Last bit of Sheffield 5:00am
Waiting for the bus!
I met an interesting character on the bus named (I'm NOT kidding), Dr. Gillette Mach III TURBO, formerly known as Joe. And yes, the turbo was in all caps!! We began the journey to London together after I sat down next to him. He was a 22 year old on the way to a job interview. Appearing either extremely high or tired I watched as he began ripping out the contents of the bag he was carrying explaining that he knew he had some Xanax in there somewhere!! I asked, "What do you need Xanax for?". He said, "For my nerves!" Then proceeded to tell me that just that morning alone, he took ten Xanax pills (a serious anti-anxiety medication), and about eight Valium (basically an intense sedative), which explained the ridiculously high look on his face.
Dr. Gillette Mach III Turbo himself, also he just tagged the door!
About an hour into the bus ride he started talking about timing things right for the day, so I asked him what exactly he meant. Immediately after, he popped a little fruit gummy candy in his mouth and said, "I've got about 45 minutes, till I start tripping." Turns out, it was an acid-laced gummy. And sure enough, about 45 minutes later, I was the girl sitting next to the crazy guy waving his own hands in front of his face and looking all over like everything was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.
By the time we got to London, he was in full swing and having a great time.
I immediately took a wrong turn by getting on the tube (subway) in the wrong direction. But luckily Joe was by my side, tripping on acid and all, he helped me get to my hostel before running off to interview for a job. One thing I most definitely would never try to do after consuming any sort of substance! I did talk to him days later, and as it turns out, he got the job. What a crazy world we live in!
When I got to my hostel, I was the first to arrive in my room, but was shortly joined by a 22 year old Australian girl named Adelle, and a Slovakian couple Tasha and Marco. We all had great conversations about our countries and travel, it was a great first hostel experience!
The Generator London Hostel
The British Museum
Real mummies!
After a beer and a lovely conversation with Adele I had an early night.
I woke up the next day to first, ship half of my belongings home, since I had packed way too much and was going to break my back before I ever got to my next destination! I KNEW I had packed too much, but boy did I underestimate it!
Shortly after shipping half my life away, I left to meet up with a 28 year old lady named Catherine! I met her on the couch surfing website, and she agreed to show me around London. Catherine was a nurse in London, originally from the Phillipines, and was an absolute blast! She was very knowledgable about her city, and even treated me to a fabulous lunch! We walked around all day long after meeting at Hyde Park, a giant park in the middle of the big city!
Buckingham Palace guard!
Buckingham Palace!
Statue outside Buckingham Palace
You guessed it, Buckingham Palace!
Catherine and I in the Queen's Park, the London Eye is behind us
A VERY alert guard! (note the closed eyes)
Big Ben!
Big Ben
London Eye
St. Margaret's Church
Westminister Abbey
Anarchy in the UK, check out that Mohawk
And a fabulous pose with Franklin
Awesome street art/skate park in the middle of London
My latte with lunch! (been able to eat dairy ever since I left the U.S.!!)
Fabulous Nachos
Yes, I was craving a burger. Thank you Catherine for the amazing lunch!
Theatre where Shakespeare worked/performed!
Catherine and I
Catherine and I, St. Paul's Cathedral behind us
St. Paul's Cathedral
Crazy long and steep escalators to get out of the Tube station
A building on the lovely street I stayed on! (note the British flag)
After my long day walking around the city with Catherine I settled down and packed my bag, since I had to get up at 5:00am to catch my bus to Amsterdam. I planned on an early night, however I decided to have a quick beer before bed down in the bar at the hostel, and ended up meeting a 22 year old guy named James from Perth, Australia. Instead of hitting the hay early, we ended up drinking the night away until 3 in the morning! We had a blast, those Australians are CRAZY I tell you! But it sure wasn't easy getting up in the morning!!
I had a great time in London, and I would love to go back when I have more time to explore! My first experience of England was so memorable, it was hard to say goodbye. But I knew Amsterdam was waiting for me, and I was ready for the next leg of my trip. I'll be seeing you again England, if it's the last thing I do!
Cheers!
Corn
