It’s not that I didn’t realize this before, but as I mentally start to put together an outline for this blog post, I’m reminded that blogging as things actually happen is a lot easier than trying to remember what happened 1 or 2 weeks ago and then writing about them...
When I landed in London, it was Wednesday, June 30 around 3:30pm. I had been on a super long flight in a very cramped seat with two large people who claimed the arm rests flanking me, and I had also been in the LAST row next to the bathrooms. I was tired and wanted a shower, to say the least.
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| My view for 15 hours. |
The plane de-boarded, I of course being one of the last people off thanks to where my row was located, and I made myself to immigration. WOW -- the line was snaking around for what looked like miles and I knew I was going to have to wait a long time. 55 minutes later, I was finally at the front of the line and was called to the window.
Immigration Office Dude (IOD): Where are you coming from?
Tired Alison (TA): Rio. Well, actually Sao Paulo.
IOD: Well, which is it?
TA: Sao Paulo. We stopped there after Rio and switched planes.
IOD: How long will you be in England for?
TA: (counting on her hands) 5 days. < pause > Yeah, 5 days.
IOD: And then where are you off to?
TA: Lisbon
IOD: And then?
TA: Well, I’m supposed to go to Israel but I might come back here.
IOD: < annoyed stare >
TA: As of now, I am booked to go to Israel and then to India.
IOD: And in the United States you are a personal trainer?
TA: < laughs because she knows she does not look the part right now > Yes, I am technically unemployed right now, but that is what I was doing before I left.
IOD: Are they holding your job for you then?
TA: I think I can return to it if I want to when I’m done traveling at the end of the year.
IOD: What IS the purpose of your traveling?
TA: Um, I wanted to travel. See the world. You know...
IOD: < apparently not knowing... > Where else are you ‘seeing’?
TA: Israel, maybe, India, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico. You can see some of the visas in my passport.
IOD: Right. Then do you have an itinerary printed out for me to see?
TA: < slaps her forehead > Shit. I forgot to print it out again. No, I don’t. But I can open up my laptop for you.
IOD: < stamps passport and slides it under the window for me > Thank you. Next time, have a copy printed out to make this easier.
TA: < big smile > Thanks...
So, after that pleasant exchange, I found my backpack, saw that it looked intact, went through customs, and came into the main part of the airport noting that for the first time in a long time that everything was written in English. WOOHOO!!
First stop, ATM. Need to get some moneys. Second stop, automated train ticket machine to get a ticket to central London.
5 minutes later, I was on the Paddington Express on my way. Upon exiting, I got in a taxi to my brother-in-law’s parents’ house in Notting Hill. As I was paying the taxi driver, Philip’s father, Chris, came out of the house and greeted me back to the house I had last been at 5 years before.
Renate wasn’t far behind him and I sighed a deep sigh of relief -- I was in a proper house, with proper shower and food, and was really excited. Immediately, Renate announced that we could eat dinner soon, but I’d probably want a shower first. Correct!
So there we were, around 6:30pm, eating a delicious home-cooked meal, drinking some fantastic wine, and talking about some of my adventures thus far. When Philip’s younger sisters Charlotte and Anna both called the house to see that I had arrived safely, I praised myself for planning a stop to London on my trip around the world.
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