7 - Welcome to London

Everyone knows the stereotype. If you plan on visiting England, be prepared for rain - and a lot of it. So you think the smart thing to do would be to plan out your route from train station to hotel before you ever have to step outside, right?

Nope. That would be too easy. Don't get me wrong. I was prepared for rain. I had a waterproof jacket and umbrella in my carryon (though I stupidly forgot to waterproof my suitcase). But what I wasn't prepared for was the walk to my hotel.

I got off the train at Earl's Court station after struggling to figure out how to get to the ground level, only to discover a complete and utter downpour. My first instinct was to wait it out. 10 minutes should do the trick. But no, the rain was still coming down. So on went the rain coat and up went the umbrella. And for whatever reason I never bothered to check the map that I brought to figure out the best route to get tho the hotel.

So there I was, attempting to navigate the streets of London (seriously, it was a struggle, their street signs aren't the easiest to find!) in the pouring rain, only to realize I had spent 10 minutes walking the wrong way. Ugh! By the time I corrected my direction, and was about two blocks away from my hotel, the rain let up. Because, you know, that's just my luck.

Thankfully checking in went smoothly, and the rain hadn't soaked through my suitcase (which would have sucked for my electronics that were packed in a pocket attached to the outside of my luggage), so it all turned out for the best! After a quick shower to get rid of the sweat and dirt from the past few hours of travelling, it was off to explore the rest of the city. Even with that wacky welcome, London was probably still one of my favourite cities, and I cannot wait to return one day!

Ta ta for now, folks!

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