It feels so strange to be in London again, and also to again have access to my old computer. Also it feels so strange to be back here and to be going home so soon, and with this day, I feel more confused than ever over what I should be doing when I do return, but that is the subject of a different tale. As for this day, it essentially began around 03:30 or so as I awoke on the plane, seeing as it is nearly impossible for me really to sleep on the plane. When I did awake, I watched the bulk of a film on the plane with Cameron Diaz, called “In Her Shoes” or something to that effect, which reminded me absolutely of Megan. Eventually we landed and I said goodbye to Katherine, and found myself waiting a while to get through customs again, but once I did, I quickly grabbed my bag, called my parents and went to the bus to get to the hostel. I got on, and from there got on the Piccadilly line and found myself quite cold, but went on to Earl’s Court and switched to the District Line and got off at High Street Kensington and walked to Holland Park Hostel. When I got there, I found myself slightly confused about where the entrance was, but eventually got in. I checked in, and found myself paying some sort of £10. 00 fee for a Youth Hostel Membership. I finally got to the room where Marc was asleep still, and I started to somewhat put things in order when he awoke and said hello and we whispered for a while until we decided to eat breakfast and figure out the plans for the day.
As we ate our full English breakfasts, we discussed our respective trips to Iceland and Africa somewhat and things to do around London, and England generally. I learned that Marc and Julie had broken up, and was somewhat embarrassed about finding this out on arrival. After we ate, we walked up to Ladbroke Grove and I showed Marc my old flat and we walked down Portobello Road. We stopped at one of the book vendors close to Cambridge Gardens and talked with him a while, when Marc purchased two books from him. We left there and I showed Marc the parlour, I intended to get things done at, and a few things along the way. We walked to Notting Hill Gate and caught the central line fairly quickly to Holborn, where we went to my school, and got my stuff, also checking the computers. I got some nice emails, but I also got one from Alyssa that was a bit upsetting, and I still don’t know how to react to it, but it certainly changed my perspective and willingness to return to Denver. Basically it said that she enjoyed being alone and that when I returned home she would want to see a lot less of me than I would of her, while she needed a huge amount of solitude for writing and also it said that she only fancied the idea of us being friends in the future as well. I showed Marc the pictures from my African trip, as he downloaded them from my camera (a task I have yet to do), and eventually we were off, carrying my luggage back to the hostel. Along the way, I could not help but think of the situation of Alyssa, and how that truly changed my desires and thoughts. I was in many ways disappointed, and realised then that things were far different to return than I had anticipated and hoped and that the true companionship I was hoping to find in my return home, I would not have for an extremely long time and that it was a matter of cultivation in the future how I would find it again. I guess what I truly found was that I was indeed destined to be ‘the Lone Wanderer’ for a far longer time to come. Home lost its charm and luster with this email, and it made me want to remain in London for a far longer time to come, as it is at least entertaining here and full of things to do, whereas Denver doesn’t even have that to mix with my involuntary solitude.
Moving on, after we returned to the hostel and put the things away, we went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street, and wandered about that some, we had a fellow who was to be Dr. Watson talk to us, who seemed like a hardy Englishman sure to fit the part. We wandered about the museum for some time, and afterward went to the Volunteer, the nearby put, eating some steak pies, and drinking Fruhli’s and Fuller’s London Pride. When we left, we went to the Tower Bridge stop on the tube, and wandered by the tower for a while, and over the bridge, we went to a nearby Starbucks and ate and drank there a bit, before returning to the station stop and catching a Jack the Ripper tour. Donald Rumbelow, the fellow who gave me the tour back in November was the man from whom we bought the ticket, but the group was immense so we went with his associate’s group instead. It was again entertaining, but not as much as the first time. About by this time, the lag of jet caught up with me, and I was starting to fall asleep standing up so after the tour, we went through Spitalfields and back to Liverpool Street station where we caught the tube back to High Street Kensington, and then to the Hostel. At the hostel we went down to the common room, and I started to type this, but was falling asleep at my seat so went to my room and went to bed.