That sounds crazy, right?
Well, although I’d never heard of bus/car-transporting trains, apparently they exist here in Europe!
And so when it was time for us to leave Bruges, Belgium and head to our final destination for the semester- London, all that our class’s bus had to do was drive onto a fully enclosed train car, and off we were under the English Channel!
The Underwater Journey
As a huge fan of planes, trains, and automobiles, this journey was much more exciting to me than the anticlimactic passenger train trip under the channel that we took from Oxford to Paris just a few months prior.
From the bus, the only impression given that we were moving at all was the barely-there rocking of the train car.
While we spent most of the time on the bus, we were allowed to hop off and walk around the train car. Through little windows, we could see the inside of the train tunnel. It was weird, but I thought it was fun.
Just a few hours later, we arrived in London in the late afternoon.
Exploring Westminster
Since our hotel was conveniently located in Westminster, I decided to have a walk around while trying to find a Pret-a-manger or some other reasonably priced restaurant to pick up dinner.
The Kensington area is really remarkable, if not a little disorienting with its endless rows of identical white houses. I almost felt as if I were on a movie set. There is also an abundance of Bodegas in the area, selling anything an everything from flowers to groceries. It was at one of these bodegas where I made a horrible mistake.
My Mistake
After unsuccessfully trying to locate a Pret-a-manger, I decided to pop into a bodega for some hummus and chips for dinner. Stay tuned.
Halloween in London
Oh I forgot to mention- it’s Halloween!
I wasn’t entirely sure if Londoners celebrate Halloween, but figured that I could wear a subtle costume and have some fun at a bar.
Since my backpacker’s supplies don’t provide the most comprehensive wardrobe, I decided to take a disposable fork I’d picked up somewhere and taped it to my crop top- effectively embodying a Sexy Fork.
(picture not included, I’m self-conscious outside of the costume :/ )
Yes! I was feeling confident and was ready for a London adventure!
That is until the horrible stomach pains struck. I almost wish I could’ve thrown up and gone about my day, but tragically, I was bedridden for the rest of the night. At the very least, my roommate and I watched a scary movie.
It’s just tragic that London never got to see the Sexy Fork.
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At the very least, we have a full day planned for our very last day of study abroad in London.
There will be a visit to the National Gallery, a high tea, and hopefully many other escapades to wrap up the incredible semester abroad.
See ya then!
WTB