Foggy Day in London Town

This weekend I decided two things: 1. I should always carry an umbrella and ignore forecasts that predict no rain and 2. I'm planning my future excursions while in England to include just me, myself, and I.

Big Ben!

Yesterday I traveled with Britney, Cam, and Adrie to London for the day. We woke up and caught the Oxford Tube (a bus that runs between Oxford and London). I spent this last week reading maps of London so that when we got there, we would have an agenda of things to do or see relative to a certain area so that we could make the most of the day. This was mistake number one: having a plan. More specifically, expecting the others to go along with the plan.

The plan was to leave Oxford by 8:30am in order to make it to Buckingham Palace with plenty of time to see the Changing of the Guard. Traveling with a group, we left at 9:30. Missed the ceremony.

The plan then shifted to getting food and after a bite to eat we wandered around the National Gallery. I can try with all my might, but I will honestly never have the endurance of a real art snob. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate art, I just mean that my appreciation doesn't increase by spending eternity walking around.

I quickly moved through the Renaissance paintings to the more contemporary art. As I was looking at the collection of Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh I got the urge to be back in Paris.

Next I got the urge to wander further away from the group (who were still in the Renaissance rooms) and continue my London adventure alone. I sat down on one of the benches in the room where a little kid was drawing in a sketchbook while looking at Van Gogh's sunflowers. The scheming and plotting was just getting good when the others caught up and together we decided we'd outdone ourselves on art for a while.

After leaving the gallery we crossed Trafalgar Square to get some coffee. Here is where I realized mistake number 2: traveling with someone that has as big of an appetite as Cam. Honestly if I had to describe our trip in a few words I would say, "restaurant hopping." But really, I found myself racing along the streets of London to find places to eat so that Cam would be fed, and therefore happy. The result of all this wandering (fast paced walking) was not getting to do or see a lot of London.

After eating dinner in Chinatown, I convinced the others to look in the used book shops on the next street over. The walls were covered in old books and I started dreaming about having a book collection that size of my own one day. On one of the shelves I picked out a really old copy of Pride and Prejudice. I showed Adrie, who is taking an Austen course. After realizing it was priced for 85 pounds, I put it back. "Watch it!" said the old man at the counter. I realized that by putting it back I had accidentally bent a few of the pages. I turned to Adrie and mumbled, "We gotta get out of here" and we then left as I heard the old man take the book off the shelf and call out, "Unbelievable!" I had wandered into the shop as a book lover and left as a book destroyer. Sorry, dude.

What do you think we did next? Get food, DUH! We walked (raced) along Oxford Street to a place that Cam said made awesome waffles. Soon it began to sprinkle. In my head I could not fathom how I was in such a situation. Walking in the rain, my legs about to fall off, for a waffle?! Half an hour later I found myself standing in the cover of a metro station, eating a waffle covered in cream, strawberries, and chocolate. I can only describe it as: FREAKING DELICIOUS! It was really impossible not to have a slight lift in spirits after eating it.

I regret being a book destroyer, but no shame for destroying that waffle! This brings me to mistake 3, which completely contradicts mistake 1: not having a plan. It was raining, our legs were tired, and it was time to go back to Oxford. I knew perfectly well how to get from where we were back to Victoria Station, but it involved taking the metro, which the others didn't trust (and were completely oblivious to my familiarity with the underground). Therefore the adventure continued in the rain, looking for the proper bus to take us to a station that would then get us home. By the time we got to the station, I was completely soaked. And by the time we found the proper pick up point for the Oxford Tube, I was breathless from dodging traffic.

I slept most of the way home and it was a miracle that my legs found strength to carry me back to the apartment. With all the events of the day that sound miserable as I type them, I don't regret the trip. I was able to see a new area of London, see the National Gallery, and eat some pretty good Chinese food (and a waffle made by angels). I am also not going to hesitate about traveling alone in the future and I can't wait to plan my next trip in which I have every excuse to be selfish! This means walking at my own pace, eating at normal times, and not sacrificing my plans for others' wishes...cause honestly selflessness is overrated (you can decide for yourself if I'm joking).