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Published: August 7th 2007
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Basement
Hanging out in the Contiki Basement for a bit before checking in to my hotel As the plane started its final descent, I started getting very excited. I don't know whether it was because I was slightly delirious or what, but I felt butterflies and started shifting around in my seat when we broke through the clouds and I thought I saw land. The plane kept going down closer and closer to the ground...and then we went right through it. I felt quite silly that I'd gotten so excited over...more clouds. In any case, eventually I saw the green of the grass and the cars driving on the opposite side of the road and I knew there was no turning back.
I made it through Heathrow, getting to the customs like and encountering a VERY British customs officer who raised an eyebrow at the fact that I'm an actor. More trouble than it's worth, this profession! I made it through with relatively little hassle though, and found the luggage pick up area. I was standing there, looking for the way to the tube, when I suddenly got a little overwhelmed and took my suitcase to the bathroom to just take a second and breathe. I settled into a stall, gave myself a little pep talk
Imperial
My sketchy room at the Imperial Hotel and got my tube pass out. With a quick fluff of the hair and a little lipgloss, I was set to face the underground. I followed the signs and got on the tube without any problem. Keeping in mind that I hadn't slept and it was still the middle of the night to my internal clock, it took a lot for me not to giggle as I heard over and over again "This is the Picadilly Line train to Cockfosters".
I was so happy I'd read enough online beforehand to know where I was going once I got out of the Russell Square station -go left, then right to get to the Royal National- so I walked with confidence, for the first time on British soil, to the Contiki Basement, because frankly, it was still about 8:30 in the morning and I didn't know where else to go. I lugged my suitcase down the stairs and asked when I could check in at the Imperial Hotel. They told me to give them until about 10am, so I had a seat, wrote in my journal for a while, used the internet for about half an hour and then strolled around
Lunch
Lunch in London Russell Square for a bit before finding my way to the lobby of the Imperial. I checked in without any hassle, got my key on the large metal stick -so you don't leave the hotel with it- and settled into my room. I knew I should have a quick nap, just to recharge the battery before facing another day, but I was too full of awe and excitement to sleep. It hit me. I was officially full of butterflies.
The hotel was all kinds of sketchy, but I spent fairly little time in the room. Just enough to realize that the toilet was making scary noises and that the windows didn't quite shut. I watched some cooking-against-the-clock show and before I knew it, it was time to go down to the lobby to meet some folks I'd been chatting with online. The only problem was that I didn't know what any of them looked like, and so there were a few of us wandering around the lobby, looking at each other but not saying anything. Finally, Jeff and Matt from Ontario asked if I was on the tour and we hugged in that awkward "I don't know you now
Owl
Sara and the creepy Egyptian Owl at the British Museum but I will in the next few days" way. We hung out for a bit to see if anyone else was going to join us, and after a while we were joined by Sara from California, Rachel from Winnipeg and Will, also from Ontario. We were all hungry, and so found a place that didn't look too expensive.
The next little while was full of anxious chatter about what we were going to experience in the days to come, where we were all from and what we did, and how disgustingly expensive London actually is. We talked and laughed a lot -try explaining curling without sounding completely foolish- After we ate, Matt and Jeff -who had been in London for a few days prior to our arrival- went off to do laundry, Rachel wanted to go off on her own and Sara, Will and I went to the British Museum to look around. It didn't take a long time for Will to want to leave. I don't think he was too interested. I would have liked to look around more, but I was kind of tired and didn't mind going back to the hotel to freshen up before the
Phone box
The crew in front of the phone box in Leicester Square group meeting at 6. We got completely disoriented on our way back, which is kind of ridiculous, considering the Museum is about 2 blocks away from the hotel. We make it back eventually, and I was kind of surprised that I still didn't have a roommate yet. Not complaining, just surprised. I rested for a while, changed and then met the rest of the gang in the lobby at quarter to 6.
The meeting turned out to be quick and painless. We missed the inital introduction - I didn't think we were late, but whatever. We got a quick talking to, and then had to fill out a form and check in with our tour manager...who turned out to be a very cute Aussie. Nothing wrong with that 😉 After the quick meeting, and being told to arrive back sickeningly early the next morning, a group of about 13 of us ventured out into London. We caught the tube to Leicester Square, and thought it would be funny to go down the 175 steps to the bottom. Turns out? Not so funny after about 75. I got dizzy! In any case, we wandered around for a while before finding
Escalator
Riding the steep escalator a pub that could seat all of us. While everyone else seemed to be ordering fish and chips and cider, I didn't know if my stomach was ready to handle that kind of grease, so I settled on a ham and cheddar melt and some water - I was feeling kind of dehydrated. It hit the spot. We took a long stroll through the square after we'd eaten and all squeezed in front of a typical red phone box to have our picture taken. Poor Jon (NY) had to take pics with 13 cameras. Funny looks all around. When we got back to the tube station, we did NOT take the 175 steps back up to the street, but stopped shortly at the London Pub, finishing out an overwhelming, exhausting, terribly fun first day. A quick call to an excited mom back in Canada, and I was off to bed. There was another girl asleep in the other bed, who I never got a chance to meet. She was gone by the time I woke up the next morning.
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