The Great Adventure- Day 1: London

This morning I woke up and I was the only person left in my room. All my roommates had left to go their separate ways and have their own adventures. So I got up and packed my last few things, had one last quick breakfast in the refectory and boarded the shuttle for the last time heading away from Harlaxton. This place is so magical and transforming. I know I have changed dramatically since I first got here. Harlaxton wasn't just a place I lived and went to class; Harlaxton was my home. It was my little piece of paradise in this crazy world. I will never forget the nights I stayed up far too late running around the manor with Dani and Chelsea, or all the times I ran down the cedar staircase on my way to British Studies. I will always remember the way the sun shines through the windows in the Long Gallery and how the floor reflects the sunlight and casts it up to the ceiling, painted like the sky. I won't ever be able to forget the very uneven stones in the stone corridor and how many times I almost tripped and ate it while I was rushing down to drop of my sheets to be laundered. And I will remember the days we spent lying on the grass in the garden and gazing up at the manor and the evenings we spend sitting on the ledge of the manor wall and looking out at the English countryside fade into the dusk. All of that has gone, but the memories will remain forever.

We arrived at the train station and about six or seven of the kids who had been on the shuttle got on the 8:30 train. Mine wasn't until 9:30 so I just waited. I got to London without any problems and hauled my suitcases onto the Tube so I could go drop them off with Jenny, Aunt Theresa's friend. I arrived at the EArls Court Tube station and called Jenny to let her know I was there. A few minutes later she arrived and we headed off to her flat which is only a few blocks away from the tube station. It dropped my luggage off and we chatted for a little while. I left and just about the time I got to the Glouster station I realized I had left the print out of my itinerary. I witched trains and went back to her flat to get it. I double checked everything and then set off for my hostel. I found my hostel with no trouble and after I had settled in I headed over to St. Pancras to see what the deal would be for Friday morning. I got things figured out and then just started wandering along Euston Street. I didn't have a map, which was actually kind of nice. I walked and eventually found myself in front of the British Library. I went inside. It was astounding. It was huge and there were people everywhere reading and doing research with your lap tops, etc. There were 3 or 4 floors of rooms dedicated to certain types of books: Humanities, Social Sciences, Maps, etc. I couldn't go in any of the rooms because I didn't have a reading pass, so I wandered around instead. The bookshop there was fantastic. Finally I left and continued to wander aimlessly until I eventually came to Tottenham Court Road. I turned down this street and walked again for a very long ways until I found myself in SoHo. I was getting tired and hungry (about 4pm now) so I hopped on the tube back to Kings Cross. I grabbed some food at Mark and Spencers and went back to my hostel to eat. I ate and afterwards went out again. I had intended on going down to the Thames, but for some reason I had the impulse to get off at Covent Garden, so I did. I found a pillar to lean against and I sat there and people watched for a long time. Eventually I got cold so I started wandering again until I found my way to the Holborn tube station. I got on and a short while later I alighted at Kings Cross and headed for the hostel. I tried to get to bed early because I knew I had to get up before the crack of dawn.