I just returned from a three week trip to Europe...
By the numbers:
22 nights
13 train rides
9 LEGO stores
6 hotels
5 plane rides
3 theme parks
2 boat rides
2 bike rentals
2 minor injuries
1 grand time
And though I'm still in the midst of jetlag (my poor brain is so confused! What time is it? Where am I? Who am I?) I thought it would be a good idea to get some of my memories written down before they're lost to the ether.
So here we go. Days 1, 2, and 3....
Ten months ago, my friend H. and I decided to take a trip to Europe this summer. Our original plan was to visit Paris, then Copenhagen. From there we were to embark on a 9-night cruise to Warnemund (for Berlin), Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, and back to Copenhagen. After that, H. would head home and I would take a train to Billund, Denmark, before heading home myself.
From October 2021 to February 2022, I did lots of research for all these cities. Then Russia invaded Ukraine and soon after, our cruise line cancelled the St. Petersburg port stop. A few weeks later, they cancelled the cruise entirely.
H. and I then decided to rework our plans and do a land vacation. Paris and Copenhagen could stay on the itinerary, and we'd add in Amsterdam and a couple of Belgian cities. By this time, H. had become interested in visiting Billund, too, so we decided we'd start in Paris and end in Billund. But I wasn't yet totally satisfied. Having never visited the UK, and with a weird interest in traveling through The Chunnel, I decided I'd set forth a few days before H. and spend some time in London before meeting her in Paris.
I want to mention that H. and I tried to be as careful as possible to not catch or spread Covid 19. We are both vaxxed & boosted and we wore masks regularly the entire trip... N95s on planes and longer trains, and regular masks everywhere else. Any time we were indoors (except for like 2 times we had indoor meals) and in any location except our hotel room, we wore masks, and we even wore them in outdoor crowds. We did the best we could, and thankfully, we both stayed healthy and returned home healthy, too. That said, Germany was the only European country that enforced masks (we didn't stay any nights here, but did pass through twice) and we saw very few people wearing masks anywhere else. We seemed like outliers, but nobody gave us a hard time. Maybe we just got lucky, but I think based on this experience, it IS possible to travel safely. If one or both of us had gotten sick, I'd probably think otherwise. Annnnyway...
Day 1 & 2
I set out from Portland around 4pm on July 26th. I had a quick stopover in Vancouver, B.C., and then a long flight to London. The plane landed around 11:30am, London time, but it took a while for the plane to get to the gate and offload us. Then it took ages for me to get out of the airport. When I finally did, I realized I had a problem -- my phone didn't have much of a signal in London, and I hadn't written down precise directions to my hotel. I ended up taking public transportation toward the hotel, got off midway, found some Wifi, and was able to download directions. Eventually I made it.
My room at the Charlotte Guest House(s) turned out to be small, with a single bed and a non-functioning window. It was too depressing for me to take photos of the interior, but I did get some decent sleep while there.
I had a bit of a headache that first evening, but I tried to stay awake as long as possible and go to sleep at a normal-for-London time.
Things I learned today:
*Don't trust that you'll ever have an internet connection; download those offline maps!
Day 3
I woke up around 8:30am the next morning and went out to explore London. I checked out St. Paul's Cathedral, Victoria Embankment Gardens, and Trafalgar Square.
While riding the subway the day before, I'd seen posters for various plays and musicals that were being performed around town, and one that particularly caught my eye was a poster for the Back To The Future musical. I hadn't realized it was playing again (it premiered right before Covid hit.) So I went online and booked a ticket for the 2:30 matinee. I got the cheapest tickets they had, and they turned out to be just fine.
Sitting in the near-back of the theater, I could see nearly everything the show had to offer, but I couldn't really see the actors' faces -- which meant I had an easier time pretending that Marty was the real deal (you know, Michael J. Fox.)
The actor playing Marty did a great job. I wasn't sold on the Doc actor's performance, though -- it was a bit over the top at times, like, "Hey, everyone, I'm a wAcKy inventor, wink wink!" Overall, though, I really enjoyed the show! It was interesting to see what changes they made to the story to account for it now being a stage production. Spoiler alert: no more Libyans! The songs' lyrics and tunes weren't particularly memorable, but the theme of the songs worked well for getting the story across.
After the play, I went to the Westfield LEGO Store. It was nothing special, and I would've preferred to visit the big LEGO Store in Leicester Square, but that one was closed for renovations while I was in town.
I got dinner ingredients at a grocery store near my hotel, and spent the evening relaxing in my hotel room.
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