Waking up at 6am is no easy task (at least for me anyway), but that was the time required to slumber out of bed and begin the daylong trek to one of the biggest cities in the world, London.
The four adventurers consisted of My Mom, Uncle, Auntie, and yours truly. We arrived at the central train station at a relativity good time, with the train arriving promptly at 7:50.
Since the railways were running under construction, delays were encountered with the estimated travel time taking double the length.
The 3 hour trip turned out to be quite pleasant with no trouble.
Here are a few pics of the journey as we trotted through the beautiful countryside:
We arrived at the London Marylebone train station at about 11.
We had ample time to head over to the comic store, Forbidden Planet. One of finest fantasy artists, Simon Bisley, was going to be holding a signing session for a upcoming comic (John Constantine), along with the writer at the store. We just knew it was an opportunity we couldn't miss.
We took a deep breath and submerged into the madness of what is called the London Underground. Anyone who's taken the underground knows how chaotic and unhygienic it can be, and this time was no different.
Here's a quick clip my auntie filmed as we descended into the underground:
After what seemed like hours of enduring the bottleneck pressure of the crowded subway, we finally arrived at Leicester Square. The polluted air of central London seemed so clean and refreshing in comparison to the sweltering nature of the underground.
We first headed towards the Empire Cinema to pick up festival passes for our upcoming horror film festival, FrightFest (taking place at the end of the month).
Afterwards, we battled through the crowded madness of London to get to Forbidden Planet. We took in some of the impressive sights along the way:
We then finally arrived at the Forbidden Planet Megastore.
The signing was going to be taking place in the underground floor. As we descended, we were escorted to the signing queue (only 1 man). As we waited second in line, with about a million items to get signed, a few more people began to show up as the time ticked closer to the signing. By the time Simon Bisley arrived, the line stood with only about 45 fans.
Simon Bisley arrived in his usual delirious state, chock full of profanity, excitement, and bewilderment. Basically, the definition of a Englishman.
Before the signing began, Bisley participated in a video interview where dropped some hilarious anecdotes including one where he claimed to "have never read any past issues on the comic he was working on". He further commented on the minuscule signing queue with, "when you record the crowd, get them to go around in circles so it seems like the line is never ending."
After the interview concluded, the signing commenced with my Mom leading the charge. As cool as Bisley is, he signed everything offered in front him and even provided my Mom with a fantastic sketch of Batman.
As I stepped up to the plate, I asked him about his future projects, to which he responded that many were under wraps at the moment. I further inquired if he's had any involvement with the upcoming Heavy Metal film being developed, to which he responded to in a very blue tone, "nah I'm not." He seemed pretty bummed about the situation.
Anyone who's seen Biz knows he's built like an ox, so with one final question in hand, I asked if he had any tips on bodybuilding. The life changing revelations he revealed to me remains a secret between him and I, for such sacred techniques cannot be passed on so casually.
What I can do though, is provide you with the wickedly funny sketch he etched for me in reflection of our discussion:
Afterwards, my uncle and auntie stepped up and had their own unique encounter with the eccentric man himself. Rather than to try and explain it all by myself, I'll let the few videos below do some of the work and give you a visual taste of the signing:
After the soundly successful event, we reemerged to the ground floor where we spent a small dose of time shopping in the store itself.
Upon leaving, my auntie was greeted by Biz yet again, only this time he was outside having a smoke break. He randomly offered her a cigarette, to which she shockingly refused.
How she was able to refuse such an offer, I'll never know...
Afterwards, we stopped by a local cafe for a lunch break and to discuss the itinerary for the rest of the day.
It was decided that we would take a small trip up north and visit the world famous British Museum. Along the walk, a light drizzle made its presence felt but it was nothing too serious.
Along the way, we by stopped by a small comic book store that apparently housed the narrowest staircase in all of London. See for yourself:
Pretty narrow, right?
Although I've traveled to the British Museum before, returning was just as awe-inspiring.
We checked in our bags at the coat check-in area, where they robbed us of $3.00 per item. But the extraordinary museum itself was free so I guess it balanced out.
We first began in the section which chronicles the history of the ancient Egyptians. I'm obsessive compulsive about Egyptology (I have a Tomb Kings army for goodness sakes) so experiencing this was truly invigorating.
The museum was jam packed with people from all over the world. A Korean tour guide were taking in the sights as we passed by:
My mom was lucky enough to find a spot to take a much needed break:
In the next room we encountered the sacred Rosetta Stone, the most famous stone in the world. With the amount of people crowded around the piece, along with the insane amount of photos being snapped, you'd figure a celebrity was present.
If you don't know what the Rosetta Stone is, I definitely recommend googling it. Trust me, the name means more than the language software (although I'm currently using the Italian edition in preparation). It's the fundamental key into understanding the ancient history we know today.
We continued on and time leapt into the Greek-Roman era, where sculpture and art dominated.
Since the museum was slowly winding down, we decided to tour one more room before leaving, the library.
The library houses many original works of ancient and contemporary literary pieces that range from Dickensian to political.
Wandering amongst such masterworks, I felt oddly intellectual:
When looking at the museum as a whole, scattered throughout were some really exceptional items.
Including cows:
Tigers:
And this amazing figurine:
With closing time approaching, the employees at the museum swarmed in like vultures and slowly picked us out of the exhibition.
On our way out, I noticed a rather fascinating donation box that really provided a sense of how internationally recognized the museum truly was:
We ended up donating 10 pence. Thank me later, British Museum.
With night slowly but surely approaching, we decided a early trip back to the train station was probably the best option.
But, not without a mandatory trip to the Cinema store:
OK, after the Cinema store, we than OFFICIALLY decided the best option would be head back to the train station.
As we returned to the Maryleborne train station, a sudden sizzling urge for Starbucks enveloped me. I quickly typed into my iPhone the location of the closest Starbucks cafe. Luckily, there was one near by.
So my auntie and I (with iPhone Google map in hand) marched to the coffee emporium, where I picked up a much needed Vanilla frappuccino (light).
We returned to the train station and promptly boarded the next train back to Birmingham, leaving at 8:30pm.
Before the train took off, a passenger boarded with the most ridiculous excuse for a hat. The contraption was reminiscent of a pyramid on his head. To say he looked like joke would be HUGE understatement.
Anyways, the train ended up having no electric sockets, so my expected gaming session was heartbreakingly canceled. Instead, I decided to try and catch up on some much needed sleep.
With my eyes closed, Medieval Babes playing on my iPhone, sleep was rapidly approaching...Until a dreadful announcement cut short such sweet bliss.
"Due to railroad safety concerns, all passengers aboard this train are required to get off of at the next stop and await the next train. Thank you."
Grudgingly, we slowly stepped off as the train stopped at the next small station. The station was located right in the middle of the English countryside. On a pleasant afternoon, many of us would love to spend some quality time in the European countryside, but at 10pm, when its freezing cold, its not really the most attracting prospect.
We ended up waiting for about 15 minutes until finally a train approached. All the passengers quickly hopped on. As the train began to move, everyone, including myself, slowly drifted back into a slumber. It's over now, no biggie...until...
"Due to a train malfunction, all passengers aboard this train are required to get off at the next stop and await the next train. Thank you."Is this deja-vu?
Am I dreaming?
As I paused the peaceful melodies of Medieval Babes, I was reinforced by my auntie that it was time for us, yet again, to get off at the next stop.
I've traveled to London many times before, but never has this happened, let alone twice.
I mean it's like lightning striking twice. USA winning the World Cup. Totti joining Lazio. It ain't never gonna happen.
Well it did.
The gods must be against me.
Like cattle, we were ushered off at the next stop. And there we were again. Freezing cold, waiting for another train to be our savior.
"Train approaching on platform 2."We all run to platform 2.
The forthcoming train randomly stops about 50 yards before arriving to the station and just sits for about 5 minutes. It's as if its teasing us.
It then begins to move towards us. Finally, at last. But wait, it's picking up speed. It's coming pretty fast. With no intention of stopping.
It whistles by us. Hopes shattered, dreams crushed...
I really don't think we're going to be getting home anytime soon, are we? My cozy bed doesn't seem to be in my foreseeable future.
Here's a quick picture I grabbed with my iPhone of the gang as the eventful ordeal unfolded:
Don't they look so optimistic under such strenuous circumstances?
Another announcement is heard:
"Train approaching on platform 1."We all rush back to platform 1. I feel like a yo-yo.
We begin to hear the noise of an approaching train and then see its blinding lights as it pulls in.
Luckily, this train isn't as EVIL as the other one. It stops.
We all quickly hustle aboard. The train begins the journey home. I think it took everyone about a good 30 minutes to fully settle back into the journey, fearing any moment would bring another dreadful announcement.
On a positive note, the new train came with electric sockets. That made me happy.
We finally reached Birmingham at a very late 12:30am.
With no bus service running, we were forced to take a ridiculously overpriced taxi, who ended up taking the longest route of all time to get home.
Finally, with all four adventurers intact, luggage accounted for, and a very sleepy Arif, we made it home.
With such a loong and eventful day, reminiscent of a free-flowing adventure movie, over with, I collapsed into bed wanting to do only one thing:
