London! Again !

So I travelled to my favourite city again ~ London. This time the journey there was pretty nerve-wracking, to be honest. All started with the flight being 50 minutes late. That made me very nervous because it is a late flight anyway. And the last Stansted Express train goes at 0.30. Well but silly me thought I might just catch the midnight train. It turned out that this idea was totally delusional. Arrival was supposed to be at 11.05 p.m. but instead we arrived at 11.40 p.m. oooookay, there is still the 0.30 train ~ totally no worries. Or? The shock came at the passport control where it turned out that approx. half the planet's population assembled there at close to midnight. Kid ... you ... NOT!!! And this is supposed to be the least busy airport of the three ~ Heathrow, Gatwick .. Stansted?!?! I could not believe it when i saw the queues! Progress was swift, admittedly, but it still took quite a lot of time. I began to see my hopes dashed. My nerves were raw. Behind me was a woman just as stressed out as myself, showing me her Stansted Express Tix. I told her I fully understand, I also need to catch the last train. She asked me if it is far to the trains and I tried to calm her down telling her that no, it is an easy and quick access to the platforms, I hope she made it. Once through, I made a sprint to the luggage conveyor, grabbed my suitcase and made a dash for the train platform. I arrived there at 0.28 and so caught the last train. That was really close and my nerves were frazzled.



Now I had to deal with the problem that there would be no tube going anymore. Thank heavens for the internet! Found out which night bus to take and where it is leaving. Arriving at Liverpool Street Station, I quickly topped up my Oyster (why... why .. whyyyyyy cannot i not register my Oyster as a non-British citizen? this is really annoying!!!). Stepping outside the station and it was pouring down with rain. It was raining cats and dogs! It was torrential, it was biblical rain! I was wearing really long, bell-bottom jersey trousers which were soaking wet to my knees within a millisecond. (no exaggeration!) Finally in the bus, exhausted, soaking wet but ... in the bus!!! I arrived at the hotel around 2 a.m. Rang the bell and the guy who opened seemed puzzled (which puzzled me in return!). So he asks if i have a booking and i said that I certainly hope so! There was some confusion going on but by then I was so exhausted I could not even really worry anymore. All my "freaking out" energy had been spent to the last bit. He found my name on some list but said that someone had already been checked in into my room. Like what?!?! he then tried to phone. I don't know, I guess he actually phone the room! he then said I should take the lift to the 3rd floor and he meets me there in 2 minutes, bizarre. Then he knocked on the door! Totally bizarre! Then he used his universal card to open the door!!!!!!! maximum bizarre! Just imagine there would have been someone in there sleeping!!!! LOL. Anyway, room was empty. and rightly so cause it was my room! So yes, that was quite unnerving. I was in bed really late, or early, depends ... but I had made it and now my London adventure could begin.