Cultureshock

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Video transcript

In 2002 I went down with a friend to see the snooker. We left Newcastle station at quarter to seven, got off at King's Cross, then got a tube to Ramsey's Hotel - that's at Earl's Court in central London. After we checked in, we got a tube to Wembley Conference Centre for the semi-finals of the snooker. It was an experience that was absolutely terrific, because it was the first time I'd been to a snooker tournament. Then we watched the match, then took a break, had a drink up in the bars, then watched the conclusion of the afternoon match.

We walked round Wembley, then went back into the conference centre for the evening match: Jimmy White against Mark Williamson. In the middle of the match, everything was going totally well, until a member of the crowd - Jimmy White being local - shouted "Come on Jimmy!", and the referee - because it is so noisy, it's so noisy when Jimmy White plays.

We left Wembley, got back on the tube, and got back to the hotel. Then we went to King's Cross station, dropped the luggage off to the King's Cross luggage department, had a walk round central London, before going onto the tube back to Wembley Park station to watch the first session of the final. Then we had to go for this two course meal between the sessions of the final. Then we went in to watch the first part of the final then round about quarter to nine had to leave for the train back to Newcastle.

Then we left Wembley, got back to King's Cross for the ten o'clock train, got on the train to Doncaster. Got into Doncaster station, unfortunately there was an incident and a load of drunks got on the train - they were a bit rowdy. Fortunately they got off at York! I was on my mobile phone, telling my mum I was on my way back to York, and got back to Newcastle, feeling very tired, at half past one in the morning.

My next journey to London was in February 2003 to see Bombay Dreams. For my journey, I got the metro into Newcastle Central, the GNER to London King's Cross, arrived in London and got a taxi to the Royal Lancaster Hotel. We stayed there, an absolutely wonderful hotel. We stayed the weekend, and on the Saturday we went to walk round central London to fill a bit of time in, and got into a taxi to the Apollo Victoria, to see the show Bombay Dreams.

It's a musical love story between two guys and an actress and actor, it's all singing, dancing - brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Then after the show we went to the Time Cafe for a steak; good facilities and a lovely meal. Then we went back to the hotel.

Then checked out of the hotel, back to King's Cross again, got on the train, then unfortunately, we got into Stevenage station and the worst nightmare of all train journeys: somebody pulled the cord! There was total panic, total panic on the train, and train crew and everybody running backwards and forwards. Absolute chaos, it was. Then finally after 45 minutes, we found the person, and finally after a delay,  got back to Newcastle for quarter to five.

Last year I went to Edinburgh during my two weeks on a break from work. I got the 7.40 metro to Newcastle to get the 8.40 train to Edinburgh. We got on the train, had a cup of tea, which was an absolutely awful cup of tea - the worst cup of tea on the train! Then we went through this wonderful countryside, we went through Alnmouth and got into Dunbar station, and the route was absolutely brilliant, with all viaducts and some of the train sidings. We got into Dunbar station - brilliant brilliant floral displays.

We got off the train at Waverley station and walked round Edinburgh, it was absolutely raining. We had lunch in the Kellingworth Arms and had a few more hours in Edinburgh, had a drink in the pub before we got on the train - back to Waverley station for the train back to Newcastle about half past nine.

Future plans for holidays and trips are totally top secret!