Choopie goes to London: Part 1

Getting there:

So, we open up this little adventure on a British Airways Boeing 747, in economy class. A Hungarian water polo player to my left, and an Italian guitarist to my right.  Both men are rather large in stature leaving me shoulder to shoulder with both of them and absolutely no personal space for the next ten and a half hours.  

Luca, the Italian insists that he didn't sleep last night and would be sleeping the whole way there, and Toma, the Hungarian says he's just finished eating a huge meal so that he won't have to ruin his kosher diet on airplane food. 

About three or four hours into flight, the cabin lights are turned off and after a long conversation with them and between them, plus movies of our choice,  Luca and Toma, are asleep.  and as they fall deeper and deeper asleep they spread farther and farther out.  

Toma is asleep with his head in towards me his nose pressed against the side head rest, with his elbow fully on my lap.  To the other side of me Luca has somehow contorted himself into a sort of fetal position with his knees pretty much covering my own.  

I couldn't sleep. 

About an hour before landing I finally started to drift off when Luca shook my shoulders and exclaimed " Wake up sleepy girl! we're there!" 

really?

Then, off the plane, down the escalators through passport control, where I was repeatedly asked if I was alone... yes, I'm alone. Baggage claim, both bags accounted for.  then through customs.  

Officially on UK soil, I decided to get some money out. although the cash machine said it took mastercard, the machine did not like my card at all. finally, I gave up on that machine and went to the one from another bank on the opposite side of the terminal.  It worked thank God!

I called Elise form a pay phone to let her know I was there, and to see if she knew how to get to the underground from the terminal I was at.  Lucky for me it was fairly simple directions, the only thing was is that I had two gigantic suitcases, a duffel bag and a shoulder bag, this was going to be interesting.  

I got my ticket, and made it onto the first train alright.  which was good, that was the train i'd be on the longest. when I got off at my stop I was faced with the daunting task of two flights of stairs, just as I took a deep breath and started up a man came up from behind and offered to give me a hand.  Crossed the street to a different station and and sat on a train, this train short circuited and so with the help of another kind man, crossed the platform to another train going the same direction.  Got off that train and more stairs, and another person, nice enough to turn the opposite way he was going to give me a hand.  through the handicap exit because my load was too wide for a normal one, and, I had successfully finished my first trip on the London underground, with the help of three kind strangers of course. 

Called Elise form another Pay phone and met her at the station, just a short walk to the house I'd be staying at, and three flights of narrow stairs up to my room. 

when everything was finally up in the room, Elise made some soup while we chatted, and then i got my computer set up and talked to My sister online to let her know I'd arrived alright.  Then I went to sleep at about 4:30, and didn't wake up until morning.