We got to Southampton early yesterday morning. We got off the ship, collected our bags, and made our way to London before noon. Any time we were still - waiting in the queue to get our tickets for the train, waiting on the platform for the train, sitting down to lunch at YO! Sushi, or standing around waiting to ship our third bag home (another story entirely) - it felt as though we were standing on a motion base with movement completely out of sync with the world view around us. Even when we were walking, we found that we lurched from side to side and unexpectedly crashed into non-moving objects.
I have trouble with motion that I cannot see - caused by things like riding in the backseat of a car, trying to read in the car, particularly strong turbulence on an airplane, riding on a bus (especially a tour bus), or riding in anything facing backwards. So I found this continuing sensation of movement more than a bit unsettling. On the train to London, I started to get a slight headache, which is the start of my motion sickness.
But soon, we were off the train and lurching about the train station. As long as we were moving, things seemed tolerable. Stopping for lunch made me feel ill again. When we were waiting in lines, I started to intentionally move around, to keep from feeling sick.
After walking about six miles in London, we stopped for tea. Again, sitting down made me feel ill. It was with some relief that we started moving again. But when it was time for dinner, I was perhaps so tired that I didn't notice the movement.
We spent the night on the Caledonian Sleeper, an overnight train from London to Inverness. Craig had read that movement, such as riding in a car or train, could help ease the adjustment from sea to land. On the train this morning, we felt great. The train was moving, of course, but the motion we felt seemed to match. As we discussed this phenomenon, we decided we had successfully attained our land-legs.
Then we got off the train. Either the platform had a hidden motion base -or- we were not as recovered as we had hoped. We spent the morning walking around Inverness. (We walked over seven miles today. Though I'm not entirely sure how it was spread out through the day, I do think the majority was in the morning.) I felt fine while we were walking, but again, each time we stopped I felt the world moving out of sync.
This afternoon, we took a bus and a boat - crossing Loch Ness and visiting Urquhart Castle. We sat at the front of the tour bus and the ride was short, so I did alright with that. The boat ride was great, with big windows and open decks, so I didn't have any trouble with the motion. As we walked around the castle ruins, I wasn't expecting any problems.
Then we walked up a stone, spiral staircase so narrow that it was impossible to pass another person. About three flights up, we escaped the staircase for a room open to the air above and all around. All at once, the castle was both spinning and rocking beneath my feet, even as I stood perfectly still.
Imagine, if you can, you've spun around in a circle until you fell flat on the ground, like a child. Now, imagine that you've landed on the Star Wars ride - but your eyes are closed and the sound isn't playing, so you've only got motion without context; you can't anticipate which direction you might lurch in next. Finally, while all of this is happening in your head, you are, in fact, standing in the ruins of a castle, at the highest remaining point, with nothing but a few half walls and the occasional addition of a metal bar to keep you from falling into Loch Ness.
When Craig asked if I was alright, I naturally answered, "Quite comfortable. I'm quite comfortable here." We then took several minutes to enjoy the view so I could recover enough to attempt the stairs going back down. It was a fantastic view and a really unique castle to explore.
My apple watch says I walked over seven miles and took thirty flights of stairs today. I still feel like things are moving a bit when I sit still, but that may just be because we really haven't stopped. Of course, that's unlikely to change any time soon.
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