a short(ish) note from heathrow

Hi, it’s been a minute. The past few weeks have been quite hectic, and I inadvertently avoided posting another Paris Diaries. Exam study sessions, days at my internship, outings with friends, and more filled my last few weeks in Paris, and now I sit on tile floor of Heathrow (yes, the one in London) realizing that I haven’t documented my last moments in Paris at all. 

I will likely publish something soon—how soon, I’m not sure—on the last bit of my semester, but I want to first talk about my time in and getting to England and maybe just some general thoughts. It won’t be as stylistically romantic as France was, but I think I may have to start getting used to that. Though, I doubt England is going to be as boring as being at home. (It definitely won’t.)

Monday morning, I said goodbye to Kelcie and went for one last breakfast with Gaby. We went to a café not far from our dorm, then got a couple pains au chocolat, picked up my luggage from the dorm, and I said goodbye to Rue de Sevrès for the last time (for a while). Well, I said goodbye, but not before running into Zara and buying a sweater/sweatshirt that I have been telling myself for like a week that I don’t need.

Side note: if you think you will wear the sweater you’re thinking of buying, absolutely buy it. I have worn it pretty much everyday since buying it, and only partially because it won’t fit in either of my suitcases. 

The train ride to Gare du Nord was exhausting… Gaby didn’t deserve lugging one of my suitcases up and down metro station stairs (but I appreciated it so, so much). We finally got to the station after taking a couple different lines, and we cheers’d our pains au chocolat before saying goodbye. I waited there until it was time to go through security and customs, and then I boarded the Eurostar and said a final and total goodbye to Paris.

I slept for a bit on the train, then woke up in London. Once I got off of the train and into the station, I had a little bit of an emotional moment, spurred on by missing Paris, figuring out transportation to Oxford, and (this might be too much information, fair warning) having to pee but not being able to fit into a stall with my two suitcases, duffel bag, tote bag, and backpack. After a moment, or three, and a phone call with my mom, I pulled myself together, found a big enough bathroom, and bought a train ticket to Oxford. 

The ride to Oxford consisted of three connecting lines, Paddington Station sushi, an “excess” fine (it was only 7.50 pounds but I had RATP flashbacks and almost metaphorically pooped my pants), and an expensive taxi ride. The day was creating an anti-England mindset for me, which wasn’t helped by the reality of no longer living in Paris. I got to my hotel room though, called my mom again (I have talked to her more this week than all semester), and watched TV until I fell asleep. 

I woke up the next day feeling relatively rejuvenated, and got ready before going to meet my friend Molly, her sister, and their cousin at a bus stop so we could go to London. The two-hour bus ride went pretty smoothly; Molly and I caught each other up on our semesters. Once there, we ate lunch and met with our other friend Liv (from my Chicago post). We set out to explore the city a bit, seeing things like Buckingham Palace, the National Portrait Gallery, Big Ben, and a few other things. It began to get dark, so we headed back to Oxford. 

Once getting back, I picked up some McDonald’s on the way back to my room, and then ate it while watching “Monte Carlo,” the movie with Selena Gomez. I think I called my mom again (the calls are blurring together a bit) and then I fell asleep, waking up many times throughout the night. 

When I woke up the next morning, I was sick and still wearing my jeans from the day before. I showered, got ready, then went to Caffè Nero to do some work. I turned in some late assignments and called it a day, getting lunch at a market by the coffee shop and taking it to the University Park. I settled down on a bench with my garlic chicken and noodles and watched a soccer game from afar. I finished my food then moved on, walking around the park a bit before sitting down on another bench and reading Emma by Jane Austen. 

With some food and literature under my belt, I walked back to my room and laid down for a bit before repacking my suitcases. In the interest of time and length, I will skip ahead a bit because, honestly, my day was boring. I had fish and chips from a pub in town, and then returned back to my room to finish Monte Carlo and maybe call my mom again?

Once again, I fell asleep in the clothes I had been wearing, but some time in the night (that I do not recall) I changed into pajamas. The next morning, I went for breakfast in town, getting a cappuccino and the “royal breakfast” (hash browns, mushrooms, grilled tomato, turkey bacon, lamb sausage, baked beans, toast, and a fried egg). I can confidently say I am a fan of beans on toast. 

I returned to my hotel room with a full stomach and laid in bed until my checkout time, gathering my luggage and hauling it a mile into town to meet Liv and Molly for coffee. The coffee was good, and I ended up drinking two iced lattes to the sound of a street performer’s odd techno music. We laughed about the music and about fake JellyCat websites and Jane Eyre memes (courtesy of Liv), until it was time for me to go to the bus station and board to London. 

The rest of the day was pretty boring—I got to Heathrow, ate Nando’s, walked around a bit, made some friends with a few ladies who worked in the airport, repacked my suitcases because they were overweight, and said goodbye to my loafers, who could no longer fit. They now belong to one of the aforementioned nice ladies who worked at the airport. Mourning my shoes but joyous that they now had a new home, I retired to the airport Caffè Nero, seeking out a couch and I could stretch out on. I slept on and off throughout the night, waking up at about six this morning (it’s 7:45 now). 

I got ready in the bathroom, and went back to Caffè Nero for an iced latte, which I finished around the part about our group trip to London. Now I sit on the floor, waiting for the clock to strike 8 so I can check my bags and go through security, and attempting to write and publish this. 

This post was a bit shorter than my typical one, but hopefully the next one (maybe a reflection on Paris?) will be longer. I hope you are doing well, reader, and that if you go to London you fare better than me. Thank you for reading, as always, and au revoir. 

p.s. this was actually published from chicago o'hare. the wifi wasn't working too well in the like 16 hours i was at heathrow. oh well. it's published now. also, a bit of a side note within my p.s.. actually, two. i went to the starbucks by my gate in o'hare a few minutes ago and registered a couple things in my brain. one, the pains au chocolat here are pathetic and way over-priced. two, i forgot about sales tax. what the heck?! (i recognize i'm being an obnoxious study-abroad kid. i've accepted it, and so should you.) okay wait, and another thing: this p.s. is in all lower-case for a reason. i think i'm in the mood for that, do you understand kinda what that mood is?? alright, now i'm signing off. see you soon, louisville!