GlobalGaiaMeets/travelblog(edit) TO/UK

1) Amy!

So! After meeting Gaia people here in Montreal, Toronto, NJ, LA, SF and Vancouver, I was in Toronto July 24-27 for a Professional Development session and another IAKF meeting, and had the chance to meet lovely Amy, goddess2day. She's already blogged about it, and I am tardy so - what she said lol plus...  it always fascinates me how people are who they are online, and yet you begin to discover more and more layers of their beingness when you meet them. I became much more aware of how important Amy's writing is to her, and how far along she is, having already published and being well on the way to publishing again. I am very much looking forward to reading the finished product!

2) England/Wales - my journey begins - ringing Zephyr

I left Montreal with my 11 year old daughter in tow on August 1. We were both very excited about the trip since my daughter had never traveled beyond North America, and I was looking forward to being in the UK for the third time. I spent a year in Carlisle when I was 14 years old, as my mom was an exchange teacher, and went back in 2005 for a Kumon conference.

The plane was delayed but when we got on we were delighted to have been upgraded to exec class and had a very comfortable flight. One small glitch - Arielle threw up suddenly just before we deplaned and it was a dreadful mess. But we cleaned up as best we could, the flight attendants were helpful and we sallied forth into Heathrow airport to go collect the rental car.

Driving in the UK at first was an interesting challenge and adventure. I found people drove too fast on the motorways, especially for a nervous nellie like me getting used to the different road rules etc, but we managed to find our way to Nottingham where my cousin Montio lives with her husband and two children. There we became involved in a 40th birthday party for my cousin Tienche (my mother's youngest sister Grace had six children all born in the Cameroon all of whom emigrated to the UK and Trinidad, hence the interesting names) which lasted for more than 24 hours, with only a short break of a few hours when everyone was sleeping. I kid you not. There was loud music, dancing, tons of food and about 150 people on the 1.5 acre property and in the house at the height of the party, and they didn't stop to sleep until 6 am, though of course most people trickled home over the course of the wee sma' hours...

I love my cousins, but I'm not a party person, and spent part of the party trying to sleep (impossible) and most of the time after that trying to settle the children down to sleep and keep the noise down to something manageable by closing doors. It was a great relief the next day when everyone finally left and I could settle down to proper conversations with my cousins.

Too soon though it was time to set out to my friends in Staffordshire. We got quite lost on the way but eventually arrived very late, now the evening of August 3, and enjoyed their company very much. While there, I had a lovely chat on the phone with Zephyr who had wanted to get together but whose schedule meant it was impossible... it was wonderful to connect.

My friends and I shared our love of the All Night Vespers by having a little sing along with a CD :). We also enjoyed a Bryn Terfel CD, Simple Gifts (including Amazing Grace) and a CD of David's son Simon from 1997. He had a glorious tenor voice but sadly since becoming very ill in 2004 no longer sings professionally. So tragic.

3) Hebden Bridge - Julie and Jon

Again, getting to Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire turned out to be a bit more complicated and quite a bit longer than predicted. But it helped that it was in daylight. The B and B was cosy and we settled happily for the night after having our tea at the local pub (which neither of us much enjoyed, I rather queasy about the loud conversation of the barmaid with her customers about her drinking habits, and Arielle not used to the environment or food). 

The next day, we got some time on the internet at the library and then had lunch with Julie. It was lovely to meet her, and hear her take on Gaia - she mostly participates as a member of the Integral Pod. I was interested to hear about another pod she belongs to, which is about a special technique to induce deep meditative states.

Later that day, Arielle was very happy for the opportunity to ride a pony in a private lesson.


Then we managed to find Jon's house without getting too lost :) and enjoyed a wonderful meal. Yes, Jon really talks in gloriously complex, polysyllabic language at high speed in person too :)  so most of the time, he wove his word spells and I just listened and listened in delight and somewhat of a daze (fatigue being part of the mix). Meanwhile his son was a wondrous host to Arielle, as they are almost exactly the same age... Then another night at the B and B and in the morning we were off to Cardiff.

4) Cardiff - Panwithin:

This was our longest journey of all, and I was rather apprehensive at first, but it turned out well. Even when we got lost as usual at the end :) , we managed to find our way quickly at the end with "Pan" guiding us by cell phone to where he was waiting, wreathed in smiles and bearing gifts - a delightful coffee cup full of colourful cats and a beautiful book on London architecture. We got some sightseeing in, then checked into the hotel and ate our first meal there. Then it was time to settle Arielle in and drop him back to his place.

The next day, we got to see lovely Penarth, the Science Museum, one of the local castles


and the Doctor Who exhibit... Along the way, I had had quite enough of trying to drive in the UK and gratefully gave over the driving to someone who knew what he was doing, and thinking of the difficulties of getting to London and Essex, worked out a plan whereby we could travel together until I returned the rental car and was back at Heathrow, and he would take a bus back to Cardiff. Now I could really relax!

 We'd wanted to get to the fairy tale castle and the cathedral but time did not permit. Time is so fluid... goes so quickly when you are happy. I had found a real friend who was just the kind, supportive, flexible and humorous travel companion Arielle and I could deeply appreciate after all our stresses together up to then. There is no substitute for a good friend in need., a friend in deed

5) August 9 - Global Gaia Day  - London meeting - Zannie:

Out of sheer desperation, we decided on the National History Museum as a meeting place for the London Gaia meet, as I'd received 5 RSVPs and people had no idea where to meet us. It was a truly English day, pouring rain as I stood in front of the Museum, Gaia meet sign in hand, and Pan and Arielle off on the London sightseeing bus tour. Zannie was right there with umbrella in hand (I had given mine to Arielle) and we waited for a few minutes in the rain, beginning to chat. We eventually realised no one else would come and went inside to the restaurant.

We noticed how amusingly easy it was to miscommunicate, even though we were both so intent on clarity. In fact, she is a facilitator trained in clean language.

This was especially ironic when I went back to put money into the parking meter again (which turned out to be unnecessary) and came back to find that we had apparently understood two different meeting up places afterward, as I could not find her. But we still had a great time. She is a special person.

6) Denouement

I waited quietly at the museum until the others came back from the bus tour, which was a mixed success - fascinating but very wet :) My cousin's house in Essex turned out to be one of the most difficult places to figure out how to reach, and I was more glad than ever to have someone else driving, and another adult to confer with at times of doubt. Then the usual family chaos, one more night and the trip to Heathrow, again much longer than anticipated. We got the bus ticket and the boarding passes, said our goodbyes and then home again.

Goodbyes are challenging, especially with so many great friends. But I hope that we will meet again sometime and in the meantime there are many treasured memories of the most intense part so far of my magical mystery Gaia tour.