On The Train to Edinburgh

a train. window seat. first class. beautiful countryside outside the windows. destination: Edinburgh, Scotland. passager: ME!! that is the setting for this blog entry. that is where I am. and yes, that means that the train has wi-fi. free wi-fi. seriously, in england, buses have free wi-fi! I am really excited, guys! I'm headed for Scotland! for 3 weeks! this is the closest thing to a vacation that I have ever had in my life. I will admit that I am worried that it will go by really slow and that I wont find anything to do and that I will spend too much money. however, those are normal worries when you're traveling somewhere that you have never been before. other than those worries I am so excited and ready to be in Scotland. granted, tonight I will be tired(not to mention sore from dragging around my two huge suitcases and my backpack)so I am planning to check into the hostel and stay in for the night. okay, so I will check in to the hostel and go explore a bit...and yes, try and find a cheap place for dinner.

The journey with my two large and heavy suitcases has not been as difficult as I expected. first, my suitcases made it onto the train! yay!!!! I was worried last night that they wouldnt let me taken then onto the train but they did. there was even a nice secutity guy in Oxford that helped me with one of my suitcases to the platform to wait for the train. it was a hassle but not the diffucult one that I had imagined and worried about you know?funny how that is....you worry and worry and stress about something being difficult and not working out and when it comes, it is still hard and a hassle but not as hard as you imagined it to be. from paddinton station I took a taxi to king's cross. I thought it would be easier and cheaper than taking those suitcases onto the tube but it was 15 pounds(about 22 dollars). however, it was easier than working the tube with those two heavy and large suitcases. I waited at king's cross for about 2 hours for my train(I used the ladies's room and I had to drag my suitcases up and down a flight of stairs, and I put in a pound coin for the charge, yes you have to pay 30pence to use the restroom in most train stations, so that was another hassle. I also had two ladies help me on each suitcase bringing them up. i brought them up one at a time and each time a lady helped me. they are so nice in England). my train was finally called, platform 5 not 9 or 10 as I was hoping, but hey, c'est la vie. getting onto the train, a nice man helped me fit my suitcases on the luggage rack. I just ordered lunch, bangers and mash...

the bangers and mash were so good! yes, hot food on a train. that is the beauty of first class. lol...first class is nice. the seats are comfier and there is a lot more leg room and it is quieter. plus you get hot food. I love it...but I wouldnt get first class for a short journey. for a long journey like this one, yes it is a good idea. for a short journey, not so much. granted i might do first class again when i go to nottingham and then at the end of the summer, just because of my suitcases. first class has a lot more room in it for large luggage. plus it is nice and I like it. lol... :)

that is pretty much it for my journey to Edinburgh. I am going to the wee world cafe tommorow night 8-10pm, but I will write more about that tommorow. but just to let you guys know what it is...it is like globe cafe at St.Andrew's in Oxford(I wrote about it at the start of the semester in my main blog). they have different themes each week and they also have a discussion each week about life questions and what the bible says about them. it will be so interesting to hear to hear people from different cultures and countries talking about life questions and what God and the bible says about them. maybe I will be changed forever by something that I hear someone else say. anyway, I want to listen to music for about an hour and a half before I start on my INTS 241 five page paper on my study abroad experience. shouldnt be too bad. i am actually looking forward to really thinking about my semester in england. it is weird since for me, my time abroad is not yet done. part I is, which was the study abroad semester. part II is Edinburgh, Scotland and part III is my World Wide Witness internship in Nottingham, England. you could say that my night overnight in London night (when I will ride the london eye for a second time but this time at night) before I head back to Texas could be counted as part IV but I am not sure. that is it for this entry. and next time I write...Scotland!!!! jelaous much? lol..I must sat that I find it so much easier to talk about my travels and time overhere to people who have also done study abroad, because i dont feel like I am bragging. which will make it interesting when I go back in the fall. lol...love y'all!