Lucretia Field
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August 31, 2023

Well, it happened, I am finally off on my grand European adventure with some specific plans laid out, but a lot of uncertainty built in for new opportunities to arise. 

I left Baltimore, Maryland in the evening of August 29th with a carry-on backpack and a small ‘personal’ item for under the seat. With the full moon visible over the clouds as we made our descent, I arrived in Reykjavík, Iceland at 4:30am local time for a short layover before heading to Stansted Airport outside London, UK. The flights were uneventful, but I didn’t sleep especially well, which was to be expected. My attempt at making a neck pillow by using the removable waist strap of my backpack was somewhat, but not very effective. It may need to be prototyped more to make it work better, but I think there is potential. 

Two months of travel during a season change in one backpack? I guess we’ll see how it goes!
Two months of travel during a season change in one backpack? I guess we’ll see how it goes!
It needs some work, but maybe I should suggest Cotapaxi (the backpack company) workshop it as a feature of the backpack. Hmmm
It needs some work, but maybe I should suggest Cotapaxi (the backpack company) workshop it as a feature of the backpack. Hmmm

Border control entering the UK was much less involved than I expected when compared to my recent visit to Canada. Just a quick passport scan and a camera that probably uses facial recognition software and I was through to head to customs with nothing to claim. Unfortunate that I don’t have a passport stamp to prove I did the trip, but that’s okay. 

So, here I am, visiting a friend in Leytonstone, London where the sky is currently the expected cloudy grey and there is a slight chill in the air despite yesterday’s bright blue sky. Leytonstone is cute and homey, with walking paths running between the houses and buildings and cats roaming the streets. There’s a large park a short walk from where I am staying with a duck pond and a temporary carnival set up. Yesterday we went to feed frozen peas to ducks, pigeons, and whoever else decided to show up. 

Small town Carnival/Faire in Leytonstone. It’s giving Midsomer Murders vibes.
Small town Carnival/Faire in Leytonstone. It’s giving Midsomer Murders vibes.
Lots of pigeons, geese, and some other funky looking friends showed up to enjoy their veggies.
Lots of pigeons, geese, and some other funky looking friends showed up to enjoy their veggies.

This morning, we had a lazy start to the day to account for my jet lag – which hasn’t been too bad – and because in general I’m just not a morning person. 

After lunch we headed to Brick Lane, a vintage clothing and market block in Shoreditch. As expected, the public transportation here is very effective and it was wonderful to not have to wait more than a few minutes for a train to arrive. Wandering through vintage clothing markets, exploring bookshops, and grabbing some coffee were a nice way to start off my stay in London.

Then we walked from Brick Lane to the Thames to see the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. Gotta get some touristy stuff in every now and then! We got to see the drawbridge on the Tower Bridge go up to let a tall ship through. A local told us that the bridge only opens about four times per week, so we were lucky to get to see it. London Bridge is comparatively nondescript and boring, but labeled in bold letters to make its name known to the world. 

From there we walked along the Thames to St. Paul’s Cathedral to see it from the outside before heading back to Leytonstone on a different train line to a different nearby station than the two I had already experienced. Having options for how to get around on transit, is so nice. 

Tower Bridge with a tall ship sailing through! Ignore the cranes in the background and it feels like it could be from a different time.
Tower Bridge with a tall ship sailing through! Ignore the cranes in the background and it feels like it could be from a different time.
Proof that I was actually there, gotta get a touristy photo every now and then. I’m glad I threw in this jacket at the last minute, it was appreciated.
Proof that I was actually there, gotta get a touristy photo every now and then. I’m glad I threw in this jacket at the last minute, it was appreciated.
St. Paul’s Cathedral from up close. We might try to climb up to the top over the weekend.
St. Paul’s Cathedral from up close. We might try to climb up to the top over the weekend.

I’ve noticed a few minor differences in how walking and pedestrians flow here that I find interesting. First, as is to be expected in the country where people drive on the left, they also walk on the left side of the sidewalk and on staircases. In the more touristy locations we went, the cross walks have “Look Right” and “Look Left” printed as you enter the street to remind people from the rest of the world (mostly) that things are different here and to prepare them for traffic to come from the opposite side they might expect it to. Despite this change, which I expected, but still find sort of funny, on escalators there are signs that say “Stand on the right” as one would in the US. I find this detail interesting and sort of funny in a way. Breaking my habit of walking on the right will be a struggle, but for now mostly people have been accommodating when I forget, so I will continue to try to be aware and hope I don’t offend anyone too much. 

Cheers till later!