London!

Our next stop was LONDON!  To get there, Amy and I would be flying an infamous discount airline, which shall remain nameless, and which has absurdly strict cabin baggage restrictions.  Checking in for our flight was maybe one of the most stressful experiences of my life, but fortunately the woman at the ticket counter didn’t say anything about the size of my backpack, which was bulging.  Once we got to the gate, however, we watched the flight before us board.  Toward the end, people were pulled from the line and forced to check the size of their bag before boarding.  The judge of this was an incredibly unforgiving metal box.  Samples were provided around the gate, so Amy and I casually snuck away to test our own bags and hopefully avoid the 60 euro fine that they charge if you exceed the limit.  My bag barely fit… Amy’s, on the other hand, was just a bit too large.  Had it not been for the bulging pockets, it would have been fine.  There was only one thing to do-  LAYER.  Moments before boarding, Amy took a trip to the bathroom and ended up putting on about five layers, including “sheep sweater”- the lovely wool sweaters we bought in Ireland and are obsessed with, but that we despise whenever we had to pack to go anywhere.

Once we made it on the plane (strategically getting in the front of the line before they started to become worried about weight and checking bags) our flight went smoothly and we landed safe and sound at London Stansted.  We hung out for a little until our friend Sarah arrived on a later flight.  Finally, we got the bus to central London and then began our adventure to Danielle’s apartment on the night bus. 

What an experience.  By that time it was nearly 2am and the three of us were exhausted.  It took us a few minutes to find the right bus stop, and once we did, we saw the bus parked there with the driver inside reading the newspaper.  When we tried to board the bus, he informed us that he was on break for seven more minutes and we needed to wait outside.  Okay.  Once on the bus, we encountered an angry man who became enraged when the bus didn’t stop immediately when he pressed the stop button.  Conveniently, this all happened at the stop where we had to get off too.  As we were exiting the bus, angry-man decided to splash the contents of his waterbottle through the open bus door, attempting to hit the driver but instead hitting me.  Oh well.

Some quality time at the bus stop

After that, we made it without incident to Danielle’s apartment, where we immediately passed out and got some rest in preparation for exploring the city the next day!  Danielle had even selected a coffee place for us to stop at, even though she doesn’t drink coffee.  Greatest friend ever!  In the morning, we got to see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, walk across the bridge featured in Harry Potter, ride the London Eye, eat fish and chips, pay 1.50 euro to sit in a chair in the park, and best of all- VISIT PLATFORM 9 ¾!!  Childhood dreams came true.

Necessary.

Amy, Danielle, and me (and my coffee) at Big Ben!

On the London Eye

Finally got my Hogwart's letter!!

That night, Danielle cooked us a delicious dinner at her apartment, and then we met up with our friend Matt, also from Stonehill, who lives right above Danielle.  We hung out at a local pub for a little bit and got to catch up before heading back to get some sleep. 

Matt and me!

...And by sleep, I mean a 2 hour nap.  Amy and I decided it would be an awesome idea to book a 5:25am train to Paris.  This required us leaving Danielle’s at 3:45am and catching a night bus (my favorite) to the train station.  After battling with ticket machines that didn’t want to accept our coins and having the bus drive away on us, we caught another one soon after and made it to the station with plenty of time to hop on our train.

A quick, but solid trip to London!