couple of months.

Things I have organised

Smarttraveller
Travel sim
New underwear and socks
Medication
Tickets – transportation
Toiletries
Headphones
Seats on planes
Music for my ipod
Wet weather gear
BagBNB

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