Finally, it's Spring Break! Minneapolis, Day 1

Saturday, March 30, Day One
This is my first day of spring break and I'm heading to London on a solo trip!  I used to always want to travel with others and thought that I wouldn't like traveling alone.  Now I realize that I like both, for different reasons.  When traveling with others (friends, family), I love to talk about what we've seen.  It helps me to integrate the experience and to form those shared memories/experiences with others.  However, traveling alone makes me feel empowered and I love not having to cater to the needs of others (a parent's life!).  It can all be about me, which, for a parent, is a novel experience!

This is the light rail station I was waiting at near my house.  I love the stained glass colors cast by the sun!

I am going to London Saturday through Friday.  I have booked a place to stash my big bag in London until I can check into my airbnb, a day tour Monday to Avebury (a circle of standing stones),  a ticket to Wicked Tuesday night, and a neighborhood walking photography tour on Thursday night.  The rest of the time will be wandering London.  I've been to London 5 times before this, so I don't need to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, etc.  I'll probably go see Big Ben to see the one face that they've redone to look like the original (the rest are covered by scaffolding).   Other than that, I will walk aimlessly.  I love doing that; turning the corner when the mood strikes me, walking to something that just looks interesting.  That is how I enjoy experiencing a place.  Spending days just wandering in different, meandering directions.  Then, when I'm tired, I make my way back to my lodgings (thank goodness for Google Maps!).  I can either decide to walk back to where I'm staying or use public transit if it's raining or I'm exhausted.

I was up late last night packing (I have been super busy at work and at home so I just never seemed to have the time to start) and was up earlier than I needed to be this morning, so I'll arrive in London exhausted (I can't sleep on planes unless I can lay down).  I was in terror mode for the past few days about my trip.  I think it is because traveling alone is outside of my comfort zone.  And this year, my husband was arriving from his spring break travel the day after I leave, so I was still in charge of our son and house.  One of my daughters is in college nearby and volunteered to come pick him up (she was using our car while my husband was out of town) and take him back to her house for the night.  And they'll leave extra food and fresh water for our cat to survive until tomorrow.  (They are hopefully doing that as I type this--I'm at the gate waiting for the plane).

After doing some picking up and emptying the dishwasher and litter box, etc., I left for the airport.  I left myself half an hour to walk to the light rail station, an hour to get to the airport, and to arrive 3 hours early for my international flight.  Well, my back hurt from my visit to the chiropractor yesterday, so I took the bus to the station, only having to wait 5 minutes for the bus and 10 for the train.  Then security had short lines, I had to do self-check in with no waiting, and arrived at the gate an hour after I left the house.  Which left me four and half hours to wait before my flight!  They will start assigning seats at the gate about an hour before the flight, which I've never experienced before.

Well, I saw a line forming so I got in line and got an aisle seat--great!  I have the worst bladder and need to stretch on long flights.  I hate climbing over people (especially sleeping people), so an aisle seat is perfect for me.  I bought a new neck pillow--I'll see if that works and I can at least catch a catnap on the way.  I'm flying Delta (Virgin Atlantic through Delta) and they typically serve meals, so I won't have to exist on my snacks.  And, about my snacks.  Going through security, my bag was pulled aside.  They looked inside and it was my almonds and trail mix that flagged it--weird!

Well, the terror is gone, now I have anticipation and the usual worry of enduring 8 hours in steerage.  Oh well, London is at the end!