Ellie Mae

Back from London! Had such a great time. Going to go and back-fill some tidbits both to remember them and in case anyone is interested in planning a trip themselves! Strangely, I'm not jet lagged or tired at all. The time change didn't affect me that much - it was only 5 hours, and I didn't get up super early local time at all when I was there so I think that helped. 

ALSO - my Vessi shoes were clutch. LOVED them. If anyone wants a $20 gift card, I have one to give! It has to be used by Jan. 31 and right now they have 15% off and free shipping. Christmas gift for anyone on your list? Let me know and I can send it your way!

Overall thoughts on London: I LOVED IT. It felt like a different version of New York - bigger, more genuine, more real, but the same vibe.

• Riding the Tube was a trip - I was fascinated by it and took it everywhere. When I got home last night and took Atlanta's MARTA train, it felt really small and ridiculous that all of the residents in suburbs who have tried to get MARTA line extensions have voted it down. It will always be small, which makes me sad.
• The London Pass was worth it. I was worried it wouldn't be, but I added up the admissions from all of the places I went and I would have spent 191 pounds without the pass. I spent 125 pounds on the pass. It was also great because I don't think I would have seen nearly as many cool things without it - having it and looking for opportunities to use it really made it worth it.
• The maps apps where you don't have to use data were surprisingly accurate. I only have a work phone and wasn't going to ask them to pay for international data, so I downloaded a few mapping apps that can locate you without data (how?!) and route you via transit, walking, etc. I used the "maps.me" app to get EVERYWHERE and it worked well.
• I had been reading a lot about safety and pick pocketers and thoroughly freaked myself out about it - for no good reason. I mean yes, you have to be aware of your surroundings and not make yourself an easy target, but I totally did NOT need the money belt I purchased or need to be so freaked out. I used a small cross body purse that I wore under my coat, and that worked brilliantly. It was concealed, but easy to get into when I needed. I only carried a bit of cash, a credit card, my passport and a spare phone charger - left everything else in the safe at the hotel. Never felt in danger with anyone getting weirdly close to me or being distracted or anything. Maybe other countries are more dangerous, or maybe I was just overly prepared, but all was well.

UP SO EARLY for my 9 a.m. flight. I got to the tube station around 5:30 a.m. and the gates were closed! Ummmm...! There was another traveler with a suitcase and we tried to figure out what was going on. Finally we just tried the gate and it wasn't locked, so we opened it and walked into this totally empty station. Found a worker and she said the first train wasn't until 5:47 a.m. - whew that was fine. I thought for a minute there was a strike or something and I'd have to spend $100 getting to the airport by taxi.

Flights home were good - I was so tired that I slept a lot on the long flight. The former aviation geek in me was really excited to fly on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner - it was cool to be on the plane because I knew the history behind the new composite materials used to build it (and where I used to work in Kansas builds the long forward section; I used to give factory tours), but I actually liked the 777 better for some reason. 

All in all, I was "traveling" for something like 22 hours today between walking, the Tube, two flights (4-hour layover in Toronto), airport shuttle, MARTA and finally getting in my vehicle and getting home. Ellie Mae was really happy to see me.