"We're leaving here at 1pm sharp," Nina replied. "Ferry is at five past four, but you'll need to be there around half an hour beforehand at least to get through the passport check and all that. We can get the one at six if we miss it, but that will mean we get in rather late to Bruxelles."

She realised something.

"That's the French name. It's Brussel in Flemish."

Desmond looked at his watch as the final seconds to 1pm came along.

"Three, two, one... let's go," he said to those present at the table. "We're going to be a lot more casual about things going forward, but we really need to make that ferry..."

With that, he got to his first, gathered his stuff and waited for the others to do the same.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:21, Fri 22 Oct 2021.

Casey catches up his duffel and guitar case and follows Desmond. At the vans, he greets all and sundry and stows his items as instructed.

Excitement bubbles in his chest. The adventure is about to begin!

Tagging along trailing Desmond and Casey, George looks over everyone assembling at the vans. He flings his duffel off his shoulder and gently sets down his toolbox.

"Hello. George." he says with a polite wave to the group, introducing himself to no one in particular.

He runs a hand through his hair as he studies the vehicles for a moment before turning his attention back to the travelers, looking for something to help make up his mind on where to join in.

When Desmond emerged from the bus station he had gathered a crowd, or rather a few companions. Jimmy smiled and waved to one and all, an interesting bunch. Although he had now spent some time in the company of Desmond and Nina, he realised that they hadn't actually discussed who would be travelling in which van. Given they were in some haste to get moving for the ferry, it seemed a bit late to be drawing straws...

"Right, then"," Desmond said. "I didn't actually come up with a seating plan, but we'll likely swap around a few times in any event."

The two vehicles had mostly identical Volkswagen Kombis, both left-hand-drive. One had a British registration, while the other had a 'D' sticker above a registration plate that began with N. Which meant it was from either West Germany or East Germany, who both used the same letter... but almost certainly the latter.

"Do you want to come up the front for the first leg, George?" Nina asked.

George looked at the red head, "I'd be glad to!"

He picked up his bag and toolbox, assumed Nina was one of the drivers and asked "Have you made this trip with Desmond before? I'm excited but, honestly have no idea what to expect."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:06, Tue 26 Oct 2021.

Casey slings his duffel into the back, but unpacks the guitar before wedging the case beside it. He climbs into the van Desmond isn’t driving. Introducing himself to Nina, he asks whether she’ll mind him playing his guitar, admitting that he’s no expert. He sits in the back seats.

George shoots Casey a smile as they climb into the VW, with a nod to the guitar he says "Beats listening to foreign talk-radio for long stretches. What do you play?"

Before taking the co-pilot's seat George stows his duffel, but keeps the toolbox he was carrying with him storing it in the passenger footwell.

"A little rock, a little folk. Do you play?

"I'm still just a beginner, need to work on my picking. If it gets too painful, just tell me to shut up." He grins at the others.

Gillian gathered her overstuffed holdall and large handbag and climbed in Nina's van, grinning with excitement.

"And we're off!"

"Oh no, never even tried. Love music though!"

George nods to Gillian, visibly impressed by her giant red mane as she enters the van.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:30, Wed 27 Oct 2021.

"Yes," Nina said in response to George's question, "I've done it before. Twice in fact. It's a mind-altering experience. Possibly in more than one way depending on your taste in that sort of thing."

The interior of the bus had two bench seats; one with space for two people next to the door and one with three further back. Each seat had a seatbelt.

At the rear, there was an area for storing small luggage; it also looked like various camping equipment was there.

"Fine with some guitar. Just don't keep playing 'Fire' by Crazy Arthur Brown," Nina advised.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:43, Thu 28 Oct 2021.

George chuckled, "Agreed!"

With the first van showing signs of becoming rather crowded Jimmy turned to Desmond with a grin.

"Looks like you and me in this one, then!"

In reply to James (Jimmy) Colson (msg # 38):

"Indeed", Desmond replied as he took out his key and unlocked the door. "You can always swap around later. I found on previous trips that some people needed some time apart because they were getting on each other's nerves."

He paused.

"Including a married couple."

He reached inside and pulled out a Bartholmew's road atlas.

"How are you at map-reading?"

In reply to George Edwards (msg # 37):

Once everyone had gotten into Nina's van and were strapped in, she started the engine.

"So, any radio preferences? I think Johnnie Walker has just started on Radio 1."

Not that there was a huge array of options on a car radio at the time in the UK; with the pirate stations closed down by legal pressure and the licensed independents yet to start, it was the BBC, who were at least catering to a young audience with Radio 1.

Once the decision was made, she check the road was clear and pulled out.

Casey listens to the radio, very quietly trying a couple of chords on his guitar.

The first song on the radio was "School's Out" by Alice Cooper, which was apparently doing rather well at the moment in UK record sales.

OOC: It would end up Number 1 on the British charts and Number 2 in neighbouring Ireland.

With a smile Jimmy opened the front passenger door of the VW bus and moved in next to Desmond. It was time! And he made a good point, for nerves were sure to play a part.

"Yes indeed. At this stage we really don't know each other, so it will all be part of the fun and adventure. I'm sure once we become more familiar there will be a few quirks that come to light."

Jimmy smiled broadly, but he was speaking of himself as much as anyone. Although just how much they would learn of each other remained to be seen.

"I'm an experienced cartographer, I love maps, admittedly usually more archaic examples than this. But no matter, every journey starts somewhere."

Jimmy flicked through the atlas, immediately finding London and the road south.

"First leg is pretty easy. Find the A2, take the M2 when it comes off and follow that until it returns to the A2," Desmond said. "That will take us to Dover."

He pulled out with Nina. Soon enough they found themselves heading down towards Vauxhall Bridge, a red double decker bus in front of them. They reached the Thames, driving across the rather dirty river. The Houses of Parliament weren't visible from this particular location, but were somewhere off to the north.

"What's your favourite old map?" Desmond asked.

"I'm good until Dover, this part of the trip should be pretty straightforward...all being well."

Jimmy wound down his passenger window a few inches, just to let in some fresh air, or air as fresh as it could get in the city. As to maps...

"That's like taking all the segments of a chocolate bar and asking to choose your favourite! They're all good, so much to fascinate and enrapture the mind. And until Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press no two maps were the same, and the differences could be miniscule or huge. If it's an old map, I'm all over it.

There are a couple I would dearly like to see. The Nicolay Rutter is recorded as being the oldest map of Scotland, dating to around 1540 when King James V sailed around the country.

And there is rumoured to be an ancient Chinese silk map of Africa dating back to 1389. 1389! What a work that must be, and oh...to gaze upon it even once...that would be a dream."

There was silence for a few moments, or whatever silence existed beyond the sounds of cutry traffic and the VW van.

"So, yeah...there goes my cool badge, out the window. You have any favourites, or something else that floats your boat?"

In reply to James (Jimmy) Colson (msg # 45):

"I think my personal favourite are some of the medieval ones; those T-shaped maps of the world centred on Jerusalem. Of course, they're laughably inaccurate, but it does give an interesting view into the medieval mind."

They turned left and were driving through Kennington, soon reaching the Elephant and Castle roundabout, named after an old coaching in. Turning right here, James saw a blue commuter train trundling across a bridge. They were on four-lane streets at this point and much of the initial journey was going to involve this - or highways. At least until they got to Yugoslavia.

"Did you know the A2 was originally built by the Romans?"

"Must have been an interesting time, if you don't mind plague, wars and religious persecution. But Jerusalem has been the crucible of religious dogma for centuries, despite what the Roman Catholic church might say, if not millennia...the centre of three major religions. Of course all maps would centre upon it. Another place I'd love to visit at some point."

Jimmy turned his gaze out the window again, as most people did.

"Yes, actually, one of the benefits of studying Classics - I'm aware the Romans did a great many things for us, and left a lasting imprint. Did you know that 'fandom', in the sense of following sports teams, also began with the Romans?"

In reply to James (Jimmy) Colson (msg # 47):

"No," Desmond replied. "But judging by some of the sights I've seen at matches in this country, the fans are probably acting more like the Visigoths. Seriously, they're starting to call it the 'English disease'."