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"As much trouble as I've had on this little journey, I'm sure one day I'm going to look back and laugh." -Steve Martin
Today was another long travel day. We took the train to Salisbury and then hopped on a bus to see Stonehenge, which we were so excited about! Once again, we had perfect weather. It was pretty amazing but also interesting how there is a highway built right next to it. Old and new, side by side. It is quite mind-blowing imagining how the stones were moved without the use of cranes and other large machinery.
After we took the bus back to Salisbury and then the train to London, our horrendous night began. Earlier in the day we booked a hostel online that was close to the train station, or so it said on the map. However, while wandering the London streets for over an hour, we asked a man for help who told us the street we were looking for was about 4 miles away. This would not have been a big deal, but we were to meet Short Andy in 30 minutes at Big Ben. We unfortunately never got to meet up with him.
We ended up taking a taxi. The driver did not even know where the street was that our hostel was located on. That was our first red flag that we had a long night ahead of us. We finally reached our destination after dark, which unfortunately was a hostel with a noisy bar on the first floor in the wrong part of town. They had no record of our reservation but finally the woman made room for us in a private room with 2 beds so we were thankful we did not have to share a room. We tried paying with a credit card but the machine was not working (go figure) so the woman told us how to get to an ATM. I was not thrilled about walking outside after dark and my gut feeling was right - we ended up getting followed after we withdrew money. We crossed the street immediately which I believe saved us from getting mugged, in addition to God's protection. He was definitely watching over us!
After we arrived safely back to our hostel, we were told to switch rooms so we ended up having to share a female dorm room after all. After 2 long days of traveling, my nerves were shot. Exhausted, I crawled into bed and pulled my personal sleep sheet tight around me so I didn't have to touch the provided blanket. After a long day of highs and lows, from seeing Stonehenge to feeling more unsafe than I have ever felt, Steph and I whispered back and forth to each other from our neighboring top bunks, trying not to wake our roommate but unsuccessful at stifling the oncoming giggles as we talked about the events that unfolded that evening. Steph's whispered remark, "I think this might be the worst hostel I've ever stayed in" was not only too true but probably the Understatement of the Year. We fell asleep to the noisy chaos of the bar below and I was woken to three drunk girls entering our room around 5:30 a.m. One girl told me that I was in her bed that she had been sleeping in for the past 3 nights. Needless to say, I was simultaneously annoyed and grossed out. Was there anything else that could go wrong?
How happy was I when dawn started breaking and we left the hostel for the train station to begin our journey to Paris? Quite frankly I hate London and never plan on returning!
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