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Published: November 16th 2010
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Hello!!
So I've just returned from a trip I've been wanting to take for a very very long time. I finally got myself to England where I stayed with friends for about 5 days. It was absolutely glorious!! I thought I would have some trouble adjusting to British dialect but I didn't have any trouble at all! In a way England actually felt for me like it was the closest thing to home I've felt in months. Don't get me wrong I love Sweden but it is VERY different from Canada in many ways. Namely: the language and the food.
I should start with a quick re-cap of my travel trouble. Due to a bit of drama the night before I departed (and very little sleep because of this) I packed late and ended up missing my bus. I had to pay a taxi driver 200 dollars to drive me to the airport which was more than I even paid to fly to England!! I left payment of my rent until the day I left because I ran out of time and nearly forgot all about it. Because of this, the bank decided I had reached my daily limit
so that once I got where I was going (the airport) I realized my card was frozen and I could not pay said cab driver. Thank god for great friends. I called one back in Linkoping and she agreed to pay the 200 I owed if the cab driver could meet her to pick it up and I could pay her when I returned from my trip. Once at the airport I found out my plane was delayed 30 minutes so I was stuck even longer without money. When my plane did finally land in the UK I stood in the longest line known to mankind for passport check. When I finally got through to claim my baggage the carousel had stopped turning because it took so long and my lone little suitcase was just hanging out. When I did finally get through to the arrival area I was tired, starving, and annoyed because I had to stand in line behind the most aggravating human beings I've had the displeasure of interacting with. They were miserable and rude! Won't mention what country they came from....Thank goodness the person who picked me up from the airport immediately bought me food and
Nottingham Panthers Game
One of the two great fights we saw! then drove me the 2 hours back to Nottingham. We didnt get in until 3:30 in the morning I think!
While in England I enjoyed the sights of Nottingham and of course the shopping and pubs. I think I visited at least 6 different pubs during my time in England. I even scored a free pint at one of them! I was told the "lads" quite enjoyed seeing this little Canadian girl sitting amongst them drinking full pints and talking hockey. I was just happy to be back in my element!
The first day I was there I did a walking tour of Nottingham. Very very much walking. Then a visit to some local pubs, then dinner out. The second day I was let loose in Nottingham for four hours on my own for some shopping. Compared to the very expensive prices of Scandinavia, England was a welcome change! Wallets for 3 pounds, jackets for 30 pounds, shoes for 20! I so wished I'd brought a bigger suitcase! We met a bunch of friends at a pub that night and had a great time chatting and getting a bit toasted. The following day we made it to a
local hockey game which was pretty exciting. I was happy because I got to wear my Canada jersey and our seats were so close we could literally smell the players! There were even two fights and I have to say those Brits know how to do it!
On my last full day in England I finally made it to London! It was 8 solid hours of walking but I wouldnt have changed a thing. 8 hours wasn't even enough to do everything but we squeezed in as much as we could. Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Oxford Street, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament. We actually bought sandwiches and had them for dinner as we leaned over the railing of the River Thames and watched the sun set over Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Pretty spectacular!!! We went to a Canadian Pub called 'The Maple Leaf' in the middle of London and drank some Canadian beer while we watched the hockey game. I felt like I was home! All the girls that worked at the pub were also Canadians! On the train ride home we had glasses of wine we bought from the local convenience
store. It's like the juice containers you get from mcdonalds where you pull off the foil top. It was insane!
England was definitely all I imagined it to be and more. I loved each and every single moment of it. The plane ride home was fine but I had to wait in the tiniest aiport in Sweden for 4 hours for the next bus to take me the 2 hours back to Linkoping. That part was a bit annoying. Only so much reading a person can do in really uncomfortable wooden seats! At one point I thought my bus had come so I got on and as it drove down the road I realized I was on the bus to Stockholm Central. I then had to get the bus driver to stop (which was humiliating) and figure out the city bus system so I could get back to the airport. These are lessons for the next trip that's for sure!! Currently in the works is a trip to Dublin, Ireland with my friend Angie this December before I return to Canada for Christmas. Nothing has been booked yet but hopefully in the next couple of days plans will become
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
This is what we witnessed as we ate our sandwiches overlooking the River finalized! Now to figure out how to make sure the funds are stretched over the entirety of my stay here....hmm the tricky part...
New Swedish word: Engelska= English
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Janet Robinson
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OMG you are so brave my little one! Sounds like the trip from hell with lots of fun and excellent Wayne's World Adventure. Travel safe and study hard. Love Janet, Thomas and Homer the dog! I love reading your blog. Very cool.