BACK IN THE U.S.A.

I'm nearly to the end of a very long day. I checked out of my hotel at 5:00 this morning London time - almost 15 hours ago - after another sleepless night. I was still fairly wound up after my dinner & drinks with Daniela and too afraid I'd oversleep in the morning. I tried to sleep but gave up around 3:30.

I didn't feel like walking to Bayswater Station (and I don't think the Tube runs that early anyway) so I had the hotel call me a taxi to take me to Victoria Station. Although I had previously purchased a roundtrip on the Southern train to Gatwick, I couldn't get to the correct platform because of construction barriers. So I decided to take the Gatwick Express; there were advertisements along the platform saying that you could purchase tickets from an attendant on the train. During the entire 30-minute ride, I kept waiting for a conductor so I could buy a ticket but none came. So, I made up for the taxi ride with the free train ride.

After checking in for my flight, I went to the airport's branch of Harrod's to purchase some gifts. I couldn't sleep at all on this flight as it was an absolutely freezing (we flew over Greenland and the Canadian Arctic), even with three of those thin airline blankets on top of me!

I'm now sitting in the Cincinnati airport struggling to stay awake. My flight to Albuquerque leaves in another hour.

It will probably be a few more days before I attempt to write up the Marillion festivities. Daniela and I were comparing our notes and we both agreed that it will be difficult to decide where to begin and what to focus on. And, should we "protect the innocent" by not writing about some of the true highlights of the night/morning? Writing some of what happened may only make other fans jealous or angry that they weren't included. Some of what Daniela, her mom, and I witnessed and heard really should be kept among the four of who were there.

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