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UK Travel Blog. The Best Place to Spot A Friend.

KM Krenik





The word Paddington in white on a blue background with a red circle behind it, hung on a brick wall.
Paddington Station sign, London, UK





In my last blog, UK Travel Blog, The Best Memory Made in a Launderette? I wrote about the little surprises that awaited us at the Launderette in Cubbington. In today's blog, I thought I'd share about a little surprise we had while at a London Train Station.


For those of you who are considering travel to the UK, but have no idea how you'll get around, I'll share a few details about how we managed it by train and metro. Hope it is helpful!


After we left Warwick, we took the train back to Paddington, then transferred by the Hammersmith North in the underground metro. On the metro, we had to transfer lines if I remember correctly, one station past Baker's Street to take the line to King's Cross. Once we were at King's Cross, we headed over to St. Pancreas Station, which was connected to King's Cross through a tunnel. The metro (a.k.a. the Underground Tube) in London is easy once you get familiar with it, but if you aren't used to big city life, it will be a new challenge, no doubt.


This website offers a map of the metro lines so you can download maps and familiarize yourself before you go. https://www.londontubemap.org/  If you'll be spending a lot of time in London, you might save money on transportation by purchasing an Oyster Card for busses and metros. A Eurail, Interrail Pass does not include busses or the Tube. Here's another resource for you. https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card


Another thing we learned was that London is cashless. A credit card with tap is needed to get around. My husband didn't have one, but I did, so we had to purchase three metro tickets in the machines at the train station, and I used my tap card to get in and out of the entrance. We found out that by using a tap card, my tickets were a fraction of the cost they each paid for metro tickets.


We already had our train passes through our train rail app, Eurail/Interrail Rail Planner. But we still needed to go through Customs before heading to France. Each train opens the Customs line thirty minutes to an hour before departure, so we had some time to kill.


We found a quiet cafe upstairs and grabbed lunch. While we were eating, my daughter said, "I just saw someone who looked like your friend Katrina and her husband downstairs."


"Really? That would be crazy if it was actually them! Where were they?"


"Downstairs. They were looking in the shops."


"Awe! I wish you would have told me when we were down there. That would be funny if it was them."


She led me over to the place she thought she saw them. Bummer. If it was them, they had already moved on. I tried to send Katrina a text to see if she was in London, but it didn't go through. Katrina lives in California, but when we were younger, we traveled to Europe together on mission trips. Twice, actually. She was a whole lot of fun, and it would have been a blast to see her.


Many people I've talked to about traveling abroad tell me they are afraid to travel because of how dangerous it is in the world. But when we travel, we have a little secret. We view it as an opportunity to practice that old cliche, to "let go and let God." No need to freak out, you'll get where you need to be, eventually. Enjoy the journey getting there, even the glitches and hiccups along the way.


We had a few hiccups, but one of the joys along the journey was in discovering how kind the people were in the UK. Whenever we asked for directions, people were happy to take time to help. People may not believe in God, but that doesn't change the fact that we are all made in His image, and when people show kindness, God's handprint is revealed.


You watch the news and see all the terrible things happening in the world, but you don't always get to see all the beautiful things, the kindness, the moments of joy. People stay home and never travel abroad because they're too afraid of all the evil that could happen. But when we invite God to be at the center of our plans, we can enjoy the security of knowing we are in His protection.


Philippians 4:6-8 should be embroidered into our suitcases, I think. "6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." NKJV


We finally boarded the train to Paris and enjoyed the comfortable Eurail, free wi-fi, and beautiful scenery on the four-hour ride over. It would soon be time to begin our next adventure, oui, oui, Paris! which I will share about in my next blog.


🧚‍♀️ As for whether or not my daughter really did spot Katrina and Bryce, when we got home from Europe, I saw Katrina's posts on Facebook. Sure enough, they were galavanting around the UK, having a good ole time. And when I asked Katrina if they were ever in St. Pancreas Station, she said they were there a lot because it was across from their hotel. 🏰


😜

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