randy_byers | Countdown to lift-off

I'm slowly checking things off the long To Do List in preparation for the big trip. Next Saturday I'm flying to Amsterdam, where I'll meet my sister and mom. We'll spend a couple of days in Amsterdam, then with the help of a friend of my sister's who's acting as our guide and sherpa, we're driving to eastern France, just outside of Nancy. This is an ancestral homeland, and we've been there once before, although I don't think my sister was with us that time. Not that I feel a particular sense of connection with the area myself, but Mom does, and we're taking her there for her 80th birthday.

We'll spend a few days wandering around the French countryside, then I'm taking the Eurostar to London while the rest of them head to Switzerland (which is another ancestral, i.e. Mennonite, homeland). I'll be staying chez Fishlifter for three nights, exploring cutting edge London pubs with the Reverend Jim and Pingopark. Then, of course, it's off to the Docklands for the crawling chaos that is Worldcon. This looks to be a huge one, too. Because it's in fricking London! Woohoo!

I return to Seattle on Monday the 18th.

I'm getting excited. I'll be even more excited once I've whittled this List down to size.