Part 10: Holy Shit
I had just arrived in Paris after a fairly harrowing ordeal negotiating the way to my hotel from a "Paris airport" that is as much in Paris as Newcastle is in Sydney, only to discover the hotel doesn't open for a couple of hours. I headed onto the streets for something to eat in the meantime and saw on a cafe's TV news of the bombings in London. I only understood a fraction of the report but the images were enough to tell me that something had gone horribly wrong.I was staying around the corner from Liverpool Street station, using it as my starting and termination points every morning and evening I was there. I travelled through Kings Cross and Edgware Road stations on more than one occasion.
I am meant to catch a train from Paris to London on Sunday and then another connecting train from London to Leeds at Kings Cross. Somehow I have a feeling this will not happen. For the first time ever on this trip I feel unsafe, disoriented and scared instead of excited about what the rest of this trip may hold.
I may be over-reacting like a drama queen here. I guess this is just one potential dilemma not covered in Lonely Planet.
posted by Sam @ Thursday, July 07, 2005
2 Comments:
Hey - I've enjoyed reading your travel blog. It seems you were stalking me though - I think I was in Barcelona and Sitges a few days before you :) As it turns out, unfortunately I had a family emergency back home and had to return to Sydney from Nice asap so I can understand your feelings of nervousness and apprehension.
The only advice I have is to do the best you can to keep a level head. Maybe you can reroute away from London, although ironically it will probably be a very safe place over the next few weeks. Just try and enjpy the rest of your time abroad. As one Aussie in London interviewed on Channel 7 said "Don't let the terrorists stop you travelling or living your life". Pretty good advice considering he walked out of Kings Cross Station 2 minutes before the blasts, and out of the Sari Club in Bali 2 minutes before that went up... Needless to say it was an amazing and very emotional interview.
Good luck and take care!
Thanks Maddy, andd sorry to hear of your family emergency.
It sounds as though I will still be able to stick with original travelling plans after all. I won't be able to help feeling a little more nervous than usual but as you say, you just have to carry on. Thankfully I've had such a great time in Paris so as to momentarily put aside the drama.
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