Down in Jolly Old England

I've been in Scotland for a year and a half, traveled around Europe and into Ireland, but until last week I'd never been to England. But, lucky me, I had to make a spur of the moment trip to London to get my fingerprints digitally scanned. Yes, to get my fingerprints digitally scanned.

My Visa expires on January 6th, 2011, and since I'll be needing it to get back into the country on the 5th (after a much anticipated 2 weeks at home), I had to get right on it. Glasgow's Home Office didn't have an open slot until November, so I HAD to travel down to London. Score!

Here's some pics of my time at the British Museum in London:

Scarabs! Flashbacks of The Mummy made me recoil at first sight of these critters.

Another Lewis Chessmen Exhibit! The Isle is never too far away :)

This Egyptian game was possibly my favorite discovery in the Museum.

My sisters and I used to play what we thought was a good replica of this game...inspired by the legendary epic The Ten Commandments.

Next time in On This Side of Things- A trip to the most Haunted city in England!

Rail Trip!

A random London park

I am a packing list fiend. I, without fail, compile a packing list for any overnight trip I make. The only time I skip this step is when I use a list I've already made (and saved) for the destination in question. Of course, like most people, I still forget things somehow, and as I embarked on an 18hr trip to London yesterday, I forgot something I never thought I could.

A PEN!!! That's write (oops...). That's right. I found myself on a train leaving Inverness without a pen... Without a writing instrument of any kind!

Me! The girl that ALWAYS has at least 3 pens of different sizes and colors in EVERY purse/bag she owns. At least I did until I went OCD on completely cleaning out & storing away my backpack in between trips.

FAIL.

And...to intensify my pen craving, my London Trip novel of choice is Paper: The Dreams of a Scribe. Here's a quote for ya:

He was full of energy, invigorated by crime, ready for paper. But what paper could he use? Where were the luminous sheets of moonshine with the watermark of a star, where were the papers woven with silk filaments of the sun?

But all he had was prostituted straw.

Well buddy, we've all got our problems.

Airplanes...

Have I mentioned that I love airplanes? Well, I do, I love airplanes. I love the freedom that comes with being in an airport and knowing that it's possible to start your day at home and end up somewhere COMPLETELY different.

A couple weeks ago, I woke up at home, on the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis, and by the end of the day, I was in a B&B in Vienna, Austria. With very little physical exertion of my own, mostly just sitting and waiting all day. I ended up in another country, seeing road signs for exotic locations such as Budapest!

We were only in Vienna for 3 full days, but I'm quite proud of what I managed to see. Of course I'd like to go back, but I'm content all the same. Vienna was gorgeous! So warm! I could walk around without even a jacket most of the time, and that was possibly my favorite part.