Yankee Doodle went to London just to ride the ponies... (well that's what my dad told me)

dunt dunt dunt dunnnnnnnnnnnn........ *applause........... *pat on the back *drum roll....
I WENT TO LONDON ALL BY MYSELF ! ! ! Hooray!

I had no plans. No goals. No objectives. No time contraints. I rode into Grantham this morning via the mini shuttle bus at 10:10 a.m. I told the ticket lady I needed the next train to London. My train didn't leave until 11:19 a.m. I sat in the little cafe (named "Pumpkin") and ate my Frosted Flakes (which are really called "Frosties" over here). Turns out usually it only takes an hour and a half from Grantham to Kings Cross Station (London). BUT during the month of January they are working on the tracks between the 2 stations. (I didn't know this when I decided to make this journey). So, what should've taken an hour and a half almost took 4 hours. haha. I'm laughing about it because I don't even care. I had nowhere to be. It didn't matter how late I was. And the main thing was I was able to do it all by myself. . . .

On the first train I met Stella... a sweet 75-year-old woman who was traveling to Stevenage to visit her brother who is very ill. She told me about her 4 children and her 8 grandchildren and about her niece who lives in the States. I told her all about my family and university and the US. I think I liked her so much because she reminded me of my own grandmas. :)

Well, you might be saying, yeah, so you went to London and back. Let me tell you what the journey entailed: Left Grantham station at 11:19 a.m. this morning. Rode a train for 25 mins and arrived in Peterborough. Got off the train and was ushered to some coach buses. Rode for an hour and half on these. Arrived in Stevenage where we waited for another train. Took that train into Kings Cross Station in London. From there I purchased an all-day Underground (subway) pass. I rode to some of the places we visited last week, just giving myself the chance to do it on my own. I rode to some random stations like Oxford Circus because I liked the name and Holland Park, because well, duh, I'm from Holland. :)

I had lunch, shopped a little, walked, walked, rode the Underground, walked, rode the Underground. (Mind you, I had an open return ticket which meant I could use it anytime: today tomorrow, 6 months from now). Around 4:55 I was getting a little tired. I made my way back to the Kings Cross Train Station. I looked at the departure/arrival boards but didn't see what I was looking for. I asked the guy in the Info Box about my return trip to Grantham. He said there were 2 trains leaving... one in an hour and one in 4 mins. !!! I ran to Platform 3 and jumped on my train, not even knowing if I had jumped on the right one. I sat across the aisle from 2 ladies and I asked them where they were headed... not Grantham! But it was alright, they were heading to York, which was a couple destinations past Grantham. I was on the right train! We sipped hot tea together and chatted about London and shopping. I had so much fun riding the Underground and meeting people and just observing people. I met a girl from Zimbabwe who's studying in London. I met a family of 4 from Bristol, England. (mom, dad, daughter, and son) The son and daughter were exactly the same age apart as Ryan and I with birthdays in the same months as well. Weird!

Above I told you the story of all the switching that occurred on the way to London. Nothing changed on the way home. The train took us from Kings Cross back to Stevenage where we met up with some buses. The buses took us to Peterborough where I encountered a 40 minute delay. I realized I hadn't had dinner, so I ate my first train station meal. Ham and cheese croissant, malt & vinegar potato chips, and a Twix candy bar. Yum. I'm not sure if the British haven't discovered it or what, but they refuse to put sliced cheese on sandwiches! My croissant was ham with shredded cheese! Honestly, who can eat a sandwich on-the-go that consists of shredded cheese!? It's a mess!

At Peterborough I waited for my last train of the night... I wasn't sure that I was on the right platform because they were so poorly marked. I asked an older lady next to me and she said she was heading to Grantham as well. We started chatting, and I found out her name was Allyson. She asked me what I was doing in Grantham and I told her I was studying at Harlaxton College. She looked surprised and said, "I know a girl who attends Harlaxton's sister school in the States." Hmm. Sister-school. Harlaxton. States. Uh, that's the University of Evansville! That's my school ! I knew exactly who she was talking about, too. Kaya. She's the only British student that we have at UE right now. Small world, eh? I sat by Allyson on the last train ride, and a young guy sat across the aisle from us. He heard us talking about Universities and the U.S. He wanted to ask me all these questions about it and how my classes are different and such. Turns out he studies in London, but was coming home tonight to Grantham to have dinner with his family.

This was a crazy crazy random fun-filled day! ! ! I can't believe I did this all by myself !
*takes a bow ..... (this is your cue to throw roses on the stage) *applause ......