The Roller Coaster of London to Bath and Back

Okay so I will leave from the airport. We met this girl who had missed her first flight to london 2 hours ago and now she was going to board on ours. We talked for a bit and then some she was really cool because she was telling us about how she just goes with the flow and sees what happens. I admire that so much and I feel like that's the way to live. To a certain extent of course. I am not talking about having no plan, instead have a goal and a destination and then allowing life to take charge of the path. Life is "Hard" because we try to impose our will on life, but life knows more than what we think. The trick I think is to know and believe that what you want will happen as long as you truly believe it. AND here is a prime example; but first I will talk about our departure of Dublin. So the plane arrived about 1.5 hours late so that was the first hiccup then we land and RUN!! from the airport to the train station so we can have enough time to catch the subway to then catch the train to get to our hotel in Bath.... So we get our train ticket we run to the train and right as we were getting there the doors close literally an arms length in front of ME!! I was like $%#@%$& $!@#!! Then out of no where some girl walks past me and pushes a BUTTON on the door AND it magically just opens!! I felt like such an idiot, we get in and then sit down and just laugh. All it took was the push of a button, also at this point of our journey I started to realize that a 30 minute ride from LONDON AIRPORT to THE CITY OF LONDON cost MORE than a one hour trip from DUBLIN to LONDON!!!!!!

So we rested and cooled down will on the train to london. Then we get to the station and we need to catch the subway. SOOO we get our one way tickets which was 8 dollars for a couple of blocks!!! We jump on the first thing that arrives to just realize that it was the wrong subway. Then we find out that the subway we need isn't even working!! So we get out on the streets and start walking thinking about what we are going to do, we didn't even know which way was North. So we ask these people and the language barrier kicks in but they kind of spoke Italian and a little bit of English and fluent french. So between me and my spanish/italian and Nick's french we were able to figure out that they had just arrived as well. We told them what had happened and they said oh we got a hotel down the street right there if you want to check it out. So we went with them and we were able to get one of the most run down living arrangements I have ever seen. I bet there are worse out there but this was pretty bad. I took video clip just to show everyone. I was so disgusted that I didn't even take my cloth off!! At this point I wanted to talk with some one that can make me happy and put a smile on my face after all this drama. So I went to a local internet cafe and I walked out feeling much better. Okay so I was hungry and cranky at this point so we went to the strip where it looked like there would be food. We walked up and down passing Burger King, KFC, and some pizzeria. Then we walked into a super market fun by all Indians and that was weird in and of itself because I had never seen that before. I got frustrated and just left and I went to the nearest American food joint that I KNEW would have the standard and consistency that I am used to. So I order my food from a man that is from Ghana and my burger was prepared by Pakistanis. By the way I asked. It was like 10 pm so they had closed, and then next thing I know I bit into my burger and hear a bunch of high pitch screams and howls blasting in the kitchen. It turns out to be Pakistani music!! Imagine how I felt when the music I am used to listening in the background is Mexican Banda or Mariachi!! Oh and I ordered a double whopper "Batman Burger" (because they are promoting the movie) and a side of fries with a cup of water. It cost me 8 pounds...sound normal BUT oh wait its a two to one exchange so it was actually 16 DOLLARS!!! Yes ladies and gentlemen you heard me right, let me tell you every bite cost me like a dollar and that has got to be the best 16 dollar hamburgers I have ever had, especially when I compare that to In-n-out where I can get a double double and a side of fries for 6.57!!
But anyways I ate until I was full and yes I ate them both and the fries except for a little bit that I gave Nick. He was concerned about not spending too much money so he watched me devour all this food in his face. I told him to not be so cheap and spend money on what is important....you know like food. So we then left and went to our rat's nest of a hotel and went to sleep, or tried to sleep. It was hot and gross. I woke up like at six because first of all I was paranoid and because the damn metro kept passing by right behind our hotel room every 5 minutes!! We packed our bags and hit the road. We went to the Subway which took us to Paddington Station where we would catch the train to Bath. For a change everything went smoothly and we get to the train station and realize that we have to wait an hour and a half to get a better price and knowing my travel partner we wait. I catch up on my reading and then our bus gets there. The ride to Bath was extremely pleasant because we cut across the countryside and it was very very green and beautiful. We get into Bath and start our trek to the city center. We get to our hostel which was at the YMCA and it was really cool and clean. What a relief, but the catch was that this bathroom was co-ed. so both girls and guys would use the restroom and take showers in the exact same place. That was different, my only complaint that I have had so far is that I can't get WARM faucet water. It is either blistering hot or icy cold!! How do they do it? I don't know. As we are approaching the city centre I see this HUGE cathedral or what they call an Abbey and then an ABSOLUTELY beautiful park that was was so beautiful that I could not believe existed. There were flower arrangements everywhere so well designed that I could not believe it. As I looked around I saw these beautiful Roman architecture style buildings and the cathedral and I got the chills and I realized I was far from home....I believe that was the moment it "hit me" that I wasn't going home anytime soon. So we get on a city tour and I was just blown away by the architecture that I most admire. It was a combination of Roman and Georgian, we got to see all of the main sites and then we went to the Bath Museum where we got to see all of the ruins and it was so amazing because this is the civilization I most admire for their ingenuity, engineering, innovations, and the concept of a republic. Now that I was seeing it and touching it, it was amazing to see and feel that. I started talking to one of the people at the museum and then a friend came along and we talked about everything from culture to history I learned a lot about the British lifestyle and it was so cool to meet people that are so much more cultured and intelligent than what I am used to back home. Needless to say I was impressed. And one thing I noticed was that the British girls in general are pretty good looking. Or maybe its just that I am so used to a certain "type" that everything else looks better.
Nick stayed there until they kicked him out because he is obsessed with Roman stuff. I mean I like it too but not that much.
The next day we went on the outer city tour which was really lame because it was raining and there was not much of interest. So we cam back went to the the buildings called the Royal Crescent and the Circus. They were some amazing Roman looking buildings. Then we got our things and walked to the train station in the rain. OH and the breakfast I had today was of a champion because it was two eggs, two little sausages, a piece of bacon, a spoonful of beans and a hash brown, complimented with a bowl of cereal and like 6 mini cups of orange juice and a small apple, and I mean small by American standards. So we got on the train back to London got on the subway that was actually working this time and made it to our hotel. Which is in a college dormitory. There was problem and they asked us if we wanted our own room because they overbooked rooms with twin beds. So we got our own room for the price of a twin room. Then the first thing I did was go to sleep I have been tired as hell!! To the point that I got a sore throat and my body hurts. I decided to stay in today and Nick went out to explore. I got hungry so I went out and in search of internet and discovered that McDonald's over here have free Wifi and they are really classy!! I was shocked to see how modern and nice this McDonald's was inside. I went in got online and then started to use the internet. After like an hour I went to the counter expecting to see a bunch of burgers but to my amazement there were only 2 beef things on the menu. The Big Mac and a regular burger the rest were chicken sandwiches and salads. I was delightfully pleased. So I got a chicken sandwich and 5 pieces of chicken with a side of fries. It was 7.50 so 15 dollars. If this is "cheap" I wonder how much a normal restaurant is going to cost. So I was eating my food when I ask this girl if she was from the area and she looks at me not really attentive or anything and then looks away. She straight up ignored me after she looked at me and made eye contact. I laughed inside because that had never happened to me before anywhere. She was on her computer the whole time, and I could not leave wondering if she spoke english or not. So I finished and threw away my food and then went to her again and practically got in her face and asked her if she spoke English and she said yes so then I asked here where the nearest subway station was. I told her thank you and said sorry for disturbing her, she didn't say anything and just kept doing what she was doing. I walked out laughing, after all what else could I do. It is interesting to note that everywhere I go I will encounter something that just blows my mind away. For example, when I ordered food at a Pub in Bath the menu said 7.95 BUT the special was 8.95 for that one item. So basically the "Special" of the day was more expensive than if I got it regularly, I told her that there was a mistake but she said no that the menu was wrong??? Go figure. I thought to myself, this would never happen in the states. And if it did i would be paying the 7.95 not the 8.95!!!!

Another thing that I learned was that over here "Water Fountain" don't exist people just drink from the tap. I asked for a water fountain and they looked at me funny.

I have not seen the sun since I got here for more than a couple of hours and even then it was cloudy. I miss my Californian sunny skies... I can't wait for Paris!! I leave London Monday via train underneath the English Channel.

By the way I miss home and everyone out there. But I am enjoying everything out here to the fullest. Love you all out there!!!

Thought of the Day: Don't assume things, take the time to actually find out.

Thankful: for being able to come over here and afford a 16 dollar "cheap" fast food meal. Being able to rest. And the Sun, I appreciate it much more now!