Made it

[liv]

Well. This trip has gone surprisingly smoothly! I am now back at my parents' place having achieved pretty much everything I planned up to this point.

• The ferry trip was a floating shopping mall.
• Helsinki is stylish but goes way overboard with the Moomin theme.
• Tallinn is almost implausibly pretty, but depressingly post-communist.
• Berlin freaked me out in several ways, but it also had alcohol which was far too affordable, especially after Sweden!
• Yay seeing monanotlisa!
• I talked myself hoarse chatting to ploni_bat_ploni, and then had a fantastic time at her not-hen-party at a theme park.
• Amsterdam is pretty (the city was prosperous at a time when they had good taste in architecture!) and fun and tourism is ever so much better when you have company.
• ploni_bat_ploni is married! And we had loads of fun in the process.
• lethargic_man is a hero and excellent company.
• Conversation is good! I got to see ewtikins and hobbitz and it's all wonderful.
• The British Library gets more wonderful every time I visit it!
• I met the PRI in person.
• Book reviews - Jack Womack: Elvissey; Tim Powers: The Anubis gates (reread); John Steinbeck: The grapes of wrath (reread); John Fowles: The ebony tower

I am not going to catch up with nearly two weeks worth of LJ, so comment with anything you really need me to see. Email me or call me either on my mobile or at the parents' number, especially if you would like to meet up in the next couple of days. The plan is not too rigid for a few days, but probably I'll be in Cambridge tomorrow and some of Saturday, then in Brighton over the weekend, then back in London Sunday evening.

I'm planning to spend all of Sunday evening in the Pembury; the board games evening will be happening, and several cool people are going to be there. So do come along if you would like to see me and meet lots of lovely people.

After that I am going to be dashing around again for a bit, but only within England, so it's a bit less intense than it has been so far. Looking forward to seeing syllopsium and loreid.

Comments

[megamole.livejournal.com]

Er, define "Sunday evening", 'cos if there's no church I might get over there sort of late afternoon/early eveningish.

[liv]

"Sunday evening" is deliberately ill-defined. I plan to be there until closing time, and I expect I won't be the only one (if I were, it would be kind of boring!) I will probably get there at 6-ish but there are lots of complicating factors so it might be a bit later. If it's not too awkward to get to you should come for a bit of the evening even if you can't make all of it.

[awful-dynne.livejournal.com]

What is a "not-hen-party"?

[quizcustodet.livejournal.com]

shreena and I have news (http://quizcustodet.livejournal.com/48290.html).

Sounds like your trip was a blast - I am envious! Looks like I shall be mostly in the lab until I get some, y'know, results. Apparently they're helpful.

[liv]

Squee! Congratulations! And well done on impressing your future inlaws.

[liv]

I will explain when I post about it. But basically, it's a pre-wedding party which is not gender segregated and not stupid.

[owlfish]

Have a lovely time at the Pembury! My mother arrives that morning for a visit, so I shall not be able to make it.

[awful-dynne.livejournal.com]

Sounds interesting. Thank you for explaining what it is.

[ploni-bat-ploni.livejournal.com]

*Squee!*

How are you doing? Enjoying yourself? Can't wait until you write up the wedding! :-D

Love,
PbP.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

Er.. What exactly did I do that was heroic?