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After the bootcamp on Sunday it was time to head back to London. We were going to have a day and a half there and then get back on a plane home.

We took a train back from Leeds to London.

The day we were traveling was the day of the World Cup final. Some of the London Rollergirls met us at a bar where we could have some drinks and watch the match. As usual, things got a bit silly... There was singing and faux tattoos. We were sitting at a bench outside of the bar--the bar itself was too crowded. A few of us starting talking to a couple who came up and were asking us about roller derby.

We ended the night at another bar where we ordered pizza and had a couple more drinks. At the end of the night we called cabs, or I guess it was more a car service like Uber. I got into the cab with my Gotham roommate and the cab driver told us the ride was going to be double what we had previously been told. So we started getting into it with him about it. Because it was a car service he'd been given an address, but it wasn't ours. We were in a cab that had been assigned to someone else. So then the cab driver refused to take us until we paid in advance. Well, that set off a whole lot of cursing on my roommate's part. We ended up getting out of the cab. And there we were in the middle of the street with our bags at like 2am. Fortunately a cab drove by and picked us up and we made it safe and sound to the house we were staying.

Next crisis--I couldn't figure out how to flush the toilet!  Seriously. I'm not a genius, but I generally do not have problems understanding the dynamics of toilet flushing. It was a little bit embarrassing, but I found out I wasn't alone. Not only couldn't my roommate figure out the toilet, I found out this was the case at other host houses as well.

The next day started a little later than I'd hoped. We met up with other team members and one of the London Rollergirls on the South Bank. We walked along the river looking for some place to eat. We ended up at a restaurant near this outdoor market with a bunch of food stalls. A couple of other people met us there.




Then we made our way up to Camden. On the trip up we had a "showtime" moment on the tube. We pretended to spin around on poles and stuff, and sang "Oh, Happy Day" from Sister Act II. We walked around Camden Markets. There was a really cute dress that I wanted to buy. We were going to go back for it on our way out but when we were heading out the stalls were closed.

We then met up a bunch of the London Rollergirls at a bar with a great backyard patio. We had a really good time talking to all of them and just hanging out together.

There was definitely not enough time to hang out with the team and go to all the cool things in London--Hampstead Heath, shopping on Oxford St., Covent Garden, Portobello Road, or any of the musuems.


We had to get up bright and early for the plane the next day. I almost got bumped from my flight and would have had an opportunity for one more day in London, but I turned out that everything "worked out" and I was able to get home as scheduled.

I am already looking forward to getting back as soon as possible. Even though there have been several trips there, I can't wait to go back. I know that every visit will bring some place new to discover. And just beautiful places to see. When I travel alone I can go where I want, walk as quickly or slowly as I want. I don't feel bad stopping whenever I want to take pictures. When I travel with others I get to see cities through someone else's eyes. And see familiar places in a new light. I get to talk to people about the sights and their impressions. And I have to admit that there is something appealing to me about being a sort of tour guide to friends. And sharing the experience with someone.

Leeds

After the pleasure traveling of Paris and London it was time to get down to business.  This whole trip had been built around my trip to Leeds to work at a bootcamp and to play a derby bout with the Gotham Girls Roller Derby All Stars against the London Brawling.

So on Friday I took the train from London to Leeds which is about 2 hours north of London.  I'd never been there before so I was excited to visit a new city.  I was traveling up there alone because the rest of the team was flying into Manchester and taking a bus to Leeds.

Emirates Stadium where Arsenal Football Club
play their matches.  

Leaving London...

Cows!!!!

Shall we make a stop at Downton Abbey?
Not sure that it's anywhere near where
they shoot.  Wonder if they've seen a big
upswing in visitors.

Once I got to Leeds it took me quite a while to figure out where the damn hotel was.  I was walking around with a lot of luggage for a good 30-45 minutes.  Google maps did not seem to want to help me.  I finally found it by following the river.

River Aire

The Corn Exchange

Main street with most of the shops.
Had to find someplac eto exchange some left over euros.
Thought I had lost my wallet (yikes!)But it turned out I'd just left it
in the bag that I'd left at the hotel.  (whew!)

The rooms weren't ready yet so I left my bags in the lobby and met up with a couple of people for food at a pub.  It was a really nice day out and we sat at an outside table in this tiny alley.  

Then we went back to the hotel to check in.  Lots of people were napping because of jetlag.  Later that night the whole team got together for food.  It was really nice because we don't often do that.  The food was a bit salty and we kept having to ask the waiter to bring over water, but it was still pretty good.

Saturday was a really busy day.  We were coaching a bootcamp and then playing in the evening.  This was the first time that I was going to be doing something like this and I was nervous, but things seemed to go smoothly.  Assisting on Saturday mostly consisted of watching the time, helping demo some of the drills.  Nothing too crazy. 

Promo shot from London Rollergirls Facebook page.
People went mad over it.  It doesn't say much, but it says
everything!

  https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=784738098233661
Link to the promo video they did for the bout.  It plays on the
#hivemind used in reference to Gotham.  

Then it was game time.  London was ranked #3 at the time and it was the first time our two teams would be playing each other.  The game was a huge deal.  Tickets sold out in minutes and were being scalped.  They released more and those sold out too.  It was an amazing atmosphere.  Gotham rarely gets that much support from fans now cause people are always rooting for someone to beat us, but the fans there were just as excited to see us and they were to see London and it felt so good to at least have people cheering for us and excited for us to be there.  We ended up beating them pretty solidly despite the close rankings.

HARD. SMART. TOGETHER. GOTHAM!
#hivemind #bees

After the bout there was an afterparty.  It was a lot of fun.  I Shazam'ed half a dozen songs while I was there.  So much good undiscovered (by me) music.  There was, of course, lots of dancing and a twerk pyramid.

I couldn't stay out too late or get too drunk as we had another day of bootcamp the next day, and I was actually leading one!  The day of bootcamp went well, although I think we were all pretty tired.  Then right after the bootcamp we got on a train to go to London.  We only had one full day there (Monday) and then were leaving back to the States on Tuesday morning.

Leeds was a good time--brief and busy, but fun.  I liked walking around at night.  Some places were a little dodgy.  Not run down, but just empty and left me feeling a little exposed.  But meeting all of the people at the bootcamp and playing the bout...  It was a good time.

Almost back home...

London--All Over the Map-Last Day

Slept in a little bit today.  Started out by heading to Camden in North London.  It was another rainy day today so I spent some time hiding in a Starbucks.  Camden is a very hip part of London.  It's a weird mix because it's definitely a touristy area (especially on the weekends) but it still manages to hold on to it's outsider cache a bit.

I love wandering through the stalls in Camden.  There are always really cute shirts and dresses to be had, and not very expensively.  The other side to that of course being that they aren't the kinds of shirts and dresses you expect to last for very long.  But I like walking around there and walking to the Lock.

The World's End--Famous pub right next to the Tube Station.

T-shirts for sale.

Shops on the Main Road in Camden

Food stall right near the begining of the shops by the Lock

Camden Lock

Camden Lock

Camden Lock

A boat in between the locks as the water rises.

After walking around Camden for a bit I headed to Hyde Park & Kensington Palace.  I love walking around Hyde Park.  On all of my other visits (except for when I lived there) I always stayed in a hotel or rented an apartment near Hyde Park.  I walked around Hyde Park taking pictures then went to the Palace.  

Tina had given me a ticket to go in and walk around.  It's much smaller than Buckingham Palace and doesn't seem like a "palace" at all.  It's hard to imagine it as somewhere people would live, now that it's a museum.  There was a room dedicated to royal fashion.  So it had all of these glitzy dresses in a glass case.  And there was a wall with lots of drawings on it that for some reason reminded me of the wall in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" that you could lick and it tasted like whatever you'd licked.

Can you imagine trying to get through a door in that dress?
Or sit or do anything?

They had embroidered pillows for
the kings, queens, princes, and princess
going back a couple hundred years.

The garden at Kensington Palace.

To help you keep fresh on your journeys.

I've alsways stayed in the Bayswater area when I've visited.
It's relatively centrally located and has a lot of inexpensive
hotels, hostels, and apartments.  And Queensway has lots of
stores for food and pubs for drinks.

Then I walked over to Piccadilly Circus, which is a bit like Times Square with all the bright advertising signs.

Piccadilly Circus=smaller Times Square.

From there I walked over to Trafalgar Square where the National Gallery is.  I didn't go in this time but they do have some great artwork in there.  Trafalgar Square was known as the place to go to feed the pigeons, although that has been greatly curtailed.  

When I was there, there was a giant electric blue rooster on top of the fourth plinth.  Apparently the plinth was supposed to have a statue on it that never got erected and since the early 2000's various contemporary art works have been placed there for 18 months.  I got the rooster.  It's an interesting juxtaposition.  The very bright, modern piece of art that is the rooster next to Nelson's column and the famous 4 lions. 

Hahn/Cock (the blue rooster) and
Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square
and the London Eye in the background.

National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.

Famous London double decker bus.

So after all of this walking about, it was time for me to head back to Tina's.  I will be leaving tomorrow for Leeds to meet my teammates and get ready for my first derby bout abroad.  I'm so happy that I have had the opportunity to revisit these cities.  They both hold a special place in my heart.

Paris is just so beautiful and elegant and mysterious.  I just can't help but be in love with the city aesthetically.  And I love listening to people around me.  Even if I don't understand nearly as much as I would like to.  Paris is like that girl who just seems to have her shit together.  She's just really cool and confident and a bit intimidating.  But also you feel like if you can break that shell, get to know her, she's just super sincere and amazing.

London is like the most fun chick at a party, but not in an attention seeking way.  She just loves to make you laugh.  She wants you to have a good time.  She can be a little bit cheeky, but that's what you love about her.  She can be a bit of a whirlwind.

I just love them both.  I could go back once a year and still be excited every time...discover new things everytime...and revisit cherished old haunts everytime...

When do I get to go again?