Observations on my 2011 Hols

Tags

buki, cantrell, geeklawyer, miri, newcastle, ruthie

Now that I have been home from my hols for 2 months I thought I’d share a few observances:

• I do not understand why there seems to be this “great” divide between what is considered the North & South. The UK is a small island. Maybe coming from the perspective of living a great big country that spans several time zones it seems odd to me. But when I told friends that I would be popping up to Newcastle to visit a friend I got one fairly universal response – WHY? To which my answer was “WHY NOT”. I’ve never been, I’m not tainted by this concept that there is something odd about the Geordies, nor that Londoners are odd either.
• The concept of distance is funny to me. Again, probably cos I live in Canada popping over to Ottawa from Toronto for the weekend is fairly commonplace – it’s only 500km away, so about a 5hr trip, no biggie .. just hop into the car or onto the train or bus after work and you’re there by 10 or 11pm. The amount of preparation required to leave Jess’s place to get to the London area I found interesting. For me a 3hr car trip is no big deal, just pee before you leave and that’s it.
• I greatly missed Geeklawyer, I admit it. I hadn’t seen him since before my sepsis. We had spent a pleasant few days together in Lithuania, and he got to meet my father – Poppa Bean. Despite his propensity to nearly kill me each time we travel together he is a wonderful travelling companion. And huzzah, our flat in Vilnius had broadband, so two geeks weren’t without their interwebs while there.
• Despite Geeklawyer’s objections that I should be loyal only to him I love Ruthie. They don’t socialise much anymore, but I am the glue that still binds them to some extent. This past holiday it was funny, I felt like I was in the middle of a child custody agreement – one left to go to work while the other arrive at the driveway to pick me up, with my suitcase at the ready.
• I love spending time with my Deviant Chaperone. He always finds interesting bits of the UK to show me. With him I have seen Old Sarum, Avebury, Brogdale Farm, the Bank of England Museum, Chimes (a cider pub in Pimlico), been on a boat with him twice, Kew Gardens, Hampton Court and due to him I’ve developed a strong liking for Pimms.
• I got to introduce my two favourite lady lawyers to each other – Ruthie & Buki. Hopefully they will get along quite nicely. I think they will.
• Got to see Miri. She, along with Buki, can be so high energy that I just get tired watching them get excited.
• And… the big thing, it is possible to see the UK withouth going bankrupt!

First Part of Hols – Ruthie Time!

Tags

buki, cambridge, england, geeklawyer, holidays, ruthie

Not sure if my mom has become fearful now that she’s a widow, but she insisted on accompanying me to the airport to wish me bon voyage. She’s addicted to Swiss Chalet so after I checked in, which was relatively quickly, I took her to the Swiss Chalet in Toronto’s T3. I got the standard speech of how I should go to church and pray to Jesus each day for my safe return.

Boarded the plane and though this wasn’t my first trip I am still astounded at the size of carry-on that people are trying to get away with. Carry-on should only be what you cannot easily replace – your passport, prescription medication, electronics (camera, laptop, cellphone) and always one clean pair of underwear (incase they lose your luggage you’ll atleast feel somewhat better with a fresh pair of underwear on). I pack as my carry-on:

• passport
• travel documents (e-tickets, travel insurance etc)
• wallet
• ipad/netbook
• camera
• prescription medication
• my medical supplies (gauze, surgical tape, catheters) which I cannot replace at all unless I visit a hospital immediately when I land
• one pair of underwear
• cellphone
• universal travel charger – got one last year which is an all-in-one, quite small and is only one unit

My carry-on never even comes close to exceeding the size limitations or weight limitations. I may purchase a magazine and a bottle water/diet coke for entertainment and because the cabin can get dry. But that’s it.I also do not visit any exchange bureau before my flights, unless I’m flying into some place that doesn’t have ATMs. I was flying into Gatwick, there are ATMs there.

Got to Gatwick the next morning and had to get myself to Ruthie’s Hof up in Cambridgeshire. Did so and she picked me up in her snazzy new Mercades, along with a gentleman named Nigel. Was whisked off to be reunited with Ghengis (Ruthie’s feline familiar) and then off to a barbeque at Carole’s and then Bulldog Bash. Bulldog Bash is a weekend long motorcycle & music festival hosted by the Hell’s Angels near Stratford upon Avon. I quite liked it, but was suffering from jetlag majorily by the time we left near midnight GMT.

Next day was Cambridge, cos I expressed a desire to see it. Was subjected to the horrors of punting (I can’t swim and I am deathly afraid of drowning) and then wandering about the hallowed halls of Cambridge University. Was subjected to many examples of PDA (public displays off affection) between Ruthie & Nigel. There’s photographic evidence. And visited a pub that claimed to have the perfect pitcher of Pimms, and it was the best I’ve ever had.

Next day I was deposited in Ely so that Ruthie could have some alone time with her work, and I could just wander about. Had a conversation with some lovely OAPs, lunch at a riverside pub/restaurant, and the delights of a mommy duck herding her chicks across a walkway. In the evening it was down to London to see my Buki, at a Lebanese Restaurant near Knightsbridge. Ruthie joined me as I wanted my two favourite female lawyers to meet. Took a cab back to King’s Cross and train back up to Ely. Next day Geeklawyer picked me up.

Look Back on 2010

Tags

2010, cantrell, dad, england, family, geeklawyer, germany, holidays, kerstin, ruthie, yalla

In ways 2010 was better than 2009 and yet there were moments I wish I had never experienced.

So onto the list of the delights that made up 2010 for me:

• Started 2010 with severe abdominal pain, thinking it was the return of the hell of the Summer of 2009. Turns out I have a wonky gall bladder. Over successive months I tried to get it taken care of, with all the General Surgeons telling me that was either a bad UTI (I know what those are, and trust me you patronising boob it wasn’t) or it was indeed issues with some gallstones (which the ultrasounds at both Sunnybrook and Mount Sinai showed) but I am too “complex”. End result the General Surgeons failed me and I am now coping by trying to eat low fat so that I don’t excaserbate the situation. If I get a ruptured gall bladder I will be smacking a certain General Surgeon quite hard (Dr Home Tien) — who strongly believes that all my upper right quadrant pain was due to a UTI.
• My father died. To say I wasn’t thrilled is an understatement. I got a frantic phone call from my mom in early February to say that my father was in hospital, taken there by ambulance. In the space of 4 weeks my father declined rapidly and died of lymphoma. It could have been dealt with earlier, but my father had stopped his chemo treatment a year before declaring that he’d rather die of cancer than from the chemo. One bright spot was my friend Ruthie coming me to visit my dad. My father always had a soft spot for blonde ladies, and he didn’t disappoint — with his flirting. Plus I got a fab picture of Ruthie looking mad in a hospital gown & surgical gloves.
• Ruthie visited me!
• My friend Brian got married to his long time sweetheart, and I gleefully took part in Rachael’s suggestion of making some display plates for the couple.
• Visit to England! Got to meet up with Cantrell, but sadly not with Geeklawyer who was off at some festival when I arrived with my entourage; and due to timing we couldn’t manage to get together.
• Got to see Enron, The Musical with Cantrell – I loved it!
• I had decided that since the price of airfare from London to Dusseldorf is so cheap I should visit Yalla & Kerstin, who I had not seen in 4 years. It was lovely seeing them, and the activities planned for us were just awesome.
• The rest of the year was fairly uneventful, though there were some fun activities like Rob & Rachael’s Christmas Party, my Kucios, Naresh’s birthday bash, and seeing Handel’s Messiah with my mom.
• Here’s for a more awesome 2011! My hope is to emigrate to the UK this year. Already have a certain young potential PA (I’m looking at you bizbazbarratt) doing cartwheels trying to get me over.

 

June 26th – return to Canada

Tags

flight, holidays, ruthie, travel

Woke up early, nudge Tarotcub awake, and the arduous task of packing our suitcases begain. We actually finished rather early and instead of sitting about we decided to take an early train into London.

On our trip into the UK we took the tube down to Victoria Station – which required a couple of changes to different lines. It was difficult with suitcases, so I had decided that we should throw caution to the wind and pay a  bit more to use the Heathrow Express from Paddington. This required a train from Ely to Kings Cross and from Kings Cross to Paddington. Only 2 changes, and thankfully at Kings Cross we could take the lift. Though we paid a bit more, it was much more comfortable, especially with our luggage. Got to Heathrow T5 and it turns out we were 2 hours early before the check-in was open for our flight. Found a coffee shop within the terminal and just sat about and adjusted our luggage so that we wouldn’t exceed the weight allowance.

Finally checked in our luggage and went through security. Unlike other terminals which would have quickie restaurants like McDonald’s or Burger King, T5 doesn’t have anything like that. Remembering that Rachael was espousing the Gordon Ramsay Plane Food restaurant, we went there for lunch. The food was very simply prepared, but very delicious. I had a rumpsteak, medium-rare, and Tarotcub had some chicken dish. We had just enough time for lunch, a quick stop at the toilets and then had to pile into a bus to get us to the plane. The flight back to Toronto was fine, nothing unusual. I couldn’t get us bulkhead seats this time, but we were luck that the ladies in front of us didn’t fling their seats all the way back. I did have to change seats with Tarotcub as he found sitting by the window too confining.

We watched the first 2 episodes of True Blood S3 that I had downloaded onto my netbook. Watched a few movies as well on BA’s video terminals and just generally had a pleasant experience. Just like the flight over the flight back had the special meal that I had requested, so I didn’t starve.

Thankfully Mr Squirrel had offered to pick us up from Pearson, which he did.

Yesterday was a long day, but hopefully our trip for both myself and Tarotcub was comfortable enough yesterday.

++++++++++++

I shall miss Ruthie.

Wish I had spent more time talking with Jakob, but that can be done next time I’m in the area.

Next year, possibly Lithuania?

Ely – June 25th, Last Day in the UK

Tags

holidays, ruthie

As this was our last day, for myself and Tarotcub, we decided to stick close to Ruthie’s and just rest and relax. We went off to Ely.

The previous night Ruthie informed me that she was to have a tango lesson and while she was to learn how to fling her legs about in wild abandon we were to be entertained by a friend of her’s – Jakob. I met Jakob last year when I was visiting Ruthie. He’s a charming fellow, lives in Cambridge, and just like Ruthie enjoys tango and motorcycles.

So while in Ely Tarotcub and I just walked about, picked up some items at Waitrose and had lunch by the canal. Picked up some tea for my mother and got back to Ruthie’s for a quick shower.

At Jakob’s we were treated to a lovely and delicious barbeque. There were several bottles of wine consumed. I got a big glass of cranberry juice with a big grapefruit wedge in it. We did some chit chatting, and as is our wont, the double entendres were flying.  Ruthie joined us after  her tango lesson, and at one point she cuddled up to me. The woman better accept my marriage proposal … (cheeky grin). I did make her flush when I told her that during one night this week she did cuddle me in her sleep. Shockingly she decided to take a picture of my bum while I was l sleeping — the deepest violation of my trust, I must say. Seems that when her alarm went off at 6am I gently nudged her, as she had to be out of the house by 6:30am to make it in time for a visit to the cells. Ruthie was touched by my actions .. and yet she took a pic of my bum.

By the end of the evening we were all very tired. But being told that Jakob was willing to keep me for the night was a huge laugh.

Germany – June 18-22

Tags

germany, holiday, kerstin, lbw, ruthie, sven, tarotcub, yalla

Early in the morning Ruthie, Tarotcub and I myself prepared ourselves for our arduous plane ride over to Deutschland — all 90 minutes of it.

We did not drive over to Gatwick, but instead took the train down to King’s Cross and then took the Gatwick Express down to Gatwick Airport from St Pancras. Our flight was with FlyBE, on which we had the ever lovely Bombardier Dash 8 plane — it has propellers! While booking this flight over a month ago I was clicking rather madly and had mistakenly requested baby food for Tarotcub. I couldn’t change it, but fortunately, as the flight was so short we didn’t get served any food unless we were prepared to pay for it — which I did, I got a lovely can of diet coke for the lovely price of 1 pound. While waiting at the gate to get onto our tiny shuttle bus to our plane Ruthie and I were playing a silly game of “Spot the Germans”. We were doing okay except over one chap who we both swore was East German but turned out to be some Brit.

Yalla met us at the Dusseldorf Airport and we took a taxi to our hotel — Hotel Tonnchen. I thought it cute, but for some reason both Ruthie and Tarotcub couldn’t see the delights in having bath towels that can exfoliate you. After depositing our multiple bags (we didn’t check in anything, that would have cost us extra with FlyBE, so we each had either a duffel bag or a backpack) Yalla took us to the Rhine, where there is a lovely riverside promenade. We had dinner there, strolled about, and just generally relaxed. I really liked where we had dinner. It was nice, after the stuffy pubs of England, to be in the equivalent of a beer garden by a river with a lovely breeze. There was a tacky german dj playing some questionable music. But I still shaked my booty whilst there. I had been overcome with a giddy feeling. I had forgotten how much I loved being in Germany, and being there by the Rhine was just a balm to the soul.

After dinner we strolled about the Altstadt, and just generally enjoyed the merriment and the huge soccer fever that has gripped Germany. Got to the hotel and prepared ourselves for the next day – the industry culture event which gripped a goodly portion of Dusseldorf. We actually took the train to Oberhausen to view the sights in that district. We started at the Gasometer, which is a disused steelworks; it is now a community “centre” where  people can use a rock climbing wall, a little playground for children, and it is also a historical testiment to the german industrial heartland. Met up with Sven, who I had not seen since the Lithuanian LBW, had dinner at an Argentine Steakhouse, checked out a really funky set of art installations and went to a museum explaining the areas industrial history — with posters and newspapers from the 20s and 30s, showing the rise of Hitler and his focus on the ideal Aryan Man/Woman. Went back to the Gasometer for some midnight fireworks, which were a bust. And my camera got a touch moist, so it didn’t work. Rang Mr Mark, as he’s the only one I know who loves cameras (my paternal uncle was a very good photographer and I would have turned to him first, but he sadly passed away 5  years ago). So I didn’t get to pictorially remember the lunar display at the Gasometer .. a giant reflection of the moon, rotating at the same rate as the moon.. it was stunning and I couldn’t do anything about it.

Next day, we were quite knackered, having returned to our hotel around 3:30am. I must say, the efficiency of the german train system was amazing so we didn’t have to worry about late trains .. and they are everywhere … EVERYWHERE.

So we got to Yalla and  Kerstin’s for breakfast around noon (we had been doing this for each of our mornings in Dusseldorf) and we had a leisurely day of going to the AquaZoo and the Japanese Gardens just behind the zoo. Had dinner at a casual pub/restaurant very close by to Yalla and Kerstin and I had the most amazing schnitzel in my life. Because I was without a camera I had to use Ruthie’s. She willingly allowed me to use it, as she mistakenly believes I take good pictures.

Next day, Cologne! But first, I had to get a new camera. I got a Fuji FinePix S1600 for 169 Euros. Tarotcub sat there quietly while I was going through the different cameras. As all my old cameras have been handed over to him whenever I upgrade he was quite excited at see what he terms as his soon-to-be-camera. Finally I purchased my camera and we were off to Cologne! We took the train instead of driving over in Kerstin’s car — as there is some sort of centuries old rivalry between Cologne & Dusseldorf which nowadays is captured in the argument over who produces the better beer, Cologne’s Kolsch or Dusseldorf’s Altbier. As Kerstin informed us if she drove over because her car license plate indicates she is from Dusseldorf she will get ticked by the Cologne Police.

Got to Cologne and were greeted with a huge Dom, which is Cologne’s Cathedral. It is so massive that last time I saw it was was the dominating structure in the skyline half an hour before my boat (Koln-Dusseldorfer) docked at the harbour. It’s also all black, and as was said rather jokingly … can’t clean it, cos once you finish you have to start all over again at the beginning. We wandered about Cologne, did some shopping and just generally got a feeling for the place. Met up with Sven again, and afterwards we headed over to an Irish Bar to meet some LBW peeps who I had not seen in a number of years – Jens, Edwin and Antony.

Next day was to be our flight back to Gatwick, but we still had time. So we had breakfast in the Altstadt and wandered about looking for last minute items to purchase. I picked up some pots of mustard, unique to Dusseldorf, german chocolates and Yalla got me a CD of schlaeger music. Tarotcub had expressed to Kerstin that he wanted some Kinder Chocolates, cos the stuff we get back in Canada isn’t that great. While we were in some shop she secretly snuck off and presented Chris with a bag full of Kinder chocolates .. that was super sweet of Kerstin. We had lunch and then piled into the car to get to the Dusseldorf Airport. I had made sure that my liquids and gels were already in a clear plastic bag and ready for me to present. So I got through security fairly easily, but Tarotcub and Ruthie had to purchase some bags so they could seperate.

Flew into Gatwick, and there was some switching error on the tracks so it took us waiting 45 minutes to get onto the Gatwick Express. Luckily, when it pulled into St Pancras the wait at King’s Cross was relatively short and we made it back to Ely before the sun had set.

Some thoughts:

• Ruthie and I were dismayed to discover that the German Government is using the tax system to dictate social policy – Kerstin, as the one making less income in the partnership, is taxed at a rate of 80%. So there is an incentive for mothers to be stay-at-home mothers because it isn’t financially viable for them to work
• We were also stunned that there are special parking spots – and not just for the disabled. There are spots for “Mothers and Children”, not “parents with young children” but “mothers”. As well there are spots specifically women-only. We were told it was because of rapes happening in carparks and parking garages. My comment was that instead they should just increase security in parking areas, as men can just as easily get assaulted
• Other than the very paternalistic approach to women, which I took great issue with, my time in Germany was great. I got to see Yalla and Kerstin (who are absolutely lovely people), got molested by their cat Spot who has a particularly odd fetish for shampoos & haircare products and will climb you just to groom you. The visit to Germany was also necessary for my sanity .. it was nice to be in a breezy place, where one did not have to fear for their life trying to get to the bar to place an order
• And my true highlight was watching Tarotcub experience Germany for the first time. The different types of beers he tried was astounding

Day 6 in the UK

Tags

england, holidays, ruthie, tarotcub

Day 6 for myself was a leisurely trip up to Hunstanton as per Ruthie’s suggestion. The trip consisted of taking a train up to King’s Lynn and then a bus. Somehow the gods were shining upon myself and Tarotcub as the bus to and from Hunstanton showed up within minutes of us getting to the bus stop/station. The most interesting aspect of the travelling was that our bus was full of OAPs. They were a jolly lot.

Hunstanton is a pretty little village/town on The Wash. There are no great big castles, cathedrals, palaces or whatnot. What there is to be found is some very breathtaking views. The cliffs are stunning. Tarotcub and I took a leisurely walk along a road running alongside the beach promenade, to view the few historically significant sites — St Edmund’s Chapel (who I discovered was the first patron saint of England, before being displaced by St George), a now privately owned lighthouse, and an old building for the local “coast guard”. As well, there was an aquarium.

While strolling about we ran across a “Sensory Garden” – a garden specifically created for the disabled in mind — with wide winding paths, plenty of seating and flower & trees of very strong scent; everything to delight the senses … scents, colours, textures. While there we ran across a very small stone circle. It wasn’t ancient, just something the town had put up around a tree, with the names of herbs etched into each one.

We walked along the beach, took some truly stunning pics of the cliffs and the little creatures we found – like jellyfish, seagulls, pigeons roosting in the cliffs, tiny crayfish/crabs. We also found the wreck of an old ship, probably dating back to WWII. The aquarium was fun too, though we only had 30 minutes to see it. Got to see some penguins, seals, and interesting little fishes.

Got home to Ruthie’s where she actually cooked for us. It was spaghetti bolognese, but made with quorn not real meat. It was a vegetarian feast.

Next day, Germany!

Day 5 in the UK

Tags

ely, holidays, london, ruthie, tarotcub, uk, vacation

Thusfar I have revisted Ely Cathedral and ambled about the city with my three other travelling companions. Dinner consisted of first stopping off at the local Tescos.  I have to admit I do not get overly enthused by grocery stores, they usually serve a purpose and once that purpose is met I tend to go away. But I am travelling with peeps who have never flown to the UK, so everything is a new experience which needs to be savoured and dwelled upon — so I am seeing the UK from a fresh perspective.

The next day was Norwich, which has a very strong medieval history, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror. We got to wander about, and my fantasy of seeing the section of Norwich with a huge collection of Tudor architecture was met … and I was in raptures.

Today Tarotcub and I went down to London to find Highgate Cemetary. This required us going into Islington, specifically the Archway Tube Station on the Northern Line. I did not like the area, and you know an area is quite sketchy when all the local pubs advertise cheque-cashing services — much like MoneyMart back home. We managed to find our way back to Ely and took a taxi back to Ruthie’s hof.

This evening was the Rotary Club of Ely weekly meeting. Ruthie is a member, and we joined her. The meal was cheap but quite delicious — I had gammon with fried egg and chips. I chose not to have dessert. The “talk” was about fibre optic cabling and how BT is behind in making sure that the UK is properly serviced for broadband connectivity. The two geeks in our little foursome put forth their ideas, while I interjected from an economic perspective with regards to private vs public funding of national projects.

Now I sit in the hof typing away, secretly jealous of tarotcub’s sticky toffee pudding with custard.

Third Morning whilst on Hols

Tags

brighton, ely, holidays, ruthie, twitter

I am now sitting in Ruthie’s livingroom, enjoying the swaying of the trees outdoors and the meow of her remaining pussy. Plans today consist of actually taking it easy and going into Ely to wander about, check out Ely Cathedral (known as the Ship of the Fens), Oliver Cromwell’s House, The Maltings and just general enjoyment of the area.

We landed at Heathrow on Saturday morning and it appears that our agreed upon meetup location with Rob & Rachael was not such a good idea — Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant is only accessible in Departures, once past security. Tarotcub and I were about to get them paged when we found them.

A madcap travel adventure to get to Brighton ensued. Got onto the Underground and changed stations at Acton Town onto the District Line to get us to Victoria. Once we reached Victoria had to get a train down to Brighton. A fairly easy trip, yes? Not when you have 4 colonials, of which 2 had never been on the Underground, and all 3 of them not with luggage. I warned that the tube trains are narrow.

Got down to Brighton, got to our hotel and dumped our luggage there to go meandering about until our rooms were ready. Found a cute little pub called The Pull & Pump and had the most amazing chips w/ gravy. The gravy was so good that Robert drank some of it.

Finally got into our rooms. The others decided to refreshen themselves, while I wandered into one of the hotel bars to try and find some wifi. I was desperate to get in touch with Rah-Rah, with regards to the BrightonPissup organised on Twitter and to get my SIM that the lovely Geeklawyer had purchased for me. Eventually found Rah_rah and gang at a beach bar called Oh So Cool, by a big metal doughnut.

I was enthusiastically greeted by one Manxstef, Rah_rah, Stupidgirl_no1, Jaffne and Emargee (my psuedo husband, as I am his meat-wife). Special_noodles was cool and waved at me. I came bearing chthulus as gifts, and a wee husky for Rah_rah. I had great fun but Tarotcub wasnn’t overly enthused with the bar so he took a wander. As the night progressed Stef and Jaffne discovered something about me … I avoid cameras and am rather adept at it. Then this whole game of “let’s catch Beanie unawares” began. A lot of the pics were of my hand. I am so pleased!

Yesterday, Sunday, the arduous trip up to Ely began. Brighton to Victoria, Victoria to King’s Cross, King’s Cross to Ely. Only thing that threw me off (I had done though route several times) was that King’s Cross is under serious renovation. When I was there last year there was a building … it’s all been torn down, only the platforms remain. Got picked up at Ely Rail Station. And got introduced to a plethora of people at Ruthie’s Tea & Tango Party. Unfortunately the hottub did not heat up until later in the day … and the frivolities truly began. I managed to take quite a few pictures of the various hottub antics.

Today, Ely!

Looking Forward to My Hols

Tags

cantrell, england, geeklawyer, germany, ruthie, yalla

I am very much looking forward to my holidays this year. This year I get 3 weeks vacation time, and I am using up 2 weeks of it for my annual excursion across the pond. I am to venture forth into the wilds of the United Kingdom with my trusty cohort Tarotcub, and two newbies (who have yet to experience my laissez-faire attitude towards planning). Whilst in England Tarotcub and I will be whisking ourselves off to Deutschland to visit Yalla & Kerstin for about four days. Tarotcub hasn’t been to Germany, and I haven’t seen Yalla & Kerstin since the Lithuanian LBW back in 2006. They were planning on coming here to Canada this coming  August, but airfare prices are too high (1000 euro per person).

What do I hope to “achieve” on my hols? I shall be attending a BrightonPissup organised on Twitter, spend some time with Ruthie – who is hosting a Tea & Tango Garden Party in our honour. I am very much looking forward to seeing Enron: The Musical with my Deviant Chaperone, poking Geeklawyer and spending some time with him, experiencing the delights of Duesseldorf, hopefully go up to Norwich and King’s Lynn. And I know this sounds super tacky, but I believe I also want to visit Cadbury World.

If I manage to squeeze it in, I would also like to see a bit of Cardiff & Bath.

Why did I chose the UK? I got very sick last year, and I tried my damnedest to hold on while in Vilnius – as the medical system there is nowhere close to what I am accustomed to. I kept feeding myself vitamin C, showering lots and sleeping lots .. anything to stave off a collapse. I collapsed when I returned to Canada. This year, if I have medical problems atleast I’ll be in a country with a medical system which is just as good as  here, with urologists who specialise in my birth condition.