From My Holiday – London at Random

My flight back to Sydney from London was at 9:30pm and I had a late check out from my hotel. So I was able to relax on my final morning in London. I slept in after my late night out at the theatre and had a late breakfast, then headed over to St Pancras station to pick up a few touristy things. It was there that I ran into someone from home. That’s right, in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world, I ran into a guy I’ve known since primary school. Also, his parents used to own the house I lived in for almost 10 years, he works across the road from me, and we occasionally catch the same train to work in the morning. Despite this, we’re more like casual acquaintances than the best of friends, but we always say hi when we see each other. When I first saw him waving at me, my brain didn’t really process the fact that he was waving at me, so I just thought he looked very similar to someone I knew and was waving at someone behind me. Because surely he couldn’t be in London as well and in the same building as me. It was all very contextual and weird. It really is a small world.

I had fun catching the tube from Kings Cross Station out to Heathrow and I might have teared up a little bit when I arrived at the airport because I really didn’t want to go home, even the thought of sleeping in my own bed after being away for two weeks didn’t excite me. As it turns out I kind of got my wish as my flight was delayed until the following morning. So I got to stay for an extra night in the end which was pretty great, even if it was in an airport hotel.

When our flight finally departed another two hours later than scheduled the next morning (after having to get on a bus at 5am), I was lucky enough that flight was half empty and I had an entire row of seats to myself all the way home. It was the best. I wasn’t expecting anyone to meet me at the airport, but my mum surprised me (and I cried and she cried and it was all very happy like in the movies) and it was so much more special because she didn’t realise my flight had been delayed for a second time and so had been waiting at the airport for nearly half the day. Mums are the best.

So my holiday was officially over. It really was the best two weeks of my life. I got to see so many things that I’ve always wanted to see and although I’ll always love Paris, London is easily my new favourite city. I loved it so much that I even investigated moving there and it’s something that’s definitely in my plans for the future – even if it’s just for a year. It’s not often you go somewhere you’ve never been before and immediately feel comfortable and at home. But I felt like that in London and it was the best feeling.

Because I just can’t let go of the city (I still have a £20 note in my wallet that I can’t bring myself to exchange), here are some random photos I took on my walking around between places. Even in the rain it’s a fantastic city.