Think Visibility: Why I Traveled 15,272 Kms For My First Conference — Part 3
Of course, after Think Visability was the famous DrinkVis, which included more socializing and possibly a few beverages of the wild kind. I have to admit that I think I laughed more during this, and well, this entire trip, than I ever have in my life. It was truly an experience.
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To save you the monotony, I’ll tell you we did skip to the Sky Lounge. I have to admit I really didn’t like it much. It was crowded, expensive, uncomfortable, and apparently, they don’t want you sitting or standing anywhere else but right in front of the bar!
Honestly, the rest of my trip really went by in a blur of activity.
The day after ThinkVis will forever be etched in my mind. I couldn’t think of any better way to spend a day, aside from sharing it with my kidlet next time.
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We awoke to a beautiful sunny morning and headed out into the fresh morning air in search of food. Now, normally, I don’t eat breakfast and often skip lunch. I simply consume kegs of coffee while checking Twitter, Facebook, and my email, nagging my kid to get ready for school, and forcing myself to get dressed and organized for the day, but boy am I glad I made an exception.
We enjoyed a leisurely stroll along canal and the quaint stone streets of Leeds, and it really like walking in a fairy tail. The old buildings climbed along the horizon, marked by the resilient ivy and vines growing between the stones. The strain of time easily seen on their facades. The morning sun gave the greenery just enough of a glow to make everything look new. You couldn’t help but wonder about the lives that walked these same steps centuries earlier.
Instead of the roar of planes, cars and sirens, the morning was settled with an almost odd calm that enveloped the old and new features of the city, bringing it all together into a picture perfect day. Until I was greeted by a traditional and stereotypical English sight: A whole pig on a spit.
We’d reached the markets.
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All I could think of was ‘holy crap! Robin Hood!’ It was just like in the movies, except it was smack dab in the middle of a white butcher’s cart. I could instantly picture guys lined up at a big wood table holding a pig’s leg in one hand and a draught of beer in the other.
This was the best! You see, us Canucks are farmers and ranchers by nature, but we don’t have markets like this. We buy practically everything from the store, with the exception of the little farmer’s markets we have once a week (which is actually just a few tables) and the Hutterites who knock on the door once a week.
These markets were buzzing with life, delicious smells, and the sounds I imagine filled that same market hundreds of years prior. Children’s faces were flushed with excitement, older couples slowly made their way past the various wares and every cart had something to see or taste. Blood pudding, sweet garlic, tasty jams, homemade breads, and fresh meats. It was almost like a day at grandma’s house! I had hit the jackpot!
After Tim bought half the market what he’d need for that night’s supper, I got my first bacon buttie and we headed down yet another stone street towards the modern shopping area in city centre. We enjoyed a coffee…ok, well, I enjoyed a coffee…watched the local wildlife as it headed home for the day, and we headed back to the flat.
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Our next outing that afternoon involved a trip to what is probably my favourite place on Earth (If you’re a Facebook friend, you probably already know this bit, but bear with me.)
The Leeds Armouries!
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We had to walk through the museum to get tickets, which was an odd sort of torture, I thought. I mean, the museum was full of armour, swords, and other curious objects I’ve spent my life reading about, so this was a real personal thrill. (I should add that we were able to take in a small portion of it, and it really was as fascinating as I thought. Tim looked like he was bored out of his mind and was probably reliving childhood nightmares of studying history textbooks, but I give him huge points for putting up with me.) Before I knew it, it was time to head over to the stands for the falconry.
I’ve seen many of the birds during previous trips to the zoo, but this was a real treat. I heard all about each one and learned all about the art of falconry, discovered why certain breeds made better hunters than others, and got closer to the birds than I’d ever had before as you can tell from the screech I let out when it came closer than I’d thought.
The jesses jingled on their ankles as they swooped gracefully through the air after bits of meat the falconer tossed into the air. It was then I realized why it was such a popular hobby for the lords and ladies who once roamed the countryside.
It was a real super-nerd moment, and embarrassingly enough, I was like a little kid waiting patiently for her first taste of ice cream. If the locals didn’t think us Canadians were weird before this, they definitely do now.
To my benefit, I’m pretty sure there weren’t any other Canadians about, so they have no one to compare me to and have no idea how freakish I really am. (My apologies to any Canucks who have to endure the side effects of this in the future.)
We did walk through the mews where the birds were held and the horses stood anticipating the work they knew was coming. I was surprised how small these horses were in comparison to the ones I’m used to working with, but when you consider the weight of the armour they have to carry, it makes sense…anyway, on to the sword play, cabbages and jousting!
Heh, I’ll let the video show you what I saw, but I have to admit, I was in dork heaven!
After we returned, Tim slaved over a hot stove and sweated to make a lovely meal for Carolyn, Kevin Prince, and I, before we relaxed and turned in for the night.
Technically, I did meet Kevin Prince, developer extraordinaire, the night before, but I would like to thank him again for joining us for supper. Kevin is a smart, savvy tech geek with an obsession passion for Mac products. I’d gotten to know him a bit before this, so it was great to put a face to the name. I hope to chat more with him in the future.
While I’m at it, I want to say thank you again to Tim and Carolyn for the wonderful supper, birthday present, and card. Really, it was completely unnecessary and unexpected. I won’t tell you that it made me cry later on either. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Want to guess where we went next?
Other Posts In the Series:
A Canadian in the UK: An Introduction (Part 1)
ThinkVisibility Conference Coverage (Part 2)
Visiting Harrogate and York (Part 4)
Brits VS Canucks: What I Discovered (Part 5)
September 21, 2010 at 6:46 am | Lighter Side | No comment
