Scene 15: The London Eye (Hostel)

Despite what you may have assumed from the name of my hostel, it is not by the London Eye. Don't worry, I was unaware of this as well.

It's very nice. A large common room, a pool table, a TV, four computers for anyone who didn't bring a laptop, plenty of work seating, etc. etc.

You can't check in until 4 p.m. (it's 11:30 a.m. at the moment), but that's alright.  I was planning to leave as soon as I got here anyway. And once the kind cleaning woman smoking outside helped me get into the luggage room, my suitcase was safely secured from harm. (If not necessarily other people who are given the key to the luggage room).

The hostel is good. It was not too far from the tube station and it's sunny outside and I'm not quite sure where I am (Lambeth North? Who named these places?), but that's alright. There's a huge concert in London this weekend and literally everything in the city was full, except this- praise the Lord- for two nights. It's expensive, but I have somewhere to sleep. I consider that an important travel staple.

I have a lot to be grateful for (acknowledged) but it's been a rough morning and I want to be in a bad mood about everything. A personality flaw, I know.

I won't complain here. I've found that if you don't verbalize negativity, it's a lot easier to get around. So.

YAY FOR THE SUNSHINE. I HAD COFFEE THIS MORNING.

It only took me five seconds to check out of my last hostel, and not too long to get to Paddington Station, and I had to top-up my Oyster Card (what I swipe in tubes/trains/buses to go places) in a queue that stretched about 10 yards, but I got to read more of my book, and Lambeth North is one short of the last stop on the Bakerloo Line, but I got to read more of my book, and I'll be traveling who knows where and doing who knows what until 4 p.m. today, BUT I'LL GET TO READ MORE OF MY BOOK!

I'm really glad that I spent an exorbitant amount of money specially ordering this book from Waterstones (a popular English bookseller), because they didn't have a copy in any of the stores and it's not released in the US until October and its written by one of my favorite authors and its very good and it came in to the store right when I needed to begin reading it.

Don't ask me how much it was, I'll only tell you how much I'm enjoying it.

I did a lot this past week, none of which I wrote about on here, and practically none of it what I'd planned to do with my time.

Don't worry, I'll fill you in. Mostly. I spent a lot more time in my head than outdoors, this week. Sorry.

Some uninteresting news for anyone not concerned with my safekeeping and well-being:

I secured housing for the duration of my time in London. This sounds like an easy and simple task, but I assure you that it wasn't.

For now, the London Eye Hostel. For the two days following that, Blue Skies, again. Don't look at me like that. It was all that was there! And better an evil I know than one that I don't.

After Blue Skies, the Astor Quest for 4 days. It came highly recommended and by the time I got around to clicking "confirm" on the slog-through that was hostelworld.com on Tuesday night, it could have been in Surrey for all I would have cared. Anyone who hasn't been to London won't appreciate that statement.


(I've become one of those obnoxious city people. You know, the New Yorker- type person, who looks across the river and goes, "Brooklyn? Seriously? But it's so.... far."

"Lambeth?" I find myself saying. "But isn't that across the Thames? It's so... far. And do they have Tesco there?"

Surrey, to me, is like New Jersey to a New Yorker. Incomprehensible. Only for the sake of better school systems.)


After the Astor Quest, I am back to Piccadilly, my first and favorite hostel, full of only girls and with purple duvet covers. After the 8 days there, I'm on my own for three weeks as I travel by national rail to who-knows-where (I certainly don't) and then I'm back to Piccadilly for the four days leading up to my stateside return.

As you can see, I defined and clung to some idea of comfort or home in London and it was Piccadilly Hostel. When in doubt, go home. Dash the expense.

(Except not really, I'm on a budget, but do I need to eat on Wednesdays?)

So, this week I must find out where I'm going come July 15th and make sure I can get there. I've found that living on the edge is quite my style. I travel dangerously*.


Until next time, when you actually find out what I've been up to,

Brooke




*Just to clarify, 'dangerously' to Brooke Odom is defined as 'without clear plan or direction and with no guarantee of breakfast or clean linens upon arrival at a place of rest.'