So!! Yes, London in ''chaos'' is 2cm of snow that shut down the whole public transport system hahahahah it was hilarious!! Ive been following the cold very well this trip, its snowed in London, then Manchester, then Amsterdam, then in Freddie's hometown- Uppsala (SO BEAUTIFUL!!)
The coolest thing we did with Freddie was go walking on a frozen lake- just to emphasise how cold it is Sweden!! I've never walked on a frozen lake, Freddie showed us cracks in the snow and threw a massive snowball at me, we took lots of silly photos of our long shadows, and wrote messages in the snow :)
It was so lovely to actually see Freddie's home - it's like a postcard, and his parents are so lovely, even his little fluffy dog was so cute. Rita and I had a good laugh over what baby photo was Freddie - he was the fat baby :P Jordi and I slept out in the little sleepout, the only problem being that the roof was very close to my head, and I hit it when I woke up in the morning (late). Good times!!! Uppsala itself was so beautiful, I LOOOOOVED the cathedral, and we went and watched a game of rugby (England v... I dont remember, Italy?) at a local pub, which was so great! Even though i'd been away from Rugby for so long, I still remembered how to yell at the ref and the good lines of abuse to hurl. The locals were impressed (I think)!
Anyway, unfortunately, we didnt spend enough time in Uppsala; we left Freddie and his lovely family home (and his mom's great cooking!) and trained down to Stockholm after hanging out with Freddie all day. When we arrived, we got off the train and walked for (what seemed like) forever in very icy conditions to find out hostel - a boat! It was also so awesome to see, all the water around Stockholm was iced over, it was so impressive, it looked like broken glass!!
Anyway, more cold!!! Even though it snowed everywhere I visited on this trip, Stockholm definitely takes the cake though!! It was only -4 degrees, but the wind-chill factor made it more like -12!! On our first day of exploring (Valentines Day), we went to Galma Stan (the Old City), to the side with the Royal's Church, and looked out over the water. We all sat down on the edge of the platform, and it was like sitting on ice! My bum instantly froze! Rita wore her scarf and beanie so close together, all you could see was her eyes! It was such a shame when they left, because I was by myself for a day in Stockholm, and a bit of a loner in the hostel-boat. But i made friends with the French chicks and some crazy dude in my room, had an early night and had a really good look around Galma Stan, took BAZILLIONS of photos and had a really nice lunch with a Swedish lady and her beautiful baby girl, who came and sat next to me and we ended up talking for an hour!
My one panic of the day however was when I returned to grab my bags to get to the train station to find my way to the airport... As I should have known, Ryanair departs from the most inconvenient of locations (way out in the middle of nowhere), and after I had a panic about the whereabouts of my bags (they had been moved from the shed where i'd stored them!), I got to the train station and realised the next Ryanair bus to the airport I needed to go to (Vasteras) was only 90mins before my flight was due to leave! But I bought a ticket anyway, and went and looked at the times for trains, just in case. Then I realised there was a train that would get me to Vasteras faster! So I went and bought a train ticket, and got a refund for my bus ticket, planning on hitchhiking or taxiing from the town to the airport (it wasnt far, I was told). I went and got some dinner, and sat by my train... Which didnt depart, or let anyone on. I then asked a local, "Whats going on?"
Local- "There's a delay on the line..."
Me - "SHIT! How long will it be?"
Local- "half an hour..."
Me' - "Bugger"
Essentially, that would have got me to the airport too late for my flight, so I raced back to the guy I had originally bought my bus ticket from (who also refunded it) and he sold me another one. Then I had no time to go get a refund for my train ticket, so I gave it to him as a thank-you for his patience in my desperation :P As I got on the bus, in my seat next to the window, a British lady sat down next to me. We had a brief conversation about where we were going (Stansted, London), and she mentioned how "This was the only bus for Ryanair, the plane wont leave without us!"
Well, someone could have saved me a lot of time and stress if i'd known this sooner!!!!
= Zoe Fail
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Destination Unknown: Amsterdam
"Kylea and I are having a blast in Amsterdam, then i realised you said you'd try be here, and I wanted to rub it in that you missed it!!"
This is written (way) after the fact, but I will include the most awesome pictures so it doesnt matter anyway :)
Amsterdam was a blast! I can tell all the juicy details, but we did meet some interesting characters - starting with the guy who helped is get from Eindhoven to Amsterdam, on 3 different trains because our line was blocked after a fatal accident. He was reeeeally intense! We were talking to him, but sitting on the other side of the train from him, and he literally lent over the whole isle, and was practically ON Kylea, discussing politics and religion and shit! We were like, "Buddy, we're on our way to Amsterdam, y' hear..."
Secondly, and I have to thank this dude for his patience: on the last train from whereever we were to Amsterdam, I put my ticket somewhere really special, but not in the pocket of my jacket that I always put my tickets/boarding passes in! So when he came to check the tickets.... where was mine? SHIT! Kylea and I went through all my travel wallet, pockets, bag, make-up case, camera case, etc etc, and couldnt find it for the life of me! The guy checked the whole train, and came back to me and I was still looking and couldnt find it! OH GOSHHH!!!! He said "Look, I understand you must have a ticket if you're going to these lengths to find it. Just be careful next time, because not all train conductors are as nice as me." THANK YOU KIND SIR!!! And then, as I was thanking him, I remembered I'd put it in my passport, and found it two seconds later, and everyone around me laughed. Ohh well...
We arrived without further delay in this beautiful, neon city. Our hostel, "The White Tulip" was easy enough to find (just down the road from a sex shop...). Two Russian's who were staying in our hostel offered "Can you help us?" but meant "Can we help you with your bags" up the staircase. We said no thank-you, which sucked because then we actually saw the staircase!... it was almost as steep as Everest!!! And our rooms were on the third floor...
We went to Madame Tussaud's in Amsterdam, by the town hall - WOW!! They really are so impeccable! We got to play with Bob Marley's bongo's, Kylea kissed Justin Timberlake and I kissed Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams, and stole Brad Pitt from Angelina. We both had an intense discussion with George Clooney sitting at a table, and met Nelson Mandella, Barak Obama and Ghandi. It was all very exciting. We went to the Heineken Brewery, took lots of photos of bicycles and tulips and canals and their funny falling over buildings.
By night, on the first night, we were such tourists, and took our cameras and went to a 'cafe'. Then we went for a walk, to see if we could find the red light district (thinking it'd be quite hard). Turns out! We were living in the middle of it (We should have known, with the Condom Shop just down the road from our hostel...) Both Kylea and I wandered round this corner, and saw the red windows, then realised they ACTUALLY had women in them! ARGH!!! Thankfully my bag was big enough to hold both our camera's or else we could have got in trouble. It was pretty gross though, some of the women looked disgusting, others looked bored, sitting there filing their nails or talking on the phone. One lady, as Ky and I walked past together, stood up and started making gestures at us! AHHHH, DONT THINK SO LADY!!!!!! We also had a good laugh seeing some seedy guys come OUT from these windows. SICK! We got lost in the red light district (a whole canal + its side streets!) and it took us ages to get back to the hostel. Awkward...
The next day, we were invited in to see a live Sex show by a guy in a suit and practically screamed and ran away; yes we should have been used to it, but we werent. We found a really, really awesome cafe which we went into purely for the aesthetics - im not kidding, we both had a fruit smoothie! This place literally had layer upon layer of scribblings from anyone and everyone who had been there; it was everywhere! On the walls, the roof, the chairs, the pool table, the leather couches!!! It was awesome, and also the view looked right out over a canal, it was really cool. The other funny thing about being in there was seeing these two French guys getting told off for smoking normal cigarettes! "Only Marijuana inside Cafes!" growled the waitress, who then took away their ashtray...
All the buildings in Amsterdam are on angles, its so weird to see. Its like when they were building them, they looked too straight, and so they did it purposely. It kind of resembles a bookshelf, where the books just fit, but are uncomfortably squashed together and thus bent out of shape...
We had intended on going to see Ann Frank's house, but thought it would put a dampner on a happy holiday, so we left it. Plenty of time to see it, I figure...
I dont remember leaving Amsterdam, but Kylea had to go back to Salzburg, and I had to go onwards and upwards (geographically) to Sweden, to see my other lovely friends!!
This is written (way) after the fact, but I will include the most awesome pictures so it doesnt matter anyway :)
Amsterdam was a blast! I can tell all the juicy details, but we did meet some interesting characters - starting with the guy who helped is get from Eindhoven to Amsterdam, on 3 different trains because our line was blocked after a fatal accident. He was reeeeally intense! We were talking to him, but sitting on the other side of the train from him, and he literally lent over the whole isle, and was practically ON Kylea, discussing politics and religion and shit! We were like, "Buddy, we're on our way to Amsterdam, y' hear..."
Secondly, and I have to thank this dude for his patience: on the last train from whereever we were to Amsterdam, I put my ticket somewhere really special, but not in the pocket of my jacket that I always put my tickets/boarding passes in! So when he came to check the tickets.... where was mine? SHIT! Kylea and I went through all my travel wallet, pockets, bag, make-up case, camera case, etc etc, and couldnt find it for the life of me! The guy checked the whole train, and came back to me and I was still looking and couldnt find it! OH GOSHHH!!!! He said "Look, I understand you must have a ticket if you're going to these lengths to find it. Just be careful next time, because not all train conductors are as nice as me." THANK YOU KIND SIR!!! And then, as I was thanking him, I remembered I'd put it in my passport, and found it two seconds later, and everyone around me laughed. Ohh well...
We arrived without further delay in this beautiful, neon city. Our hostel, "The White Tulip" was easy enough to find (just down the road from a sex shop...). Two Russian's who were staying in our hostel offered "Can you help us?" but meant "Can we help you with your bags" up the staircase. We said no thank-you, which sucked because then we actually saw the staircase!... it was almost as steep as Everest!!! And our rooms were on the third floor...
We went to Madame Tussaud's in Amsterdam, by the town hall - WOW!! They really are so impeccable! We got to play with Bob Marley's bongo's, Kylea kissed Justin Timberlake and I kissed Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams, and stole Brad Pitt from Angelina. We both had an intense discussion with George Clooney sitting at a table, and met Nelson Mandella, Barak Obama and Ghandi. It was all very exciting. We went to the Heineken Brewery, took lots of photos of bicycles and tulips and canals and their funny falling over buildings.
By night, on the first night, we were such tourists, and took our cameras and went to a 'cafe'. Then we went for a walk, to see if we could find the red light district (thinking it'd be quite hard). Turns out! We were living in the middle of it (We should have known, with the Condom Shop just down the road from our hostel...) Both Kylea and I wandered round this corner, and saw the red windows, then realised they ACTUALLY had women in them! ARGH!!! Thankfully my bag was big enough to hold both our camera's or else we could have got in trouble. It was pretty gross though, some of the women looked disgusting, others looked bored, sitting there filing their nails or talking on the phone. One lady, as Ky and I walked past together, stood up and started making gestures at us! AHHHH, DONT THINK SO LADY!!!!!! We also had a good laugh seeing some seedy guys come OUT from these windows. SICK! We got lost in the red light district (a whole canal + its side streets!) and it took us ages to get back to the hostel. Awkward...
The next day, we were invited in to see a live Sex show by a guy in a suit and practically screamed and ran away; yes we should have been used to it, but we werent. We found a really, really awesome cafe which we went into purely for the aesthetics - im not kidding, we both had a fruit smoothie! This place literally had layer upon layer of scribblings from anyone and everyone who had been there; it was everywhere! On the walls, the roof, the chairs, the pool table, the leather couches!!! It was awesome, and also the view looked right out over a canal, it was really cool. The other funny thing about being in there was seeing these two French guys getting told off for smoking normal cigarettes! "Only Marijuana inside Cafes!" growled the waitress, who then took away their ashtray...
All the buildings in Amsterdam are on angles, its so weird to see. Its like when they were building them, they looked too straight, and so they did it purposely. It kind of resembles a bookshelf, where the books just fit, but are uncomfortably squashed together and thus bent out of shape...
We had intended on going to see Ann Frank's house, but thought it would put a dampner on a happy holiday, so we left it. Plenty of time to see it, I figure...
I dont remember leaving Amsterdam, but Kylea had to go back to Salzburg, and I had to go onwards and upwards (geographically) to Sweden, to see my other lovely friends!!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Destination Unknown: Macclesfield
So, you know how I said I was so happy to get home the night of Waitangi Day celebrations?? Yyyyeahhhh... Woke up at 8am, and blatantly turned my alarm off. 10:15am, I wake up in a mad panic and realise I have 45 minutes to bus to Finsbury Park, then tube to Victoria Station and get on the coach in time. And I hadnt printed out my ticket yet. SHIT!!
I made it out the door in record time. Except I didnt clean my teeth and felt gross. But these sacrifices need to be made. Got to the bus stop in record time also, cos its a good 5 minute walk with luggage. Ran and jumped on the bus, so happy to have made it. Its only 10:25 so my chances look good of getting my bus. Eh, WRONG!! I slap a £20 note down the little table thing, and explain to mister driver that my morning's been shit and im in a total rush and im so gla--- what was that?? "You have to buy your ticket from that machine" (points out the door.) Shit. Ok, unload junk from the bus, open wallet. No coins. Run across to Boots to swap the 20, and the second bus drives past. Shit. At this stage, I run to Starbucks next door to use their loo, seeing as the next bus is coming in 13 minutes. Now the chances of making the bus are minimal...
Right I am. Because once I get to the train station, i need a ticket, then the tube takes forever to GET to Victoria Station, and once there, its a solid ten minutes down the road to the Coach station, so eventually I arrived there at 11:20am. Ohhhh well.... I got the 12pm one for only £12, so that was handy dandy.
EXCEPT!! I got some food and saved it for the 4 1/2 hour bus journey. This also included 2 magazines, a mars bar and a bag of gummies (ok, so i was pissed of at missing the bus and splurged, so sue me!) haha. Anyway, I get to my bus gate, at the other end of the terminal (more walking) We walk outside, and im standing in line for the bus. Thankfully, after learning my lesson from Disaster Day 1, i ask the girl infront of me, "this is the bus going to Manchester, yeah?"
"ahh, no, its going to Cardiff"
"Oh, thats not on the way to Manchester?"
"Err, no."
As it turns out, Cardiff is in the West, while Manchester is in the North... Like I would know that!!
After double checking I got on the right bus, the guy comes walking down the isle and goes, "so you're all going to Liverpool, yeah!!" I almost slogged him one :P
Anyway, I got the last seat on the bus next to a window, and this lovely 'plump' Indian lady came and sat next to me... So i take out my sammie, chow down cos this was breakfast and i deserved it after the horror start and mild hangover I was enduring. THEN! This lady takes out a needle from her bag, stands up, pulls up her Sari and INJECTS HERSELF IN THE LEG!!!!!! ARGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHILE IM EATING MY 6-INCH CHICKEN SUB!!!!!! EUGH!!!!!!!!!!! After the inital shock wore off, Chubbs sits down, smiles at me, and proceeds to eat at least 5 danish pastries, while eying up my Mars bar...
Anyway, the rest of the ride was fine, i caught a few more Z's and woke up to ask the dude behind me where we had stopped-- "Burmingham" oh ok, back to sleep :) "Wait, no, sorry, we're in Manchester. Shit!! Off I jump, then get quite lost cos we happened to depart at some random street and from there I wandered aimlessly trying to find Piccadilly and the bus to Macclesfield...
I found it, and the weird 4-eyed dude told me this is where I needed to wait. Liar, 30 minutes later my bus drives straight past me!! So i cabbed it to the train station and jumped on the train to Macclesfield. Then put my iPod in and almost missed the stop (thanks to the lady accross the isle from me, I didnt!)
Jenny met me at the station, we had a lovely wee catch up before arriving in this sweet little village just out of Macclesfield (still part of it but far nicer) Annie was waiting in the living room when I arrived (after I played with Jake and Poppy, the dogs, for a little bit) It was so lovely to see her, and it was nice and warm in her house!! The fire was burning, and after Richard came in, carrying mud in on his shoes, we cracked open some bubbles and drank champange!! How classy :)
We went to dinner in a local restaurant where Annie and Richard knew Kath (?) who'd owned and run it for yeeears and Annie knew her kids names and what they did and when they were born... Really odd experience for me, having grown up in a big city and not knowing my neighbours, it seems like everyone here knows everyone else!
Too right I was!! The next day:
"Hahaha sorry honey, ive also been out of communicado- hangin out in a 16th century amaaaaaazing home made of stone and fantastic-old-ness-stuff up in Macclesfield, north of Manchester. Having the best time in England!!!!!"
Again, this next bit is written post-fact, but memories and happiness are still strong :)
The next day, Annie decided she was going to take me out for a drive and show me the sights of an English countryside. I figured it'd be similar to NZ, but not really, considering I've never lived anywhere where it snows (in New Zealand, not Austria!)... She made the most filling breakfast of fresh eggs, bacon, baked beans, and toast with English Marmite (its runny, like honey!), and I read the papers and drank yummy coffee. We embarked a little while later, after i'd gone to see the hounds (so cute, but so smelly with all the poo) and went for a wander around the grounds, and took lots of photos of the mad dogs and beautiful snow-covered hills.
We drove to see Richards sister, and almost got snowed in because the snow began to fall at an alarming rate. Then, we went to the Hanging Gate, a little bar in the middle of nowhere, that Annie and my Dad went to about 30 years ago! It was so sweet, very quaint, and if you were taller than 6ft, you'd have a problem standing. We had a drink, but couldnt stay too long because the snow, wow! By the time we got home, it was quite heavy and there was enough of it to make a snowman! Jenny and I named him Morris, from Macclesfield. He had a very big head, coal eyes and teeth (even though Jake the dog kept stealing the coal and EATING it!) and he even had a hat (a bucket) and arms and a scarf! It was all very exciting :)
I loved seeing all the old, old photos on the stairwell of Richard's family; its so weird to think that this house is older than New Zealand's civilisation! It was beautiful, I cant wait to go back...
I made it out the door in record time. Except I didnt clean my teeth and felt gross. But these sacrifices need to be made. Got to the bus stop in record time also, cos its a good 5 minute walk with luggage. Ran and jumped on the bus, so happy to have made it. Its only 10:25 so my chances look good of getting my bus. Eh, WRONG!! I slap a £20 note down the little table thing, and explain to mister driver that my morning's been shit and im in a total rush and im so gla--- what was that?? "You have to buy your ticket from that machine" (points out the door.) Shit. Ok, unload junk from the bus, open wallet. No coins. Run across to Boots to swap the 20, and the second bus drives past. Shit. At this stage, I run to Starbucks next door to use their loo, seeing as the next bus is coming in 13 minutes. Now the chances of making the bus are minimal...
Right I am. Because once I get to the train station, i need a ticket, then the tube takes forever to GET to Victoria Station, and once there, its a solid ten minutes down the road to the Coach station, so eventually I arrived there at 11:20am. Ohhhh well.... I got the 12pm one for only £12, so that was handy dandy.
EXCEPT!! I got some food and saved it for the 4 1/2 hour bus journey. This also included 2 magazines, a mars bar and a bag of gummies (ok, so i was pissed of at missing the bus and splurged, so sue me!) haha. Anyway, I get to my bus gate, at the other end of the terminal (more walking) We walk outside, and im standing in line for the bus. Thankfully, after learning my lesson from Disaster Day 1, i ask the girl infront of me, "this is the bus going to Manchester, yeah?"
"ahh, no, its going to Cardiff"
"Oh, thats not on the way to Manchester?"
"Err, no."
As it turns out, Cardiff is in the West, while Manchester is in the North... Like I would know that!!
After double checking I got on the right bus, the guy comes walking down the isle and goes, "so you're all going to Liverpool, yeah!!" I almost slogged him one :P
Anyway, I got the last seat on the bus next to a window, and this lovely 'plump' Indian lady came and sat next to me... So i take out my sammie, chow down cos this was breakfast and i deserved it after the horror start and mild hangover I was enduring. THEN! This lady takes out a needle from her bag, stands up, pulls up her Sari and INJECTS HERSELF IN THE LEG!!!!!! ARGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHILE IM EATING MY 6-INCH CHICKEN SUB!!!!!! EUGH!!!!!!!!!!! After the inital shock wore off, Chubbs sits down, smiles at me, and proceeds to eat at least 5 danish pastries, while eying up my Mars bar...
Anyway, the rest of the ride was fine, i caught a few more Z's and woke up to ask the dude behind me where we had stopped-- "Burmingham" oh ok, back to sleep :) "Wait, no, sorry, we're in Manchester. Shit!! Off I jump, then get quite lost cos we happened to depart at some random street and from there I wandered aimlessly trying to find Piccadilly and the bus to Macclesfield...
I found it, and the weird 4-eyed dude told me this is where I needed to wait. Liar, 30 minutes later my bus drives straight past me!! So i cabbed it to the train station and jumped on the train to Macclesfield. Then put my iPod in and almost missed the stop (thanks to the lady accross the isle from me, I didnt!)
Jenny met me at the station, we had a lovely wee catch up before arriving in this sweet little village just out of Macclesfield (still part of it but far nicer) Annie was waiting in the living room when I arrived (after I played with Jake and Poppy, the dogs, for a little bit) It was so lovely to see her, and it was nice and warm in her house!! The fire was burning, and after Richard came in, carrying mud in on his shoes, we cracked open some bubbles and drank champange!! How classy :)
We went to dinner in a local restaurant where Annie and Richard knew Kath (?) who'd owned and run it for yeeears and Annie knew her kids names and what they did and when they were born... Really odd experience for me, having grown up in a big city and not knowing my neighbours, it seems like everyone here knows everyone else!
Too right I was!! The next day:
"Hahaha sorry honey, ive also been out of communicado- hangin out in a 16th century amaaaaaazing home made of stone and fantastic-old-ness-stuff up in Macclesfield, north of Manchester. Having the best time in England!!!!!"
Again, this next bit is written post-fact, but memories and happiness are still strong :)
The next day, Annie decided she was going to take me out for a drive and show me the sights of an English countryside. I figured it'd be similar to NZ, but not really, considering I've never lived anywhere where it snows (in New Zealand, not Austria!)... She made the most filling breakfast of fresh eggs, bacon, baked beans, and toast with English Marmite (its runny, like honey!), and I read the papers and drank yummy coffee. We embarked a little while later, after i'd gone to see the hounds (so cute, but so smelly with all the poo) and went for a wander around the grounds, and took lots of photos of the mad dogs and beautiful snow-covered hills.
We drove to see Richards sister, and almost got snowed in because the snow began to fall at an alarming rate. Then, we went to the Hanging Gate, a little bar in the middle of nowhere, that Annie and my Dad went to about 30 years ago! It was so sweet, very quaint, and if you were taller than 6ft, you'd have a problem standing. We had a drink, but couldnt stay too long because the snow, wow! By the time we got home, it was quite heavy and there was enough of it to make a snowman! Jenny and I named him Morris, from Macclesfield. He had a very big head, coal eyes and teeth (even though Jake the dog kept stealing the coal and EATING it!) and he even had a hat (a bucket) and arms and a scarf! It was all very exciting :)
I loved seeing all the old, old photos on the stairwell of Richard's family; its so weird to think that this house is older than New Zealand's civilisation! It was beautiful, I cant wait to go back...
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Destination Unknown: London
Once again, thanks to general slackness and the lack of computer access, I write this after the fact. But for all intents and purposes, Ill write it as though its present tense. I digress...
WAHHH!!!!! Off I go to London town!! Tobi, the lovely guy he is, dropped me at the airport with enough time for me to check in, grab a latte and have a sammie :) The flight was OK and took about an hour and a half, the landing (as we've had some dodgy ones in the past) was fine, and I met this lovely lady in the elevator while i was confused to buggery while trying to find the train station. She was Polish, and when on the train, she showed me where I needed to go (Stansted Express to Tottenham Hale, then tube to Finsbury Park) Sweeg, no worries there... She even happened to be going my way so I got on the right tube!
Then we parted ways, and my first journey to an unknown land turned from looking promising to looking like a disaster. No shit, I caught the W3 bus. It said on the timetable it went via Crouch End!!
Apparently not. Because I ended up, 45 minutes later, and at the suggestion of this old dude next to me, getting off at Tottenham Cemetry. WAH!!! Dammit. I crossed the road, looked totally befuddled, and this lovely woman told me the way to get to Crouch End from my current predicament/location. Catch the 261 to Turnpike Lane, then the 41 to Green Park (?) then the somethingelse to Crouch End. Poor Debs got a blow-by-blow account of my journey via text, as I slowly made my way to her side of town...
3 hours and 45 minutes after getting off the plane in Stansted, I got off the whateveritscalled bus in Crouch End. And, about to wet my pants after holding on from SALZBURG!! I ran into the local KFC, where Debs came and found me to avoid any further directional disasters. YAY!!
We got to her and Charley's darling flat, drank red wine and ate yummy asian cuisine, and chatted about jobs and travels and studies and such... Then we all collapsed into our respective beds and I was honestly out like a light...
Oh, did I mention this journey (after the Stansted express) cost me £11? When i could have, and was going to, get a daily travel ticket for £6... Dammmmmmiiiiiiitttttt! I also asked 9 different people for directions during my epic journey through London suburbia :P
So! My first big adventure through London was, by all accounts, a failure. However, i made my way into London central the next day with very few "argh!" moments :) and once there, AHHHH! SO HAPPY!!!!! I was so excited about seeing places I recognised... from the Monopoly board!! hahaha... So, I got off at Leicester Square and walked down Coventry Street to Piccadilly Circus. What a let down. Its like its trying to be Times Square, with these huge animated billboards. But its so lame, and really only McDonalds and Coke were advertising their wares...
Continuing on, (snapping photos constantly) I walked down Regent Street to St James Park. This is where I had my first and hopefully only encounter with a squirrel, which had no tail. It was cute and reminded me of those books I used to read by Beatrix Potter... So i was taking all these photos of Stumpy (the tailless Squirrel) and crouched down... Then he came closer and I was so excited (it made a great photo!) Then I finished taking photos and got up to walk away, and Stumpy followed me down the path. When I realised, i turned around, and then Stumpy climbed up my leg!!!! ARGHH!! I didnt want to be rude to my little friend, but it was quite awkward!! But once he realised I had nothing for him to eat, he buggered off pretty promtly. Then I saw Stumpy's fuller-tailed friend do the same to some old guy, and took a photo. Hahaha.
Anyway, on I walked, and eventually came back onto The Mall, which leads to Buckingham Palace. Which was a let down so im not gonna go on about it. I walked up Victoria Street and saw Westminster Abbey. I was so excited (as most know, I have a weird fixation with churches) but it was 12 quid to get in. FLAG!!!!!! Ohh, but I could pretend I was a worshipper and get in for free, because the sign clearly stated that they cant charge people to worship. Pfffft. What if i was a worshipping tourist? However, from here I did get to see the Houses of Parliament (fancy pants!) and Big Ben, which was shorter but more beautiful than I had expected.
I got on the Westminster tube to Blackfriars, walked over the Millenium Bridge, and went to the TATE MODERN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could go on and on and on (and on, probably) about how fantastic the Tate was. I saw some of my favourite artists work (Picasso, Joan Miro, Anselm Kiefer, Pollock...) And for the first time, i really got to experience Minimalism, which I found really intriguing. And it made a nice change from seeing lots of old artwork... My favourite minimalist one was just four cubes, made out of mirrors. It had that endless effect and when you stood in the middle of all four, there were feet EVERYWHERE! hahaha...
By the time I left the Tate, it was freekin cold and thus I decided to boost it home, as Ky and Anna were also in town and we were planning on going out to celebrate Waitangi Day (apparently its the thing to do if your an expat. Even the Aussies join in!!) So I got dolled up (washed my hair and then realised my hairdryer didnt have the right adaptor, so i dried my hair on the heating rail in the lounge) caught the bus to the tube, (met a lovely lady at the bus stop, too!) then eventually made it to Charing Cross to meet the girls. From there we walked all the way back to Leicester Square (where I had changed tubes to get to Charing Cross anyway) and we found this bar called.... Walkabout? I dunno, something lame, but it was in a church, and it was apparently where all the Kiwi and Aussies hang out! So we went in and got cheap drinks and I saw they had Steinlager!! Which made me laugh...
We dance dance danced the night away, and I got attention from a cute yet severely drunken Brazillian whos name consisted of an R and a few L's... we left about 4? I dunno, but it was cold and I was so happy to get home (at the right place, just the wrong stop, and walked for ages!) But oh well, not too shabby :)
And thus, I go to Manchester tomorrow at 11am on the bus to see Charley's mom Annie, her stepdad Richard, and sister Jenny. They live in Macclesfield, in a really old house that I visited when I was about 6ish years old. And apparenlty all I did was have a bath and fall asleep. So! Im excited :P
WAHHH!!!!! Off I go to London town!! Tobi, the lovely guy he is, dropped me at the airport with enough time for me to check in, grab a latte and have a sammie :) The flight was OK and took about an hour and a half, the landing (as we've had some dodgy ones in the past) was fine, and I met this lovely lady in the elevator while i was confused to buggery while trying to find the train station. She was Polish, and when on the train, she showed me where I needed to go (Stansted Express to Tottenham Hale, then tube to Finsbury Park) Sweeg, no worries there... She even happened to be going my way so I got on the right tube!
Then we parted ways, and my first journey to an unknown land turned from looking promising to looking like a disaster. No shit, I caught the W3 bus. It said on the timetable it went via Crouch End!!
Apparently not. Because I ended up, 45 minutes later, and at the suggestion of this old dude next to me, getting off at Tottenham Cemetry. WAH!!! Dammit. I crossed the road, looked totally befuddled, and this lovely woman told me the way to get to Crouch End from my current predicament/location. Catch the 261 to Turnpike Lane, then the 41 to Green Park (?) then the somethingelse to Crouch End. Poor Debs got a blow-by-blow account of my journey via text, as I slowly made my way to her side of town...
3 hours and 45 minutes after getting off the plane in Stansted, I got off the whateveritscalled bus in Crouch End. And, about to wet my pants after holding on from SALZBURG!! I ran into the local KFC, where Debs came and found me to avoid any further directional disasters. YAY!!
We got to her and Charley's darling flat, drank red wine and ate yummy asian cuisine, and chatted about jobs and travels and studies and such... Then we all collapsed into our respective beds and I was honestly out like a light...
Oh, did I mention this journey (after the Stansted express) cost me £11? When i could have, and was going to, get a daily travel ticket for £6... Dammmmmmiiiiiiitttttt! I also asked 9 different people for directions during my epic journey through London suburbia :P
So! My first big adventure through London was, by all accounts, a failure. However, i made my way into London central the next day with very few "argh!" moments :) and once there, AHHHH! SO HAPPY!!!!! I was so excited about seeing places I recognised... from the Monopoly board!! hahaha... So, I got off at Leicester Square and walked down Coventry Street to Piccadilly Circus. What a let down. Its like its trying to be Times Square, with these huge animated billboards. But its so lame, and really only McDonalds and Coke were advertising their wares...
Continuing on, (snapping photos constantly) I walked down Regent Street to St James Park. This is where I had my first and hopefully only encounter with a squirrel, which had no tail. It was cute and reminded me of those books I used to read by Beatrix Potter... So i was taking all these photos of Stumpy (the tailless Squirrel) and crouched down... Then he came closer and I was so excited (it made a great photo!) Then I finished taking photos and got up to walk away, and Stumpy followed me down the path. When I realised, i turned around, and then Stumpy climbed up my leg!!!! ARGHH!! I didnt want to be rude to my little friend, but it was quite awkward!! But once he realised I had nothing for him to eat, he buggered off pretty promtly. Then I saw Stumpy's fuller-tailed friend do the same to some old guy, and took a photo. Hahaha.
Anyway, on I walked, and eventually came back onto The Mall, which leads to Buckingham Palace. Which was a let down so im not gonna go on about it. I walked up Victoria Street and saw Westminster Abbey. I was so excited (as most know, I have a weird fixation with churches) but it was 12 quid to get in. FLAG!!!!!! Ohh, but I could pretend I was a worshipper and get in for free, because the sign clearly stated that they cant charge people to worship. Pfffft. What if i was a worshipping tourist? However, from here I did get to see the Houses of Parliament (fancy pants!) and Big Ben, which was shorter but more beautiful than I had expected.
I got on the Westminster tube to Blackfriars, walked over the Millenium Bridge, and went to the TATE MODERN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could go on and on and on (and on, probably) about how fantastic the Tate was. I saw some of my favourite artists work (Picasso, Joan Miro, Anselm Kiefer, Pollock...) And for the first time, i really got to experience Minimalism, which I found really intriguing. And it made a nice change from seeing lots of old artwork... My favourite minimalist one was just four cubes, made out of mirrors. It had that endless effect and when you stood in the middle of all four, there were feet EVERYWHERE! hahaha...
By the time I left the Tate, it was freekin cold and thus I decided to boost it home, as Ky and Anna were also in town and we were planning on going out to celebrate Waitangi Day (apparently its the thing to do if your an expat. Even the Aussies join in!!) So I got dolled up (washed my hair and then realised my hairdryer didnt have the right adaptor, so i dried my hair on the heating rail in the lounge) caught the bus to the tube, (met a lovely lady at the bus stop, too!) then eventually made it to Charing Cross to meet the girls. From there we walked all the way back to Leicester Square (where I had changed tubes to get to Charing Cross anyway) and we found this bar called.... Walkabout? I dunno, something lame, but it was in a church, and it was apparently where all the Kiwi and Aussies hang out! So we went in and got cheap drinks and I saw they had Steinlager!! Which made me laugh...
We dance dance danced the night away, and I got attention from a cute yet severely drunken Brazillian whos name consisted of an R and a few L's... we left about 4? I dunno, but it was cold and I was so happy to get home (at the right place, just the wrong stop, and walked for ages!) But oh well, not too shabby :)
And thus, I go to Manchester tomorrow at 11am on the bus to see Charley's mom Annie, her stepdad Richard, and sister Jenny. They live in Macclesfield, in a really old house that I visited when I was about 6ish years old. And apparenlty all I did was have a bath and fall asleep. So! Im excited :P
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