More things to do before I go

Some very boring, mundane stuff I should do before I leave:
- defrost my freezer
- leave my house clean(ish) - because my daughter who is going to house and pet sit says I have to
- buy Australian chocolates for my hostess
- make sure I'm able to do next term's unit online (have asked the lecturer but she - hasn't told me definitely yet that it's arranged).
- I'm sure I'll think of more

Things to See and Do in Maryland

Here are some of the places I would like to visit in Maryland; I'm sure many more will come to mind or I'll find them on the internet. This list does not include the many places right in DC, nor does it include any of Virginia.

Eastern Shore Region
Attractions

Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum - Delightful exhibits concerning the history of the Life-Saving Service, Aquariums, Dolls' house replicas of hotels which once lined the boardwalk, shipwreck artifacts, a mermaid collection, bathing suits from the past and our Sand From Around the World exhibit.

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - The Museum features nine exhibit buildings on 18 waterfront acres in scenic St. Michaels, step back in time as you enter the fully restored 1879 Hooper Strait lighthouse and feel what it must have been like to be out at sea alone, guiding ships to safety. With a working boatyard, an impressive collection of decoys and a new interactive waterman's shanty, there's something of interest for everyone.

Ocean City Pier Rides - The Old Town section of the Ocean City Boardwalk brings back the magic of care-free fun-filled days of the past while being emerged in the excitement of the people, rides and finger foods of this traditional sea-side resort town. come, relax, get wild, and smell the salt air!

Western Region
Attractions

Spruce Forest Artisan Village - Experience the traditions of Appalachian folk life, observe artisans at work in restored authentic log cabins, or treasure hand-crafted works of art and take home a piece of yesteryear.

Canal Place - Visitors can ride a steam train, hike or bike the towpath, tour a full scale Canal Boat Replica, learn about canal history at the C&O Canal National Historical Park's Cumberland Visitor Center, enjoy unique festivals like the annual C&O CanalFest and, in the near future, take a ride on a canal boat on the rewatered terminus!

Thrasher Carriage Museum - This collection of early 19th and 20th century horse drawn conveyances, once privately owned by local resident James Thrasher, is noted as one of the most unique in the United States.

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad - The trip covers a 1,300 foot change in elevation. You'll see tunnels and bridges and catch glimpses of scenery hidden for decades. More than three hundred years of American history are tied together by a ribbon of steel that thrills riders of all ages.


Central Region
Attractions

USS Constellation Museum - The last all sail warship built by the US Navy provides a spectacular view of Baltimore's historic waterfront. As the only civil war era vessel afloat, USS Constellation invites guests to step back in time and explore the decks of history. Interactive presentations and demonstrations by the ships crew.

Cascade Lake - Spring-fed lake nestled among rolling hills and woods. Visitors may swim, fish and picnic. Roped-off swimming are includes waterslides, high-dive platform, & floating rafts. The facility also features a Petting zoo.

Historic London Town and Gardens - Historic London Town and Gardens is a 23-acre park located on the South River in Edgewater, Maryland. London Town has within its boundaries part of the late-seventeenth and early eighteenth-century town of London, which is currently being excavated by archaeologists from the Lost Towns Project.

B & O Railroad Museum - Through programming and exhibitions, the B&O Railroad Museum seeks to explore many new facets of American railroading and offer a wide range of experiences to its visitors.

Southern Region
Attractions

Annmarie Garden on St. John - Sculpted out of nature and enhanced by the hand of man, thematic rooms emerge from various paths and trails that wind through this garden paradise. Each has its own ambiance, message, and character.

Sotterley Plantation - It is the only remaining Tidewater Plantation in Maryland that is open to the public with a full range of visitor activities and educational programs. Sotterley's significant architecture features the early 18th-century Manor House, a rare slave cabin, and a full array of outbuildings set amidst seventy acres of rolling fields, gardens and riverfront.

American Chestnut Land Trust - Nature trails, organized bird, flower and tree hikes, picnic facilities, canoe trips, an arboretum and more.

Patuxent River Naval Air Museum - This museum is the nation’s only museum dedicated to naval aviation research, development, testing, and evaluation. Exhibits include the 'Iron Maiden', the rubber airplane, the unmanned 'Pioneer', and 17 pieces of aircraft.

MISCELLANEOUS

Crisfield (Eastern Shore) - because I'm a fan of Cynthia Voigt, who wrote several books set in and near Crisfield.

Harper’s Ferry

Okay, I am pretty much ready to go! Today I picked up the tickets, now just have to make arrangements about money. (And of course finish as much of the work for my course as possible).

Tickets

My tickets are awaiting collection at the travel agent's - I'm probably going to get them tomorrow afternoon.

Yesterday I got a prescription for sleeping pills from the doctor, to help with overcoming jet lag. It's also been suggested to me that I could get from a particular chemist conveniently close to my job, a jet lag remedy which is not an aid to sleeping but instead reduces or eliminates the symptoms of feeling terrible.

Insurance and accidental deletion

I went to the travel agent to fill out the insurance form, and worked out that I needed to pay for one more week's insurance, which I did. Before I left, I asked the guy to email me a copy of my itinerary so I can easily pass it on to others who need to know. Unfortunately, when it arrived, I didn't recognise it in my mail checking program, and told the program to delete it. I felt so stupid! I was able to retrieve the first 20 lines, but that wasn't nearly enough, so I humbly emailed the travel agent to ask them to send it to me again.

Insurance & other matters

My final payment has been received, and now I need to go to the travel agent to fill in an insurance form, which I should be able to do tomorrow. Yesterday I received from Sally US$23 in small denomination notes, just in case we can't find each other at the airport and I have to go to our hotel by taxi. I'm planning to take some traveller's cheques and also to just use my Visa card to get money while I'm there.

I have an interesting list of things to see and do in Washington DC as well as in Maryland. I'm thinking I should also do a search for things of interest in Virginia and perhaps Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Today I made a small purchase towards the trip: a travel pack of baby wipes. I also came up with the idea of tying small strips of fluorescent yellow material to my luggage handles to make it easy to pick out in a crowd, although being green (rather than the ubiquitous black) should make it fairly easy.

I am about to make the final payment for my trip, and should be able to pick up the tickets by the end of the week.

The Background

29th July 2004
4:26pm: Anxiety attack
Very bad night - couldn't get to sleep because I was feeling very anxious about various things I have to get done before I leave on my trip, which is suddenly looming closer. When I did fall asleep I woke up less than an hour later, then again after a dream which was superficially very ordinary but had undertones of menace, less than an hour after that. I lay awake for a while, then rang my lover (midnight here = midday there - one of the very few advantages of our twelve hour time difference). After talking for a while, I still took a very long time to get back to sleep, and woke at about 5:40 am. I'm feeling a bit tired now. However, I went to the travel agent this afternoon and paid half the outstanding balance, and will pay the rest next week. At the same time I asked a couple of questions that had been bothering me, about relatively simple things that I just don't know (and therefore feel stupid for having to ask). Now, if I could just get started on the study (still waiting for the lecturer to send out the necessary information and post the stuff on the website), I'm sure my anxiety levels would go down dramatically.

30th July 2004
I think my passport has arrived, as I had a note in my mailbox saying the PO is holding a registered article for me, and what else could it be? I'll go and pick it up tomorrow.

1st August 2004
Oh yes, that registered letter was my passport; I picked it up from the PO yesterday morning.

Getting ready - Early July

Today when I went to submit my passport application, I expected everything to be straightforward: I had all the necessary documents, and had used them to apply for my previous passport, so I was under the impression that they would be acceptable this time around. However, it seems the rules have changed since I applied for that previous passport after getting married back in 1978. The man in the Post Office who was checking the documents informed me that my marriage certificate is not acceptable because it isn't a certified copy from the Registry of Marriages, showing a registration number. (I have to show a marriage certificate as proof of change of name). The irony is that I've been divorced for nine years, yet I have to fork out $40 to apply for a certified copy of my marriage certificate to prove that I am entitled to use my current surname rather than the one I was born with. The alternative would be to pay $140 to change my name back to my former name. Women just can't win. If somebody had told me back when I was getting married about all the hassles associated with name changes, I would have insisted on keeping my maiden name.

Well, the passport application is not yet submitted, so I can't cross that off my list of "Things to do to Prepare for my Trip", but I did buy an expensive and I hope, long lasting and waterproof pair of leather walking shoes at last, specifically for the trip. (I might add, the most expensive pair of shoes I've ever bought in my entire life). For the first time in my life I bought men's shoes for the extra width (I'm sure my feet are getting wider as I get older), but they're not too big and chunky looking. I do have big feet and no pair of shoes is going to disguise that fact, but I don't think these shoes emphasise it, unlike some men's shoes I've looked at.

Travel Diary

I think I'm going to keep this as my travel diary, if I can work out how to post easily.

Another new blog - just what I need.

Goody, a new blog.