“I guess I’ll go to London. I may as well since I’m doing
Ireland and Scotland. I’ll just spend a few days there.”
Biggest regret I’ve ever had.
When I arrived to London, Stansted Airport, I immediately
took a 1.5 hour bus ride to Finchley Road where I walked down the road to find
my Hostel, which looked like an old Victorian House. It got amazing reviews so
I was actually looking forward to it. But when I arrived, everyone was very
quiet, there were a lot of older families there and I just wasn’t feeling the
vibe. (Trust me, if you don’t feel a vibe in a hostel, you’re not going to
enjoy it at all) So that night, instead of exploring the city (regret), I
decided to hang back in the hostel and just go to bed.
The next day I told myself to get on that tube and just go
somewhere. Anywhere. I chose Buckingham Palace. How was it? Umm, it was a
palace. It was big. Looked like houses is Alpine, NJ. But it was located in
such an odd location. Smack in the middle of the road. You would think it would
be something like the white house but it wasn’t. There was a gate, those guards
that you try and constantly make laugh, and some grass. So I continued on through
the park and came across Parliament. Ask me anything about politics. Go ahead,
ask. I will be you $1 that I will not know the answer. And I will tell you now,
I will not know the answer. Why? Because I don’t care. I hate politics. I don’t
know how they work. I don’t want to know how they work. Yay for honesty hour!
But for some god forsaken reason I decided to buy a very overpriced ticket to
go inside. I’m not going to lie, it was actually pretty cool to see both sides
of Parliament and how they are separated and their beliefs. It was something to
cross off my list. After Parliament, I walked by Westminster Abbey, didn’t go
in because it was close to closing and decided to head over to a restaurant
called Feathers and grab a burger that just wasn’t good. So at that point, I
lost all hope in London and headed back to the hostel. A girl, nicknamed Hut,
in my room started talking to me and we got pretty close and decided to go to
dinner together. That’s when Q came in. He texted me about my trip and offered to
take me out for a drink. At that point I was over London and just wanted to do
something else so I agreed and later that night we went out.
He picked me up at the hostel and we headed to the local pub
and underground wine bar where we talked about family and just our lives in
general. It was exactly what I needed. Sometimes the only thing you need to
make you smile is just a friend to talk to about everything. And he was exactly
that. I felt super comfortable and started to enjoy myself and the London scene
at night. He was so friendly that I didn’t’ want it to end, so I extended the
invited of my wandering around London the next day to him and he told me to
message him, which I did.
The next morning I decided to tour the Tower of London
because I was told that it was a must-see when visiting London and although it
was pouring and freezing that day, I have to agree. It was an incredible castle
in London, full of history and beauty. Afterwards, I met back up with Q in the
center of town and we just walked around, talked some more, grabbed some food,
and rode on the carousel next to the Eye. He later invited me out in Campden
(party central) to meet some of his friends. I knew that I wouldn’t go out
drinking unless it was with people so of course I accepted the invite and met
everyone later on in the night. It was probably one of the most fun times I’ve
had in a long time. All of the people I met there were so heart-warming and
friendly that it was as if I’d known them for ages. Finally, the night ending
around 5am, I knew I was falling in love with London. I didn’t want to leave
the next day.
My final day in London was quite saddening. I was planning
on going to the aquarium or Westminster but the weather was rare at 75 degrees
in October so I decided to take advantage of that and go to Hyde Park with my
book and just read until I had to meet my Couchsurfing Host who would put me up
that night before my flight the following morning. When I was at the park, Q
surprised me by offering to meet me and it was the perfect ending with a true
friend I’d only known for about 3 days. It’s funny how you can become so close
to somebody within hours. So saying goodbye to him was quite hard but it was
time for my next new adventure.
Around 6pm I met with my host, my first host ever, Nathan
who was incredibly sweet. He welcome me with open arms. We went out for Indian
food (one of my favorites), and then he took me on a night tour of London. The
one thing I’ve learned so far while travelling, is that the city is so
different at night versus daytime. The night sky is illuminated with the stars
and the buildings that fill the city. The London Bridge was glowing with blue
lights while Big Ben was shining bright while the time was ticking away. If it
wasn’t for Couchsurfing, I don’t think I would’ve seen any of it. He gave me a
tour and a history lesson. He made me laugh and made me look harder at my
surroundings. I will never forget that night and the fact that he put me up for
the night, for free.
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London certainly was full of surprises. I met some amazing
people, drank some horrible beer, ate some horrible food, but had the time of
my life in a place I thought I was going to hate from the very beginning. I
guess that truly shows that you can’t judge anything until you fully experience
it.
Details:
Ryanair Flight: 12 Euros from Eindhoven, Holland – London
Stansted Airport
Hostel: Palmer’s Lodge – Swiss Cottage. Approximately 18
pounds a night ($25)
Mode of transport: Oyster card (5 pounds + how much you put
on it) – Tube/Walking
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