Day 2 - Arrival in London!

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We landed at Gatwick Airport at around 7:30 am. I was relieved to have made it safe and sound, but my first views of England were disappointing. It looked just like home! Plus it was raining and cloudy. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it just seemed very underwhelming. However, I was in quite a bad mood, so that probably affected what I was seeing. I got off the plane and made my way to the insanely long customs lineup. After waiting an hour, the guy who I dealt with was really rude and interrupted me answering his question about what I was doing in England to talk to his friend next to him about his T-shirt. Once I got through that I had to wait forever for my luggage (which was seriously the last one out of the plane I’m sure), and then I made my way to the Gatwick Express counter. I bought a return ticket and then attempted to find the train platform. It was a bit of an adventure, but I eventually made it. It was very busy, and the train was full. I prayed it was actually going to central London. My impression of Gatwick airport was that it was, hmm, not nice. Later I’d realize the actual airport is very nice, but the part I arrived into was not. The train drove through many neighbourhoods and I noticed the graffiti that was EVERYWHERE, and how all the houses were very close together and looked identical. It was still raining and everything just seemed very grey and depressing. I made it to Victoria Station in Central London and it was crazy, people everywhere, and I was completely overwhelmed. I didn’t know whether to take a cab to my hotel, or to attempt to take the much cheaper Tube. It was so busy, and I was tired, so I attempted to find a cab, however that was easier said than done. All the cabs pointed me to the person in front of them, and this went on for 4 or 5 different cabs. Eventually one accepted me and he drove me to the Royal National Hotel. I immediately went down to the Contiki Basement, and it was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was finally here. There weren’t any more cabs, buses, trains, planes, or ferries to take. I was too early to check in so I stored my luggage at the Basement, changed, and went on the Internet for a bit. I was tired, but I knew I’d have to stay up until tonight in order to avoid any jet lag.

After catching up with my friends and family, I decided to go out for a walk. I thought about going to the British Museum, which I knew was nearby, but I accidentally went in the wrong direction, and got lost. I ended up going to Starbucks, because it was raining, and I was so tired I wasn’t in the mood to sightsee. I had my pre-tour meeting that night and I still needed to check in, shower, and unpack. Back at the hotel I checked in, and then attempted to navigate the never ending hallways of the Royal National. Once inside my room I realized that there was way too much luggage for there to be only one person (I was in a double room) and so I went back down to get switched to a new room. There I was informed that I must be mistaken because there are only two people in my room. So I went back and sat on an already occupied bed and waited for my roommates to come back so we could deal with the situation. The hotel wasn’t too bad, except for the light switch didn’t seem to be working in the bathroom, and I wanted to take a shower. Also, it didn’t seem like any of the outlets were working, and I was hoping to charge my camera and iPod. I didn’t even know what time it was! Eventually the light was fixed, and I ended up leaving out of boredom and found the British Museum, but I didn’t go inside because it was closing soon. I bought a few souvenirs and I was excited, since everything seemed really cheap, although I’m sure it was just the exchange rate tricking me. I also sent a postcard to my friend back home.

Once back I headed down to the Basement early for my meeting. I was so nervous about meeting everyone, and I hoped they would all be really friendly. The first person I met from my tour was Haley, from Alabama. She was really nice, and I was starting to feel relieved. She was travelling alone too. Soon enough, more people started arriving and we got talked to by a Contiki rep who explained what would happen the next morning, and we met our tour manager Filippo and our bus driver Russell. They both seemed very nice. I got my sleeping bag, and then a bunch of us decided to go and find a pub. Our group was Korryn (Canada), Steve (Canada), Haley (USA), Amanda (Australia), me, Joanna (England), Aaron (USA), Candice (South Africa), and Melissa (South Africa).

I had talked to Melissa online before, so it was very nice meeting in person. There was also Korryn’s friend with us. She was actually from my hometown of Duncan, and she even went to the same high school as me. Small world! We went to a small restaurant for dinner, and then to a pub. The pub we ended up going to was really nice - if any of my tour mates can remember the name and/or location of it please e-mail me!! We had a few drinks, but not enough to really affect me. I was made fun of for not being able to drink the lighter fluid masquerading as ale, so I got myself a vodka and orange juice instead. Much better 😊 I was really happy with my tour mates so far. They all seemed really cool. We got back to the hotel at around midnight. I found a note on my door saying that I had been put in the wrong room after all, and my luggage had been moved to the correct room. I went there to find my roommate for the night was Paula (USA). She was travelling with 4 other friends who were all from Florida. They had been in Rome earlier for a teaching internship. We chatted for a few minutes, then I had a shower and went to bed. It had been a looong day, and we had to be up early to depart on our tour.

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Photos

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My room at the Royal National Hotel in London.

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The never-ending hallways of the Royal National.

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The streets around Russell Square, London.

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Starbucks, where I spent my first few hours in London.

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Candice, me, Melissa and Haley, at the Bloomsbury Tavern.

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Korryn, Steve, Haley, Amanda, me, Jo, Candice and Melissa enjoying a few drinks at the Bloomsbury Tavern.

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Park at Russell Square.

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Iconic red telephone booth...much nicer from the outside :p

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British Museum.