Vineyard Tuesday night and starting immediately on Wednesday morning, I
was up and running from 8 until 10 every single day trying to get
visits, appointments and errands done in time to leave on Monday. I've
never run around so much in my entire life!! I really wish I could have
gone home a little earlier because I did need the extra couple of days.
I got everything done, however, even if it was a little off schedule. I
actually did pretty well with limiting myself to what I was going to
bring. Even though I still had to bring two bags, everything I packed
were things I knew I was going to need to get through the next four
months and the various climates in the fourteen countries.
Monday was incredibly hectic with final appointments, errands and
repacking to do. We finally got everything done, however, stopped by
Dad's work to say goodbye and headed up to the North End of Boston to
spend the afternoon before my flight. I was able to see Sam before her
work meeting and Mom, Kailin and I got lunch and gelato. I even had the
opportunity to speak Italian in the pastry shop we went to! It was the
first time in what would be a week of speaking almost as much Italian as
English...examples of THAT later!
Soon came the time to get to the airport and begin my big adventure. I
couldn't believe that it was finally time, and was in tears as the
airplane took off from the tarmac. I sat next to a WONDERFUL South
African gentleman who I was able to share travel stories with for the
first portion of the flight. After dinner and a glass of wine, I fell
right asleep. Given the lack of sleep I had in the past couple weeks, I
slept very well.
A few quick hours later, it was time to begin the descent down to
London! We were there! After all the usual arrival, security, and
immigration practices, I met up with some SAS kids who got in around the
same time. We checked our extra luggage into storage and headed to the
Tube to get into London! It was incredibly easy to navigate our way to
the hostel we stayed at, which was amazing. We checked in, sent our "We
got here!" e-mails to friends and families and pushed through our
increasing feeling of jet lag to start our 2 1/2 hour walking tour of
the city. We did the tour through the same company I used during all of
my Spring Break travels last spring, NewEurope. It was incredible. We
hit almost all of the major spots and learned so much about the history
of England the city of London. Like the other tours, we headed to a
nearby pub for some local food. I was fortunately able to find
something I could eat...I got sausage and mash without the gravy so I
could experience English dishes. It was good! It wasn't Italian, but I
still enjoyed it! It was just me, Dani and Sam (the girls I traveled to
the hostel with), along with the tour guide and one other traveler. We
all shared travel stories, and it was fascinating hearing what everyone
had to say.
After the tour, we headed back to the hostel and spent the day getting
to know some SAS kids who had arrived and some of the other people we
met in the hostel. The sense of community that comes with staying in
hostels is the reason I love doing it so much (along with the cheap
prices, lets be honest). The people I've met in this world from hostel
common rooms alone are some of the most intriguing I've ever met. They
all have incredible stories and are from all corners of the globe.
There were a few people we really connected with, including a guy from
Cali, a girl from South Korea and another guy from Australia (there are
a TON of them around!). After a much needed nap, we all hung out
together on the rooftop terrace. It had a great view and was a great
place to relax and talk over a drink. I even met an Italian! He only
spoke very broken English, so I was the only one he could really talk
to. It was amazing having a full conversation in Italian with someone
my own age!
My time in London got off to a really great start, and I was so excited
to see what the following three days had in store for me!
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