Planning Part 2

So, Patricia (Allons-y) and I met up again to book tickets. We got our train tickets to and from Paris, booked our Cardiff hotel, and booked our Manchester hotel. We also got our train tickets to and from Cardiff and Manchester.

Unfortunately, it was not as easy as it sounds.

I booked my Paris ticket with the greatest of ease. Go Mastercard! Patricia on the other hand had a Visa. She tried to book her ticket and it said error. Three times that happened. After twenty minutes of watching the available seat amount decrease, she called the help number on her phone. After another ten minutes of her trying to find a real person to talk to, we discovered that because she tried to buy something in London, her card locked. I suppose that's good to know they really care about keeping identities safe, but come on! But we got our tickets!

After we FINALLY got the Paris train ticket situation situated. I look really weird. Patricia is still on the phone with the nice lady who helped her. They shared in each other's joy.

Cardiff hotel was easy as pie, but the process not. We couldn't get from Newbury (where Downton Abbey is) to Cardiff unless we could somehow get to Reading first. That was not doable, so we just decided that Cardiff would be boring and we didn't need two nights there. Just one now. But that means we'll only have to carry two nights of clothes instead of three!

Train tickets were simple. She bought two for going to Cardiff and I bought two for going to Manchester. Easier than trying to get one each.

Now, we're on the Manchester hotel. I had found a perfect hotel less than a five minute walk away from where Macbeth is playing. I was about to book it when a bright green row of words caught my eye. "Must be 21 to book."

ARGHHHH. Neither of us are 21, so that really put a damper in our plans. We spend the next half hour trying to find another hotel within a reasonable distance at a reasonable price. Luckily, we found one.

All we have left to do now is buy tickets for sights (which we'll do when we're actually there) and buy our tickets from Manchester back to London.