London

Well after 3 days and 2 nights in London, it actually feels good to be back at the Manor! Our London adventure started on Thursday around 3:30 with trying to get Sarah from class and her stuff into the room and on the shuttle in under 10 min, it all worked out perfectly though. We made it into Grantham to the train station with plenty of time to spare and we got some toastys. Sarah had a cheese and tomato and I had a cheese and onion, they were both very good! After being excited for my first "real" train ride we rode for about an hour and finally made it to London!! Where as soon as we got off the train Sam ran away looking for platform 9 3/3 from the Harry Potter movies. After we found it, it turned out to just be like a closet on the outside of Kings Cross (But still Platform 9 3/4 non the less). Then I got to see a red double decker bus and that was very exciting for me! After that little bit of exploring we were on our way to tackle the underground/tube to get to our hostel! Once we finally made it (no trouble on the tube, just the walking after the tube) we went upstairs to see our rooms and when Sarah and I entered ours (a 12 bed mixed dorm) we were taken aback by the fact that it was really a 12 bed mixed dorm! I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't quite that, or I just wasn't ready for it, yet. We were very confused by the sleeping arrangements because we were supposed to have beds 4 and 6, and 6 was open so I put my bag on it, but 4 had someone else's stuff on it, it was fresh linen, just someone else's bags were on top of it. We dashed out of the room and down the stairs to the other girls' room and Kelsey told us to just go talk to the manager and get it straightened out. After we talked to her she changed the linens and took the bags off Sarah's bed and kicked the other person out of the room! We felt a little embarrassed but it was our bed so okay. We were very tired and after staying downstairs in the Pub area with Kelsey for a bit we decided to retire around 10 pm (oh the life of a college student!) It wasn't very much different than getting ready for bed like at a church lock-in or something else from high school where there were boys and girls, we went to the bathroom and got ready for bed locked our stuff up, and packed our very important things into our pillow cases and off to bed we went. Well I may have been in bed but I surely wasn't asleep. I slept on the middle bunk while there was a guy above me and one below me. The one below me snored ALL night long and in between snores he like made awful noises that sounded like chewing your gum with your mouth open, and sadly my iPod was locked up in the locker. I learned to deal with it and quickly realized if I was tired enough I would sleep! so I slept, for about 2-3 hours. The next morning Sarah and I started out pretty early after breakfast we headed to meet up with Grace, Elizabeth, and Kasey at their hotel, we finally got through the underground after about an hour, and then we got lost coming out of the underground because there were 2 Hotel Russel's on either side of the underground, but we eventually made it to their hotel, after about a 30 min walk :) We spent ALL day Friday doing a walking tour our school typed out for us, so we walked about 10-12 miles, but we saw ALL the tourists sites! It was great! We even ate Fish and Chips in the crypt of an old church in Trafalgar Square! We saw Big Ben, London Tower, London Bridge, and many other things! It was definitely an adventure! After the long walk we took a short power nap at the Girls's hotel and then we went to find dinner, we found this little place that for £5 you got a quart of pasta or rice, a sauce, and 1 topping, and then either a drink or a dessert! it was a bargain and it was very good!! it even stayed warm until Sarah and I got back to our Hostel! We ate our pasta, and sat down in the lounge/pub area and talked and met a lot of really nice people! We met a guy who worked at the bar from London who tried to teach us how to talk in a British Accent, and taught us British Nursery Rhymes. We met an Adventurer from Belgium, he was the first person to cross the Simpson Desert in Australia alone for 5 days, he is going to be an Olympic Torch Bearer this year too!! We also met a guy from Australia who came to London to look for work, and 2 girls from Rio de Janero but they had moved to Germany recently, and a guy from Lithawania. What a mixture!! Oh! did I mention We actually met a guy from INDIANA!!! All the way in London in a little Hostel we met a guy from Merrivall, Indiana who had been WWOOFING in Ireland. WWOOFING in Organic farm volunteering and they pay for your room and board and meals and you get to live in other countries. Then we went to bed, and after those 10 miles I was ready!! Then Saturday we got up and checked out of the Hostel, and Sarah, Kelsey and I met the girls at their hotel and we ventured out to find Abbey Road!! THE ABBEY ROAD!! Once we were there it was just amazing!! I was taken aback and I actually shrieked like a little girl!! I was too excited!! We crossed it and got our pictures and then almost got hit by a couple of cars who didn't look too happy with us and our cameras!! haha!! After Abbey Road we went back to Kings Cross, and ate lunch at a little Pub and I got Penne Mushroom Alfredo, and a Coke (with Ice) all for £6!! Sarah had Pizza and Kelsey had Brushetta, it was all very good, and cheap!! Then we walked around and bought some post cards then began our venture back to the Manor. However a series of unfortunate events took place and along the way between the train and the Manor I lost my iPhone :( I called the Taxi company and the driver didn't find it so I called the train company but their lost department isn't open until Monday so I won't even be able to find out if they found it until Monday. I really hope they found it and can get it to me soon, being 20 years old in a different country without your phone is a trauma! I know that sounds completely and utterly ridiculous but it is. It's been difficult and its only been lost for 6 hours!! I don't know how I'll be able to survive a whole 2 days!! I'll figure it out!! needless to say I got to talk to both my mom and my dad today and I also got to talk to my Aunt Dedra for a little bit since she was with my mom. I'm staying up waaayy past my bed time tonight so I can talk to my Great Aunt Marjorie tonight since they went down to visit her!! Well it's goodbye for now! I hope you enjoy the pictures I took of London!!