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Published: July 15th 2006
Ha ha, celebrating the fourth of July in the country least likely to appreciate it! Today has been my exciting one-day adventure (otherwise known as a 12-hour layover in London).
The flights here were uncharacteristically successful in that not once on the plane did I think I was going to barf. Hooray! On the flight from Charlotte to London Gatwick, I sat next to a guy in his mid-thirties from Brooklyn who will henceforth be referred to as Rico Suave. He seemed friendly enough. We talked about travel and the choices of music offered on the plane. He mentioned that he was en route to Malaga, Spain. I said that I had never been there specifically, but had absolutely
loved Spain when I was there 4 years ago. Rico Suave responded by laughing and saying, "Oh, so are you going to strip for me now?"
HUH?!?!
I smiled and nodded and tried desperately to avoid him for the next five hours. Thankfully, that gave me five hours of sleep, so I was well-rested by the time we got into London. Momentary panic when I could not find Allison right away at the airport; no worries, after
Chewable toothbrushes?
I wonder what the ADA would have to say about that...I paged her we found each other immediately.
My best friend Allison, bless her heart, came all the way from the opposite side of London to pick me up, then travelled all the way back with me to her house via train and tube. Allison and Aengus' house is so cute: it's on this "conserved" street where most of the houses were built around the 1880s. I rested, we ate some lunch -including something new, taramasalata (sp?), which reminded me of crab rangoon filling- and went for a walk around her neighborhood near Queen's Park. Soon it was time to head back.
Jen, my friend from high school, met us at Victoria Station, where Allison and I said our goodbyes and Jen and I boarded the Gatwick Express. Hilarity ensued as we tried to get enough snacks on board to total over Ł5. (see photo). Jen has also informed me that
World Cup football has joined Rent and all things Gaelic on her list of obsessions. (Anyone who knows Jen will instantly see the humor in this).
At Gatwick, I left Jen to head to my boarding gate. Since I had some time to kill,
Allison and I at Victoria Station
Sending me off as I board the Gatwick Express I stopped at a newsstand to get a magazine or two to occupy myself for the upcoming days on the beach in Croatia. This is what I absolutely love about British magazines: in the effort to draw more readers, the womens magazines are all enclosed in a plastic bag that contains "glamourous" free stuff. This can range anywhere from a handbag to makeup to clothing. (I spent my entire time at the beach a few years ago in cheap hot pink Cosmopolitan flip-flops that were about 4 sizes too small for my Amazon feet). I decided to bypass the "one size fits all fashion bikini" - yikes - that came with Marie Claire in favor of a tank top from In Style and a "beach-to-bar handbag" in Cosmopolitan. We"ll see how these work out, LOL.
I boarded the plane to depart for Ljubljana, where I arrived late last night. I will attest to the fact that Adria Airlines still has the best, although simplest, food of any other airline. I'll take their fresh cheese sandwich on soft bread any day over those crap entrees that they serve on American lines.
Nande and Meta, friends of ours who
Jen with snacky foods
I can't remember the exact reason why we had to spend 5 Euros... used to live in Cleveland, picked me up at the airport and drove me to my mother's cousins' house, where I was so exhausted that I immediately went to bed. More details on the fam in the next installment!
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