Eurotrippin’- Day 1 part 1
The following is an excerpt from my personal travelogue during my time study and living across the pond.
May 14, 2013
After redundantly flying from DFW to OKC back to DFW and finally the long voyage to London we arrived at 7:45 in the morning to have some troubles getting the jet bridge to come to the plane. My neighbor in the seat next to me on that 9-hour trek was a Scottish pilot who was in Dallas to test out and use the flight simulator I had used with Paps a few years ago. We chatted and he told me of all the “old things” that were in London. He didn’t use this term in the most endearing ways but one could tell he had an air of jealousy/distaste for this global cultural mega hub.
When we arrived in London and were going through customs I was for some reason shocked to hear this charming lovely accent flutter out of the mouth of my border patrol officer. My mind was like wait we look alike yet her voice makes her sound ten times smarter and more reliable than anyone else’s back home.
After the small reminder that I was not in the states anymore the entire group made our virgin voyage on the tube with loads of luggage and bags under our eyes for those of us who did find the plane a fitting place to catch some Zs. As we all barreled onto the rail car and crowed the aisles and seats with our large, loud American luggage I had flash backs to last summer when my family and I ventured to Italy and were on the Naples rail car where my mother had put the image in my head that this was the place were you were bound to be pick pocketed. But soon after a few stops and my sleepless, drained brain put the pieces together I realized all was fine. So, I unclenching my first from my bags and started to people watch. You see all shapes, sizes and colors of the human race in this city. It’s a melting pot on steroids yet with its own unique historic culture to top it all off.
The class and glam of the people fill the air as the majority of faces are buried in the numerous newspapers that fuel the nation’s media hungry appetite. Once we settle into our flats, the group dynamics start to flourish a tad bit more, whether from comfort or delirium, things were starting to click. After a quick orientation we were off to explore what we would call our neighborhood for the next three weeks.
Farringdon is a college infested cultural haven with a market of food stands from culinary backgrounds you couldn’t dream of. There is everything from German barbeque, cinnamon tree salads to a plethora of other wild yet dangerously tasty cuisine.
While sitting at a picnic table outside eating out lunches, London’s winds started to pick up as her temperatures dropped along with the rain drops from up above. Quickly I shoveled down the rest of my street vender creation and shared an umbrella with a classmate while we scurried to the nearest coffee shop. After throwing back a double shot of espresso macchiato we weathered the weather back to the flats to better equip ourselves for this town’s ever-changing climate. After layering up and obtaining my own umbrella we explored the neighborhood some more finding everything from wine bars to high-end bagel shops to the quaintest British bookstore one could imagine.
Stay tuned for more on my first day in London and the rest of my adventures abroad.
Finally standing but still waiting on the “old jet bridge” to work on the Heathrow tarmac
First meal from one of the street vendors in the market next to our flats.
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- The Vault London celebrates London Fashion Week with the sponsorship of FashionTV and FashionBoxx Invite SS14 AfterParty (prweb.com)
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Cameron Colan 