And We're Off

After shots, pills, booking, and packing my around the world adventure has now officially begun! To start off: 2 weeks with my sister (Katie Huerter) traveling around Europe (London--Amsterdam--Berlin--Croatia)

(4 Shots, a Week of Typhoid Pills, and prescriptions for nausea, infection, and malaria pills later..)

(Packing, Unpacking, and Re-Packing Again)

LONDON:

My sister, Katie, and I arrived in London yesterday. After a fabulous flight attendant (Ms. Lynda) stuffed our bags full of baileys shooters and snacks we arrived at Heathrow airport. After a quick trip on the tube and a bit of wondering we arrived at our hostel (Hostel 63) in Princes Square near Kensington Gardens.

Upon arrival at the hostel we learned that our room was upgraded from a 6 person dorm room to a private double...first Lynda's gifts now this! We dragged our backpacks--nicknamed Luna the Beast and Paul Longbottom-- up over 10 flights of stairs to the very top, literally being UPgraded.

We dropped off our bags and immediately set off for the center of London taking a bus to Picadilly Circus. For fellow travelers, taking the double decker buses only costs £2.30 each time you get on and is an excellent way to see London while being the cheapest option. From Picadilly we were able to walk to see all the sights including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and a tour of Westminster Alley--which was lovely thanks to our British guide (everything is better in a British accent) although between jet lag and lack of sleep the House of Lords soft red velvet benches were calling me. Exhausted and wandering around we stumbled upon The Olympic stadium. We didn't get to see any events but it was still really neat to be right outside listening to the crowd cheer.

                                         (Outside the Olympic Stadium)

That night we enjoyed a delicious meal of fish and chips at the local Mr. Fish (ironically such a traditional joint is owned by a very un-British Asian woman). Sadly the atmosphere was not the dark smoky pub we were hoping for but the food was excellent! The cod was flaky and steaming hot with a perfectly crisp batter. Topped with squeezed lemon and dipped in tangy tartar sauce we quickly forgot about the lack of atmosphere as we devoured our plates.

The next day we explored Kensington Gardens. We hapened upon a Russian festival where we attempted ice skating on a plastic rink which we found we are not so skilled at. We saw Kensington Palace and frolicked through the park.

                                         (In front of Buckingham Palace)

London altogether was great!! We are now really excellent at getting lost but also just as excellent at stumbling upon great things too. Now off to Amsterdam...

COSTS:
-The US dollar is weak right now so it was ~$2 for every £1 so everything in London was double the price. Our money went fast.
Flight: $841 (round trip)
(Kansas City--NY--London Heathrow)
Food/water: $40
Hostel: $25
(Hostel 63: Pros:very helpful friendly staff and great location! Cons:lots of stairs and bathrooms not too great)
Westminster Abbey Tour: ~$20
Buses (x3): $13.80
Train (Victoria station--Gatwick): $40
TOTAL [2 days/1 night]: $138.80