Just Trying to Catch a Flight

Our bus to London left Cardiff at 4am on Saturday. Zora and I left Talybont Court at 3am to walk to the bus stop. I'm sure the clubgoers walking home thought we were interesting figments of their imagination. By the time we got to the Hilton on Kingsway we'd walked in to the heart of the party. Two police cars and an ambulance rolled in, most of them for a fight that had broken out. We decided it would be easiest and fastest given our tired state to get a cab from the Hilton to Cardiff Central (about 3 or 4 blocks away). The cab came fast, and during our conversation with the cab driver he caught a major mistake of ours. The bus wasn't leaving from Cardiff Central but from Kingsway stop, literally where we'd caught the cab! We gave him a big thank you and a good tip for catching our mistake. We would've missed our bus otherwise.

Without too much trouble we found our hostel in London. We had to ask for directions once and a very nice concierge who wasn't too busy in the early morning hours googled the addresss for us and drew it on a tourist map. The only problem was our check in wasn't until 2pm and it was 10am when we arrived. We had four hours to kill before we could finally get some sleep.

As awful as it might sound to be tired and without a bed it wasn't, Zora and I turned it in to a bit of an unexpected adventure by wandering around. Amongst other things we got to see, and hear the bells of the oldest Gothic church I think anywhere (active since 606), oggel the Golden Hinde (working reconstruction of sir Francis Drake's ship), and get mobbed by a couple of school groups in the gift shop of The Globe Theatre. We also just bummbed around near the Thames and watched the working boats and the tour boats go by. Before too long it was finally two and we could get in our room. We settled in quickly and set an alarm for 5:30 so we'd have time to get some dinner.

Slept pretty much like the dead, except for a few moments when our two roomates came in. One of them stayed and joined in our nap.

The evening was uneventful. Zora and I walked around the neighborhood a bit more and did some work online. I started in on a few more post cards. I'll have a good stack ready to go when I get back on Thursday.

Today was another early morning. We dragged everything in to the hall at about 1:30 and dressed/ packed there so as not to keep our roomates awake. Found a cab quickly and got to the bus station. The city was so quiet. We drove around like it was a country road. At the terminal we were serenaded by a drunk (maybe) which the staff told me had been showing up every night for the past three years. Zora's bus to Stanstead came through every few minutes on a loop so we waited until the busses to Gatwick started at around 3am before boarding. I enjoyed having the company. Her bus left just a bit before mine, and both of ours arrived just fine at our respective airports. Both of us had a long wait to check in. I got in line just before 5am and wasn't through security until just after 6:20am. The lines were poorly indicated so people for other flights on the same airline were all in the same huge line. Staff kept trying to pull them out but it just brought check in to a standstill as people were moved and counteres devoted to rapid check in of the stragglers. Made it through though. Fed and watered, though I'm missing my morning shower. Gate should open in a few minutes.

Matt, I'll see you soon.