July 18, 2012
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(actually written on 18 July 2012, posted on 5 March 2013)
After having slept with the curtain between my bed and the living area in the studio closed for about a month during the nights that Daniel stayed over, I left the curtain open last night, and what's more, I also left the blinds in the living area open. The reasons for that were simple: firstly of course Daniel was no longer in Amsterdam, taking away the need for him to have some privacy, and secondly, I had to get up early anyway this morning. For today is he start of my UK trip!
Last Friday I had decided, pretty much last-minute, not to wait in an empty studio until my flight to Manchester on Friday, but instead to already go to London today and stay here for two days before taking a train up to Blackpool on Friday. It wasn't cheap, with the total of flight plus hotel plus train amounting to close to 200 euros (and add to that the unnecessarily booked Manchester flight) but I feel it was still a good decision; I would have hated to be in an empty apartment after having had company for just about a month. It was too quiet already last night after Daniel had left and I am in no mood to endure that for two full days more if not necessary.
My flight to Gatwick was short but bumpy this morning, but my iPad with a downloaded edition of the Guardian newspaper kept me entertained, so it was fine actually. I had already gotten up at 5:45 Dutch time, so by the time we were taxiing to the runway, my eyes were already getting quite heavy.
In Gatwick things went much smoother and quicker than expected, given the Olympics horror stories that are in the news all the time, so the first thing I did after leaving the arrivals area was not go straight to the train station but rather go to the nearest Costa Coffee to have a coffee and a muffin. I sat down, continued reading my newspaper and hoped to be getting in a holiday mood but somehow that didn't materialise yet. It's always quite difficult for me to get in a holiday mood the first couple of days, and the hectic of the past couple of weeks will probably make it more difficult still to wind down.
Finally I got on a London bound train and at Victoria station I left my bag with left luggage. It was too early to check into my hotel, and I had no desire to carry the suitcase with me while I was doing some urgent shopping. Since my weight loss it's been necessary to buy new clothes in much smaller sizes, which is of course a great feeling, if not a slightly expensive one. Buying new trousers at the GAP was one of the top priority things today, just after "getting my train tickets for Friday at Euston Station", which is what I did first thing upon arrival in London.
From Euston I walked back to Victoria station, having lunch and coffee in between, and also finding a GAP on Oxford Street where I bought two pairs of jeans. In the Super Dry store on Regent St I bought an irresistible t shirt, and that was all for today. I will need to get more jeans (probably two pair) tomorrow but I didn't want to spend any more money on clothing today. At the end of the afternoon I made my way to Earl's Court, where my hotel is, and checked in. I only left the hotel briefly in the early evening to get some dinner in the Gourmet Burger Kitchen and some wine in a convenience store and then returned to the hotel for a quiet evening in, mostly spent with playing on my iPad... The picture is of course of Buckingham Palace and was taken while I was on my way back to my luggage at Victoria Station and then on to Earl's Court at the end of the afternoon.
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