London: Day 6 (May 18, 2012)

I had a train ticket to go to Huddersfield today to spend the weekend with my friend, Darren, but I missed the train…  I mistakenly assumed that it would only take 45 minutes to get to the train station, it ddidn’t  look that far on my map.  And I mistakenly assumed that because I have lived in NYC getting around on the London Underground wouldn’t be that complicated.  I was wrong on all accounts.  And to top it off I had looked at my return ticket and not my departure ticket and so was aiming for the wrong time to begin with.  Yes, it was quite a messy affair.  I did however manage to not cry in the middle of King’s Cross Station when I realized that I had missed my train, there was not another one leaving for that destination tonight, I had gotten lost on the way to the train station, had no idea how to get home, and I was a stranger in a strange land, standing in a very busy train station having no idea what to do next.  I blinked really fast and took a few deep breaths and told myself that all of those things may be true, but I am a intelligent woman and can figure this out.  And I did.  There were some trains going to Leeds which is 15 miles from Huddersfield but because it was rush hour on Friday, it would cost me £124.  The ticket I had already bought was only £9.  And then with the conversion to dollars I really felt there was no way that I should pay for that.  So, I found my way home on the first attempt (you should be impressed) and got on-line to figure out if my return ticket was void and if it was possible to travel in the morning.

So, I will not be able to go to the Lake Country or the Preston Temple after all.  But I will be able to see my friend Darren and watch the show that he is doing tomorrow night. 

A couple of interesting things from today:  The London Underground is 100% cleaner than the NYC subway system, so if I had to choose which one I would prefer getting lost in, I would choose London.  I didn’t see any rats, dripping water, or rubbish (that’s British for trash).  I wasn’t worried about setting my bag down on the platform while waiting for the train.  And I am pretty sure (99.99%) that I saw Victoria Hamilton on the train home.  She is a British actress that you would know from the original Persuasion movie (1995) as Henrietta Musgrove and more recently in the BBC television series of Larkrise to Candleford as Ruby Pratt.  I was trying not to stare at her and yet still get a good look to be sure.  But I am pretty sure.  I had no idea what her name was, and couldn’t remember either of those character names or I might have asked her.  But because of my mushy brain that cannot get me to the train on time or remember random actor and character names, she sat undisturbed on the London Underground.