Girl on the Train

Yesterday was just so awesome that I had such a hard time falling asleep last night. I finally fell asleep at 12:30 and before I knew it, my 6:15 alarm went off because I had scheduled an early morning spin class. I gave myself plenty of time to get to the studio and was so early that I decided to walk around a bit because I didn't just want to sit there and wait. When I walked in at 7:07, still decently early, I gave the girl at the desk my name and it wasn't on the sheet. One of the other girls said it sounded familiar and that she had seen it on the 7:00 class list. Like an idiot, I got the time wrong and missed my class. I was so annoyed with myself because I never do anything like that and because I was actually near the studio by 6:55 but thought I was too early (which I would have been for 7:30) to go in.  Luckily, it all worked out and they added me to the wait list for the 7:30 class and I got in. I was in the back row-corner, very far from my front row center at SoulCycle but it was better than nothing. The instructor for the class had great energy and spoke American English which was a surprise to me. (I asked her where she was from after class and it was Vancouver.) Her music was on point and so were her cues. There were tap backs and crunches and travel-backs and obliques. So very SoulCycle-y which I appreciated. There was even a weights portion for the arms. It was a great class and I'm so glad my stupidity didn't get in the way of me taking it. I am signed up for another one tomorrow so I'm looking forward to that one as well.

It was cloudy when I got done with spin so knew I was heading out to Oxford as originally planned (and not the Shard as I was considering). I took the Tube to Paddington Station and was ready to head to the oldest University in the world. I took a commuter train, The Great Western Railway (GWR), out there which, just like the tube, was very efficient. It was also super easy to get my ticket and find my train. I almost felt like I was at a much better (but not as pretty) version of Grand Central. The GWR trains are really nice (they have tray tables and outlets) and all I could think of was how very "Girl on the Train" I was (with the same name btw),  just looking out the window on the train in England. But there was none of that because it was mostly greenery along the way. The train ride was only three stops but took a little under and hour because the stops were very far apart. Once I got to Oxford, there were signs leading to the town center and once there, I basically just wandered around a ton just trying to see as much as I could. I walked up and down the crowded streets of shops and restaurants and saw a couple of the 39 (!!!) colleges that are a part of the university. Some were closed to visitors and some had a higher entrance fee than others so that narrowed down my options a bit. I knew I wasn't going to see them all which

was totally fine and expected. I paid one pound to enter Balliol college and the grounds were beautiful, also to be expected. I walked around quite a few of the other colleges but it was very mellow and so old world-y. It's weird to think real college kids come here to study because it did not have a college town feel as I know one to have. University of Illinois this was not, but it was beautiful. Well U of I is one of the most beautiful campuses ever (I honestly think it's way prettier than Harvard Yard), but this was pretty in a more distinguished and renowned way. I don't think you'll see anyone going to class in sweats (or even leggings) around here. Seems like a sweater and/or blazer type environment, but what do I know? I was tempted to buy myself an Oxford sweatshirt, but let's be serious, I have enough hoodies/sweatshirts and I certainly don't need another one. I'm not a huge souvenir person, so no biggie. (One interesting thing I noticed in the store was that each of the 39 colleges has its own tie for the male students. I thought that was super cool!)

I spent about 2.5 hours walking around and as I was deciding if there was anywhere else I wanted to explore, it started raining. Again. This made my decision to head back to the city much easier. Good thing I have been wearing my hooded vest and carry my umbrella everyday because they both have been totally necessary. This weather has been insane but really hasn't stopped me from doing anything. I was so proud of myself for going on this little excursion today and not having any directional issues or much worry. The more I travel, the better I get at it and the more comfortable and confident I am in trying different things and going out of my comfort zone a bit.

I arrived back in London around 3:30ish and couldn't exactly decide what I wanted to do. I wasn't sure if I should go walk around Portobello Road and not tomorrow like planned because I was semi-close to it, but decided to wait until tomorrow when the road market is happening. Instead I decided to walk on Knightsbridge which I would say is comparable to Fifth Avenue in New York. There are a lot of high end stores including Harvey Nichols and the ever-famous Harrods. I've been in both before and although they are both VERY out of my piece range, going inside these stores is part of the London experience. What I was looking forward to at Harrods was going down to their food court. There are tons of cakes and candies and prepared food and also a lot of other things of the food variety that you'd find at a supermarket, just displayed much nicer and costing a lot more. I bought a mini gourmet pig in a blanket and I probably could have eaten six more. It was delicious but at the price I paid, one was enough. When I left the store, the sky finally seemed like it had calmed down and cleared up a bit so I decided to hop back on the tube and head over to the Shard hoping that it was going to stay clear enough for a good view at the top. Again, I used my student ID for a better rate (score) and there was absolutely no line which was also awesome. When I got up there, the view was spectacular. I was 800 feet above London getting a 360 degree view. (It was just as awesome as the view from the Freedom Tower.) There are two viewing floors, one on 69 and one on 72. Both have glass windows but 72 has an open air ceiling so you are "outside." Unfortunately you still get a glare off the windows which sucks, but that view is really something special. I had done the London Eye before so wanted a different perspective of London from above this time. One thing that was kind of a bummer was that there was such a glare in the direction of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey that you could barely see it. Luckily the absolutely incredible view of Tower Bridge and Tower of London made up for it. I walked around up there for almost 45 minutes just taking it all in. I love, love, love, aerial views.

By the time I got back to the hotel, it was after 7:00 and I was craving a big salad. There doesn't seem to big too many options for that around here so I went to Pret which luckily had a great selection of salads. I bought one and took it back to the hotel to eat and inhaled it. It was delicious but not as big as it looked. It was definitely not enough for me so I actually went back out and got a second one, caught the sunset which was magnificent (turning the sky purple and pink) and called it a night. This was probably the most relaxing evening I've had here thus far and was much needed after the 14.5 miles I covered on foot today. I know I keep saying this, but the amount of joy and happiness that traveling brings me is just infinite. I literally have a smile plastered on my face everywhere I go; even in the rain. I wish I could bottle this feeling up and use it to get me through the rest of this school year. With one full day left of this trip, I am definitely going to soak it all in and enjoy every single second I have left. (And start thinking about where I can go and what I can afford for a summer trip because one HAS to happen.) I don't want tomorrow to be my last day, but I have done so much in the little time here