The Chemist, the Cat and the Time Machine: Stop #10

The darkness fades, and an immense and blinding light takes over. The crew had been heading for home after their traipse through time, but the Mad Chemist clearly tipped in too much Rocket Fuel Punch. Having expected to land comfortably in the present day, our adventurers have overshot their destination by at least a hundred years.

This location appears to have a particularly bright sun and there's not a cloud in the sky. Just as the Cat makes to step away from the Time Machine she realises why - the team are above the clouds. They're about to dine at the Restaurant in the Clouds!

Overview of Stop #10: Restaurant in the Clouds

This is a dining experience like no other! In the future the effects of overpopulation have resulted in mankind searching for new sites to build on. Once the necessary technology was available, it was only natural(!) for clouds to be put to full use. Many establishments are based in the skies, including this fine restaurant.

But how do prospective customers get there? Well, they take Phoebe's Bike of course!

Entrance to the restaurant

That iconic moment in E.T. was not the work of exceptional filmmakers but rather a glimpse into the future of transportation. Everyone goes around on flying bikes, and that's the preferred method for reaching this eatery. Once you get in the Holographic Greeter will live up to her name. She'll also use the Touch Screen Menu to process your order, making the whole process nice and easy.

While the Classic Chef and Fancy Waiter provide pristine service, you can settle down on a Glass Chair at an Alpine Table and sip some Chilled Drink. The White Carnation Vases make for a nice decoration, and help further the relaxed and laid-back atmosphere. Or should that be stratosphere?!

And if you've got a premium ticket there's an opportunity to saunter across to the VIP cloud.

VIP cloud and transporter

To get there you'll need to take the transporter. This massive construction shuttles between the two ports, both populated by the Love Boat Crews. Engine Counters power this vehicle, and it is steered by Captain Phoebe using the Navigator Host Table and Touch Screen Table. The journey between clouds doesn't take long (it's quicker than a ride from the winged Love Pug!), and Phoebe will make sure that you're as safe as possible at these great heights, mostly by strapping you in tight to a Drivers Seat.

Once over the abyss, you can enjoy a bite to eat at the Romantic Lounge. Perfect for the audacious couple, there's a long table surrounded by rose petals, glowing tealights and red curtains. There's plenty of privacy up here, and spectacular views to boot.

Meanwhile to the side we find the Lab Assistant. And who is that she's conversing with? It's the Robo Dog, who we first met right back at the beginning when peering into the basement of The Garlic Tree! It's a glorious reunion after so long apart, but it also raises a very tough question: how did the Robo Dog get here? He's clearly not been tagging along throughout the trip, which leaves us with a real mystery as to how a robotic pooch could manoeuvre through decades of time...

We should continue to ponder this, but a beautiful rainbow is grabbing the attention.

Rainbow and kitchen area

A rainbow is a dazzling sight at any time, but when you're clear of the clouds it's especially impressive. Here the yellow arch is catching the intense sunlight causing a stunning sparking effect that you could describe as Golden Squares. 

While most of us are satisfied with looking at this quirk of nature from a distance, the Leprechaun Waiter has other ideas. He's clutching his bag of gold in hope that he may have the chance to add to it. Every rainbow has a pot of gold at the end, and this one is no different. The glare of the sun makes this treasure trove look like a Lemon Barrel, but it's definitely the real McCoy. The problem is that the Leprechaun is on the wrong cloud! He'll have to purchase a ticket and take the transporter across, but that will mean parting with the gold he's already got! It's a hard life.

It's not so hard for the Robot Chef and Valentine Robot, who together run the kitchen of this diner. They operate on solar power, and there's an abundance of that up here, so they never run out of energy. Working within a labyrinth of Blue Ovens, these two are perusing over the preparation of a sky restaurant speciality - Cloud Cakes! They're tastier than they sound, and are sourced locally.

Now, let's pull our eyes away from the rainbow, and instead worry over a far more sinister sight.

Strange storm

There's a strange storm brewing. Of course not all clouds are white and fluffy, but this looks to be more serious than a rain shower. There's something not quite right here, and it's difficult to fathom exactly what. Is this the beginnings of a major electric storm? Is it a gaping black hole opened up by the Chemist after one too many violations of the space-time continuum? Is it the way the people of the 22nd century celebrate Halloween?!

Whatever's going on here, I don't like it, and fear for our gang. Given that the Robo Dog was nearby to this ominous threat, maybe he can offer some information? The Cat will certainly ask her lab mate.

In the mean time, the rest of the group are staying at the Time Machine.

Time Machine at the Restaurant in the Clouds

I can understand their reluctance to disembark from the comfort of the Wooden Pillars. For one thing, they'd have to make a jump to reach the clouds, but their apprehension is mostly caused by that looming dark threat. And those are not the only concerns - after spending the remainder of the fuel to get here, the Chemist and friends are now stuck in this place. Will they ever get home?

To be concluded...

---

At the outset of this adventure I didn't really have much of a storyline except for the addition of recipes and natives at every stop. And yet as the weeks have gone on a grand finale has been concocting in my mind! There's not long to wait for the final episode - I'll be bringing down the curtain with one last post on Saturday which will hopefully see some answers to the many questions!

Focusing on this stop, I felt a time travelling tale wouldn't be complete without some glimpse into the future. At first I planned to utilise the decent range of futuristic content in the market, but soon realised that this was an unrealistic possibility. For a lot of the better décor you need a large gem budget, and having spent heavily throughout this journey I couldn't really afford lavish purchases.

 The Chemist, the Cat and the Time Machine

 23/05/16 Stop #9 - Summer of Love
 16/05/16 Stop #8 - Olympics
 09/05/16 Stop #7 - Wild West
 02/05/16 Stop #6 - Middle Ages
 25/04/16 Stop #5 - Ancient Asia

That's when I started thinking outside the box, and the restaurant in the air idea came to be. The rainbow was one of the first concepts to come to me, although I was doubtful as to whether it could be executed successfully. In the end I was really happy with the outcome, and the Golden Squares tile introduced a fortnight ago really helped with that.

Elsewhere the transporter naturally caused some difficulty. It turns out that designing your own transportation device is hard work, and I spent quite a lot of time fiddling to get it right. Even so I don't think it's my finest work - luckily Captain Phoebe is on hand to keep the rickety looking ship steady!

We're almost there folks! After 10 stops and many hours of planning, redecorating and writing, there's just a few more days before I bring this fable to a close. Tune in Saturday!

Next: The Finale