Anyway, I tried to do some research before making the trip but really didn't do too much, so I relied on signs to tell me where to go. From what I've seen so far, I think London has well marked signs. If you know what train/underground you're looking for, a sign will tell you exactly where to go. Now, I did have some practice with this in Paris, but I do believe London has got Paris beat when it comes to the signs.
A few weeks ago, Luke ordered public transportation cards, the Oyster Card, for each of us. It's one of those cards that can top up automatically when it gets to a certain minimum. Since I had this card, I saved a ton of time at the stations. I did not have to worry about purchasing tickets for each of my journeys. I just tapped in to get to my stop and tapped out when I was leaving. So. Much. Easier!
When I arrived at Kings Cross yesterday, I was in search for Platform 9 and 3/4. I arrived on platform 7, so I was close. But when I found where "Platforms 9-11" were located, I realized I needed a ticket to get in. Booooooooo!!!!! So maybe Thursday, when I am leaving, I can get a view of the infamous platform!
Anyway, after being totally bummed out, I had to search for the underground station called Kings Cross St Pancras. It is a separate station from the train station so I had to leave Kings Cross and go "underground" - imagine that!?! - the two stations are like 50ft apart, big deal.
I searched for my tube line, which like I said was clearly marked and easy to find. I was expecting this tube station to be insanely packed. But it wasn't too bad. Or maybe I was so focused on my destination and pretending I knew what I was doing that I didn't notice the amount of people. Either way, I didn't have to throw any bows. So, I hopped on the tube which again wasn't too terribly crowded.
When I got off the tube, I needed to find the net train station. This was the only part where I got a little confused. Looking at a map, it looks as if the train station and the tube station are the same but they are not. At Vauxhall, I had to go back above ground and cross a small street to the train station. Only like 50ft, no big deal, but there weren't any signs so I wasn't sure exactly here to go. I just followed the crowd and sure enough they pointed me in the right direction. Then, I only had to wait a few minutes for my train to take me to my final destination.
All in all, it was a good trip and went SO MUCH SMOOTHER than I expected. For one, I've never traveled alone like this before so I was really nervous about that. For two, I was nervous I was going to be just a small sardine in a extra extra large can and get trampled. The journey from door to door was about 9.5hrs. But mostly because I walked to and from each train station rather than taking a cab.
Hopefully this is a sign for good things to come! I appreciate all of the encouragement from each of you. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts!
Now... on to house hunting!
RANDOM FACT:
The system of the London Underground serves 270 stations and has 250 miles of track, 45 percent of which is underground
-Debbie-
How exciting!!
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