We took the tube (which we have mastered) to Victoria. We were to pick up our tickets to Salisbury (ie Stonehenge) at London Luton airport, but it's so far away that we knew we wouldn't make it.We got in line for the information/ticket desk at 6:51--it opened at 7 am, and it was the slowest moving line ever. We got to the ticket counter at 7:15, when we were supposed to be boarding our bus, only to be redirected to a new line, causing us to miss the bus. Who know that National Express had their OWN ticket counter at Victoria Station--one that you have to go through the parking lot, past the buses, to get to? No refunds are issued once a bus has left. I was really upset, but there isn't a lot you can do.
So we decided to spend more time touring London. We stopped for breakfast at a Cornish pastry shop. While there, we aided true love (or so we hope). This Asian guy with a video camera explained that he was trying to prove to his girlfriend that he was dedicated and determined. He said that he didn't "betray" her, but she was upset at him, so he was walking over 2 hours to prove a point to her. He asked us if he could record us saying something good, to help him win his girlfriend over. We did, and thought it was adorable. It gave us hope, let's be real. I just hope he didn't do something terrible to upset her...he seemed really nice, but who knows?
After breakfast, we used the only map we had (of bus stops) because it also had many monuments, museums, etc., on it. We walked for hours, trying to find everything...16.59 miles, according to my pedometer. I'd say we were pretty successful. We found Big Ben, the London Eye, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and so much more. We rock at using the tube, and had a good day, all things considered.
We bought lunch at Tesco (sandwiches, chips, and a soda) that we ate outside. Eventually, we met up with Cady Cummings (around 2). She showed us the Globe Theater, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, etc. It was so nice to see Cady--I can't even explain it. I've missed her, and a ton of other people. Cady is pretty great. She studied abroad in London and Florence last year, so she knew how to find everything.
After walking with Cady for a few hours, we had to say goodbye. We went back to our hostel for about 30 minutes, then went to pick up Lauren from the train station. Getting there was easy. But we were SO tired. We brought Lauren back to the hostel, and then got Chinese takeaway from across the street. I must say, I love adding new skills to my repertoire--I am now quite good at eating with chopsticks, which is good because I was starving and didn't have silverware.
And now, I'm going to shower and then go to bed. My whole body feels like it's going to give out. After walking about 17 miles around London, and on only 2 hours of sleep, I think I have every right to go to bed as early as I want!
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