Preparation for Paris
Monday, 24. November 2008, 11:43:44
My first trip abroad approaches, excitement and apprehension furiously bitch-slapping each other in the war to be my strongest emotion:
So exciting - squeee!!!
vs
So much planning to do - aiiieee!!!
FIGHT!!!
I’ve only just made the arrangements for getting myself to Edinburgh and back, eschewing my usual dirt-cheap Megabus for the comfort, speed and convenience of an Open Return rail ticket; I was stressing a little about the plane being delayed and me then missing the bus and having to book another ticket at great expense, and the timing of it all...so spending that little bit more has neatly sidestepped my prospective descent into gibbering insanity.
The nice thing about travelling by rail is that it lets me spend a few hours in Edinburgh with my brother, Rory, who is graciously lending me his spare room overnight before my flight first thing on Saturday morning. I figure the best way to say thanks is beer and food in charming surroundings – ain’t I cute?
Now, to the packing! So many fiddly little details to consider: camera and mobile phone need to be in full working order and able to charge in France – the cam needs a new battery, I think, in order to cope with the five million photgraphs demanded by a trip to Paris, while my chargers will need an adaptor for the alien 2-pin sockets they have on the continent. What clothes am I going to wear? My god, how much of it still needs ironed?? What liquids can I pack? (Hey, what about my contact lens solution?) What size of bag is suitable for hand luggage on the plane? How exactly does check-in work for international flights? Where do I get Euros from, and how much will I need to buy for five days? Will I need to clear some room on my visa for emergencies while I'm out there? Oh, And French! How about buying a small guidebook of handy phrases so I can avoid making a complete fool of myself shouting slowly at people in English? Do I have time to do a little study this week?
There’s a lot to do!
The deadline is 2.30pm Friday. That’s the point of no return when I’m officially On Holiday and unable to change anything (much). I need to be ready. READY, dagnabbit!
Squeeee!! Aiieee!! Squeeee!! (etc...)
So exciting - squeee!!!
vs
So much planning to do - aiiieee!!!
FIGHT!!!
I’ve only just made the arrangements for getting myself to Edinburgh and back, eschewing my usual dirt-cheap Megabus for the comfort, speed and convenience of an Open Return rail ticket; I was stressing a little about the plane being delayed and me then missing the bus and having to book another ticket at great expense, and the timing of it all...so spending that little bit more has neatly sidestepped my prospective descent into gibbering insanity.
The nice thing about travelling by rail is that it lets me spend a few hours in Edinburgh with my brother, Rory, who is graciously lending me his spare room overnight before my flight first thing on Saturday morning. I figure the best way to say thanks is beer and food in charming surroundings – ain’t I cute?
Now, to the packing! So many fiddly little details to consider: camera and mobile phone need to be in full working order and able to charge in France – the cam needs a new battery, I think, in order to cope with the five million photgraphs demanded by a trip to Paris, while my chargers will need an adaptor for the alien 2-pin sockets they have on the continent. What clothes am I going to wear? My god, how much of it still needs ironed?? What liquids can I pack? (Hey, what about my contact lens solution?) What size of bag is suitable for hand luggage on the plane? How exactly does check-in work for international flights? Where do I get Euros from, and how much will I need to buy for five days? Will I need to clear some room on my visa for emergencies while I'm out there? Oh, And French! How about buying a small guidebook of handy phrases so I can avoid making a complete fool of myself shouting slowly at people in English? Do I have time to do a little study this week?
There’s a lot to do!
The deadline is 2.30pm Friday. That’s the point of no return when I’m officially On Holiday and unable to change anything (much). I need to be ready. READY, dagnabbit!
Squeeee!! Aiieee!! Squeeee!! (etc...)
WIDGETIZE
galadriel # 24. November 2008, 22:35
GoldBug # 25. November 2008, 19:43
btw Lj's is 7.30pm!