London! Where the $ is worthless

WEDNESDAY JULY 26th 2006

We arrived in london today at 9am after a very long day of travel (about 14 hours). When we arrived at the airport we were greeted by Laura, a very friendly contiki representative, who guided us to the train to get to our hotel.

We checked into the Imperial Hotel, in Russell Square, and I went straight to bed. The rooms were single rooms and had no air conditioning, but had a GREAT view of Russell Square. All the others on my trip had left a note in the lobby for everyone to meet downstairs at 6PM so we could all have a night out together. I decided to take everyone up on the offer since my room was like a sauna. lol

We met downstairs and ended up spliting up into smaller groups. My group went to take the underground (their version of a subway) to Piccadilly Circus. We got off and got really excited because it was just what everyone had hoped. It reminded me of NYC back in the states. (my group pictured right)

We wandered around for a place to eat. It was a difficult task because there was 10 of us and a lot of the places were smaller, quaint pubs. We found a place called Adams ribs and it was probably the only american type meal we had for the whole trip. We needed to ease into the cuisine. lol! I had some great cajun ribs and some beers. When we were done with dinner we all washed up and went out to find some local nightlife.

We found a cool local bar to go to and we happened to run into another group of our fellow travellers, which is where I would meet the 3 people that would become my best friends on this trip. (Anna, Jodi, Kaitlyn)


They had a really cool drink special which was 3 shooters for 5.5 pounds which converts to about $11. Most beers were 4 pounds by themselves so this was a great deal. I had a stoplight shot but in london they called it something completely different. They were definitly strong though. It set us all up for what would turn into a great night! we also did 2 tequilla shots but they serve them warm, so that turned out to be a bad idea lol!

We then found a cool club called escape which was great because it was intimate yet still had a great club feel. The only problem was that they didn't accept credit cards so we only stayed for a little bit. We met some locals (Daniel and Francesco) there who took us to another club called "too too much"

That title was very appropriate because it was a club for all orientations so there were strippers and drag queens. This was the first moment that I knew we would have a great group because nobody cared about the club but just wanted to have fun. The best part was that Daniel knew the people so we got in first and for free. It was very V.I.P. Once inside, everyone really began to let loose and have a great time. Justin and I even took our turn on the stripper pole. We left the club at 12:30 because we had to catch the last train home. We got back to our hotel at 1am and all headed to bed because we had a very early start the next day at 8AM.

Overall, the first day was AMAZING. We didn't see sites, but we did experience the culture and really got to meet each other. Nicknames were formed (amy-geo) and funny stories were started. Tonight really made me believe in this trip and took all my worries away! xoxo

Home sweet home!

I just got back home from 14 amazing days in europe and I sure do have a story to tell! Check back as often as you want but I plan to update at least every 2 weeks!

Comment on the posts also! Especially if you have any questions about that day...maybe I left something out.

Most importantly let me help you with any questions about contiki! I have fallen in love with the company and I'm sure you would too!

So lets begin with my last day in the states....

TUESDAY JULY 25th 2006

Well the time has come to go on my trip to Europe with Contiki Holidays! I'm so excited because this is going to be a great way to end my summer, which has been spent just working A LOT! I'm running around packing and shopping for last minute needs before I try to get a few hours sleep. My flight takes off tommorrow at 4pm but since its international I'll have to be at the airport by 1:30. Next stop... london england!!

xoxo