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Taking the Tube in London

So we fly into London’s Heathrow Airport, both of us lugging around a 50 pound suitcase and a carry-on.  I also had a purse and souvenir bag from Rome. 

We’re not really sure about the best way to get to our hotel which is on the outskirts of London (about a 45 minute drive without traffic).  Probably should have researched before leaving! 

Hubby stops and asks airport information “what’s the most inexpensive way to get to East Croydon.”  After what seems like a ten minute conversation, hubs comes back and has a plan.  We are headed to the Underground to take the Tube.  At this point, I’m excited!  It’s just another adventure in a brand new country!

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What I didn’t realize is that this little adventure would take almost three hours and require us to change train stations at least three different times, all while lugging these 50 pound suitcases – right into rush hour!  At one point we were packed in like sardines and I started to panic trying to figure out how we were going to be able to get off the train together with all our luggage before the doors slammed shut. 

Can you imagine the look I gave Greg as we began hour three of this seemingly endless journey! 

Well here is the look he gave me when I took one too many pictures:

Rome and London 2012 492

Trust me, my look was much worse!

I was thinking, where did he book this hotel?  Why is it so far from the airport?  In his defense, everything is far from Heathrow.  Poor guy, he didn’t realize we would have to change trains so many times.   Luckily, the hotel he booked was brand new and it ended up being a really nice place to stay.  It was the Hampton Inn in East Croydon.  Rooms are small, but that's typical in London.

Rome and London 2012 454

Lesson learned:  Learn a little about the transportation options before you get to your destination – especially when in a different country! 

Travel Tip: Buy the Travel Card. It is only about $8 and you can use it for 24 hours. We bought one each day we were there. It gets you on the Underground and city buses.





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