We needed to get passport photos printed and check out the gear shops, but most importantly satisfy the hunger for a KFC Zinger. Shrewsbury, only 40 minutes by train, has a few gear shops and reportedly (google) two KFC’s. Got our passports photos at the Jessops on the walk into town, but I have to say V’s photos are the worst I  have ever seen – so bad that if I post them here I’ll be travelling solo – and there are 20 copies !  HUGE rip-off… £1 per copy. We should have just printed them ourselves at home.

High Sports (cool toys)

V wanted to check out snowboarding boots but we could not find ‘Sail and Ski’ (Note to self – practice navigation skills). We did stumble into a fantastic find. High Sports is a real enthusiasts shop on the edge of the centre. All the best gear, fair prices, small and friendly – highly recommended to anyone after real gear. They have a room full (floor to ceiling) of backpacks. V has a fetish for backpacks – more extreme than most women and their handbags – so she thoroughly enjoyed herself. I got spoilt rotten in anticipation of my upcoming birthday with a new pair of ‘travel’ shoes. They are the business !  Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra .. the black/grey ones. My second piece of kit with GoreTex. Happiness is.

Starvation started to take it’s toll so we headed back into town in search of the KFC. We walked straight past it and continued wandering in a hunger induced haze for some time (in our defence it has closed down and the windows were painted over). We opted for the second KFC – which we had located during a previous visit to Shrewsbury. We know that take away is bad for us and we never really eat the stuff . Just think of it as training for the months of dodgy food ahead. It was excellent.

Railway Research

After checking out the consumer outdoor shops and a book shop we headed home. V got herself another travel guide (Lonely Planet’s Trans Siberean Railway). Who would have thought that you need a 380 page book to explain how to get on and off a train for 2 weeks, how hard can it be ? Carrying the guidebooks seems more challenging to me, besides, I prefer the idea of electronic versions on an iPhone.

We spent the remainder of the weekend looking for information online, playing with the WordPress themes and plugins, and generally chilling out as we were both stiff and sore from walking around Shrewsbury.. yes… from walking around a little town for a few hours – what have we gotten ourselves into ?