[Rachel Rose]

I know. I know. In the past I have wanted to visit, attend meets, etc. Twice I have dropped out. I know. Mental issues. Financial issues. Blah-de-blah-blah. The (boy) girl who cried wolf.

So. Bear with me this time then.


My summer semester of college ends August 3rd and doesn't start up for two weeks. I'm pretty sure I can get airfare together to book a flight during that window. I have only one mini-trip I'd like to include and that is a visit to Paris with Mr. Tully (and anyone else who'd like to go) and maybe a trip to Wales to visit Rhian. There are others in Wales.

I definitely would want to spend a day or two in Brighton.

And travel north to meet some friends.

My dilemma would be places to stay. And, OMG, I'm a fussy one. I can't sleep on the floor. There would need to be a bed I could use. Or a cheap room somewhere. This student life is 'spensive!

If I can work out roomies for each day, besides Paris and maybe a night in Wales, then I'll book the flight. Too costly for me to get a hotel for the better part of two weeks.


I promise not to howl at the moon, no matter how strong the desire.


Thanks for reading.

This post has been edited by Rachel Rose: 05 March 2012 - 06:57 PM

[Joinee Evilrhian]

This pleases me muchos muchly. I will hopefully have a spare room by then although I've been saying that for nearly a year

[Rachel Rose]

Yay! Go Team Rhian. I reaaly want to see Wales. And you, of course. xoxo

[Poohbah (Gsq)]

I don't have a spare room I'm afraid, but I'd love to see you sometime! I can travel to wherever is most convenient so just make sure you let me know your plans xx

[Joinee Michelle]

Joinee Evilrhian, on 16 January 2012 - 07:36 PM, said:

This pleases me muchos muchly. I will hopefully have a spare room by then although I've been saying that for nearly a year

Well you have a deadline now!

Too many kids here to make for a relaxing stay but sounds like great fun. Del is the man you want to speak with. He has done crazy join me tours in the past.

[HRH Gold Joinee Sheli]

You could stay with us! We might have a dog by then, if I'm a lucky girl...

And there are quite a few joinee people around our way...

[Rachel Rose]

This is wonderful. Of course I want to meet you, Lou. I'm nowhere near as pretty as Callum though. I do have an offbeat sense of humor. That should help. I actually thought about you the other day. I was listening to my car radio. If This Is It had finished playing on one station and the next song was crap so I switched. The very next station was spinning I Want You To Want Me and I thought "Lou." That was all.


I would still like to meet you, Michelle. And your family. I love chaos.

And, I think it would be so much fun to spend time with you and Craig, Sheli. And your pup. We don't have pets but I love it when others do. I can satisfy my need to cuddle a kitten or play with a pooch through friends. Thank you very much for the offer.

[HRH Gold Joinee Sheli]

We live quire near Michelle - sort of... close enough for day trip visits anyway!!

[Joinee Mum White]

Well, I have already offered a bed/beds at mine.

We have loads of space and a number of spare beds. ( well 1 double, 2 double sofa beds and a double airbed plus a single z bed and a single airbed. Plus there's a large comfy sofa and plenty of floor space.)

As it looks as if the Join Me Olympics may not happen this year owing to various weddingness going on, we could, maybe, have a bit of a mini meet up for Rachel in Harborough.
There's plenty of room and there's even a Travel Lodge in Harborough now if there were folk who did not want to stay at the House.

We could have the usual barbecue and bonfire in the garden - we could even do some silly games, though there's not as much room for that. Plenty of room for chilling though.

What about it? Mum White. xxx

[Rachel Rose]

Aw. That's swell. I'm in.


Well, I have to be. Don't I?


Jane is a groovy chick. Part pirate/part explorer/fully lovely.

[Joinee Mum White]

Cool! It will be the Rachelympics!

We shall have contests involving various amounts of hilarity (and more or less booze!)

We shall need to set a date when you have planned your proposed Itinerary a little more, but if folk are going to come and stay over it had better be a weekend.

Also, if you're wanting to fit in Paris, it will be useful to you to know that Harborough train line goes direct to St Pancras, which is where the Eurostar to Paris goes from - it is a very easy journey - you arrive a Gare Du Nord in the centre of Paris. If you wanted to go Eurostar, you could go straight from Harborough. Mum White

[Rachel Rose]

Initially the window I had thought of was two weeks between August 4th and 17th. Then I realized that was an awful lot of time to be dependent on others for a place to rest my head. Then I further realized it was smack dab in the middle of the Summer Olympics which could be potentially shoddy planning. I would imagine British Joinees are excited about the Olympics being hosted in London!

My new goal is for August 10th through the 17th. Minus travel time this would give me a full weekend and six days to accomplish things. Fall semester begins August 20th and I want to be home in plenty of time to recover from jet lag.

That is the window. When I have the ticket I will scan it as irrefutable proof of my impending visit.

Ooh. Leaving directly from Harborough on the Eurostar sounds like the ticket for me, Jane. I'll check with David. (Would any other Joinees like to journey from Jane's home into Paris for espresso and croissant?)

I am very excited and happy and I think I'll check airlines and chat with my travel agent.

[Poohbah (Gsq)]

I would be SO up for the Market Harborough shenanigans. And (excitingly) that weekend around 11th/12th Aug looks good for me, as I imagine that'd be the weekend it'd be done. Ooooooooo!!!

x

Oh, and...

Rachel Rose, on 17 January 2012 - 01:08 PM, said:

I'm nowhere near as pretty as Callum though.

That's OK. Very few people are. I won't hold it against you.

[Rachel Rose]

YAY, Lou!!



(Pssst. I am kinda cute in a girlie sorta way. )

[Joinee Mum White]

Rachel Rose, on 18 January 2012 - 10:33 PM, said:

My new goal is for August 10th through the 17th. Minus travel time this would give me a full weekend and six days to accomplish things. Fall semester begins August 20th and I want to be home in plenty of time to recover from jet lag.

You might like to consider coming a day or two before the 10th, as you might like a day to get over the travelling before we launch into all the excitement. I know how you feel about not wanting to put upon people, but, honestly, you can stay here as long as you want and I really don't think you will have much trouble finding places to stay. If you want a place to lay your head in London, We have a double room in a flat in Lewisham which you are welcome to use as well. Mum White.

[Rachel Rose]

If that's the case, Jane, I could still come on the fourth!

[Joinee Mum White]

Cool. I guess I thought it's rather a long way to come for just a week if you want to see lots of people and go to Paris as well! Mum White xx

[joinee tarka]

If you manage to make it wales-wards i would love to meet up. It's a bit tricky to plan that far ahead with toddler and others in the house but will do my upmost. I'm not that far from Rhian so sure we will work something out - yay!!!

[Joinee Meek]

That sounds very fab Jane!


I can offer a single or double bed in Hexham (near Newcastle!) If you wanted to see Hadrian's Wall I live very near there!

[DJ Darren (Ducktastic)]

There's always a room spare here

[Joinee Mum White]

See, Rachel, never mind wondering where you'll be able to stay. The problem will be fitting everyone in!! Mum White xx

[Rachel Rose]

Tarka, Meeky, D. Say it fast it sounds Hawaiian.

Anyway, thank you. I have an email from my travel agent. She wanted dates. I told her fly out of here on August 4th into Heathrow. Probably sometime that week visit Rhian & Tarka. The weekend of the 11th & 12th in Harborough. Leave from there early Monday morning to Paris.

One day trip to Brighton. To Newcastle (Meek). To see Darren & Jo. Yay!

There will be extra nights once everyone who will have me has claimed me for the nights not mentioned and Jane has said that weekend is okay. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Makahiki hou.

[HRH Gold Joinee Sheli]

Oooh Oooh I wanna come to Harborough! Can me and Craig stay with you Jane?? I Harborough.

[Joinee Mum White]

HRH Gold Joinee Sheli, on 19 January 2012 - 11:34 PM, said:

Oooh Oooh I wanna come to Harborough! Can me and Craig stay with you Jane?? I Harborough.

Absolutely! I can't wait. Mum White xx

[Joinee Mum White]

Rachel Rose, on 19 January 2012 - 11:16 PM, said:

The weekend of the 11th & 12th in Harborough. Leave from there early Monday morning to Paris.

That will be fine

Roll on the RAHELYMPICS!

Rachel, Sheli and Craig booked in at The White House Hostelry - any more takers? Ooh am I imagining it or did Lou say she was in? Mum White.

[Poohbah (Gsq)]

Yes please, I'd like to make a reservation at The White House! If that's OK

[Rachel Rose]

So, if I land in London late Saturday August 4th can I do a sort of circle thing? From Heathrow to whatever train station gets me on a train to Swansea. That would mean stay with you Rhian from late Saturday until maybe Monday morning. Then to Miss Annie's. Swansea to Hexham. Then to Harborough. May I stay with you four nights, Jane? Thursday through Sunday? Then Monday to Paris. Maybe overnight. Would it be better to leave Paris on the 14th and visit Brighton or Essex? When should I stay with Darren & Jo? Essex then Brighton or the other way around? Then back to London on the 16th. Maybe that night at your London rooms, Jane or with Sheli & Craig. I do want to meet so many people. Joe & Julia. Siobhan & Matthew. Sarah & Mark, if he joins you, Miss S. I can't list everyone. But, everyone would be good!

I'll fly home on the 17th and have plenty of time to recover before fall semester begins on the 20th. Simply because from London to Minneapolis I'll be going (this is for you, Lou) Back In Time!


Add your thoughts. Train scheduling would be nice. I wonder if anyone on here knows about trains? Yes, Del. I do want to meet you.


I am more than willing to have all of you lead me around for two weeks. Won't that be fun? xoxoxoxo

[Poohbah (Gsq)]

Swansea to Newcastle is about 7 hrs on the train, with a change or two. (plus however long it then takes to get out to Hexham).

You might be better off going from London up to see Annie, because there's a train from Kings Cross in London straight up to Newcastle, which only takes 3 hrs. (You will LOVE when the train goes through Durham - so pretty! It'll be about 10 or 15 mins before you get to Newcastle, and you'll see what I mean when you get there!)

Anyway, just a suggestion!

Going from Hexham/Newcastle back down to Market Harborough will take a few changes on the train, and probably 3-4 hrs, but shouldn't be too bad as long as you're confident about changing trains. Everything's always clearly signposted and the people who work there (like Del!) are helpful.

www.thetrainline.com is good for figuring out trains and seeing what it might cost. You can't book for August yet, but you'll get an idea of how frequent the trains are and how long they take by just looking at random dates.

PS - obviously Del is the train-meister, but those were just my initial thoughts! x

[Joinee Mum White]

Rachel Rose, on 20 January 2012 - 09:11 PM, said:

Then to Harborough. May I stay with you four nights, Jane? Thursday through Sunday?



I am more than willing to have all of you lead me around for two weeks. Won't that be fun? xoxoxoxo

Rachel, you are welcome to stay as many nights as you like, at any point during your stay either here or in the Lewisham flat, which is just around the corner from Siobhan and Matthew, Mum White.

[Joinee Evilrhian]

Today I made my boss do the rota until September just so I could book the 4th, 5th and 6th August off

[Rachel Rose]

Joinee Evilrhian, on 22 January 2012 - 12:15 AM, said:

Today I made my boss do the rota until September just so I could book the 4th, 5th and 6th August off

[joinee tarka]

Joinee Evilrhian, on 22 January 2012 - 12:15 AM, said:

Today I made my boss do the rota until September just so I could book the 4th, 5th and 6th August off

Will try to keep these dates clear too so I can link in with you x

[Rachel Rose]

Thank you, T. I'd very much like to meet you.

I'm being patient. I just spoke with my travel agent, Jean. She said she is very busy with people trying to get out of ice cold Dodge to warmer climes. I have no new info yet and have been occupied almost entirely with school. We went to the Guthrie last night. It's so beautiful. Had a tour of the prop shop. There was a drawer with the label 'Spinny Things' so naturally I wanted to know what they were. Big, metal pivotal bases for, well, spinning things on stage. Such a small drawer. I was hoping for pinwheels.

I'll be back when I have an update on travel. My head is twirling and full. Need to relax with a beer. Huggleties. xoxoxoxo

[Rachel Rose]

Travel plans. Official down payment made. Two more payments Feb 15 & Mar 15 and that's done. No Iceland Air. Some other time.

Leaving Minneapolis on August 3rd @ 3:05p.m. arriving JFK @ 6:45 p.m.

Leave JFK @ 9:00 p.m. arriving @ Heathrow 6:40 a.m August 4th.

Whatever connections I need to make to get to Swansea.

I'll be in the UK through the morning of the 16th when I catch a very early flight to Charles DeGaulle @ 6:40 a.m. Leave Paris @ 8:55 a.m. and arrive in Minneapolis @ 10:40 a.m. (Gosh. That's a short flight! )

I'M ON MY WAY!!

[Joinee Evilrhian]

A. Fricking. May. Zing.

Cannot. Fricking. WAIT!!

[Rachel Rose]

Saturday, August 4th Delta Flight DL0005 lands at Heathrow around 9:45 a.m.

Whee! Is there a train right from the airport to Swansea? Or do I need to get into the city first?


I am so excited, Rhian!

Excited about the whole thing. Tingly. Oh, my. I'm going to meet you guys! Squee-deedle-dee!

This post has been edited by Rachel Rose: 02 February 2012 - 10:07 PM

[Joinee Evilrhian]

You'd have to get into Paddington first but then there are trains every hour to Swansea and three hours or so later you'll be here

You'd have to get into Paddington first but then there are trains every hour to Swansea and three hours or so later you'll be here

[Rachel Rose]

Since my airfare is paid now (YAY!!) how much cash should I bring? I have a card that is $1000. That figures out to 630 pounds. How much more money do you think I'll need? And should I get pounds from the bank or Traveller's Cheques?

THANK YOU!

I'm really clueless.

I actually prefer currency to the cheques. It's easier spending cash in most places.

[Mr Phil]

Don't get traveller's cheques. No one really uses them any more and you'll spend all your time queuing in banks. You're better off getting a little bit of cash and using the cash machines here if your card'll let you.

[Rachel Rose]

Thank you, Phil. That's what I thought, too. For twelve days and frequent travel between locations how much cash will I need? Approximately? Heathrow to London to Wales to Newcastle to Cumbernauld to Leicester to Essex to London. Trains. I don't want to plan ahead for these trips. I just want to catch the train and go.

[PJ Hannah B-R]

As brilliant as the freedom would be, I strongly recommend you try and plan some of your train journeys in advance. Just as an example, you can get a train from London to Newcastle for about £10 - £15 if you plan ahead (10 - 12 weeks). A walk on fare is more than £100. Big difference!

Worth thinking about.

Also - i hope we get to see you when you're in Newcastle!

H x

[Joinee Mum White]

What Hannah says is very true. Train fares here can be astronomical if you don't book ahead. however, don't panic too much, as you can often get cheaper fares by booking a few days in advance for specific trains and times on line. I am sure the folk you stay with will be ablre to help you out with that. You can certainly do that from mine, and if you want to go from mine over to see Andy in Lincoln, I will take you anyway. Mum White.

[Hebba Homemaker]

I can't believe you want to come to Cumbernauld, you know its been voted Britain's ugliest town more than once?!

In terms of trains; Glasgow and Edinburgh are about equal distance so we can pick you up wherever or if coming from Newcastle you can always go to Motherwell pretty directly(Annie would know?). If you are planning to head to Leicester afterwards seems to be fairly straight forward with one change in Birmingham

xx

[Rachel Rose]

Thank you, ladies. It's difficult for me to plan train trips other than from London to Wales. I know exactly when I'm heading that way. The other location times aren't set in stone yet, other than Leicester. I'll have to get some phone numbers before I can plan train schedules. Hebba, may I stay with you two nights? Tuesday & Wednesday, Aug. 7th % 8th? Let me know. One with Annie maybe. Monday, Aug. 6th. Thursday through Sunday night with Jane. Then I'll have to plan Monday and Tuesday beyond those days. Wednesday and Thursday will be in London. In order to get a good airline deal, I had to get a room. So, for Aug. 14th & 15th, I'm at a London hotel.

[SJ Del (The Train Man)]

As you're a non-UK resident, you can get a BritRail Pass: http://www.britrail.com/
Have a chat with your travel agents to find out prices.

EDIT - a quick search suggests a pass for 15 consecutive days, for as many journeys as you like in Standard class, across England, Scotland and Wales, looks to be about $425. But these figures might be a little out of date.

This post has been edited by SJ Del (The Train Man): 08 March 2012 - 08:57 PM

[Rachel Rose]

That's a good site. Thanks, Del.

I like the sound of a Flexi-Pass. I might get one of those.

[Hebba Homemaker]

Of course you can Rachel.

I'm entirely flexible for having you to stay and can take time off on whatever days you wish to be here so if it suits others for you to be there on one date then come here on another... Ill need about a month's notice but thats all.

Your chamber awaits you

xxxx

[Joinee Meek]

You are welcome to stay here as long as you need too. I'll be off so however long you want to spend is absolutley fine! We can do Newcastle with all the bridges etc and Hexham with the Abbey and Old Gaol in however short or long you like! There are some lovely walks around here too and we can go to Hadrian's Wall! You are very very welcome and we can do as much or as little as you fancy.

My mam and dad are excited to meet you too!


Edit: Typo.

This post has been edited by Joinee Meek: 09 March 2012 - 09:41 AM

[Rachel Rose]

Hebba Homemaker, on 08 March 2012 - 11:09 PM, said:

Of course you can Rachel.

I'm entirely flexible for having you to stay and can take time off on whatever days you wish to be here so if it suits others for you to be there on one date then come here on another... Ill need about a month's notice but thats all.

Your chamber awaits you

xxxx

I'm going to call you soon. Just to check up on you and chat. Hugs, Hebba. xoxo

Joinee Meek, on 09 March 2012 - 09:39 AM, said:

You are welcome to stay here as long as you need too. I'll be off so however long you want to spend is absolutley fine! We can do Newcastle with all the bridges etc and Hexham with the Abbey and Old Gaol in however short or long you like! There are some lovely walks around here too and we can go to Hadrian's Wall! You are very very welcome and we can do as much or as little as you fancy.

My mam and dad are excited to meet you too!


Edit: Typo.

I almost when skipping off when I read that, Miss Annie! I like it that I really don't have to plan anything. All of that sounds wonderful! Thank you. xoxo

[Poohbah (Gsq)]

I've stayed Chez Meek and (naturally) the Meek family are amazing! Lucky Rachel

(PS - I miss you, Meepy! xxxx)