Oh hey, look at me trying to write this my trip in August at last!
Day 0 – Aug 14: travel to London. Uneventful day. And yes, I’m going day by day because that’s going to be the easiest way to describe this trip!!
Day 1 – Aug 15: St James Park, bookshops, Tavistock Square, Berwick St. This was a very long day of exploration! I can’t even remember how many miles Rainstorm and I walked. We visited the Bench (obviously), then walked up from St James Park to the Soho area. We found Hatchards and spend some time in there before lunch. After lunch, we went over to Gay’s the Word, then read a bit on the Other Bench in Tavistock Sq. Fascinatingly, the sticker we saw of Aziraphale and Crowley on the garbage can in Tavistock Sq last year was still there, still going strong. I’m astonished by how long it’s lasted. Eventually, we meandered down Berwick St and made our way around to the vegan place where we had dinner reservations. It was a lovely first day.
Day 2 – Aug 16: Brick Lane, Spitalfields. We stuck closer to home this day, heading a few blocks over to the Sunday market. We wandered both Brick Lane and Spitalfields, and I bought way too much because I always do, and we ate at the giant food hall in Spitalfields. At first, I didn’t find the empanada guy I loved so much last year, but after I ate my meal, I found him (he was set up in a side passage) and I got my empanada! I was ridiculously excited about that. Even though I’d already eaten.
Day 3 – Aug 17: Sky Garden, St Dunston’s, a jaunt down to southbank, the arrival of a friend. It was a day to hit up more spots we’ve already visited and loved. We started at St Dunston’s, just hanging out in the peaceful area and taking photos for a few hours. Then we moved on for a noon-ish reservation to eat at Sky Garden. Turns out the breakfast menu last year was better, but the a la carte wasn’t bad this year either. Spent some more time taking photos in the Garden, and then went back to the hotel until our f
riend from the Netherlands arrived. CS was staying at the same hotel as us, and after she had a few hours to settle in, the three of us walked south and crossed over the bridge to the southbank. We got Greek food for dinner and then made our way back to the hotel, where we had a few drinks to cap off the night.
Day 4 – Aug 18: St James Picnic, Banksy, Pride the Musical. While it seems like a lot was going on before this, this is where our itinerary actually started to get busy! Thankfully, we could get a slow start on this morning. All three of us (Rainstorm, CS, and me) took the bus down to the St James Park area. We meant to arrive early and do some other things, but the bus was rerouted and took three times as long as it should have to get us there. We were still a bit early, but we only had time to go look at the new Banksy statue before we headed over to the picnic area. One person had already arrived, so we all got things started. Soon, there were nearly three dozen folks sitting around to enjoy the GO world together.
This was my first time hanging out with a large group of GO people since the finale divided the fandom. I was a bit wary, but it turned out to be really nice. And it was lovely to see so many familiar faces again. When Ruby and Jo arrived, Rainstorm and I jumped up screaming to hug them both. They were two of the best friends we made last year, and it was sooooo good to see them again. There was also a great moment with a friend called Floofy. I took pictures of her in several different cosplays last year, and never realized it was the same person until much later – and I also didn’t connect her at all with her username on discord, so I started joking that she was a chameleon and I would never recognize her. She showed up at the picnic and I didn’t recognize her. Of course. It took like half an hour until she said something that made me realize who she was, and then I was like oh fuck, what did I do, and she cracked up laughing. She had decided to let the bit play out, and had been waiting for me to realize who she was . We both had a really good laugh about it and took a photo together.
After the picnic, Rainstorm and I walked down to the southbank with two others, Lin and Marsh, where we got some amazing Cuban food before heading over the the National Theatre area for Pride (the Musical). We met up with a bunch of others, though few of us were sitting near each other. The musical was absolutely brilliant and heartwrenching at the same time. Afterwards, our group got a big group photo in front of the Pride sign and then we all split up to head home long after midnight.
I think that’s where I’m going to leave this post. More to come hopefully soon!
