Off On Yer Hollibobs

Like everyone else, I'm sorry to hear that. Hope things turn out for the better soon. I don't post there much but it's always a pleasure whenever you pop up on the magazine chat, or anywhere else on the forum for that matter.

Grant, you're an excellent dude. I know it's not as simple as saying that to solve things, but if you ever need reminding of this, see all of the above.

Thanks lads.

I've been in the Cotswolds.

It was wet. There was alcohol. We had massages. I am now back.

That is all.

I can't glean if you enjoyed yourself or not from that post...

Ah, sorry! I did, it was just a bit wet. We were meant to go on long walks, and did, but they were more like long wades; so that wasn't great. However the Cotswolds are beautiful and there were lots of tearooms alongside the alcohol, and the second half of the holiday was a spa break! Very handy for the modern-day stressed gentleman.

Glad you were able to unwind!

Well tickets went on sale for Gamescom but as over 300k people go, I can't see it being on that I've not booked it.

I do hear if you're looking at holidays, rather cheap now even months away, just not sure August is far enough away.

We have a Portuguese wedding in June, which is going to be appallingly hot - but The Lady quite rightly has pointed out that cancellation insurance is a necessity for this. The premium increase is probably more than going to offset the reduction in ticket prices...

JayMoyles wrote:

Glad you were able to unwind!

The holiday did remind me of people's comments on here about ex-London public transport. Quite a lot of the journeys we had to make were serviced by one bus per day if you're lucky.

I'm planning to visit the UK for the last week in August but that's of course up in the air . . .

I'm back from my weekend away in Brighton, and it was an interesting place. As a city, I did think it would be a bit bigger, but just seemed like a slightly better Weston-super-Mare from where I was staying.

I managed to get a lot in, went out Friday night after I arrived eventually (hate the M25) which may have turned a bit Buska. Saturday I saw the Pavilion, went into the city centre and bought some LEGO from the LEGO Store, then met up with GamesAsylum who showed me where new retro game shop is etc

I did go to the Brighton v Newcastle game on the Saturday. I've been to big stadiums like Pride Park, but the atmosphere was different, I don't know if it was because it being on TV or because it was a premiership game. Ohh and during the game the Newcastle fans taking the piss etc but afterwards on the train all friendly and wanting to go for pints, what football should be.
 

I think this does mean I've gone to a Premier, Championship, League One and Two games along with Southern League Premier South (FA Cup as well but the rounds before the proper rounds).

That same day, yes, I got a lot in on the Saturday went to the October Drift gig in Hope & Ruin which I did bump into the drummer who is a colleague in work.


Popped into Hove on my way back today and yeah, sort seen it all. If I was more inclined maybe I would took the pavilion tour and done things like that, but that's not really my thing, especially by myself.

Sounds good! If by "a bit Buska" you mean "got drunk" I haven't been drunk in three or four years, sorry to disappoint

masofdas wrote:

Ohh and during the game the Newcastle fans taking the piss etc but afterwards on the train all friendly and wanting to go for pints, what football should be.

Nice, I like that.

I may have tipple but I was thinking of something else but I'll leave it at that.

Yeah, always heard about Newcastle fans, so guess all true.

Mas got his end away! Wahey!

I feel a little obnoxious posting in this thread from lovely, sensible Japan while you're all trapped in nonsense land . . .

Anyway, I visited Hokkaido for six days! I actually just got back to Nagano at 8am today so I'm very glad I have a pretty easy day at work.

I had two days in Hakodate

• Just made it to the Northern People's museum an hour before it closed for the holidays!
  
• Climbed a mountain during the snow and my eyebrows and mask froze solid
  
• Walked down to the docks at night on new year but not much was on, so watched New Year's TV in my hotel which ended up showing Nagano's Zenkoji temple for the countdown!
  
• Ate at the bizarre local seemingly single-city circus-themed burger chain
  
• Ate ramen
  
• Watched the first sunrise of 2022 down at the beach
  

Two days at Lake Toya

• Kind-of almost saw Mount Yotei, the Fuji of Hokkaido, which Mt Coronet is based on
  
• Ate Ramen
  
• Ate Soup Curry
  
• Hiked over the mountains and around the lake
  
• Could have visited a bear sanctuary but the google reviews made it sound like it had quite small, zoo-like enclosures so I thought it would make me too sad
  

Two days in Sapporo

• Saw my most neon, futuristic Blade-Runner districts yet
  
• Hiked a little more mountain
  
• Went to a dope arcade
  
• Went to a Pokemon Centre - not much exclusive merch though
  
• Went to the Sapporo beer brewery and museum, ate amazing Genghis Khan (a lamb barbecue dish) and got the most tpisy I've been so far this decade!
  
• Ate Zangi Fried Chicken
  

Now I'm home, knackered and back to work.

Nice

I did go that Yate v Taunton game on same week I went Brighton v Newcastle, rather different grounds

Don't know where I'm going to go this year because UK and anything could happen. But am thinking something like Cardiff, not that far away, a few things I could do and if I time right could go Wales v someone football game (rugby be harder to get tickets) for instance.

Do always think about Glasgow as well, would have to take a flight or train up, would go to a Celtic game but not sure what else I'd actually do up there especially if for like a week.

That sounds like a class end to 2021, Buskalilly. Between hiking, eating and boozing you basically did all the things I enjoy to do.

There wasn’t much holidaying going on for me here in Nonsense Land in 2021, just taking a couple of short breaks elsewhere in Scotland during August and October. Hopefully I can go a bit further afield in 2022.

masofdas wrote:

Do always think about Glasgow as well, would have to take a flight or train up, would go to a Celtic game but not sure what else I'd actually do up there especially if for like a week.

I don’t think there would be enough to do in Glasgow if you were there for a week on your tod. Yet by train/bus/ferry you’re not too far away from Loch Lomond, the West Highlands, the Ayrshire Coast and several of the islands. There’s Edinburgh too of course, that’s just a fifty minute train journey away, and I think has a lot more going for it than Glasgow. Glasgow would be good as a base if you were visiting and exploring Scotland, but the actual city centre is a bin these days.

There wasn't any holidaying for me here in Nonsense Land in 2021. I'm very jealous of Buska. If I can make it to Cornwall this year that'd be beyond my wildest pandemic dreams.

I visited the UK. It's a shithole, glad I left.

It was nice to catch up with friends and family, even if it was far too quick and a real emotional rollercoaster. I'm back in Nagano and it feels like the whole trip never even happened.

I finally made it to Super Nintendo World. It was magical.

USJ overall was great, and spending time in Osaka and Kyoto again reminded me how badly I want to live there eventually.
I also did the Monster Hunter Iceborne XR Walk, which you'll hear about on Monster Mash this weekend. It was breathtaking.

That looks class

That cake. Are there many rides in the park? Wikipedia lists three, and they all seem to be Mario-based.

The Nintendo World only has a couple rides, but it's just one part of USJ which has loads of them.

To be fair, though, "Nintendo" World really is just Mario World so far.

We're off to Cologne this weekend, the first time I've left the country since... 2018 I think? All I know about Cologne (apart from the perfume thingy) is that they drink lots of Kölsch in tiny tiny glasses. I'm not a beer fan but I'll be making an exception I dare say. Otherwise, two days out of five devoted to hiking. Looking forward to the blisters fresh air!

Anybody been anywhere nice on holiday recently? (Apart from Buska, who lives on holiday.)

I went to Mexico.