My London Trip to the prizewinner's bash

[JamesMcVean]

Maybe I should have titled this thread -

PLANES TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES!!!

We set off from the toon at 9am and got a great run down to Inverness…stopped off at the big Tesco on the Aberdeen road. Then we made our way to the Airport, making sure we arrived about 1pm…we left the motor at the longstay carpark and dragged the overfill suitcase to the airport an annoying quarter mile of road and through the short stay carpark!!! Where was the courtesy bus??!!

As we were checking in, the guy at the desk said – I am sorry to tell you there is going to be a half hour delay on the departure because of the French Airtraffic Controllers going on strike…grrrr….oh well..I thought – Ten to Three take off meant arriving in Luton at twenty past four…still loads of time to get into the city and find the hotel and change into my kilt!!

We settled down for a lunch at the airport when a further announcement said that there was a further delay to the flight!!!! A terrible sinking feeling filled me with dread…
It turned out that the flight ended up leaving Inverness at 4PM!!!!!! We landed and picked up our bag by 530PM…and the Party was due to begin at 630!!!!!!!!!

I desperately asked a foreign taxi driver how long it would take to get to Regent Street, and he had to get an interpreter to tell me that it would take between an hour to an hour and a half!!! (Bloody Hell I thought - though it was far worse a swear than I would be allowed on here)
Managed to catch a bus to the Luton Train station, then had to wait a further 20 mins for the train to St Pancras International Station….a trip of 25 mins….We made it to the HUGEST building I have ever visited….You could fit the Eastgate in a corner!!! LOL

Took a few mins to find the nearest taxi rank and got a swift ride to the Hotel….by now I had resigned myself to the fact that we would be fashionably late…We got to the hotel by 635pm….and began to change into our glad rags…As we were getting ready, my mobile rang and it was one of the lassies from the BBC asking if we were still coming….I said we would be there in half an hour!!

We made it in 20 mins…

On arriving at the venue. – 28Portland Place…this is the first time I have been to a place that has no name!! It is just an address??!! Weird eh?
http://www.28portlandplace.co.uk/
We were greeted by a very enthusiastic BBC girl…Nadia…she shushed us up the posh stairs into a room filled with half drunk prize winning writers…the lucky so and so’s had been making full use of the Free Bar for the last 50 Mins!! There was also a really posh mini buffet too, but it was just with waiters walking around with trays of mini bites and things...but yummy nonetheless...

I caught the last 10 Mins of Vanessa Feltz speech congratulating us all on our tales…and she read a couple of them…She really comes across well at an event like this, and is not at all the way she is repersented on TV and in the press....surprisingly LOL

Here is a link to the BBC site where you can read all the winning entries…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/raw/beinspired/...winners1.shtml

There were 40 odd winners by only 18 made it into the book….Mine was one of the (BIG SMILE)

I mixed and mingled with as many peeps as possible, handing out printed cards with my details and books printed on…and met a couple of successful authors and influential book types…who took cards from me too!!

I was delighted and amazed by the female attention I got by wearing a kilt!! I had to pose for SEVERAL photos...lol I have been told that I will get copies of them via email and if they are not too embarrasing I will post one, as and when it arrives...

I did a fair bit of catching up on the free bevy and by 930pm everyone was starting to disperse…so we went for a meal…it is funny eating a sit down dinner at 10pm!!! But the place was heaving!!!

The next day we went on a tour of the BBC Studios…it was superb!! Well worth a look if you go down there….Spent the afternoon shopping and finding our way around the amazing streets of London (They are NOT paved with Gold, by the way!!)

We ate in a nice restaurant before walking all the way to the bottom of the Strand to the Pavilion Theatre and watched the "Lion King" show,,,it was truly breathtaking!!! We walked all the way back to the top of Regent Street at 1015 and I was delighted to notice that there really was a Cosmopolitan Atmosphere…

The strangest thing were the Rickshaws!! Yep dudes were hankering to cycle you around the city!!
I never felt threatened or Ill at ease once whilst walking…and would heartily recommend a trip there…

I think copies of the Book are going to be sent to the Library...not sure if it is going to be for sale as the Beeb cannot be seen to be making a profit or something...that was what the lassie said anyway...Strange...

All the best and thanks for reading...

James

[Margaret M.]

Darned annoying when your plans go awry because of delays. Glad you caught the tail end of it and it sounds like it was a great time. Well done, James!

[JamesMcVean]

Margaret...The annoying thing was - I was going to take the 12noon flight but the trip was set up(and paid for) by the Beeb...So I suppose I cannot complain...I did have a great trip, right enough...It was good for the two of us to get away together alone...with the kids distributed to relatives...lol

James

[brokencross]

Well done. Glad you enjoyed the experience, despite your travel woes. Blooming French air traffic controllers.

[trinkie]

Looks like you had a great day in the end. Put the rest down to experience. Perhaps there's a book there somewhere !

Again - Well done, keep up the good work.

Trinkie

[Liz]

Glad you had a great time despite the shaky start.

Here's hoping something good comes from the contacts you made and well done again on your success.

[unicorn]

Glad you both had a great time James and the important thing is that you made it cute little story, you pinkie

[ciderally]

glad you both had a good time...after all the panic...

[JamesMcVean]

Thanks all

It certainly was a day to remember...lol

I would like to go back under less stressful conditions...Nicola, my wife has 5 blisters on her feet after all the walking we did...we walked from the North end of Regent Street to the Lyceium Theatre...and back again...the wee map I got with the tickets only shows the main roads and not all the sidestreets...but it seems that every 2nd person has a map in are craning their necks to see the street names on the huge buildings...lol

That was one thing that will stick with me too...the buildings down there were lovely...some regal and majestic...others just old lol from our hotel window you could almost imagine Mary Poppins flitting across the rooftops with her umberella...so many roofs...

Thank You - Unicorn - Pinkie indeed lol


James

[trinkie]

There once was a fellow whose Book
Won a prize, so doon sooth he took
Means of transport so various
Saw sights quite hilarious
He'll go back for another look !


I love London too.
Trinkie

[JamesMcVean]

nice one Trinkie

Oh By the way - 1 Gin and Tonic & 1 Pint of Guinness in a Bar in London - £11.50 !!!!!!!!!!!

Very Expensive for food and Drink!!

LOL

James

[Valerie Campbell]

Glad you enjoyed it anyway. Congrats again and keep writing!! Roll over JK...

[Boozeburglar]

Dude, glad your trip went well, congrats! Sounds like you had a spiffing time.

For anyone who might be put off a trip to the greatest city on earth, a Wetherspoon's is never more than a few hundred yards away if you want reasonably priced grub and grog!

7 day Travelcards run at less than £5 a day for unlimited travel in Greater London, (bus hopping is a great way to see everything), and youth hostels/backpackers or cheap B&B deals can be had very reasonably, (£15 odd a night), making it a VERY cheap place to visit and do lots of things. There are so many FREE things available; with most of the major museums, etc. now FREE, and always loads of FREE music and such to enjoy. Check Time Out and you can find loads to do for FREE.

http://www.timeout.com/london/

Perhaps I should have added that in the recommendations section, but it seems appropriate for anyone who might be thinking London has to be expensive to visit. We all pay the taxes for the free museums, etc., so we should all feel free to visit them!

[JamesMcVean]

Thanks BB...

I intend to go back one day...with less dependancy on the travel...lol

You should have seen the size of the Borders Bookshop...4 floors!

Ended up getting 2 John Connolly Books and a World of Warcraft Master Guide...

Cheers

James

[AfternoonDelight]

I want a Rickshaw...

And someone to pull it!!

[Boozeburglar]

You should have seen the size of the Borders Bookshop...4 floors!

Oh God, WOW. I am never playing that, I have friends losing their lives to it!

Borders is great, really nice to relax in in all the hustle and bustle of the West End. And you can actually read a book off the shelf in there over the course of a few lunchtimes, they don't bother you!

[JamesMcVean]

BB

LOL my alter ego is Ulfenstein a Lv42 Paladin...and yes it does kinda take over!!