Monday was filled with last minute preparations and travel jitters. I was stressed because I had yet to finish my paper and I had yet to book a hotel room for the week that I would be in London. I was leaving on Tuesday. At the very last minute I managed to book a hotel. I felt accomplished. However, I still had to pack. I hate packing. I always have. It feels like I am packing for a journey that I will never return from, so I always have to repack and this happens repeatedly until I get too tired to do it anymore. Finally I did just that and went to sleep.
On Tuesday morning I woke up very early so I could do my packing ritual once again. I was finally satisfied with what I had done and cleaned my part of the room before we left for the bus. Samantha, Vi and I were flying out of Pisa. However, they were going to Paris and I was going to London. Everything went very smoothly and I seem to have arrived at the airport just in time to check in and grab lunch before my flight. On the flight I was delighted that we were allowed to pick our own seats. I think that this is how it should always be done. I managed to grab a window seat and two British ladies were my row mates.
The flight went well, however, I got airsick. That has never happened to me before and I was slightly embarrassed as I emerged from the airplane restroom. As we landed I was left wondering how I would make it to my hotel. I figured it out in the end. I bought tickets for the Gatwick Express and made sure to buy one for the return trip so that I would save time. Once I reached Victoria I decided it would be much easier to get a taxi rather than try to figure out where Hogarth Road was in the entire city of London. This worked out very well. The train station ended up being only a two-minutes walk from my room, but it would have been disastrous if I had tried to take the tube on my first time there. My first night in London held nothing of interest. London is a fascinating city though.
The next day was Wednesday, but I was very feeling very unwell. I ended up sleeping the day away. I did go out later that night. I was enjoying being able to eat food that I was used to in America. I didn’t realize how much I had missed it.
On Thursday, I was still not feeling well, however I made myself get up and make the journey to Stonehenge. I was surprised by how well it went. When I arrived to Salisbury, my first thought was to take a cab to Stonehenge. Everyone I asked told me not to do this and to do the bus tour. I looked at the bus times and saw that I had forty minutes before it would come back to the stop. I decided that it would be good use for my time to go to the cathedral that I could see the steeple of in the distance. Walking to the cathedral seemed to take only five to ten minutes. The cathedral was very beautiful and I bought postcards with Stonehenge on them. Little did I know that this would be my only opportunity to see Stonehenge during my travel break. I asked the cashier what the quickest route to the train station was. The way she sent me was by no means the quickest. It ended up taking me twenty minutes to get back to train station. I missed the bus. I was very much discouraged as I took the train back to London. I went back to the hotel and fell asleep.
Friday brought about much the same events as Wednesday, except that I managed to force myself up again to go see the fantastic Broadway production of “Wicked”. “Wicked” is my favorite Broadway play. Getting to Victoria was an adventure. The day of my arrival in London I had seen the theatre that “Wicked” is performed in. However, I got on the wrong tube train and ended up switching trains to get back to Earl’s Court. I asked two drunk Frenchmen for help. They were very nice and led me to the correct train. I was very grateful. I made it to the theatre without further mishap, even though I still had no real idea where I was going. Apparently my “Best Sense of Direction” superlative is true because I found my way to the theatre and even managed to get one of the best seats in the house for twenty-five pounds. I was very excited. This was my second time seeing the musical and I was thrilled that the rumors that it wasn’t as good as the New York production, have proved false.
Saturday was another sick day. That night I made myself get up again. I ended up exploring the town and going to High Street Kensington where I was inspired to shop. Not that it takes much to inspire me.
Sunday had to have been my best day there. I woke up earlier than I had been and while I only felt slightly better, it was easier to make myself get up. Sunday was my last day in London and I had still not seen the Tower of London. Once I arrived at Tower Hill I found my way to the Tower. The Tower was absolutely fascinating. I was also surprised by how big the grounds were. I walked around and ventured into the shops and left. My favorite exhibit was the one with the crown jewels. The history of those objects was amazing. I was about to leave when I saw a Starbucks. I was thrilled because Italy doesn’t seem to have any. Of course I went in and bought a drink. Leaving I was even tempted to try fish and chips, but my better sense won out.
I got back on the train and made my way to Earl’s Court. I had to drop off my purchases before I ventured back to High Street Kensington. I wanted to walk around and maybe see a movie. Only one of these things happened, as I was unable to find the cinema. I went back to the hotel as everything was closing and I packed my things for the return journey home the next day. Packing everything turned out to be an adventure in itself.
The next day I was feeling worse than I had all week. It didn’t make me feel any better that I was facing a full day of traveling either. I checked out and ended up missing the tube train that would take me to Victoria. Thankfully they run like clockwork and I was able to catch one, however it was ten minutes later. It seemed like fate had ordained that I should miss my flight. But I fought back and won. I made it to Gatwick determined that I would take any flight going to Italy. Thankfully I got the one I paid for. The rest of the day was filled with flying and the familiarity of Italian train stations. I can’t say I missed it too much. I miss London much more.
Pictures will be posted later.
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