I feel like I should preface this with an apology. SO much has gone on the past few months that I completely forgot about the existence of my blog. I will do an update blog here pretty soon, but I felt I should, you know, finish my series of posts from LAST New Years.
So, without further ado.
Part Three:
London (please forgive me if some of this is out of order, it has been year. It is also likely going to be shorter than the others for the same reason.)
The trip from Paris to London was much less eventful than the one from Amsterdam to Paris. Although the actual getting on was a bit more stressful than getting on to go to Paris, we all were in the same train car (that's what they're called right? Cars? Carts? Cabs? I have no idea).
By this point in the trip, I was exhausted. And it had been awhile since I had taken my allergy medicine, I wasn't feeling 100%. Everyone seemed to have the sniffles and a cough at this point in our group, but it did not stop us from having fun.
So anyway, we get on the train after having sat (and slept-- some of us MAY have been remarkably hungover to where it felt like the whole train station was moving) for what felt like forever. I DID have my passport in my hand. There was no way I was going to accidentally put it in a bag and risk all the stress I'd had on the previous train ride.
I remember sitting on the train next to Kevin (not the Kevin that was a friend from home, but the other one). We chatted a bit but not much and then I opened my kindle. Afterwards, I promptly passed out.
The train ride was supposedly really cool. It was the one that went under the canal. But you could tell me that we ended up spotting an underwater city that housed water dragons and I wouldn't know any better I was so out.
The next thing I know, my eyes are fluttering open and we are moving through rolling hills of Great Britain. Seeing as I'm from the flat, flat part of Texas, hills still impress me even if they are small and insignificant. I can't remember if these were actual hills or if they were just hills in my eyes because the land wasn't flat.
I did not take any pictures, because that would have involved moving more than I wanted before it was necessary.
It was pretty though.
So, we get to London and promptly get on a bus for a city tour.
For the time we were on the bus, I know that I struggled to stay awake. Which saddens me because I'm sure we heard a lot of interesting things about London.
We then stopped for lunch at a large market near some ATMs. Most of us stopped by the ATM to get some proper money and then we went into the market.
I ate something. I think it was some sort of sandwich. I remember that it was messy and I didn't eat all of it. A few of us walked around as we ate and we kept seeing signs for the "Dungeon of London" attraction which we were like oh that's cool. There was also a pirate hip on land I think?
After lunch, we reconvened and continued our tour on foot.
I don't recall much from the walking tour. We crossed a bridge. We did go by Buckingham Palace at some point and I'm pretty sure it was that day.
Eventually we all made our way to the hotel we were staying at. And man, was it a nice hotel.
Ashleigh and I got a room to ourselves in the corner of the lowest floor. We promptly went to the grocery store across the street to load up on alcohol because we were going to throw a party in our room. We also got snacks (bags of chips and cookies and a giant tub of gummy bears). To get the alcohol into the hotel, though, we definitely made it more difficult than necessary because we weren't sure if we were supposed to bring alcohol in so we tried to sneak it in.
Any of the group that wished then went to a very nicely lit shopping center/mall thing for dinner. I got my first meat pie (the best piessss in Looondon) and it was good, despite having mushrooms in it.
Someone else at the table got nachos to share with the table. They were disappointing. Basically just shredded cheese on the chips. And I'm not even sure if they were tortilla chips. (If there are any Londoners reading this, please note that is not what nachos are.)
When we got back to the hotel, we did throw a little party. Basically we all just formed a circle and played Never Have I Ever with vodka gummy bears (which were disgusting). It was fun.
The next day we went to Oxford. If you have read Deborah Harkness's All Souls' Trilogy, the first book (A Discovery of Witches) partially takes place here. I slept on the bus ride there and came to the conclusion I was sick like half of the group (side note: it was just allergies). When we stopped, the little pub that Tolkien and Lewis used to sit and have long discussions was pointed out to us.
We had a really cool tour through it. And I took a few pictures.
After the walking tour, we were released on Oxford like wild hogs. Not really. But sort of.
We were told that we needed to meet back up after some time to wander and eat. We were warned that if we wanted to eat and the same place that Tolkien and Lewis did that it would likely be all that we could do since the food took a while.
I was torn.
Part of me wanted to go sit where other authors have sat. Eat where they had eaten. Maybe even challenge someone to a duel, I don't know.
But another part of me wanted to go to Blackwells (Aka the largest single room bookstore in the world -- allegedly).
Had anyone else wanted to go to the pub, I would have gone, but no one else did. But then again, I also had been around so many people for so long at this point, I kind of wanted to do my own thing.
So I went to Blackwells first. And the claim to be the largest single room bookstore is a lie. They cheated. Their "one room" was multiple floors and basically it just looked like an entire building where they eliminated all the walls. But it was cool. I got a pen. And a notebook. And a couple of books.
Then I went to find food. And I found this quaint little cafe that wasn't too crowded that had some of the best tomato soup I think I've ever had. I took my bowl of soup and a large piece of garlic bread to sit near where we were supposed to meet up and ate it, blissfully alone (except for when others in my group would randomly pop in and sit for a bit).
When I started wandering again, I came across a screen in a building that had a JRR Tolkien Lord of the Rings quiz thing. Obviously I took the quiz. Multiple times. Each time it had different questions and I didn't miss a question.
At some point I wandered all the way to the pub, with the knowledge that I did not have time to get food or even really go in.
Someday I will go back. Someday I will eat where Tolkien ate.
ANYWHO.
We went back to the hotel and got ready to go out for a pub crawl.
As we are in the first pub, we make some new friends with people from other countries. One was named Kris whom the Kris in our group was fascinated by the fact that they spelled their name the same way.
Our tour director deemed us in good hands and at some point through the night vanished.
I admit it. I got drunk. Very very drunk.
The last place we went to was a club. I was to a point where I didn't particularly want to be near super loud music. And as I walked back to find my group after using the bathroom, multiple people stopped me to talk which in normal circumstances would have been fine and dandy, but in my brain I was alone in a foreign country and that wasn't safe. (I'm not sure why this is the place that mindset popped up since I'd been in many situations way more sketchy than random guys trying to talk with me. But I do trust my intuition and it was telling me to get as far away from one of the guys as quickly as possible so that is what I did.)
I found Larkin who had my phone (since his was still MIA in Amsterdam) and "tried" to find my group. Apparently even though I spoke with multiple of them IN THE CLUB I decided they were all lost to me. No one was still in the club so I had to go find them.
When I went upstairs I ran into the Kris who wasn't part of my group and asked if he had seen anyone in my group. He asked weren't they in the club and I was like of course not. I looked there.
Then I left the club.
Not too far. I just went outside in the cold air next to the bouncer.
Mike (the bouncer) asked if I was okay. And I said No. My group has abandoned me. This guy was way nicer than he needed to be, and asked how he could help. I said there was no way and took a step away.
I knew I needed to get back to my hotel. I also knew there was no chance I could navigate the metro. Plus it apparently closed at some point and I had no idea when that was.
SO I pulled out my phone, and pulled out my Uber app then turned back to Mike.
"I don't know how to Uber. Can you get me back to my hotel?" I asked him. He took my phone and asked me where my hotel was. Me, being drunk, said "I don't know. BUT I have a picture!" I don't know whose idea it was to take pictures of the hotel address, but whoever it was... thank you.
So the bouncer, Mike. Sweet dear Mike, helps me order an Uber. He also kept going through the different drivers until there was one he knew.
"Okay, love," he told me as he handed me my phone back, "Mohammed will be here in about four minutes. He's going to pull up right there," Mike pointed to the street directly in front of us, "just stay right here and you'll get back to your hotel."
Me, being drunk and dumb, thanked Mike profusely and then promptly walked the OTHER DIRECTION to another street while waving my phone in front of me trying to figure out why the car kept moving a different way than I was walking.
Thankfully before I got too far, another Londoner stopped me and asked if I was okay.
"I'm trying to catch my Uber but he won't stay put."
At this point, my Uber had shown up exactly where Mike said he would and this other Londoner, bless his heart, tried to wrangle me in that direction (he had my phone at this point and said "I think you're the one moving, darling,") and as we approach the small line of cars I break away from him. Approach the first car I see and knock on the window.
"Are you Mohammed, my Uber driver?" I ask as SHE rolls the window down.
"No, sorry," she said.
At this point both the bouncer and the random Londoner manage to wrangle me into Mohammed's car.
Mohammed was very nice. I am pretty sure I told him my entire life story and he got a tip that was equal to the entire drive. I gave him a Five-star rating.
We get back to the hotel and he puts his vehicle into park as he watches me go up to the door to the hotel. It has one of those security measure things that mean after a certain time, the door only opens to people with keys.
At the desk inside, I see one of the men I had spoken with prior in the night. He looks up waves, I wave back. Then I put my wallet where I'm supposed to put the key. It doesn't open. I get more and more creative on how I put my wallet up to the door. Shockingly, it doesn't open.
Mohammed starts to get out of his car, presumably to help me figure out how to get into my hotel. The guy inside sees a random guy start approaching from behind me and he starts moving to the door. While both of these guys are coming up, I guess I magically figured out how to hold my wallet because the door opened.
I end up going back to my room and message Ashleigh on the WhatsApp to tell her I managed to successfully use Uber all by myself for the first time and am back at the hotel. Or at least, I meant to only send it to Ashleigh. Instead I sent it to the whole group.
Then I realized I was all alone in my hotel (at least it felt like I was all alone in the whole hotel). When my neighbors came back, I bribed them into hanging out a bit with snacks. More than half of the remaining gummy bear were dropped on the ground. I am still slightly upset about this gross waste of gummy bears.
The next day we had a free day, so Ashleigh, Kevin (still not friend from home Kevin -- man I didn't hang out with him as much as I should have), and I went to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
On the ground while we were waiting was half an avocado. I don't know why it was there, I just remember it was there.
We ended up leaving the rest of our group and went to the London Eye where we saw a really cool view.
The pictures don't do the view justice at all.
Afterwards, we went to the previously mentioned dungeon tour. It was not a real dungeon, but it was this "live action" tour of the dark side of London's history. Between plague and treason accusations, the Great Fire and Mrs. Lovett's meat pies, and even Jack the Ripper, it was really a fascinating tour. I did get pulled into a cage when we were being accused of treason and got separated from Ashleigh and Kevin for like half a sketch.
The end of it was extra fun because we were "hanged" on a ride. Since it was four people per little cart thing, it was the three of us and a random woman.
Afterwards, it was getting a bit late, but we still had one thing to do before we left the area. We went on a carnival ride.
It was fun.
When we got off that, we ended up going back to the hotel to meet up for the farewell dinner. I don't remember what I had beyond some creme brulee. Which was delicious.
After the farewell dinner, we packed and hung out a little bit later before going to the airport.
The four of us flying back to Houston were all equally exhausted. In fact, I'm slightly shocked we didn't sleep through getting on our flight.
I was so hoping to get through this trip without getting pulled aside by security since I've gotten pulled aside basically every time I've ever gone on a trip (still to this day) and I did get pulled aside in that airport.
When I got home, my dad picked me up for the airport (thank you, dad!) and when I got home he had made me enchiladas. Sadly I didn't eat many because at this point I felt like death. One of the girls on the trip posted that she had been diagnosed with the flu, so I went to the urgent care my dad recommended.
Even though I stated that I'd been on a trip in Europe where at least one person had been diagnosed with the flu, they were positive I was pregnant. No matter how many times I stated that it was impossible for me to be pregnant they wouldn't get beyond that idea until I agreed to a pregnancy test. Shocker, I wasn't pregnant. But I also didn't have the flu. Or Mono. Or basically anything else they tested me for.
When they asked if I had changed up medications at all recently it finally clicked. I hadn't taken my allergy medicine in almost two weeks.
I took it when I got home and within a relatively short time was feeling as good as new.
Before I had gotten home, I'd booked my next EF Trip (Peru).
I always will recommend EF Ultimate Break. Even before I started trying to plan an international trip on my own, I recommended them. SInce I've started my own plans though, I realize just how nice it is to sign up for a trip, pay money, and just show up when they tell me to. No planning necessary. It's wonderful.
Since this trip, I've gone on a cruise (
Vlog #1 of it linked here), I've gone to a wedding in Vegas, I've gone on my Peru EF trip, and I went to my sister's wedding in Missouri.
This year, I am for sure going to Paris again and I'll go to Switzerland and Italy while I'm on that side of the world (My Big is getting married!) and on another Cruise in October (same ship, different ports). If my current plans work out, I'll also hopefully be taking a bit of a semi-spontaneous trip to Paris in the next month or so. Obviously, I am a fan of Paris and the people there. ;)
I'll be doing another blog about Peru and I'll catch y'all up with my life from this past year hopefully in the near future.
Until Next Time,
Shelby
