London, England (And the Important Lesson I Learned): Part I

Oh, London. Where do I begin? Back in November, my friend Stephanie and I made plans to meet up in London over Thanksgiving weekend. It was the last time I would see Stephanie before her study abroad program ended and flew back to the states so it only seemed right that we both meet up one last time in one of the most marvelous cities in the world. But first, we have to start with the story of my little mishap that happened in the beginning of my journey to London...

The night before my flight, I packed and made sure I placed my passport in my bag so I wouldn't forget it. It was my first international flight since I had moved to Germany four months prior and I wanted to be prepared, as would anyone flying internationally. Early in the morning the next day, I was gathering my belongings and decided to make a last minute photocopy of my passport because I've been told it's a good idea to carry a copy with you while abroad (so you don't risk your original passport being stolen while sightseeing). So I took my photocopy, popped it in my bag and was off to the airport. 

Nick dropped me off at the airport a little over an hour before my flight, I checked in and then headed towards security. As I was walking, I reached in my bag so I could take my passport out and then I realized....I DIDN'T HAVE MY PASSPORT! Yep. I made that photocopy earlier and forgot to put my passport back in my bag! When I realized I didn't have my passport, my heart sank and I literally wanted to scream "Noooooooooooooo!" in the airport. My first thought was that I wasn't going to be able to go to London. I was mad at myself because I forgot my passport but I was also mad because I thought I was going to let Stephanie down and not make my flight.

I called Nick and told him what had happened and to come back and pick me up. While I was waiting for Nick to arrive, I spent my time at the airline ticket counter trying to figure out how I could get on another flight later in the day. I was pretty much out of luck. My only option was to buy a new ticket. An expensive ticket. So, that's what I did. I bought a new ticket, Nick drove me back home (an hour away), grabbed my passport and drove back to the airport to catch my new flight. I was originally supposed to arrive in London at noon but with my new flight I was set to arrive at 6:00pm. A bit of a bummer since I missed a half day of exploring but I was happy to at least get a flight. Lesson learned!

After landing at Heathrow and navigating the tube by myself (yay!), I finally made it to our hostel. We stayed at the Astor Queenway Hostel, located near Hyde Park. It was the first time I had ever stayed at a hostel so I was a little apprehensive about it but it turned out to be a pretty good experience. Shortly after I arrived, Stephanie checked in and we set out to find some dinner and explore a little bit of London at night.

Stay tuned for Part II of my London adventure!