Firstly, let me apologise for the tardy manner in which I have updated the blog... Now that the Europe adventure has begun, I will ensure I update more regularly.
A quick overview of the last 3.5 weeks...
My last week in Canada was one with mixed emotions... the excitement of my Europe adventure of which I’ve been looking forward to for years and the sadness to leave my Whistler friends of which have made the past 2 years amazing!!
June 28th, I set off on the bus to Vancouver airport so to fly to New York to visit Kath & Nick (cousin and her partner). This trip was quite different from the one 2 years ago as I’d done most of the touristy things, but there was still a few ‘firsts’... Picnic in Central Park, Coney Island (interesting in not a very good way), Book club gathering (that didn’t involve much discussion of a book.. merely an excuse to drink far too much wine), Highline park (raised train line converted to gardens.. highly recommend it), Waterside drinks and a midnight walk over the Brooklyn Bridge (magnificent), Independence Day BBQ. It was a wonderful week. Kath & Nicko are fabulous hosts. I’m sure they were glad to have their studio apartment to themselves after a week. J
July 5th, leaving the Upper East Side of NYC at the best of times is hard, but at the crack of dawn – very hard! Did you know that in NYC you can’t book a taxi?? Hmm, so for an extra $5 on Kaths recommendation, I hired a town car to take me to LaGuardia where I flew to Detroit to visit an old school friend who lives in a small city 1 hour from Detroit called Ann Arbor. I’m quickly realizing that I will never complain about being delayed in an Australian Airport as US airport standards vary GREATLY!!
Upon arrival in Ann Arbor, having been greeted by Kate, we went to her place and walked to a downtown café for a late lunch. I was surprised with how gorgeous the city/town is! It’s a town that seems to have been built around the University of Michigan with the states largest and most renowned hospital. ‘Beatty’ or ‘Beats’ as we all used to call her in the boarding house as she was one of the three Kates in our year, and her husband Chad were beautiful hosts. It’s amazing... although many years have past since we last saw each other; the bond we share through our time at boarding school is as strong now as it was the day we finished. Christopher (15 months) provided hours of entertainment... the classic was when we were sitting outside a restaurant and a car pulled up at the nearby traffic lights with its windows down playing heavy rap music... Christopher put both hands on the back of his head and started flapping his elbows what I can only describe as a double ‘sprinkler’ move. Priceless!
Although I would’ve loved to stay more than 4 nights, I needed to head to Toronto where I was to fly out to London. I thought it best to catch the most cost efficient method of transportation available... the Greyhound Bus. I had a chuckle at Chad when he expressed his concerns about me having a layover in Detroit for two hours. I’ve heard that it can be rough, but seriously….. How bad can it really be? I’m sure there was a few men in the terminal that were pack’n (carrying a firearm) but not having the courage to look at them for more than a second or two.. I couldn’t be 100% sure. I didn’t feel threatened in any way, but I did stick out like a sore thumb as I was the only Caucasian person in the entire terminal for the best part of 2 hours.
Having already been to Toronto, I thought it a perfect opportunity to catch up on my trip planning. I have one regret from my stay in Toronto, and that’s not taking the time to find a nicer hostel. On the second morning, I woke to bites all over my face, feet and arms. Damn bed bugs!!!!! Luckily before I left to catch my flight, I met the pest control guy that came to inspect – he looked over my bags and advised that I shouldn’t have any troubles with bugs/eggs through my luggage.. but as I was due to be staying at a friend in London, I wanted to still know how to get rid of the wretched things!
The flights to London overnight on the 12th was relatively uneventful but with very little sleep unfortunately. When I landed, and navigated my way through Gatwick airport and to Zannahs work to collect keys then off to her place, I felt oddly at home.
I’ve had a wonderful time in London so far. A lovely first night in London on a pub on the Thames was such a perfect welcome by Zan and the Surbi girls! Day 2 was riveting... NOT! The morning was spent looking after the contents of my luggage of which I quarantined in a sealed bag until I could cook anything left of the bed bugs, then on a mission in Kingston to find a universal adapter that takes Aussie & USA 3 pin – not as simple as I would’ve thought. I had one massive day of sightseeing followed by a big (for me) night out with Joshi & Bonnie Thomson, Harry Potter today (we cancelled our sightseeing plans as it was pouring rain) and we had a fun evening at the pub at the end of the street! I will return to London twice more, so many more things to do.
Tomorrow (17th), I’m catching the train to Edinburgh. I’ll be in Scotland for 1 week…
I will update again (and load photos) next week.
xoxo
Looking ..looking for next update. But that's OK Kate. You're obviously having a wonderful time and haven't had the chance to update. A good chance to read your blog many times .. as I do anyway. Lots of love xx
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