London calling!

Day 6

From here, I explore Europe alone. I’m excited to meet the family I have missed all my life due to the 16,664 kilometres my “Ten-Pound-Pom” Welsh parents put between us back in 1970. God bless em. They created a great life for us, six kids, and an empire-sized Australian family; I’m thankful for that. On the flip side, I’m also desperate to see the places and meet the people spoken about over the years within our childhood household.

I arrived at Heathrow Airport and boarded a train for Paddington Station. A quick cuddle of the metal Paddington bear and off to find my Airbnb for the next two nights. Travel Tip #11: Heathrow to Paddington by train is fast, cheap, and the Paddington Bear statue at the station is non-negotiable. You are not too tough to cuddle him. The red double-decker buses and cute little black taxis really are everywhere. My brother had promised me I'd love London despite myself, and annoyingly, he was right. Who woulda thunk?

As I dragged my suitcase along the footpaths, I noticed how quaint many of the old buildings were. I’d never seen so many flourishing hanging baskets and window planters in full bloom and thriving. Back home, the sun would have dried most of them to dust long ago, even if the owners tried their best to keep them hydrated.

I arrived at a quaint white building with a glossy black door. Yep, this was my Airbnb and home for the next few days. The staff were lovely. They showed me around the building, handed me free fresh fruit and escorted me to my beautiful room. I felt right at home. Somehow, I knew this feeling wasn’t just because I was no longer struggling to speak a less familiar language.

A pretty floral city