London

London:

On my way back from the sunny Isle of Malta I had a change over in London. I flew into Luton airport at 11:00 pm and left on a bus the next day at 10:00 pm.

With 23 hours to kill, and very little money to speak of, this is the story of how I experienced London.

I left Luton Airport at about 7:00. I found a bus ticket for 8 £, which was a huge answer to prayer (6 £ less than normal fare). From the bus station I searched for some cheap breakfast and scouted out possibilities for cheap lunch and dinner. At a local grocery I found:

1: Really cheap bread

2: Clementines on Sale

3: 2 for 1 muffins

Buying the muffins, I tucked the bread and oranges on the backburner as an idea for lunch/dinner.

London was in rare form that day. The sun was out and warming its denizens with golden rays. The breeze was refreshing without being chilling, and the tourists were everywhere. I walked to St. James Park next to Buckingham Palace to eat and wait for the changing of the guard. I ate one muffin and gave the second one to a new friend I met, and sat on a bench under a blooming cherry tree and asked potential friends about their coffee. (It should be explained that for me lack of sleep always produces lowered inhibitions.)

When 10:30 rolled around I went up to the palace, now surrounded by thousands of people… It was crazy!! Being me, I worked my way through the crowd until I was right up against the gate and assumed 5th position, en pointe and waited. The musical cacophony of lilting accents and foreign languages was entrancing, but as I stood there I recognized something about one of the voices around me. I turned around and asked

“If you don’t mind me asking, where are ya’ll from?”

Only to hear to my great excitement, “We’re from Georgia, where you from?”

“Georgia!” I exclaimed too loudly, “You have no idea how nice it is to hear a familiar voice.”

We quickly exchanged southern credentials and information. I explained my presence and why I was so glad to meet them. These wonderful people were from West Georgia and were taking a vacation exploring their family tree in England. We watched the changing of the guard, (poking fun at the British of course), but didn’t see much because we were one of several thousand. Afterward they invited me out to lunch, so perfectly understanding the universal plight of college students everywhere. They adopted me for a few hours that day.

I know this sounds strange, but reader, it was a godsend to be with them: a much need respite of hospitality in a city thousands of miles from home. For sooth, I didn’t know I needed one until I had it. Those who know me know I don’t ever shy away from doing something new, strange, bizarre, scary or foreign. But for that one day, it was the perfect thing to have a family for a few hours.

We parted ways after that. I walked down Fleet Street and the Strand to go to St. Paul’s. I ended up taking Mass in a Catholic church before I made it to the Cathedral. I should mention that I couldn’t actually pay to enter St. Paul’s, so I just prayed in the side chapel (which more than sufficed). From there I went to Westminster, walking along the Thames until I saw the Buildings of Parliament. I walked around the Abbey (I couldn’t pay to get into there either). But I did find a small, empty chapel which was open. I had such a rockin’ time in Westminster… It was incredible.

I left the chapel after I had cooled off and I just started walking around (probably where I wasn’t supposed to be).

I saw Rodin’s Burghers or Calais.

I spoke with a man protesting the United States.

I spoke with a man who tries to get people to ride the train for a living.

And I bought four loves of bread and 16 clementines for my dinner: which I ate on the bus back.

On our midway stop to Glasgow at 4:00 am I freakishly happened to meet Mr. J.T. Wood going to London on the night bus. He was more disturbed by it than I was.

I finally made it back to Glasgow and I haven’t left since.

Advertisement