Plan A: Jill, from my tap class, was going to give me a ride.
Easy peasy, right? Well, it was too easy. She called the other day and said she wasn't going to go to Surrey to visit her grandchildren after all because her uncle had an appointment at the hospital that she had to take him to.
Okay, so I went to the train station and purchased a ticket as well as a rail card to help to bring rail ticket prices down a little bit in the future.
Plan B: Jane and Alper could drop me off in Peterborough at the train station on the way to church. Take the train to Kings Cross, take the underground to Vauxhall, and take the train to Virginia Water where Curtis (the dad of the new family) would pick me up at the train station.
Yeah, evidently even that was too easy. Here's how it went down. Alper drove me to the Spalding bus station at about 8:30 am (okay, so this saved me a 15 minute walk from the house... that's helpful) where I waited for the bus to come at 9:05. There was a guy at the bus station who helped me with my suitcase and sat with me on the bus and when we arrived at the bus station in Peterborough at 10:00, he walked with me to the train station and pulled my suitcase for me. Ten minute walk--I definitely appreciated his help. Then I sat at the train station and journaled and drank tea and listened to music until my train came at 11:25. On the train, there wasn't any space in the luggage area of the compartment so I had my duffel bag and my backpack at my feet and my monstrosity of a suitcase on the seat next to me. Observe.
(ipod on at all times and sandwich in hand--I'm ready to go)I got off the train at Kings Cross at about 12:15pm and walked to the underground station. I patiently waited for the elevator because I didn't want to stress myself out by trying to go down the stairs (stairs were the enemy and I seemed to find theme every where I went). Once I got down into the station, I started noticing that all of the signs for the Victoria Line (the line I needed to take) were covered up. Shoot. Sure enough, it was closed for construction.
Implement Plan C: After asking about 5 people how I was to get to Vauxhall and going down far too many stairs with my all together way too heavy luggage I hopped (okay, fine, stumbled) onto the Northern Line. There were approximately 40 million other people being rerouted along with me and of course, there was no where to sit. By this time my shoulders and back were sort of starting to quiver from aching with the weight of my backpack, duffel bag, purse and pulling my suitcase. Not to mention that it was at least 200 degrees in the underground but I couldn't manage to get my coat off. I rode the underground to Stockwell, crossed the street and caught a bus that was meant to replace the Victoria Line. Got off the bus at Vauxhall, walked to the entrance for my platform and then just stood there, blinking, looking up two flights of stairs.
You know that part in Cinderella when the mice have the key to Cinderelly's bedroom and they want to get up to her so they can set her free and she can see the prince and then they're just standing there looking up at the dizzying staircase? That's how I felt at this moment. Earlier on in my journey I had been actually lifting my 70lb suitcase to get up and down stairs but I couldn't manage that anymore. I pulled it up behind me one stair at a time and stopped on the landing in the middle--panting. I was thinking "If I could see myself right now, I would laugh discreetly and offer to help." Sure enough, this nice girl/lady (about my age) offered to help and we each took a handle and lifted my suitcase up the rest of the stairs.
When I got to the top I threw all of my stuff down on a bench, took off my jacket and ate the three chocolate chip cookies I had in my purse while listening to Michael Buble and waiting for my train that would arrive at 1:45pm. Upon arriving at the Virginia Water train station, I knew that I would have more stairs waiting for me but a very kind man offered to help me up and down them and having completely given up on my "I can do it by myself" motto for a moment, I gladly accepted his help. Curtis met me in the car park and we drove to the house. Six hours after embarking on the journey, I had finally arrived.
I took all of my stuff up to my bedroom and instead of unpacking, I grabbed a book and made a cup of tea and went outside to sit in the sun. It was a beautiful day. Curtis left shortly there after to go play tennis and I stayed home with Nelson.
We sat outside in the warm sunshine for about three hours and it was glorious. My shoulders are still aching a bit and along with my dream about a blue alligator... yeah, don't ask... I also had a dream that someone was rubbing my shoulders. I don't know who, but I didn't really care.In the words of Ricky Ricardo: ay yi yi yi yi. It was a crazy day but I am so glad to be here. Lots more pictures and posts to come!
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