The day started with a walk to the bus stop in Sevilla. Thirty minutes on a bus took me to the airport, where i boarded a plane. Arriving in London a few hours later, i hopped the Gatwick Express train to Victoria Station. Caught a taxi to bob’s upon arrival. Meeting up with his friends for a birthday dinner, we then jumped the underground, taking us to the O2 Center for a concert**. The return to central London was accomplished via the Thames Clipper (water taxi).
Feet. Bus. Plane. Train. Taxi. Subway. Boat.
It’s not the destination, but the path. It’s how you get there. The journey can be thousands of miles, or it can be a trip to the library. Not so much where you go, but that you go.
As the London skyline played out before me from the river Thames, i fought tears. How did the droopy-drawered, pig-tailed kid from a virtual trailer park, who grew into the dumpy geek (voted “most likely to be found dead in a gutter” in the unofficial high school poll) end up here?
Luck. Pure and simple…
Remember, no matter where you go, there you are – Buckaroo Bonzai
_______
* i was informed by the birthday boy that if i couldn’t find ass in London on a Thursday night it was simply due to lack of trying…
** Simon LeBon can still “rock out with his cock out” (a lovely Australian term for “Party hearty, duuuuude!”). Duran Duran playing for a home crowd of 20,000+ enthusiastic fans. Big, big fun…
Tags: Buckaroo Banzai, friendship, journeys, life, Modes of Transportation for $200, travel
July 4, 2008 at 5:12 am |
[...] clipped from daisyfae.wordpress.com [...]
July 4, 2008 at 5:26 am |
“…not so much where you go, but that you go…”
My ex-girlfriend said the same thing.
July 4, 2008 at 7:18 am |
Of all the places (and shit holes) I’ve been around the world, London is the one place I could see hanging my shingle and never returning from.
July 4, 2008 at 7:30 am |
Duran Duran, did they do ‘girls on film’ (the song I mean), I like that song… well the film clip.
July 4, 2008 at 8:50 am |
kyknoord – with a recommendation that you perhaps take the “via hell” route?
umdalum – spent the morning/afternoon meandering along the Thames, dropped by the Tate Modern, and just farting around… it’s amazing. with public transportation, too!
alex – of course! and “Warm Leatherette”, too!
July 4, 2008 at 11:03 am |
you’re not going to go ex-pat on us, are ya? not that i’d blame you. it’s just that i don’t recall such heartfelt joy describing your business trips… ahh, but that’s what vacations are all about… glad you’re having a great time!
July 4, 2008 at 11:32 am |
YOU’RE IN ENGLAND!!!!!!! ……………… scary.
[I hope you're having a lovely time ......... I'll send up a smell especially for you - tee hee]
July 4, 2008 at 3:08 pm |
nice adventure, did you get laid?
July 4, 2008 at 7:07 pm |
“rock out with his cock out” Ha Ha. According to my eldest, the 20-something girls round here tend to “jam out with your clam out”. She was a bit embarrassed when she had to explain what that meant to her (old) dad.
Have fun. Homeward bound soon, then?
July 5, 2008 at 2:24 am |
gnu – as a friend here said “if you catch yourself saying ‘i could live here’ then that’s a successful holiday”. no immediate plans, but will keep the option for transfer to Europe open… love it here…
DP – just for another few hours, so don’t get any ideas about me getting some work done on your renovation project. as for the smell? blame the llama. always blame the llama…
nearly normalized – Welcome to The Park! No. Since by definition (holiday hook up) it wouldn’t have gone anywhere, it didn’t work with my “transportation” theme. We briefly considered looking for a donkey show in Soho…
rob – nursemyra will love the “jam out”, since she’s the one who told me about “rock out”… Heading to the airport in a couple hours. Wondrous two days in London! Time to go back to being a responsible adult, however…
July 5, 2008 at 3:13 am |
Hey girl, my favy town on the planet, ENJOY! Buckaroo Bonzai quotes eh, you are a propellerhead!
July 5, 2008 at 7:13 am |
I miss the South Bank.
And so, any donkeys?
July 6, 2008 at 7:01 am |
Bb – London makes me happy… am going to have to get serious about exploring transfer options. Need the company to underwrite the living expenses if i’m going to do it right!
dolce – just on the tube. watched Fox News there before leaving yesterday morning. The Right Wingnuts seem even crazier from across the pond…
July 6, 2008 at 8:19 am |
Buckaroo Bonzai said it best, daisyfae. What an excellent adventure you’ve had. Very sorry to hear about customs and the single malt scotch, however. I know this was a major disappointment for you, trailer park girl. On the bright side, at least you weren’t stripped and groped by the DHS assholes. Right?
July 6, 2008 at 1:41 pm |
Glad you had a great time. Remember, it’s the adventures we make for ourselves that count, not what others predict will happen to us.
July 7, 2008 at 5:55 am |
toby – technically, trailer park girls are partial to beer and tequila, so it’s an anomaly that i prefer scotch… the DHS and customs folks were very pleasant, and i didn’t even get a casual grope! the law of “conservation of travel karma” says logistics for my next trip will be awful!
squirrelqueen – you got that right! there’s something magical about being alone, far away, no phone/e-mail and realizing that absolutely no one else knows exactly where you are at that moment. Well, except in London, they’ve got CCTV everywhere, but i allowed the fantasy despite that…