The original plan was to stay in London for a month, but a small twist of fate has caused me to alter the length of my trip. It turns out the original day of my departure, June 30th, is going to be something Londoners are calling “Black Thursday.” Close to 600,000 public sector workers are going on strike. Among the strikers are the train drivers of the London Underground, which upon I rely completely to get around the city and most importantly to the airport. The strikes are set to last most of next week at varying intervals and it looks like more unions are gearing up to join the movement. The chaos that will most certainly ensue from all of this was not on my list of fun things to do, so I’m getting out before it gets too crazy.
While my stay is shorter than expected, the experience has been nothing short of extraordinary. Travel is often about willingly taking on change, but the time I spent in London has been truly life-altering in ways I could never have anticipated. My senses are on fire and I suspect they will remain that way for a while as I sort through everything I’ve seen, done, and felt. All I know for certain is that every moment of wandering in this place has changed me for the better.
Tomorrow, I’ll be on a plane heading home. My life as I left it is waiting for me and I am excited to get back to the familiar. However, there is a little part of London that also feels like home and I shall miss it dearly.
c.b. 2011
C.B. Wentworth 
Sorry you had to change your plans but I can’t wait to see you and soak in the London you will have brought with you. Have a wonderfully safe trip.
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Well, one of the mandates of this trip was to go without much of a plan. I suppose its almost fitting that it ended with an unexpected date. 🙂 Either way, London was everything I hoped it would be and much more.
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We were just talking about this at WIG yesterday. Sorry you have to cut your trip short by a week but it does look as though you had an amazing time. Can’t wait to see you Tuesday.
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Amazing isn’t the right word, but I have yet to find a better one. 🙂 There’s nothing like wandering in a place that is so large and has so many little corners where you can get totally lost. More time would have been nice, but everything happens for a reason . . .
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it’s too bad you have to cut your trip short, but so lucky that you found out before you were in the throes of chaos! and fortunate that you had the time you had. i am so looking forward to the poems that came out of this trip!! 😀
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It’s going to be a nightmare . . . they structured the strikes to happen during the Wimbeldon championships, which means even more people will be scurrying for some form of transportation. Yikes!
During my second week, there was a small scale protest going on around Hyde Park and it was crazy. I don’t even want to think what a big one would be like!
There are quite a few poems in the works! I can’t wait to start fine-tuning them. 🙂
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I look forward to you inspiring us all at WIG with stories of your adventures. You are wise to come home before all the chaos!
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I can’t wait to see all of you! 🙂
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I’m missing your wanderings already but this was a wise decision to make. Now we get to spend more time with you in person and wrack your brain for every morsel we can get! Thank you for a truly inspiring and fabulous look at your journey. You are a delight to share with us.
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There’s still plenty of wanderings to come. I only posted a small portion of my experiences! There’s so much more to share and I can honestly say I’ve barely scratched the surface. So stay tuned!
Thanks so much for reading! 🙂
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Glad your trip was “extraordinary”
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I’m still trying to find a better word. 😉
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