Arrival

Lexi and I headed to the airport at 6pm for our 9pm flight. Finding out where we were supposed to go in the airport was a bit of a challenge, but we made it!

Everything went smoothly through check-in and security, with plenty of time to spare. The money exchange desk was a little strange, as the lady rudely stared at me when I asked for help. Not really sure why she did that.

Lexi and I boarded the plane. They made us walk through first class, which looked pretty great to me! We sat down and were ready to go!

Our plane flew out around 9:15, luckily, with minimal snow on the ground (at least by the runways).

Lexi’s flight started out great (not). Within minutes of sitting down, she tore her novel’s cover, attempting to pull it out of the pouch in front of her that she had placed it in. She wasn’t too happy about this.

During the flight, a meal was provided for us around 11 pm Chicago time, which would be 5 am London time. I’m not sure what meal that qualifies for (supposedly it was dinner). But at 11 pm? But no matter the case, it was actually a really good meal.

I slept a little during the flight, but not much, maybe a few hours tops. However, it was very uncomfortable, as the guy in front of me had his seat leaned way back, giving me no leg room. I could barely my legs around. But at least my head was comfortable! Lexi and I made a stack of jackets, coats, and blankets to keep our heads propped up. It worked quite well in the end.

Our flight came into London around 11 am, right on time. This was one of my first glimpses at England.

I was amazed at the landscape and scenery above London. Everything was so close together (strange to see for a farmgirl like me)! I couldn’t contain my excitement, to the point that I’m sure Lexi got annoyed with me… J I even had to take a tourist shot of our plane that we rode over on.

We got out of the airport (through immigration and luggage and everything) in under an hour. We headed to the London Underground (the tube!), taking to Picadilly line to St. Pancras. Listening to everyone’s accents was so much fun, especially one little boy’s. He got on and said to his dad, “There are so many people! There’s nowhere for us to sit!” (Imagine that in a British accent). The combination of a young child with a British accent was amazing.

We switched from the tube to a train in St. Pancras, jumping on the Southern Rail to Bedford. We had to ask for help once, but then we managed. We did realize that escalators are a challenge when dragging around large suitcases though. My friend Jenn lives in Bedford, and Lexi and I were planning on staying with her for the next two days. The train ride was peaceful and quiet, a chance to view the English countryside (and catch a few minutes of sleep).

When we arrived at Bedford, we took a taxi to Jenn’s. I thought I was going to die. With traffic on the opposite side of the road, I never knew where we were turning, plus the driver was going quite quickly. He almost got into an accident in the parking lot. But we arrived safely at Jenn’s, having to figure out the coins to pay the driver with.

Jenn met us (a joyous reunion on both sides) and showed us to her flat (so British to me!). We talked for a few hours. She fed us some amazing southern fried chicken and rice with korma sauce. After supper and showers, we attempted to do a bit of reading. I miserably failed. Around 9 pm, we went to bed, getting a nice a 15 hours of sleep in to rest up after our long trip. More about my first day later!