Now that you've read what led me to end up solo in London, you’re probably wondering how that trip turned out. Did I see my friend and her family? Did all the drama leading up to my trip set the tone for what was to come? Or did the trip itself further inspire my desire to travel even more? Given the theme of this blog, one can only assume that this solo journey wasn't a "one and done" sort of adventure!
Always be prepared....
But let’s start with my flight to London. Rather than sleeping on the red-eye flight as I should have done, I spent the flight studying the maps and directions I’d printed and brought along with me. My brain was swimming with details on how to get my tube pass, where to go in the airport to get to the station, which color line I needed, how many stops I had and then the route from the station to my hotel. It felt like cramming for a test! And it was a test I passed with flying colors. I easily found the tube station upon arrival, got my week-long pass (which I would find to be a fabulous investment) and easily made it to my hotel, a short five-minute walk from the station. Since it was still early morning when I arrived in London, I wasn't able to get into my room, so I left my bags with the hotel and headed out to start exploring.
Hit the ground running....
Looking back, now over 12 years and MANY trips to Europe and places even further away later, I'm know I had to have been functioning on pure adrenaline at that point. All the drama leading up to my departure meant for some restless nights before I left, and I certainly hadn't slept on the plane. Nevertheless, I managed to find my way to Buckingham Palace, just in time to watch the changing of the guard. Somehow, and perhaps because I was solo, I managed to find a spot right next to the gate with a front row view of the whole ceremony. I was literally feet away from the guards and horses as they marched in.
That ended up being the theme of the trip, although I had planned some day trips and had a list of things I wanted to see in the city, I would often stumble upon things that I hadn't sought out or planned. Looking back at many of my trips, those random places I've found or conversations I've had with strangers have become the memories I remember the most. And the stories I hear myself telling over and over again.
On my first full day, I booked the essential "Hop On/Hop Off" double decker bus tour. That, along with purchasing a week-long tube pass was probably one of the best things I could have ever done. It allowed me to get oriented to the city and quite frankly, get a lay of the land. I chose to hop off at the Tower of London when I realized it was the tourist site on my list that was furthest from my hotel. There, I stumbled upon a tour with a "beefeater" which was, of course, amusing. I took in most of the sites that day, hopping on and off the bus as much as I could and ultimately taking a river cruise down the Thames.
When I wasn't visiting a tourist site, or popping onto the tube to get out of the rain (and it rained A LOT that week), I walked. And walked. And walked. There was a freedom in wandering around in a city I was just getting to know that quickly became addicting. Walking with no set plan allowed me to find the tucked away pubs or the cute shops I might not have found. I relished in the liberty to stop and grab a bite when I wanted with no schedule and in the rare moments it wasn’t raining to sit in a park and read on a bench or just plain people watch. I crammed in as much as I could as I wanted to see and do it all; collapsing nearly every evening in my hotel in complete exhaustion before waking up the next day to do it all over again!
Venturing out of the city... Before I had left I had booked two day-long bus tours to see some sights outside of London; one to Windsor, Stonehenge, and Bath and another to Oxford, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Warwick Castle. I toured the castle at Windsor, thankful that the Queen wasn't in residence so that I could! Stonehenge, while remarkable is on my "one and done" list- after all, it'll look the same every time you see it, right? Bath was charming and beautiful and I felt "smart" touring Oxford. Harry Potter had just started to become the rage then, and even though I hadn't read the books (and still haven't!) it was neat to see some of the places where the movies were filmed. Stratford was charming as well and worth a revisit (I'd return to both there and Oxford a few years later). Warwick Castle felt a bit touristy, but hey, I was a tourist....
Mid-way through my time there, I was able to meet up with a childhood friend, I'd known from camp since I was 12 or 13 years old for lunch. At the time, she, her husband and their four-month old infant were living a ways outside of the city, so we knew we'd only be able to squeeze in a short visit. By that point, I had been completely on my own having spent four days in London not knowing a single soul. It was great reconnecting as we hadn't seen each other in years; coincidently, we just reconnected a few months ago locally and realized that 4-month old infant is now the same age as we were when we met at camp! But, someone I knew, knew I was alive and well as I traveled on my own.
So, you noticed I have not mentioned the "friend" who I was originally planning to stay with, right? I did not end up seeing her or her family, though she did try to reach me twice at my hotel as I found notes from the front desk slipped under my door when I returned in the evenings saying she had called asking me to call back. I never returned her calls and never made any attempts to connect with them. Sure, maybe it was rude, but I think I realized quickly how amazing it was to be on my own that I didn't want any further drama to put a damper on my trip. Do I regret now not connecting with her? No, as I soon realized we were more acquaintances than friends. Things happen for a reason and I know had I not made the last-minute plans to stay in a hotel and do my own thing all week, that week might have been very different.
To travel is to learn...
I learned so many things during my week-long stay in London. Things I learned to do in many of the cities I would visit in years to come. I learned to pick a hotel close to the center of the city, but also along the train line from the airport if possible so it's easier to find your way when you arrive sleep-deprived after those lovely red-eye flights. I re-learned how nice it is to travel "carry on only" when you're lugging your bags on trains and upstairs when there are no lifts at the stations. I learned that bartenders often have the best information on local places to check out and it's almost always possible to snag a seat at a bar for one. I learned to always carry a book (hey, I even do at home- you never know when that commute comes to a standstill) as you never know when you might find a great park to just sit down on a bench and read as if you were a local and take a break from the sightseeing. I learned that it's easier to strike up a conversation with a stranger when you are solo than it is when you're with other people you know. And I learned it's really easy to snag a fantastic seat at the theater hours before the performance when you're by yourself. Wicked was AMAZING from the 10th row dead center.
Most of all, I learned how empowering traveling solo can be. While I was already pretty independent at home it was different being in a place where I knew no one and had no one to rely on to get me to where I wanted to go but myself. And that's what I did. I went, I saw and I walked A LOT of miles. I came home energized and addicted to traveling...solo. That trip was almost 12 1/2 years and 26 countries ago, so needless to say there are more stories to come.
"The best education you will ever get is traveling. Nothing teaches you more than exploring the world and accumulating experiences."
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