Here it is! The post you've all been waiting for! Ok, maybe not, but this is going to be my blog about my spontaneous trip! I'm going to break it up, for easier reading.

Like I said before, it wasn't an extremely spontaneous trip since I had been considering it and discussing it to death with anyone who would listen. I was nervous to travel outside the country, alone, and to two countries where I do not speak the language. Tuesday I decided that I needed to take this trip, absolutely needed to take it. I knew if I didn't, I might never have the opportunity again. So I booked a flight from London Gatwick (the nearest airport to here) to Prague, and a flight from Prague to Paris and a train from Paris to London. I booked two nights in a hostel in Prague and two nights in a hotel in Paris. I stayed up almost all night on Tuesday and started my adventure at 4:15 am on Wednesday.

Wednesday November 12th

I left the flat between 4:15 and 4:20 in order to get to London Gatwick and check-in by 6:30. I needed to catch a bus into Brighton and catch a train from Brighton to London Gatwick. The whole thing would take about an hour, or so I thought. I made it to the bus stop and was sitting there for a few minutes before I realized that it was not the correct stop, so I trudged my way over to the correct stop to realize that I had just missed the bus I needed and would have to wait half an hour for the next one. Ok, so that puts a kink in my plan, but I wait it out. Then the bus ride that is supposed to take about half an hour, takes 45 mins, and the train I catch that takes 25 to 30 mins every other time I make the journey takes 45 mins. So what was supposed to take an hour takes just about two. I got to the check in counter at not even 6:40 and they turned me away, saying I could pay and get on the next flight which left at 6:10pm. At this point in the journey I call Evan in tears asking what I should do and I was totally ready to scrap the whole thing, thinking it was a big mistake to even try and do this. Then I realized that it was a challenge for me to prove to myself that I actually could do this, that I could roll with the punches; so I paid and got on the next flight.

So that was my first day of travel. While I was supposed to be in Prague, instead, I was in Gatwick airport. But, in all honestly, it's the first time that I've just relaxed outside my flat on my own maybe ever. I slept, I shopped, I enjoyed a for pleasure book and a coffee. It actually ended up being a nice day. Also, I was there so early, they checked me in early and I got to board before a lot of other people who had arrived much later than myself.

I flew with an airline called Easyjet because they were the cheapest of anyone. They were a lot like Southwest in that they don't book seats and don't give you anything on the plane. Their colors were black and orange and the whole thing really randomly reminded me of that Mike Myers and Gwenyth Paltrow movie where they are flight attendants.

I got into the airport, which was pretty quiet and got our luggage really quickly. I haven't really ever had to wait for my luggage at any airport since I've been here, unlike some American airports I've been in. I got a taxi and it took me into town, about 20 mins from the airport. I checked into my hostel which was really quiet and quite cute, that had 24 hour reception (rare in Prague hostels apparently, but I'm glad that I got it!). The hostel was bright and clean, with a kitchen and living room with a computer that supposedly normally has internet, but when I was there it didn't. I shared a three-bed-room with another girl who I think was still adjusting to whatever time zone she had just come in from because she slept and woke up at the most bizarre hours.

The worst thing was that my contact solution was closed or something because it leaked out all over my pjs, raincoat, and book of Great War poetry (homework). Luckily I was able to find a pharmacy (after checking in two others) that sold my contact cleaner. It was interesting to find out that they sell products like ReNu and Colgate, while I didn't see any that looked like specific Czech brands.

I called home to let my family know I made it there ok and my mom told me that the credit card company had called with urgent something or other for me. So I called them to let them know that, yes, I had made all the charges to the card. After I had confirmed with the lady that all the charges were mine she asked where I was traveling so she could make a note of it in my account. I said "I'm in Prague until Friday November 14th, then I will be going to Paris until Sunday the 16th, then I will be heading back to London" and she said "Ok, so you are in… ummm… how do you spell that F-R" so I replied "I'm in Prague, P-R-A-G-U-E" and she said "oh ok". I didn't realize until later that she thought I was traveling to Frog, wherever that may be. I laughed.