London

In a stroke of genius, I booked myself a 17 hour layover in London on my way back from Turkey. I was going to take to Tube into town, have a beer at a pub, a long night sleep, and see a few landmarks before heading back to Holland. It was a fool-proof plan; or so I thought. I had a great last night in Istanbul. I went out for some Nargile with four of my hostel mates from various corners of Northern Europe. It was a fabulous finish to what had been a wonderful time in Turkey.
The next morning I realized how difficult it would be to be a handicapped person in Istanbul. I had two very large wheel-around suitcases weighing 23 and 19 kilos to get to the airport and I had decided to take public transportation to get there. This involved dragging them along a cobblestone street for 400 meters, down the stairs at Taxim Station, up the Stairs at Kabataş, up and down the stairs at the transfer station at Zetinbrounu, and up the escalators at the airport. At each one of these stations there are two turnstiles that require additional lifting. Needless to say by the time I got to Ataturk Airport I was ready to be rid of my additional baggage.
I arrived in London at 7:00 GMT. I found the tube station and got a ticket for downtown. After an hour of repeatedly being instructed to “mind the gap” I got of at Hyde Park Corner station. The hostel I booked was on the other side of park so I started walking. In traditional fashion I got myself lost a few times but somehow managed to find my accommodations. Unfortunately my accommodations were unable to find me on their reservations list and because I had left all my baggage at the airport, I had no way to confirm it to them. Undeterred I found a pub a few blocks away called “The Swan” and decided to think over my options with a pint of ‘London’s Pride’ beer. At the pub I met Ivan, the 26 year old Chemical Engineering Student from the Czech Republic. We spent the next two hours sharing stories, sipping on beer, and chatting with a gaggle of women in their 60’s sitting adjacent to us. The pub shut down at 12:00 so Ivan and I parted ways and I was left to figure out what I was going to do for the night.
With no place to stay I was facing a very long night on the streets of London. No thinking when I left Istanbul I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and the night was getting cold quickly. I eventually decided to find a place to sleep in the park and after an hour of searching I settled on a patch of dirt under a willow tree near the pond. At 2:10 AM after about an hour of uncomfortable shut-eye I was awaken by a hateful pack of geese that had wandered to my side of the lake. Unable to sleep with all the honking I got up to find another bed. At that moment I noticed the police car coming down the road scanning the park with a searchlight. I dove behind a nearby stack of lawn chairs until the police had vacated the area and made a quick dash for the park exit. Finding the gate locked I scaled a low spot in the fence and was deposited onto the streets of London.
Figuring that 2:30 in the morning was as good a time as any to go for a tour; I followed the street signs to Buckingham Palace. I was disappointed to find that the fancy guards with the fuzzy hats were not on duty. Apparently unrelenting dedication to protecting the Queen has its limits. After a quick photo I turned towards the river. The Thames River has to be one of the most disgusting waterways on the planet. Even during the night one can see that the water has the same consistency as a chocolate slushy. After finding the London Eye and The Houses of Parliament I decided to try to get some more sleep. I found a park bench by the river and passed out for another hour.
I was awoken this time because of the cold. The shorts and t-shirt were not cutting it and I was freezing. I got up and walked around for another hour before returning to the same bench for some more sleep. At 6:00 I woke to a stunning sunrise (pictured above) and a hungry tummy. I crossed the river and picked up some yogurt and granola for a few pounds and proceeded to locate some of the sights that I had missed the previous night. I found Westminster Abby, Lancaster Square, Trafalgar Square, Scotland Yard, 10 Downing Street, and the National Gallery. Unfortunately nothing in London opens before 10:00 and I needed to start back towards the airport by then. I made it back to Heathrow by 11:00 and found a couch to pass out on, but instead of sleeping I found myself engaged in a great conversation with a French/Australian University student on his way back to Paris.
When my flight finally lifted off at 2:00 I was still not tired so I indulged in the in-flight movies. Duplicity with Clive Owen and Julia Roberts was OK, but Knowing with Nicholas Cage was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. When we landed in Chicago it was raining (a strange weather phenomenon I was no longer familiar with) and Mom and Mary T were waiting for me at the gate. On the way home the rain got worse making Mary T and I understandably nervous about my mother’s driving. When we finally pulled off the highway to get some Wendy’s we discovered the Indiana town we stopped in had no electricity. We later discovered that the power outage was a result of a TORNADO that struck the city 15 minutes earlier. I finally arrived, exhausted and but safe at 694 Marylane Dr. at 10:45 EST.