The Great Adventures of Natalie Romo: 2012

So there I was on Tuesday at 10:00 getting on the S-Bahn to travel to a new and COMPLETELY exciting place! London! The home of fish and chips and sexy British accents that come with their extremely attractive owners!!! To say at all that I enjoyed my 3 days there would be a lie! Because I didn’t just enjoy it! I COMPLETELY loved it! I can not wait to go back! Now to tell you my story!

Thursday, October 30.

At 10:11 I hopped on the S-bahn to catch my bus to the airport once making it to the train/bus station I got lost (time number one) :) trying to find my bus. Luckily I was early so time didn’t matter. When I got on the bus I sat next to a girl. She was around 25 and we talked the whole bus ride! She was heading home to Liverpool. She was super cool! We talked about traveling, London, and of coarse guys! She said something along the lines of “all the guys that live in Liverpool are wankers” I looked at her and just could not stop laughing! With her accent it was truly amazing! :p Anyways making it onto my plane and onward to London landing around 4 at and leaving the airport around 5 onto another bus. Just going to say… There was the hottest group of guys sitting in front of me… they were from Ireland. (nice accents) But that was beside the point… When I walked on to the bus and smiled at them after sitting down one guy says to another guy “already trying to get tail and we have only been here 20 minutes…” Once again I was just cracking up! After that I put in my headphones and started reading a book! When we started driving and I looked up it took me a second to figure out we were going the wrong way on the freeway(wrong side of the road). When I made it off the bus I had to get into the tube and then find my way to the hostel. The tube is really easy to figure out and every time I scanned my card I thought of Harry Potter! After getting off the tube and asking two people for directions I finally found my hostel! It was 8:30 and I was starving! So I got settled in, made my bed and then on my way to find some really good fish and chips!!! After eating and cruising around a bit I went back to my hostel at around 11:00 ad finally went to sleep! The ONLY problem I had with sleeping in a room with men was that men snore… LOUD!!!! The first night this guy snored so loud it was un believable!!! I was so thankful that I had my iPod because otherwise I would have not been able to go back to sleep!

Wednesday October 31^st, Halloween

When I woke up to kids screaming and doors slamming I just had the sparkling feeling that this whole hostel thing was going to be just delightful! It was great because when I got up 2 other people were giving the door the same exact look I was. I ended up talking to both of them. AND the guy that snored really loud! The girl was from Paris and she was leaving that day to move into her new apartment because she had gotten a job in London! The snoring guy was from the USA. He was a photographer and was heading home that day (Thank God) from a photo shoot in Amsterdam. The last guy was there on a job. He was super nice and actually was the 1^st person to point things out to me and show me London. With out his unknown help I probably would have gotten lost a lot more then I did! We walked to get coffee and talked. Well he listened to me talk I guess! :) Now really I am not quite sure how I describe him… he was in the army, now he’s a bodyguard, he had a really hot accent even though he said he didn’t have one… Whatever it was it was kinda sexy! For my own personal entertainment I am changing his name and I am sure he will appreciate it also. Leicester… he knows why I am naming him that.! But for all my American readers who think that they know what that word is and maybe you all do and I am just an idiot! But I am almost sure I am not the only person who thought that there was no way this could sound like Lester. Maybe I just don’t know how to read… whatever I can be dumb… I am almost ok with that for this one! Anyways when we separated I went on the hunt to find madam Tuesous Museum. Yah I got lost again… but at this point in my life what’s new? Anyways on the way of being lost a guy on the street was trying to get people to donate money to a cause of I really have no idea what but I passed him and politely said no thank you. Now normally when people like that say something back to me I just act like I didn’t hear. But this guy knew just what to say to get someone to turn around! “HEY I LIKE YOUR BAG!” I stopped turned around and said “what????” Because I had no clue what he had just said! I turned around walked back to him and had no joke probably a 10 minute conversation about my bag, politics, the east coast, and then he gave me directions to the museum… now Simon if you read this I am sorry to say but they did not help me! BUT! Your directions to Tower hill did come in handy when I went on Thursday! So thank you very much!!! When I finally found the Museum I saw the out side that was it. They line to get in was 2 and a half hours long and I had no interest in waiting! Now in all my aimless walking I did manage to go to Carnaby Street. Oh and Leicester showed me Piccadilly’s Circus, Oxford Circus, and Covent Garden. And when we walked by things it was like here’s this rock thing and this piece of rock here… the most inspiring tour guide EVER!!! Now I would like to note that on my first day and actually all the time I was there if it weren’t for that writing on the ground saying “LOOK RIGHT” and “LOOK LEFT!” (because the cars are on the wrong side of the road) without those I probably would have died! Anyways finally at around 5:00 I went back to the Hostel to take a shower and get ready for the night! Plus it was Halloween! (I would like to say! Now that I am older I HATE HALLOWEEN!!!!!!! I don’t like being scared and I do not like scary things!) So I went to Piccadilly’s Circus to find a restaurant. I went to an Italian place… it was ok. Afterwards I went to Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum. It was actually really cool! All the employees were dressed up for Halloween and I had a great conversation with Raphael the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for a good 10 minutes about the museum and great comedians! After I snapped a picture of him I was on my way to walk through the 5-story museum. When I was about half way finished with the museum I was in the torture area and reading about the Electric Chair. A guy came up with one of his students and said that the USA used this for whatever reason blah blah blah. Well knowing me I speak up and say HECK YAH! Haha his face when beat red and was like OH MY GOSH I am so sorry! I looked at him and kinda just laughed it off! But he was a really nice guy! He asked me to go through the museum with him and his group of English learning students who where from Germany. I think. But anyways they were all really nice and I walked though the rest of it walking and talking to the guy and the students! So all and all my 1^st full day in London was awesome! Getting back to my Hostel at around 11:30 and going to bed at around 12:30, and everything was great until around 2:00. The new guy that moved into the snoring guys place also snored! (Maybe the bed was snoring cursed!) after being awoken by the bear next door … I couldn’t go back to sleep! So I went downstairs thinking I would read a little or watch some TV to get sleepy! Downstairs was a guy that was working at the Hostel and so I talked to him until about 330. Also downstairs was my new friend Leicester so we talked about our day and then he went to bed and I followed 20 minutes later hoping I would at least get a couple of hours of sleep. I finally fell asleep around 4:00. But as I said my 1^st day in London was great! Just walking around, meeting new people, seeing new things it was really everything I was hoping for and more!

Thursday November 1^st, Day 2

Thursday my plan was to go to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Later that night I planned to see Phantom of the Opera. Getting up at around 9:00 I think and leaving at around 10:00 I got on the tube. For the first time I didn’t get lost! (Thank you again Simon!) The Tower of London isn’t just some random tower. NOOOO it’s like a castle all in it self. I got there around 11:00 and I was there until 3:00. I walked around… there was so much to see! My favorite place was the torture tower! I know it’s morbid but whatever! :) When I left I walked across the Tower Bridge. It was cold, windy, and raining! Have you ever tried to take a picture when it’s windy and raining? Yah it’s really hard! But I took so many pictures only 50% of the pictures are good! Getting back to my hostel around 4:00 to shower and leaving about 6:00 to go grab dinner and go see Phantom of the Opera! Plus somewhere in that time I took a little nap! :D Side noteà You may be wondering why I go back in the middle of the day to shower! I do this because I never wanted to shower with a room full of random people! Don’t judge me! Anyways when I left the hostel I had about an hour and a half to get dinner and to get to the theater. I walked around and was thinking yah I look cute lets go somewhere kind of nice! Well I was running out of time and I kept seeing this same chain around every corner and they were ALWAYS busy! I went in it was all premade sandwiches, salads, soup everything! All organic and EVERYTHING absolutely delicious! I got a BLT a bag of homemade sour cream and onion chips and some organic apple soda! It was SOO good! I mean really I went back 2 other times I was there for food! Cheap, fast, pretty healthy, and super good! What could be worse! The place was called Pret! To bad they aren’t in Munich! Or even San Diego! Anyways I ate and watched a street performer and after he was done I sat by a fountain and read the local paper like a local! I felt pretty cool! ;) Shortly after eating I went to the theater and watched Phantom of the Opera! This is something that is on my bucket list and a childhood dream to see! Now maybe that is only something my parents will understand that but from now and for the rest of my life I will see it live as many times as I can! The opening scene happened and I almost shed a tear of joy! When I got back to the Hostel it was about 11:00 and I was so pumped up that I stayed up until about 12:00 when Leicester came in and asked me to get a drink with him. He drank and I talked! I probably learned things about the whole male population that I never thought I would know! But of coarse I just sat there either jaw dropped or laughing the whole time! Good thing he was cute otherwise I don’t think I would have put up with half the crap that he gave me for my California accent! Wanker, Sector, and whatever else sounded funny to him! I put those words in here because I figured if he reads this maybe he will get a kick out of it one last time! Plus any other person from the UK would probably understand that also! Anyways finally going to bed around 2:00 I slept like a baby! Finally!

Friday November 2^nd, Last day

Now I hate to say it but I slept in until 10:00 this day! And you know what I loved it! I left at around 10:45. I was headed to Big Ben and the London Eye! All I have to say about Big Ben is that it’s a lot smaller then I thought it was going to be! Just saying! But moving on. I went on a walk across a bridge to the London Eye to get a closer look! :) Around the area of the Eye were all street performers like Covent Garden and food vendors. {I made a video and put it on YouTube I will attach the link} There were some really great dancers that were there! From there I was inspired to go to actual Covent Garden because when Leicester showed me we just walked through and I didn’t really see to much. So I grabbed lunch from Pret and found a comfy place to sit (the ground) and waited for a show! Shortly into my sandwich there was a comedy magician! He was really cool to watch. When he started his show he started by asking for 2 men and a trustworthy person. He picked his men then looking at all the people raising their hands. He looked at me. And in mid bite of Tuna Melt said. “ Wow you look really trustworthy. Hold this 20 Pounds and the keys to the looks. Don’t leave because its really hard to get on the tube all chained up! His trick was to escape 40 feet of rope and a tennis racket that was around his waist in 2 minutes. He stood in a spandex suit and had one of the 2 guys friendly frisk him to prove that he was hiding no key! Then had me check his curtain for keys. Just to prove he wasn’t cheating! Now after I checked and I was sitting down or off the stage down he had everyone clap for me… Of coarse me being blonde and totally unaware of my surroundings… while he stood behind me and stared at my butt… Once people started laughing I finally figured it out! Getting off the standing laughing so hard I started his time and away we went! While he said that if he didn’t get unchained in the 2 minutes I was to give the 2 guys the 20pounds and then unlock him! Now I am telling you! He was finished with the chains at about 1 minute 30 seconds. But when the curtain came down BOOM he had escaped from the whole thing! It was really cool! After he was done I waited for him to finish with cleaning up so I could get a picture with him! For you fabulous people who read my blog! J Anyways finally moving on to all the “statue” guys and “floating” people! It was cool to see the people all around me just staring in amazement! But my favorite guy was one that I was taking a picture of he waved me over and we had a Natalie talk and he wave aimlessly trying to converse!When I left him he gave me a kiss and once again I walked away just cracking up!!! If my Friday had just ended there I would have been satisfied! But it didn’t! Nope at about 5:00 I got back to the hostel took my shower! And for the 1^st time someone was in my room. But I didn’t care at this point. I left at around 6:30. went back to Big Ben, the London Eye, and Tower Bridge. I figured that if they were awesome during the daytime at night I imagined it to be amazing! And you know what… it was! After revisiting the sites I went to a nice little steak house. And it was good!!! Utterly delicious! After dinner I went to a pub. Not for long but just to check it out! To see what it was all about! Haha it was fun to just sit for 30 minutes and chill! Watch people and then ready for sleep! At 1130 I got back to the hostel. And by 12:30 I think… I was asleep!

Saturday November 3^rd, Time to go home!

Now thinking that I was getting up at 7:00 but it was really 6:00. (My clocks never changed and that early in the morning I just really can function completely proper!) Anyways I ended up leaving the hostel at 7:00 getting to the bus station at 7:30 and the airport at 9:00. My flight wasn’t until 12:00 so I was just a little off… by a lot!!! L But that’s ok! When I got on my plane I almost slept the whole almost 2:00 hour flight! Now really the only reason I am writing about my going home is because on my bus ride home I sat next to a guy. Haha we talked the whole bus ride home and it may have been the fastest hour that has happened to me in a while! He’s really cool and hopefully with in the next couple of weeks I will hang out with him! He was in London at the same time as me and all we thought of was wow, what a bummer that we didn’t meet earlier! Both being in London alone! Haha but anyways the point was I went to London knowing no one and I left having met and talked to so many people! I have learned from this whole trip that I love traveling alone and that may sound weird but if I had friends with me I would have never met any of the people I did and would have had a completely different experience! I am so happy that I was given the great opportunity and can’t wait to go out and travel some more! Now this has taken me 3 days to write! I hope that you have enjoyed it!

From your totally life loving, traveling au pair

Natalie Romo