In the interest of full disclosure, my boyfriend and I broke up the day before we left for London. I feel this is important to tell you because (1) I’m a very honest person and if I didn't, I would feel as if I were hiding something from you all and (2) it has made my experience in London a very special one. As I mentioned in my previous blog, “Wait, We’re Leaving for London Soon?”, I came into this trip very underprepared for what was going to happen and overwhelmed with life.
The 24 hours leading up to leaving for the airport, the trip to the airport, sitting in the airport, sitting on the plane for six hours, and the bus ride to the hotel were absolutely exhausting--both mentally and physically. I had gotten a total of 3 hours of sleep in 36+ hours and my day was just beginning in London. Once we arrived at the hotel at 9:30 in the morning, I was done with the day. I was tired, stressed, and just wanted to cry. I know that sounds dramatic but I was in a very dramatic place in my life.
So enters Bianca. For the 24 hours leading up to leaving for the airport, the trip to the airport, sitting in the airport, sitting on the plane for six hours, and the bus ride to the hotel, all Bianca kept saying was “Oh my gosh, we’re going to London” and ”oh my gosh, we’re in London”. Every single time, without fail, I responded to her excitement with an unenthused and sarcastic “stop”, “you’re the worst”, “calm down”, or “it hasn’t hit me yet”.
Shortly after arriving at our hotel, we sat in the lobby as a large group and went through orientation with our group leader. Again, in the interest of being totally honest, Bianca and I both kept falling asleep while she was talking. They told us that we weren't allowed to fall asleep until that night so that our bodies could adjust to London time. It was 11:00 am. We couldn't fall asleep for another 12+ hours and our bodies were telling us it was bedtime now. Challenge accepted.
Throughout our first day, we rode a Hop on-Hop off bus (a double-decker tour bus), we visited the London Eye, we saw Big Ben's face on the Elizabeth Tower, and we went on the Thames Rocket, which was riding a speed boat around the Thames River. We then ended our day with an hour and 15 minutes of walking around the city lost, trying to find the bus stop and eventually riding the tube back to our hotel, getting ready for 30 minutes, and then riding the tube out to dinner.
It was a long day but it was perfect. It was so busy that I barely had any time to think about my ex-boyfriend; just the occasional thing that reminded me of him or made me think to reach out to him but I never did.
It was VERY windy and VERY cold and I was VERY inappropriately dressed. I was very unprepared for just how cold it was going to be and how much we would be walking around in the cold, windy, dampness. Although I should have been miserable, the truth is that I had a really great day just braving the cold with the rest of my group. This was the first of many times that London surprised me.
