These posts in my past weekend have mostly been divided by day, but I’m going to go straight through until my flight home. Mostly because I was awake for all of it, so it certainly felt likened extremely long day.
Sunday was the Wales Comic Con, which I was planning to attend largely to meet one particular actor, but also because comics! How could I not go?
But the convention was in Wrexham, in North Wales. And as Leora can confirm, public transportation in the UK is…less than stellar on Sunday mornings.
So I had to catch the 8:13 train from Liverpool Lime Street station to Chester, where I had to switch trains to arrive in Wrexham by 9:38, which should be plenty of time to find the convention before 10 when it was due to open. I was worried about the change, but it all went off without a hitch and I even met two other girls on their way to the convention on the platform in Chester.
We walked to the con together and got on line and avoided being terrorized by the guy dressed as the alien from Alien. I met some more people in line, and during the day, and I spent a ridiculous amount of money all told. But it was brilliant.
There was a concert after the con, and it was due to end by 10. My original plan was to take a cab, which would cost me about £50. But one of the people I met called her mother and confirmed a train possibility. It was mildly crazy, but I booked a ticket.
So after the concert, the girl walked back with me to the train station, and I had to make a choice. I had to either go back to Chester, or back to Liverpool (where she was going). At either place I could catch a a train to the airport slightly past 3:30 in the morning. I had no idea which one to choose. So I rode the train with her to Liverpool so we could chat. Multiple people advised me to stick to Chester, as Liverpool has a bit of a shady reputation and Chester was just a nicer place. The train I was riding to Liverpool runs on a loop, and just before it pulled into Liverpool Lime Street, I decided to stay on to go back to Chester.
I don’t know if I made the right decision, but it was certainly adventurous. Chester is a cute, little station and I settled myself on a bench around midnight, daring myself to go as long as possible without digging out my snuggie for warmth.
Then a rail worker came over and said, “Miss? The station is closing.”
And I panicked. Clearly I made the wrong decision! I should have gone to Liverpool! I was going to spent the night on the streets of Chester!
But I calmly replied, “oh, no. I’m taking the 3:30 train.”
The gentleman seemed surprised, but he just warned me that they were closing the station and I would be unable to leave. Not a terrifying opening to a horror flick at all!
So I pulled out the book I bought at the convention and settled down again. Then Leora called from America. This was the best thing that could have happened. I had asked her to do it, but she was s total lifesaver. I was eventually kicked out of the main hall to the waiting room, which I would have gone to earlier if I had know of its existence, as it was much warmer. Leora and I spoke for about two and a half hours, which was probably the only reason I was still awake when the train platform was finally announced.
I rushed to the platform early. Normally, a train at the origin station will be open and ready to board a good fifteen minutes before it departs. This train unlocked the doors about 45 seconds before it was supposed to depart. You bet I panicked.
I had the whole railcar to myself, so I propped my head up on my bag and prepared to take a nap for the ride. Then the ticket guy came by to check my ticket.
There were two passengers on the train! We were locked in the station for over three hours to catch this train! I feel like any person who went through all of that to get on the train should just earn a freebie.
The rest of Monday was mostly a blur until 8. I staggered to the baggage check-in and stretched out and had a pretty restless sleep. Slightly before 8 I staggered vertical and queued in front of the counter. No way was I not going to be first, with a flight at 9:50.
I grabbed my bags and ran for terminal three, where I paid the nice AA people lots of money for my second bag, and then my overweight bag. Then I had a lovely dash through security and ran right on to the plane, which had already started boarding. My plan had been to buy chocolate at some point, but at the time I was lucky to remember where I stuck ky boarding pass.
I did have some great sleeping time on the flight, as well as an unexpected amount of food. And my mother came to pick me up, which was amazing, as I was not really ready for public transportation with two giant suitcases and a some pretty heavy carry-ons.
After finally getting a shower, and then a haircut, I got to dress up for my brother’s graduation, which was the entire reason for my whole crazy sleepless train-dash early morning flight. It was lovely, and I even managed to take some pictures on my cell phone. And then I crashed.
But like I said, weekend of awesome. Everything worked out!
