Travelling to London had its ups and downs, just like everything. It was a long day. Our bus going to Pisa had mechanical troubles and we had to wait for the next one. Then our flight at Pisa was an hour late. Then we stood in line at immigration for about two hours (not exaggerating). However, we did manage to find train tickets into the city for half price. We got all of our things into a cab at Paddington Station. I didn't realize the black ones were the real cabs. The ones with the doors that open the opposite way in the back and have plenty of leg room, even with five suitcases inside. That was another highlight of the day. Then we got to our flat. That was an experience.
Our flat was still messy and gross from the people before us and they didn't clean until we left three days later. It didn't help that Amy and I heard a very loud, weird noise in our room while we were trying to sleep the first night, either. However, it all turned out okay and now our rooms are spotless and wonderful.
Coming to London was a bit more of a culture shock than I had thought it would be. All of the signs were in English and everyone spoke so I understood. There was a large hustle and bustle and always so many people. I felt out of place until I sat down at a dinner and heard people speaking in another language. Turns out I had become accustomed to not entirely understanding the world around me. Now it seems as if there's too much of it. And too many people too. Florence was so quiet out of the tourist side. Seeing thousands of people every day may take getting used to.
This bit of hysteria made me feel even better about going to Florence first. The culture shock would have been even worse when I came home. London will be a good in-between city and a great learning experience. However, I still had one adventure to go before we got into the full swing of London.
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