Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The Final Countdown
29 Aug 2012
The success of any holiday can be easily judged by how much you don't want to go home, and whether you wish you could stay where you are for ever. For me, on your typical two week sun, sea, sand and errmm, sangria holiday, I have a great time for ten days but am quite happy to go home by the time the final day arrives. You're craving a decent cup of tea, a Naga curry and any meal that doesn't come with chips. With every holiday I've ever been on to Florida however, I've had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the airport to make me leave, and I've then have been depressed for months after. This holiday will be no exception. I've spent three weeks with the people I love more than anyone else in the world, in the place I love more than anywhere else and had the best time I've ever had - ever. This is going to be a right bugger... :-(
We reach the final day and we're determined to go out with a bang. Some of the gang are up at Dawn's crack and out photographing the local wildlife, including woodpeckers, dragonflies and spiders. It's only revealed to us much later that the funny looking spider Conor was prodding in its web to "get a better picture" was, in fact a Latrodectus Geometricus, or the Brown Widow......a spider with venom twice as potent as a Black Widow - seriously, only Conor Morris......
With Master Morris somehow having managed to not get himself hospitalised, we decided on Hollywood Studios for our final day. We just have to do Star Tours again, the best ride, or maybe the most surprising, of the holiday. And it surprises us again, by being a completely different film from last time, so a whole new ride! When we crash and the front of another ship punches through our windshield and stops millimetres from our noses we're all screaming and laughing at the same time. Absolute classic.
We also make a second trip on the Rock 'n' Rolla but due to back issues for some of our party it's only Shark Bait, Coaster Buddy and myself who go 0-60 in two seconds again, which of course is equal to big grins all round.
We also manage an excellent Stunt man challenge show, all explosions, back to front car stunts and blokes on fire - what's not to like?
Muppets 3D gets another visit and is still excellent, and we actually queue up for the best photo opportunity of the holiday so far with Tigger and Eyore. Seriously, this is better than meeting royalty. Expect to see this picture on a fridge near you soon.
We head home for a last swim in the pool and then off for our last night in my favourite place in the world - Celebration - and another meal in the Tavern. We manage to stuff down large steaks and copious amounts of booze but, to be honest, our hearts aren't in it, with it being the real final night and all. We've had an amazing time here, and I know we're all thinking the same thing - will we ever make it back here again as the same group of friends in the future? Three years is a long time. All I know is that I've had the best holiday of my life, with the best friends anyone could hope for, and if we ever all make it back here together it will be a massive bonus which will no doubt top this one for fun, but if not, what an amazing bunch of memories this holiday has given us all to enjoy for years to come. We head home tired, but full of brilliant memories, and if this is the last time we manage to do this together, it's always going to be something we never forget. It's really been a blast.
The success of any holiday can be easily judged by how much you don't want to go home, and whether you wish you could stay where you are for ever. For me, on your typical two week sun, sea, sand and errmm, sangria holiday, I have a great time for ten days but am quite happy to go home by the time the final day arrives. You're craving a decent cup of tea, a Naga curry and any meal that doesn't come with chips. With every holiday I've ever been on to Florida however, I've had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the airport to make me leave, and I've then have been depressed for months after. This holiday will be no exception. I've spent three weeks with the people I love more than anyone else in the world, in the place I love more than anywhere else and had the best time I've ever had - ever. This is going to be a right bugger... :-(
We reach the final day and we're determined to go out with a bang. Some of the gang are up at Dawn's crack and out photographing the local wildlife, including woodpeckers, dragonflies and spiders. It's only revealed to us much later that the funny looking spider Conor was prodding in its web to "get a better picture" was, in fact a Latrodectus Geometricus, or the Brown Widow......a spider with venom twice as potent as a Black Widow - seriously, only Conor Morris......
With Master Morris somehow having managed to not get himself hospitalised, we decided on Hollywood Studios for our final day. We just have to do Star Tours again, the best ride, or maybe the most surprising, of the holiday. And it surprises us again, by being a completely different film from last time, so a whole new ride! When we crash and the front of another ship punches through our windshield and stops millimetres from our noses we're all screaming and laughing at the same time. Absolute classic.
We also make a second trip on the Rock 'n' Rolla but due to back issues for some of our party it's only Shark Bait, Coaster Buddy and myself who go 0-60 in two seconds again, which of course is equal to big grins all round.
We also manage an excellent Stunt man challenge show, all explosions, back to front car stunts and blokes on fire - what's not to like?
Muppets 3D gets another visit and is still excellent, and we actually queue up for the best photo opportunity of the holiday so far with Tigger and Eyore. Seriously, this is better than meeting royalty. Expect to see this picture on a fridge near you soon.
We head home for a last swim in the pool and then off for our last night in my favourite place in the world - Celebration - and another meal in the Tavern. We manage to stuff down large steaks and copious amounts of booze but, to be honest, our hearts aren't in it, with it being the real final night and all. We've had an amazing time here, and I know we're all thinking the same thing - will we ever make it back here again as the same group of friends in the future? Three years is a long time. All I know is that I've had the best holiday of my life, with the best friends anyone could hope for, and if we ever all make it back here together it will be a massive bonus which will no doubt top this one for fun, but if not, what an amazing bunch of memories this holiday has given us all to enjoy for years to come. We head home tired, but full of brilliant memories, and if this is the last time we manage to do this together, it's always going to be something we never forget. It's really been a blast.
Monday, November 26, 2012
And now the end is near.....
Tuesday 28th Aug
The head games of holidays ending really do kick in when you get to to half way round the final lap and the winning line is in sight. You keep saying, we've got all day tomorrow, but we can't stay up late then, as we're travelling the next day, so really today is the last day we can really go for it. That's cock, it's not your last day, tomorrow is, stop the wining and get on with enjoying yourself, Thursday will take care of itself!! Except of course, two minutes later you're back to square now......
We're on the home stretch proper now and having had a lie in, we head off the the drizzling rain to Magic Kingdom, for what will no doubt be our last visit for a long while, so we need to get those rides done that have eluded us so far. And so with Bat Capes in place we march on through the rain and head off for the middle of Disney, but there is a problem. Despite the rain, the place is packed solid and there's no chance of getting anywhere near anything we want to go on. Balls! So we cut our losses, grab a quick bite to eat and then catch the monorail round to Epcot and pay our first visit in 25 years to the giant golf ball that dominates the Park's skyline....
The ride contained inside is okayish I suppose - a sort of trip through communications from Cavemen to today, it's not a thrill ride, but does pass twenty minutes out of the rain.
We move on a do a couple of other rides but everyone is knackered so the best choice is go shopping in the massive Disney store before going home and getting sorted for tonight.
And it's here that one of the abiding memories of the holiday happens. As we wander around we wonder where Conor has gone, but he's found standing in a queue buying, no doubt, his 100th keyring of the holiday. However, when he leaves the queue, he comes up to me and gives me a bag. "this is for you" he announces. WTF? I open it up, and pull out a Tigger that he's got me for no other reason than because....I quite literally have to turn round and walk out of the store before I start crying.
Where this sudden altruistic streak has come from we'll never know, probably the same place as his sudden preference for broccoli over chips, but it was more than welcome, and means I'll have to be nice to the little bugger for life now - with maybe the odd accidental dig in the ribs being acceptable. All I did was buy him him a bloody pillow for God's sake!
After such an emotional day the only thing suitable to eat is meat. An as it's our last (STOP IT!) night there's only one place to go - Outback. Massive steaks and copious amounts of alcohol are all that can beat the holiday blues, so both are consumed in large quantities.
In the cab on the way back the cabbie comments that we really like that restaurant, before turning to me and saying "Is it because you like James?" Much hilarity ensues....
We spend a very pleasant afters drinking wine and playing the Logos quiz on the iPad, listening to Train and drinking more wine, belying the fact we were all tired earlier, and not managing to get the younger travelers off to bed till 12.30! Shows what not last night last night adrenaline can do to the body.
And so it's to bed feeling very chilled and mellow, and looking forward to actual last day tomorrow, although there's always that nagging feeling......
The head games of holidays ending really do kick in when you get to to half way round the final lap and the winning line is in sight. You keep saying, we've got all day tomorrow, but we can't stay up late then, as we're travelling the next day, so really today is the last day we can really go for it. That's cock, it's not your last day, tomorrow is, stop the wining and get on with enjoying yourself, Thursday will take care of itself!! Except of course, two minutes later you're back to square now......
We're on the home stretch proper now and having had a lie in, we head off the the drizzling rain to Magic Kingdom, for what will no doubt be our last visit for a long while, so we need to get those rides done that have eluded us so far. And so with Bat Capes in place we march on through the rain and head off for the middle of Disney, but there is a problem. Despite the rain, the place is packed solid and there's no chance of getting anywhere near anything we want to go on. Balls! So we cut our losses, grab a quick bite to eat and then catch the monorail round to Epcot and pay our first visit in 25 years to the giant golf ball that dominates the Park's skyline....
The ride contained inside is okayish I suppose - a sort of trip through communications from Cavemen to today, it's not a thrill ride, but does pass twenty minutes out of the rain.
We move on a do a couple of other rides but everyone is knackered so the best choice is go shopping in the massive Disney store before going home and getting sorted for tonight.
And it's here that one of the abiding memories of the holiday happens. As we wander around we wonder where Conor has gone, but he's found standing in a queue buying, no doubt, his 100th keyring of the holiday. However, when he leaves the queue, he comes up to me and gives me a bag. "this is for you" he announces. WTF? I open it up, and pull out a Tigger that he's got me for no other reason than because....I quite literally have to turn round and walk out of the store before I start crying.
Where this sudden altruistic streak has come from we'll never know, probably the same place as his sudden preference for broccoli over chips, but it was more than welcome, and means I'll have to be nice to the little bugger for life now - with maybe the odd accidental dig in the ribs being acceptable. All I did was buy him him a bloody pillow for God's sake!
After such an emotional day the only thing suitable to eat is meat. An as it's our last (STOP IT!) night there's only one place to go - Outback. Massive steaks and copious amounts of alcohol are all that can beat the holiday blues, so both are consumed in large quantities.
In the cab on the way back the cabbie comments that we really like that restaurant, before turning to me and saying "Is it because you like James?" Much hilarity ensues....
We spend a very pleasant afters drinking wine and playing the Logos quiz on the iPad, listening to Train and drinking more wine, belying the fact we were all tired earlier, and not managing to get the younger travelers off to bed till 12.30! Shows what not last night last night adrenaline can do to the body.
And so it's to bed feeling very chilled and mellow, and looking forward to actual last day tomorrow, although there's always that nagging feeling......
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Major Depression Arriving
To sleep perchance to dream....not bloody likely! Hurricanes are like Florida holidays, you only go on one every three years and then one turns up. Last time it lashed down on St Pete's every time we stuck our noses out the door, but this time it's a full on evacuation and every man for themselves - Jesus these Yanks need to grow a backbone.
Any chance of sleeping tonight has been sucked out of me by two things - wind and fear - it's amazing how often those two things go together - as Hurricane Isaac hits Orlando with all the force of a baseball bat against the skull of a of a small mammal. The rain against our window sounds biblical and that's with a screen around the pool in the way - it's completely epic.
Once sun rises, which in the circumstances is a relative term, we make plans for a day stuck in by deciding to go to the supermarket and stock up on essentials, batten down the hatches, and eat and drink ourselves into a stupor while the storm rages outside. So it is that me and Moz find ourselves in a monsoon outside Winn Dixie with a shopping list that consists of very few words - lunch and cheesecake. This is probably the greatest shopping list of all time as far as I'm concerned.
As we enter the store though, a sort of eerie calm settles around us to balance out the raging storm outside. We're approached by a spotty youth with a bad bri-nylon suit and badge declaring him to be assistant under manager of cheese. "Hello!!" he declaims, you're our first customers of the day!" it's 10.30......
Anyway, we purchase provisions including the "World's Largest Cheesecake Officially Sold For Under Ten Bucks" and head off home......
Except...
Well, you see there's a Harley Davison showroom on our way back, and although I'm petrified of motorbikes more than just about anything else, I do think their products are automotive beauty unsurpassed. I resist buying a beautiful metallic orange..... errmmm, well motorbike, and instead plump for a bright orange Harley T-Shirt instead, figuring I'm far less likely to kill my self wearing a T-Shirt than riding a 1,200 CC hog.
Surprisingly after a lunch of meat and bread, we're delighted to find that the weather clears and so hastily make arrangements to go out for the day. And universally we decide Universal is the destination. Unfortunately Mr M has woken up with a fucked back so it is once again down to Madame Caitlin Olivia Denny Morris Fenty to hold up the family end and ride the coasters with the Robertson contingent. The Rocket is mastered again, as is Despicable Me, with the wimps and injured riding on the pensioner's seats, and ET, which, to be fair is beyond shit and on it's way to fucking awful even as we queue.
And so it's back to the house to eat, as we thought we'd be housebound all day. I would quite happily have gone out but we have bought enough grub to support a small Army, and so the evening ends with Marco Polo nosh all round and finishing as many previously open bottles of wines as is possible. Considering we were supposed to be evacuated coz of the storm, I seem to think that this has turned out to be a reasonably succesful day.
Any chance of sleeping tonight has been sucked out of me by two things - wind and fear - it's amazing how often those two things go together - as Hurricane Isaac hits Orlando with all the force of a baseball bat against the skull of a of a small mammal. The rain against our window sounds biblical and that's with a screen around the pool in the way - it's completely epic.
Once sun rises, which in the circumstances is a relative term, we make plans for a day stuck in by deciding to go to the supermarket and stock up on essentials, batten down the hatches, and eat and drink ourselves into a stupor while the storm rages outside. So it is that me and Moz find ourselves in a monsoon outside Winn Dixie with a shopping list that consists of very few words - lunch and cheesecake. This is probably the greatest shopping list of all time as far as I'm concerned.
Anyway, we purchase provisions including the "World's Largest Cheesecake Officially Sold For Under Ten Bucks" and head off home......
Except...
Well, you see there's a Harley Davison showroom on our way back, and although I'm petrified of motorbikes more than just about anything else, I do think their products are automotive beauty unsurpassed. I resist buying a beautiful metallic orange..... errmmm, well motorbike, and instead plump for a bright orange Harley T-Shirt instead, figuring I'm far less likely to kill my self wearing a T-Shirt than riding a 1,200 CC hog.
Surprisingly after a lunch of meat and bread, we're delighted to find that the weather clears and so hastily make arrangements to go out for the day. And universally we decide Universal is the destination. Unfortunately Mr M has woken up with a fucked back so it is once again down to Madame Caitlin Olivia Denny Morris Fenty to hold up the family end and ride the coasters with the Robertson contingent. The Rocket is mastered again, as is Despicable Me, with the wimps and injured riding on the pensioner's seats, and ET, which, to be fair is beyond shit and on it's way to fucking awful even as we queue.
And so it's back to the house to eat, as we thought we'd be housebound all day. I would quite happily have gone out but we have bought enough grub to support a small Army, and so the evening ends with Marco Polo nosh all round and finishing as many previously open bottles of wines as is possible. Considering we were supposed to be evacuated coz of the storm, I seem to think that this has turned out to be a reasonably succesful day.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Out for a bite......
There comes a point in every holiday when instead of just getting on and enjoying it, you start to focus more and more on the mechanics of getting home. Rather than looking forward to revisiting your favourite parks and restaurants, you're thinking about packing, passport location and the weight of your suitcases. Instead of thinking about more brilliant places to go and visit, you're thinking about flights, that bottle of milk in the fridge and whether you left the gas on. Today is that day - and I fucking hate it.....
The problem with Mosquitos the size of jumbo jets and small boys who want to get a look at them is this - you're going to get landed on by one of the buggers at some point, and those fuckers bite....And so today starts with yet another visit to the pharmacy across the road, a place we have visited so often on this holiday that they know us by name and have issued us with loyalty cards. This time it's for Lisa who has come up with bites the size of two pound coins that itch like a bastard. They issue her with thick black tights to stop the scratching and industrial strength anti-histamines -- may cause drowsiness -
which to be honest isn't really so much being a chemist as being a stater of the bleedin' obvious.
We're back to Hollywood studios today, so it's more of the Rock 'n' Roller, Star Tours, Indianan Jones, Little Mermaid - I'm sure SOMEONE was crying during this - Beauty and the Beast and the Movies show. Not bad for a day of rain due to Hurricane Isaac, a storm that brought so much rain during the B&TB show that I'm sure that one of the guys signing the it for deaf people actually signed "fuck me, we're all going to die...!!" at one point. Actually, during the Movies Tour ride we all wished we had died as it was so fucking shite, I think It's a Small World may now be only the second worst ride I've ever done in my life.
Balancing this out however, and with special mention as ride of the holiday, is the Star Tours Ride. A 3D simulated coaster ride, you play the role of escaping rebel scum (actually, that was mainly Lisa in her first starring role on the big screen) in a spaceship piloted by none other than C3PO, and must evade Darth Vader's clutches and hyperspace it to safety across the galaxy. I must admit to being a bit sceptical at first as to whether the ride could live up to episodes IV-VI - you know, all Millennium Falcon, clashing light sabres and "these are not the droids you are looking for" and be more like 1-3 - lessons in politics, an annoying little git with "Midiclorians" in his blood and a Laser Sword (Seriously, what the fuck?), and the most annoying cunt ever to appear on the screen, Jars Jars Binks.
Fortunately it was the former. It is a ride that not just Star Wars fans should not to miss, but anyone who likes a good ride (ahem..) should make this top of their list for a twosie, you're definitely going to want to do it more than once. Like any good ride I suppose......
As is the rule towards the arse end of a holiday, visiting new restaurants is a no no. What if you end up in another Buffalo Wild Wings instead of an Outback or Bobby Rubino's? Evening wasted. So it's with great pleasure we find ourselves back at Red Lobster. This is a very popular spot, and like most Yankee restaurants doesn't take reservations so, you turn up, tell them you're here and sit on a bench for an hour looking on enviously at all the people sitting down and having steaming platters of seafood brought to their tables by smiling waiters*. However there is a trick. If you phone up, and get told "We don't take reservations" you do get put on a priority list that gets you the first table big enough for your party after you arrive. The look on the faces of the sad fuckers,who just turned up on spec and are sitting on the really uncomfortable wooden benches, as we are whisked to the bar for a cheeky apéritif or two before dinner is priceless. We do have a good chuckle about it you know.
Actually, it's a night for making the most of it as Isaac is going to hit us with it's full force tomorrow and this could well be the last supper. So it's fist sized scallops, jumbo shrimp and mahoosive lobsters all round, washed down with pints of wine and gallons of beer. A right royal night is had by all and if we do meet our maker under a pile of rubble in the middle of the night, I can think of no finer send off than today!
*smiling waiters not necessarily available....
The problem with Mosquitos the size of jumbo jets and small boys who want to get a look at them is this - you're going to get landed on by one of the buggers at some point, and those fuckers bite....And so today starts with yet another visit to the pharmacy across the road, a place we have visited so often on this holiday that they know us by name and have issued us with loyalty cards. This time it's for Lisa who has come up with bites the size of two pound coins that itch like a bastard. They issue her with thick black tights to stop the scratching and industrial strength anti-histamines -- may cause drowsiness -
which to be honest isn't really so much being a chemist as being a stater of the bleedin' obvious.
We're back to Hollywood studios today, so it's more of the Rock 'n' Roller, Star Tours, Indianan Jones, Little Mermaid - I'm sure SOMEONE was crying during this - Beauty and the Beast and the Movies show. Not bad for a day of rain due to Hurricane Isaac, a storm that brought so much rain during the B&TB show that I'm sure that one of the guys signing the it for deaf people actually signed "fuck me, we're all going to die...!!" at one point. Actually, during the Movies Tour ride we all wished we had died as it was so fucking shite, I think It's a Small World may now be only the second worst ride I've ever done in my life.
Balancing this out however, and with special mention as ride of the holiday, is the Star Tours Ride. A 3D simulated coaster ride, you play the role of escaping rebel scum (actually, that was mainly Lisa in her first starring role on the big screen) in a spaceship piloted by none other than C3PO, and must evade Darth Vader's clutches and hyperspace it to safety across the galaxy. I must admit to being a bit sceptical at first as to whether the ride could live up to episodes IV-VI - you know, all Millennium Falcon, clashing light sabres and "these are not the droids you are looking for" and be more like 1-3 - lessons in politics, an annoying little git with "Midiclorians" in his blood and a Laser Sword (Seriously, what the fuck?), and the most annoying cunt ever to appear on the screen, Jars Jars Binks.
Fortunately it was the former. It is a ride that not just Star Wars fans should not to miss, but anyone who likes a good ride (ahem..) should make this top of their list for a twosie, you're definitely going to want to do it more than once. Like any good ride I suppose......
As is the rule towards the arse end of a holiday, visiting new restaurants is a no no. What if you end up in another Buffalo Wild Wings instead of an Outback or Bobby Rubino's? Evening wasted. So it's with great pleasure we find ourselves back at Red Lobster. This is a very popular spot, and like most Yankee restaurants doesn't take reservations so, you turn up, tell them you're here and sit on a bench for an hour looking on enviously at all the people sitting down and having steaming platters of seafood brought to their tables by smiling waiters*. However there is a trick. If you phone up, and get told "We don't take reservations" you do get put on a priority list that gets you the first table big enough for your party after you arrive. The look on the faces of the sad fuckers,who just turned up on spec and are sitting on the really uncomfortable wooden benches, as we are whisked to the bar for a cheeky apéritif or two before dinner is priceless. We do have a good chuckle about it you know.
Actually, it's a night for making the most of it as Isaac is going to hit us with it's full force tomorrow and this could well be the last supper. So it's fist sized scallops, jumbo shrimp and mahoosive lobsters all round, washed down with pints of wine and gallons of beer. A right royal night is had by all and if we do meet our maker under a pile of rubble in the middle of the night, I can think of no finer send off than today!
*smiling waiters not necessarily available....
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
Repeat when Necessary
Saturday 24/8
Sometimes you have that feeling of “the morning after the night before” without having had the night before. A feeling of both remembering the fun you had, and that come down feeling of regret that the fun of the night before is done…..and all you have to toast it by is a hangover, either literal or figurative……..
It’s an odd day today, after the drama of exam results a couple of days ago, and the huge anticipation of Daytona Beach
We’ve had a lie in and are all a bit unsure what to do next. So, there’s really only one thing to do – head off to Celebration and the Market Street Café and massive brunch alert. Really, if you’re going to make plans for the day it’s best done over a pint of Orange Juice and a three egg omelette. It seems that the consensus is a return to Universal Studios for some more wizarding action. But first a visit to the most mahoosive Nike Store on the planet is in order.
It’s odd then, that in such a big store, neither myself nor Coaster Buddy can find what we want. CBs trainers don’t seem top exist here, and my simple request for a Nike Fuel Band thank you very much is met with blank stares. “Hey dude, the watches are all over there” is the closet I get to a reply from some stoner who is apparently Assistant Under Manager. Well, with his keen eye for a possible sale, he never very likely to be over anybody is he?
And so on to Universal Studios and one of my favourite rides of all time – The Hulk. Decked out in its bright green livery, and towering over a whole section of the park it is indeed an impressive sight, and an even better ride. Last time we waited over an hour and a half to have the bejesus scared out of us due to a technical fault, but this time a mere five minutes passes before we are strapped in and ready to go. And it is good. Having persuaded CB to ride with us this time, the scream ratio is high. The ride goes from standstill to upside down in like one second and there are seven inversions and a seemingly endless plunge into a smoke filled tunnel still to come – big grins all round then!
We then go off to queue for Olivander’s Wand Shop, which sounded good – but which was, quite frankly, fucking shite. Don’t waste your time – no honestly, really don’t. I’ve seen more convincing stuff at Bembom Brother’s in Margate
That is put behind us as we go and ride the main Harry Potter attraction again; even better the second time, and a much shorter queue. The trick here? Go in the afternoon, coz it’s the first thing everyone tries to do when they first get to the park. See what we did there?
Next up is another favourite from our previous trip, the 3D Spiderman ride. Lisa and Conor missed it last time so it’s good to have a full house this time around. They’ve updated it since we were last here – and it’s even more hair-singe-tastic. The drops are stomach churning, and the effects are superb, a must every time you go!
We’ve been worried about Caitlin’s poorly foot all day and as we head off towards the evening she’s in obvious distress. But trooper that she is, she’s man’s up and we head off to the Hard Rock Café - the biggest one in the world dontcha know? – and for one of the treats of the holiday.
Imagine you just been dropped into the middle of the film Rock of Ages. That’s what Universal’s Hard Rock Café is like. All spandex, 80’s hair and screaming guitar solos. It’s amazing the staff have time to serve you food. And the building itself is just brilliant. There’s a huge pink Cadillac spinning from the ceiling, rock memorabilia everywhere, and the sound track to my youth is playing in the background. Sore feet and tired legs are immediately forgotten and we order up a banquet fit for a fat American. We then stand up and sing along to Warrant’s Cherry Pie as if it’s the most normal thing to do in the world – and why shouldn’t it be?
The food is excellent and quite frankly I could sit here all night singing along and drinking pints of Sam but unfortunately I have to drive everyone home, but that fine. A day that started on a bit of a downer has ended on a huge high, and all with minimal planning.
