I finally have some time to sit down and catch up on the past weeks events. Last update I was on my way to London. Well the trip got off to a bumpy start. Once I arrived in Seville I decided to be cheap and walk from the bus station to the other bus station only to take the shuttle to the airport, basically I chose to spend €2.30 instead of €25. I was wearing a lot of layers because I knew London was going to be cold but unfortunately Seville was not cold. I started sweating profusely (what’s new) and had to take off my jacket and scarf and lug that across town as well. People would pass me on the street and ask if I was cold because to the locals it was a cold morning. What part of me lugging heavy suitcases while my makeup runs down my face from the sweat would make them think I’m cold, I’m not sure? I was almost at my destination but I had to cross the same street three times just to find the correct bus stop for the airport shuttle and in all the bustle of trying not to miss it my thick, warm scarf fell directly in a mud puddle. Wonderful. I never got the chance to wear it in London.
Once I finally made it to the airport I had four hours to kill before my flight so I had to entertain myself with music and people watching. I made the mistake of thinking that this sign for my airline said I couldn’t check in until 30 minutes before my flight so I spent most of the time in departures area. Later I found out the sign meant I couldn’t check in AFTER 30 minutes prior to my flight. Oops. Once I got to my gate I tried to settle down but then this security guard kicked everyone out of the gate so that they could look at our passports. Everyone else went through without any trouble but not I. The two guards analyzed my passport more thorough than I’ve ever seen: fingering every single page and inspected my visa with great care. I was worried that I was going to have to produce my permiso. Finally after what seemed like 10 minutes they let me through. I tried to get some sleep on the flight but it was longer than I expected so no such luck.
Once in Heathrow I retrieved my luggage and exchanged my money. I went to purchase a snack and I had to pay with pence. I was so confused by all the coins that I just emptied my coin purse into my hand and asked the cashier to take the right amount. I never thought I would be thankful for the Euro, but it is a lot easier to deal with, even more so than the Dollar. My train was delayed a good 30 minutes and I had the stand the hour it took to get to my stop but I was glad to be in an English speaking country again. I was able to successfully eaves drop on every conversation around me. Oh how I missed that. Unfortunately my tube stop didn’t have an elevator and I had quite a few steps to climb so I did my best to go as fast as I could in 2 inch heel boots but gravity was slowing me down. A guy cheered me on with a, “Come on, you’re almost there”, in the cutest British accent. After another step he grabbed my suitcase and carried it to the top for me. I was instantly in love but our encounter only lasted a minute, sigh.
I checked into my room for the night and after putting everything down I was off in search of a hair cuttery. The bell boy was very friendly and pointed me in the right direction however when I got there they were all full for the night but had plenty on available slots in the morning, so I booked an appointment and returned home. I noticed I had a voice message so I checked it and it was from Jon, my roommate for one night and XL Travel tour guide acquaintance. For the second time that day I fell in love with that adorable British accent. When I got back to the hotel I asked the same bell boy if it was possible to get my scarf washed and he assured me that the housekeeping would be able to take care of that for me. So I got back to my room and met the voice behind the message in person as well as my other roommate for the night, Dave, another XL Travel guide that I had not met before. After introductions I called housekeeping and asked if they could wash my scarf. The woman on the phone spoke English but said she had no idea what I was asking. I tried to describe what a scarf was and then asked Jon if they called a scarf something different but he told me they didn’t. After 5 minutes of that the woman told me to call the main desk and tell them what I want and then they would tell her. I was really confused at that point. So I called the front desk and told them my problem but then they told me that they don’t provide that kind of service. He told me that I should call a private dry cleaning and get it back in a day. Huh?? I gave up at that point.
I got in touch with a friend of mine who was living in London and made plans to catch up for a drink later in the night. Since Jon and David had plans of their own I set off on my own in search of a place for dinner and a chance to take in the Kensington neighborhood. I settled for Thai food since I don’t get that in Spain. I was too embarrassed to eat alone in the restaurant since it was a Friday night and everyone was with friends, so I got the food to go and ate in the hotel room with David. I was half way through my dinner when my friend called to say he was in Kensington so I saved my dinner for later and was off to me him. When I returned both Jon and David were back and told me that I was suppose to help with pickups tomorrow which meant we were waking up at 4:30am. Oy vey, at that point it was 12:30am so it was definitely time for bed. The funny thin was my cot was at the foot of Jon’s bed and he was too tall for the bed so his feet poked out into my bed. He said, “if you play your cards right you could end up with a back massage before morning.” Haha.
The next morning I was given some sweet XL Travel gear to sport when I picked up people at the airport. We successfully found everyone from the group, including my family. At this point I was no longer an XL Tour Guide, I was officially on vacation. After everyone settled into the hotel I went to get my haircut. Kate accompanied me as this very stylist woman cut my hair and dried it, She made my hair look so good, too good actually. The hairstyle was appropriate for a night out, not a soccer game. Oh well…. In the afternoon we saw Tottenham verses Aston Villa at the Spurs’ stadium. Our seats weren’t the best, but there really aren’t any bad seats in the Spurs’ stadium. Even though the game ended without any goals it was still very exciting and I enjoyed the game a lot. That night I went out with my mother and sister and had a few drinks while we all shared some interesting stories. I was happy to be in their presence.
The next day we had to wake up early (7:00am) in order to get breakfast and make our tour of Wembley Stadium. Since the tube had a lot of construction and maintenance going on we ended up taking buses to the stadium instead. After the tour we returned briefly to the hotel and then it was off to Stanford Bridge to watch Chelsea verses Arsenal. We got to the stadium early so people had the chance to find a place to get lunch. Everyone but my father ended up getting fish and chips. This game wasn’t as enjoyable because my team lost, but the atmosphere was a lot better. Even though I really don’t like Chelsea I really liked the song that’s associated with the team and the songs that the fans chanted. After the game Kate went off to meet her friend so my parents and I had a lovely Lebanese dinner. One of my goals for this trip was to have food that I couldn’t find in Spain and humus and pita was on top of my list.
The next day was our free day so we decided to sleep in a little and then head to the British Museum. I told my family that I didn’t care what we did but to be honest I wasn’t thrilled about going to another museum. However, the British Museum was unlike any museum I’ve been to and it was actually really cool. I ended up really enjoying the place except for the fact that it was freezing inside and I got a bit tired of standing all the time. After spending 3 hours at the museum we headed to the Sherlock Holmes Pub for a rekindling of our first trip to London as a family. That was the only thing Kate really wanted to do while in London, eat Shepherd’s Pie at the Sherlock Holmes Pub. Later that night we had tickets to see the play A Cat on A Hot Tin Roof starring James Earl Jones. I liked the play but I thought it could have been done a little differently. Mom was a little more critical of the play and of the acting but that’s because she knew a little more about the play writer Tennessee Williams and the background story associated with the play. After the play we returned to the hotel and had a drink at the hotel together. It was a nice send off to my vacation.
The next day we took the infamous red Double Decker Tour Bus around all of London. I enjoyed just relaxing and taking in all of the sights. I could do that all day long. It was finally time for me to head back to the hotel to collect my things and then head off to the airport. My dad and I had one last lunch together and then I said my goodbyes and begrudgingly headed back to Heathrow. However, I was returning to Spain with a new collection of books to read and DVD’s to watch, so I wasn’t too upset. I didn’t know how long it would take me to get to the bus station by taxi so I played it safe and decided to stay over in Seville with a friend. Turns out I could have made the bus back to Huelva, but that’s not important. It was nice reconnecting with my friend Emily again since the last time I saw her was in November for my failed Gibraltar trip.
After 2 hours on a bus and one hour waiting in the bus station I finally got back to rainy, cold Valverde on Wednesday around 3:30pm. I didn’t feel like doing much of anything so I just unpacked a little and watched my new Will and Grace DVD. While I was lounging I got a call from Corrie who invited me to get a drink with her and the girls because her boy friend was here visiting and it was the last time I would see her before her birthday. Even though I was really tired and not in the mood I agreed because I knew that it was important to keep in touch with everyone. After my tutor session at 7pm I got home had a small dinner, showered, and then met up with everyone at the usual spot, Tablejero. It was nice to meet Corrie’s boy friend and wish Corrie an early happy birthday. At around12:30pm we called it a night so it was back up the hill for me.
I was in a pretty sour mood the next day because I really missed my family and I wasn’t happy to return to my ice cube and life of isolation. It was hard to get motivated for school but I went. I got to my first class of first graders and all of them greeted me with “EDICA!!!!!!” Apparently they kept asking the teachers where I was since I missed Tuesday. It was nice to know that somebody missed me. At the end of class I passed out a little Valentine’s Heart for every student in honor of Valentine’s Day. After the kids got their heart candy I was mauled with hugs. At that point it was almost impossible to be in bad mood. I couldn’t stop smiling. The next class of first graders was the same way. They all greeted me as if I had been gone for a month, not a day. They made my day, hands down. After class I had to start preparing for my two tutor sessions. After I spent a good hour prepping at home for the lessons I got a knock at my door. Toni decided to cancel our lesson 5 minutes before it was to start. Thanks for the heads up. My next session was with Pocho’s kids and it was at this session that I decided to give the girls the sweatshirts that they had asked for. They LOVED them and promised me that they were going to wear them the next day at school. Pocho really liked them as well and she couldn’t stop thanking me (and my mother) for the gifts. It really meant a lot to the girls. That was the second event of the day that cheered me up.
After an hour of so of watching more Will and Grace I headed over to Kate’s house to start making my costume for Carnival (we were leaving in the morning for Cadiz so it was now or NEVER). My excuse for not having completed it was London, Christen and Kate didn’t have an excuse. They just never got around to it. Well I didn’t want to waste any time because I still had to pack for Cadiz and organize my belongings from London. I wasn’t planning on staying for dinner because I really needed to get home and pack but Christen was making two vegetable dishes and they smelled so good. She’s a really good cook so I decided not to pass up the opportunity to eat something different. I ended up getting home at 11:30pm. I spent the rest of the night packing and organizing my life. I went to bed at 2am only to have to wake up at 6am in order to shower before I caught the bus. Another night of barely any sleep.
So yeah I had one day and a half at home in Valverde before I was off on my next travel trip to Cadiz for five days in honor of Carnival. I hadn’t done any preparation for this trip, I left everything up to Christen since it was her idea to go to Cadiz. This was her baby. The only prep I did for this trip was the finishing of my Three Musketeers costume the night before. So unlike me, I know. Okay good night.
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