rally for london town

Thursday, September 10, 2009 - Edinburgh, Scotland -- Travel Day to London


Traveling by train is the best.  America needs to pull itself together and invest in the infrastructure to build a national rail system for us.  “Seriously.  Stop sucking America!”  has been a frequent train of thought (pun intended) since I got to Europe.  For real.  They do work here.  And by work, I mean absolutely everything is totally fucking brilliant.  In the food way, in the people way, in the getting around way.  In the pants way.  Oh yes. We love you Edinburgh.  See you soon.

We left Edinburgh on the National East Coast Express train bound for London around noon.  I was feeling pretty rough from having gone on a “Last night in Scotland” drinking and dancing bender and gotten no sleep, but somehow managed to get out of the hotel and to the station with all my gear. BC Powder + Coffee + 2 liters of water + Ciggies = Rally!    After a snafu with Erin’s seat being oversold, we were moved to First Class for our train ride.  Win!

Erin took some video of the countryside that I will post when I get it.  Trains rule at life.

There was a concession car on board and the man working it was the single hottest man I have ever seen.  In my life.  WANT.

From Edinburgh, Scotland 2009

Working class + Scottish accent + brilliant smile and quite polite and helpful + flirting with me = The most worked up I have ever been in the pants way since I was 16.  It was all I could do not to throw him down behind the bar.   He was called David and it took me several hours to get myself in order afterward, it was ridiculous.  I was like a boy crazy 13 year old.  EO was not pleased with my social retardedness on top of having to deal with the very cranky old man sitting across from us talking non-stop about how much he hates America(ns) and offering to kill George Bush for money.   Thrilling.  You can guarantee that every time I go back to Scotland, and there will be many trips, that I will be on that train to London.  Sigh.

Things learned by Train:
Having a large suitcase on the trains is a Royal Pain in the Ass.  There’s often not much room for bags and it isn’t a very nice way to start the journey having had to argue with people who won’t get themselves or their teeny bags of your way.   Suitcase Tetris becomes a highly valuable skill, often practiced with the hindrance of a well meaning Japanese tourist who, again, won't get out of the way so the American girls can do work on the suitcase rack.  We're from Texas, we know how to make big shit fit in small places (see SUVs and parking for examples of this.) Luckily our David kept EO’s bag near the bar for us.  This was the first time we realized that we had brought too much stuff.  It would get worse once we hit the streets of London. 

We got off at London’s King Cross station, got ourselves to the surface and BAM!POW!  We  were immediately assaulted by London Town.  Holy FUCK.


The pace is beyond hectic, the people move fast, and there are a lot of them.  Everywhere at all times.  We had to pull off to the side and just get our bearings.  I had never been in a city that size before, and it was definitely a change from the easy pace of Edinburgh.  Many times over the next couple of weeks I would really wish I had brought less crap.  Especially if I had known how badass and outrageously affordable the vintage shopping would be.  I think it’s something learned only by going and finding out what you are like and can do without in that environment.  

Let me just say that I LOVE LONDON.  A lot.  I asked more than one American we knew there how they moved there.  Something I had previously thought pretty difficult if not impossible.   So not impossible.  Not even that difficult.  Oh London.  Possible expat.  London is the BEAT.

After a cig, we decided to cross the street, which took at least a half hour.  EO compared it to playing Frogger, us being the frog.  Rightly so.  I got some American Dollars changed out in a little place on the street and a nice lady gave us directions to Camino  where we had a seat to wait for Kate.  It was a bit of a posh (London vocab wins) pub, but not a bad place to wait in Kings Cross and very easy to find.  Here's a photo of our first meal in London at Camino.  Tapas!  That chorizo was the jam.

Kate is Kelly West’s younger sister who smartly married herself an Englishman and now lives in a lovely flat in Islington near Emirates Stadium where the Arsenal football club plays.  Kate and Peter graciously let us stay in their spare room and it was wonderful to hang out with them and get a different experience of the city from people who live there.  Peter carried my bags all through the underground and took us to a lovely pub called King Charles I which featured Bar Billiards, a rare pub game that not many people actually know how to play, but attempts are made anyway. 

From London Town, UK 2009

At King Charles I with Kate and Peter:

Erin continued her beer tour with Brodie's Special and I jumped on the wine train, color Red.  The wine in Europe is really cheap and really delicious.  Hello London, nice to meet you.