Shore Leave Mission Report pt1

OK so I’m still feeling a little jet lagged, so let’s call this the draft report, as I may want to change it later when my brain is back online?

The Journey there

I’ve never really done much travelling in the past. I’ve visited Germany, France and Ireland, and that’s about it, and the last airplane I was on was 20 years ago. Hence the flight to Baltimore was a big adventure in its own right.

The journey started when I got up at 4:50 on Thursday morning,  London time. Well that’s not strictly true. The journey really began when I read the Shore Leave thread on dGeek, and realised I wanted to be there. I suppose that originally it was all about meeting David, but it turns out that Shore Leave is just one of a number of events where you can meet him. At some point I realised it was also about meeting up with the squirrels, hanging with them all weekend, and experiencing the whole  Shore Leave event.

I took the train to Manchester airport, checked in and went through security without too much hassle. I did set off the metal detector but that turned out to be the buckles in my shoes. Now I always take them off and put them through with my bag. I had some time to do some shopping in duty free  and a sales girl from Dior gave me a free makeover.

The plane was on time. Sadly I didn’t get a window seat. I must remember to ask for one next time. The seats were a bit cramped, but the flight attendants were really friendly, and the food and drinks were included. I made a slightly worrying discovery – I may be turning into Rodney, because I like airplane food! (actually this is just another item on a long list of things I have in common with Rodney,  which is rather scary!)

At Philadelphia, I had to clear immigration, which included having my fingerprints taken. I was expecting to have to stick my finger in some ink, but in fact they ask you to put your finger on a clear plastic pad, so its pretty fast. I also had to collect my bag and check it back in. A bus took us to the connecting terminal for our flight to Baltimore, so I got to see a lot of the airport.

The plane taking me to Baltimore  was tiny, and had propellers instead of jets. I have since found out from Em that they call these planes Puddle  Jumpers. How cool is that, travelling to Shore Leave in a real Puddle Jumper! Not only that, but the passenger next to me was a member of the US air force, and was wearing his uniform.  I got a window seat this time, so I got a really good view of the area between Philadelphia and Baltimore. In a way it felt like this was not so much a part of the journey, as the start of the holiday, and I was on some really cool theme park ride.

real puddle jumper!

Nyssa collected me from the airport at the agreed time. Actually, she could have come earlier, as there was no security for me to clear in Baltimore, because I had done it all in Philly. She drove me across town to the hotel. American freeways scare the hell out of me because I am used to quiet Welsh back roads. The hotel itself was pretty amazing. It was taller than the hotels I usually stay in, and I got to be on floor 6, so I got some pretty good photos of the view from our window.

view from our room

The rooms were huge, with 2 double beds and a separate lounge for when you invite all the squirrels back for a party. The hotel is arranged around a central courtyard, which had Koi Carp in ponds and palm trees. Surprisingly, the room was not quite as expensive as the hotel in London, so I recon it would be worth doing again for next year.

the hotel central courtyard

koi carp in the hotel

Nyssa took me for a walk, and to find some food, although I was not really that hungry because of the heat. We found the local Hunt Valley Mall, which was not as big as some of the Malls you see on TV. Afterwards, Nyssa wondered if I would want to crash out in the room as it was 10pm, but I always say sleep is for wimps, and I wanted to meet Trish and Kimberly, Em and Scary, who were the only other early arrivals. We handed out the Pegasus Heros badges from Finn. I think we were there talking and watching stuff on Em’s laptop until 1am. When I finally got to bed I think I had been awake over 24 hours. (like I said, sleep is for wimps!)

Anyway, that’s enough for one report. Reports of Shore Leave and the Journey Home to follow.