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Published: April 18th 2012
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No one likes Dulles airport. There, I said it. The flight from DC to Heathrow was uneventful. Though I spied a gaggle of babies, the flight went fitfully uninterrupted. After finishing a 24hr shift, then running last minute errands all day before my flight, I called a cab to the airport. $75 dollars later, I was happily on my flight. I befriended an English/Indian woman that was sitting next to me. As much as I love kids, I was glad there wasn't one sitting next to me. If anyone was going to spit up and cry on the flight, it was going to be me.
We chatted on an off about my trip, spirituality, and London. She was pleasant, but as the flight wore on, appeared to be quite demanding- flight attendants received an earful of queries and complaints. I suppose if you say anything in a British accent, it makes it that much more pleasant.
I dozed in and out after watching the second installment of Sherlock Holmes. Great movie by the way. Exiting Heathrow was hell- 2 tellers for hundreds. Surprisingly, I maintained my patience and even smiled about it. Good start to a journey in search
for many things, including patience. I eventually figured out how to get out of the airport and into Soho.
As I write, I am finishing up a pint of Guinness after an espresso. It's raining and cold, I am thoroughly exhausted, but very happy. After all, I am on vacation, in a city I have never been, and tomorrow afternoon, I will be meandering through the country of Sri Lanka, chasing waves, elephants, and Some sort of awakening. I will spend the rest of the day here sampling food and some more Guinness. If I am lucky, my friend James can meet me before my flight. If not, I will see him and his wife in 2 weeks when I have an overnight layover in London, done proper!
The rest of the afternoon in London was spent eating Korean food and walking through St. James Park. On the way there, I noticed some street performers by a large fountain at Picadilly Circus, particularly a young blonde teen, the Human Beat Box. He was quite good. I snapped some photos and video, and captured images of human "statues." The flimsy map I had revealed my proximity to
Parliament and Buckingham Palace. I decided it would be worth the trip to try and see both. The pain in my right shoulder was a constant reminder that bringing the video camera and heavy tripod had probably been a bad idea.
I made my way in the general direction of Buckingham Palace but noticed a shift in wind speed. Gazing at the clouds above, I noticed their speed and source. The clouds above were bright and fluffy, the clouds to the southeast were dark and ominous. Hmmm, maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. I changed plans and headed back toward Picadilly Circus. Rain drops began speckling the ground as I made my way to where else? A British pub of course. I slapped my card down at the bar and ordered another pint. I grabbed a table and began playing with my new IPad. Sleeping only 3 hours before my 24 hour shift, sleeping restlessly another 5, then running errands for another 12 hours before my trip were adding up. Not to mention, I did not sleep on the 7 hour flight to London. I had slept 8 hours in over 72 hrs of being awake.
Yes, I began nodding off at my table. My eyes felt like they we're being forced shut. Realizing that it would be a bad scene if I slammed my head face first into the table, I ordered a double espresso, finished my pint and caffeinated beverage, and headed toward the tube toward the airport. The espresso's effect was short lived. Nodding off on the tube, standing up wasn't impossible at all! The line between dreaming and reality was blurred. However, I managed to make it to the airport. Being at the wrong terminal certainly wakened my senses. My flight was delayed by about 30 minutes. I boarded and thankfully, the flight seemed about half full. I had 2 seats to myself. I immediately put on my eye mask, ear plugs, and slept for the next 6 hours, being awakened only once by the flight attendant to see if I wanted my in flight meal. I denied and immediately went back to sleep. I hadn't even reached my final destination and yet, it felt like I had been on vacation for a week. It had only been 2 days.
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kathryn
non-member comment
um, hi, one of your pictures is upside down.