GABIT attendees thread

[Tracy Jane]

If people are willing to kip on the floor (unfortunately I move out of this house in June and lose my lovely two spare rooms and four sofas), then there's always a place in SOuthampton (provided I get my place on the course).... I don't know how interesting it is .There's a few medieval houses and spots, titanic memorials, but it's not all that touristy. The isle of wight is pretty though.


Edit: Arrrgh. I think I've just turned my house into a free for all. Obviously, I'll have to check my situation when I know where I'll be living and stuff.

[Rune]

<snippetty doo-dah>
Those really cheap economy seats on BA look TINY though! Maybe I'll do the next step up - those seats looked a wee bit wider and more comfy. (Would love to do the Club or whatever it is that was equivalent to first class - those flat bed chairs would make it sooooooo easy to sleep on the way over. )

Oh gosh that's a point well worth making, last year I flew Economy with United and US Airways and was amazed at the fact that their econ seats are so much roomier than the ones you get on BA, Virgin etc. I know a few airlines based here are starting to think of giving economy passengers more room (seatwise and legwise) these days but on the whole it's a lot more cramped in there so definitely worth checking out on line if you're looking a l-o-n-g flight

I got upgraded to one of the folds 'almost flat' chairs which was great but looking at the First Class cabins where they actually have beds and desks and now I think some planes even have bars must be something else entirely! *sigh* how the other half must live.

[Rune]

*smiles sweetly*

The House of Rune?

*laughing* surely even you can't enjoy living that dangerously?

On the subject of Oxfordshire, I just had a sniff at the train times online and it only takes about an hour to get from London Paddington to the city of Dreaming Spires so hopefully it won't be out of the question (well if it's somewhere close to Oxford I guess).

You could always hire a car too you know just keep to the left ... uh the left SS, I said KEEP TO THE LEFT!!!! MIND THAT SHEEP! I SAID LEEEEEEFT - ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

You can probbaly catch a bus to Oxfordshire too

[dipsofjazz]

I've just seen the video of SS driving...

[Kliggins]

I've just seen the video of SS driving...

LOL!

[Kelspook]

Forever SG1- Here's a site to have a look at, it's a hotel in a lovely little town in the Scottish Borders, about 50 miles from Edinburgh. It's a beautiful area (I know, I live in it, lol), check it out, may be just what you're looking for.

Glenbank Hotel, Jedburgh

Oh, and the food is good, too *grin*.

[ForeverSg1]

I'd make a rough journey plan if I were you. What sort of things do you like to see/do?

I'm really not much of a tourist. Honestly, I'd be quite happy just sitting in a local pub and chatting with someone or taking in the local landscape. For me just being is the exciting part. When I tell most people that I will be there in November they just go 'Oh no, it's really cold and wet in the UK in November. That's not a very good time to visit, but living in Dallas and going a year at a time without rain, I think it will be a nice change of scenary even if it does rain the entire time we are there. I'm sure my husband will want to visit some historical places as he's a big history buff, and I told him he has to give me a list of places he wants to see so we can make sure the trains stop nearby otherwise we'll need to make other transportation arrangements.

I'm also making a rough trip journal as I have to purchase our train passes ahead of time. Basically I have listings of places we'd like to visit, hotels in the area, restaurants, ect. I just thought I'd ask if there were any special places people liked. Like the last time we went to Gabit, my husband and I found a lovely pub/restaurant that we probably wouldn't have found if we hadn't asked someone locally to make a recommendation as it wasn't in any of our tour books.

Kat

[ShimmeringStar]

I'm really not much of a tourist. Honestly, I'd be quite happy just sitting in a local pub and chatting with someone or taking in the local landscape. For me just being is the exciting part. When I tell most people that I will be there in November they just go 'Oh no, it's really cold and wet in the UK in November. That's not a very good time to visit, but living in Dallas and going a year at a time without rain, I think it will be a nice change of scenary even if it does rain the entire time we are there.

Yep on the “just being” part. I want to see some sights, take some pix, and right now November still being so far out, likely will plan on just hopping the Tube or bus and going about it on my own unless other’s schedules mesh, but I agree - just being there and taking in all the ambiance (good and bad!) will be wonderful.

LOL! I’ve still not told a lot of people yet about my trip and those who do just know I’m going to London to meet up with friends. And several of them have given me the Teal’c-arched eyebrow saying “NOVEMBER? It’s cold and rainy, why not June or July when it’s all green and warmer?” Haven’t yet told any of them that the event that we’re going to is a convention for an actress… that'd garner the double Teal'c brow lift. (But hey – it's no different than the artist’s materials conventions or the gardener’s conventions I see in the magazines I subsribe to, right?)

[ShimmeringStar]

hey don't feel bad, i haven't either

i just barely got my shore leave plane tickets purchased, gabit will be a month or so off

I need to get off my procrastinatin’ bottom and write my check for SL. (Would like to meet AT before GABIT and a pic with her and CA would be great. And getting a peek at Corin wouldn’t be so bad either.) Don’t have to worry about tickets there… Well…. Uh, yes, I will… but it’ll be those of the cop-caught-one-speeding-on-I70-and-the-Baltimore-Beltway kind!

Oh gosh that's a point well worth making, last year I flew Economy with United and US Airways and was amazed at the fact that their econ seats are so much roomier than the ones you get on BA, Virgin etc. I know a few airlines based here are starting to think of giving economy passengers more room (seatwise and legwise) these days but on the whole it's a lot more cramped in there so definitely worth checking out on line if you're looking a l-o-n-g flight

I got upgraded to one of the folds 'almost flat' chairs which was great but looking at the First Class cabins where they actually have beds and desks and now I think some planes even have bars must be something else entirely! *sigh* how the other half must live.

Before 9/11 many airlines responded to customer complaints about being packed in like sardines and changed the seating to be a little roomier. Have only flown American and Aloha Air, and both were comfortable. I wouldn’t care if I had a flatbed chair coming back since the flight I looked at left London around 11 a.m. to get back here to the U.S. in early afternoon. But going there the flight would leave here at 8:30 p.m. and it’d be *really* nice to actually get some sleep on the way over. (Didn’t get any sleep at all on the way back from Hawaii the two times I went. And developed the old crick in the neck from trying to sleep…..)

LOL! I'm not independently wealthy either Rune. Hmmmm.... maybe I should play Lotto more often. And heck, I'm not picky. Even 5K'd be nice to win.... that'd buy the flat bed ticket!

*offers Rune a choc-covered Jack* So how’d you say you got that upgrade again????

[ShimmeringStar]

I've just seen the video of SS driving...

http://bestsmileys.com/cars/2.gif

Hey! Who gave you that???!!!!!! They swore they threw the tape away after I paid that fine!

LOL!

Now what K didn’t say here was that it wasn’t my SeniorMomentitis that was causing the weaving – it was all those HAWT!Jack pix she kept trying to distract me with!

I said KEEP TO THE LEFT!!!! MIND THAT SHEEP! I SAID LEEEEEEFT - ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

‘Course that was before the distraction of the screeching of the backseat driver!!!!!

On the subject of Oxfordshire, I just had a sniff at the train times online and it only takes about an hour to get from London Paddington to the city of Dreaming Spires so hopefully it won't be out of the question (well if it's somewhere close to Oxford I guess).
You can probbaly catch a bus to Oxfordshire too

Methinks it was Bampton? Or was it Aston? I’ll have to go back and see what I’d written down from the genealogy thingie. I definitely plan to purchase the whatchamacallit (London Pass?) that they offer to tourists where for one price I can hop the buses and Tube through all 5 zones whenever/whereever as much as I want. Haven’t investigated far enough to see just how far out the zones stretch or if I’ll be coughing up some extra thingamajiggies to take a daytrip…
(My goodness. Bev’ll be proud of me and all these tech terms I’ve managed to use in one paragraph!)

[ForeverSg1]

I need to get off my procrastinatin’ bottom and write my check for SL. (Would like to meet AT before GABIT and a pic with her and CA would be great. And getting a peek at Corin wouldn’t be so bad either.) Don’t have to worry about tickets there… Well…. Uh, yes, I will… but it’ll be those of the cop-caught-one-speeding-on-I70-and-the-Baltimore-Beltway kind!

Before 9/11 many airlines responded to customer complaints about being packed in like sardines and changed the seating to be a little roomier. Have only flown American and Aloha Air, and both were comfortable. I wouldn’t care if I had a flatbed chair coming back since the flight I looked at left London around 11 a.m. to get back here to the U.S. in early afternoon. But going there the flight would leave here at 8:30 p.m. and it’d be *really* nice to actually get some sleep on the way over. (Didn’t get any sleep at all on the way back from Hawaii the two times I went. And developed the old crick in the neck from trying to sleep…..)

LOL! I'm not independently wealthy either Rune. Hmmmm.... maybe I should play Lotto more often. And heck, I'm not picky. Even 5K'd be nice to win.... that'd buy the flat bed ticket!

*offers Rune a choc-covered Jack* So how’d you say you got that upgrade again????

Yeah, last year we managed to get upgrades for our flight to london so we had business class seats that allowed us to lay down on the flight over which was 'wonderful'. Unfortunately we didn't get the upgrade on the way back, so it was much more crowded. My husband doesn't really mind because he's small so he can just roll himself up into a ball and be comfortable just about anywhere; however, being one who is of a larger frame and long legs, I hate most economy seats. My knees normally hit the seat in front of me which means in order to get comfortable I have to stick my legs under the seat in front of me and by the third-fourth hour of the journey my legs have fallen asleep and I can't feel them any longer. So I get to play that little get up every hour and stretch game or my legs cease to work properly.

I'll be crossing my fingers this year that we can manage to get upgrades again to business class, or maybe I'll just bite the bullet and purchase them.

[ForeverSg1]

Forever SG1- Here's a site to have a look at, it's a hotel in a lovely little town in the Scottish Borders, about 50 miles from Edinburgh. It's a beautiful area (I know, I live in it, lol), check it out, may be just what you're looking for.

Glenbank Hotel, Jedburgh

Oh, and the food is good, too *grin*.

Thanks... I'll check it out!

[SEREN LWCH (MAL)]

209 DAYS TO GO !!!!!!!!!!!!

[scarimor]

ForeverSG1, York is a good place to go, perhaps. You could go up the east coast train route and take in York on your way to Scotland. It's good for the historical stuff for you chap, and an advantage is that because it's the classic medieval-shaped city everything you want to see and do is very close together (i.e. inside the confines of the medieval walls).

Some attractions:

• York Minster http://www.yorkminster.org/
• Barley Hall http://www.yorkarchaeology.co.uk/barley/barley.htm
• Castle Museum http://www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk/
• Jorvik Viking Centre (York is a Viking city, like Dublin. "Jorvik" is the earlier name) http://www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/trialsplash2.htm

The Hole in the Wall had good Yorkshire food the last time I was there:
http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs..._the_Wall/York

York also has the York Dungeon, which is a very tourisity thing and more for the kids but good for a laugh. York has a nice ambience and plenty of Bed & Breakfasts to stay in. The general sitting around in pubs stuff is good, and old streets like the Shambles are great for browsing.

Examples of other historic cities with train stations are Norwich, Lincoln, Chester, Carlisle.

If your chap's into castles, he could look at Northumbria's various offerings before going into Scotland. Or go right in the other direction and check out Edward I's monstrosities in Wales - out of the way though.

You might find these links useful in general:
http://www.ukattraction.com
http://www.tourist-information-uk.com/

[ForeverSg1]

ForeverSG1, York is a good place to go, perhaps. You could go up the east coast train route and take in York on your way to Scotland. It's good for the historical stuff for you chap, and an advantage is that because it's the classic medieval-shaped city everything you want to see and do is very close together (i.e. inside the confines of the medieval walls).

Some attractions:

• York Minster http://www.yorkminster.org/
• Barley Hall http://www.yorkarchaeology.co.uk/barley/barley.htm
• Castle Museum http://www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk/
• Jorvik Viking Centre (York is a Viking city, like Dublin. "Jorvik" is the earlier name) http://www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/trialsplash2.htm

The Hole in the Wall had good Yorkshire food the last time I was there:
http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs..._the_Wall/York

York also has the York Dungeon, which is a very tourisity thing and more for the kids but good for a laugh. York has a nice ambience and plenty of Bed & Breakfasts to stay in. The general sitting around in pubs stuff is good, and old streets like the Shambles are great for browsing.

Examples of other historic cities with train stations are Norwich, Lincoln, Chester, Carlisle.

If your chap's into castles, he could look at Northumbria's various offerings before going into Scotland. Or go right in the other direction and check out Edward I's monstrosities in Wales - out of the way though.

You might find these links useful in general:
http://www.ukattraction.com
http://www.tourist-information-uk.com/

Sweet! Thanks for the info!