Continued...

When I got to the airport, I checked in and they weighed my bags. Now, I had heard that RyanAir was known for being a stickler about luggage weight. Most other airlines allow you to have a 50 lb. bag, while RyanAir requires 20 kilos or less, or 44 lbs. or less. With this knowledge, I got the bright idea to wear a bunch of clothing... A pair of shorts, a pair of jeans over my shorts, 2 bras, 2 tanks, a dress over my jeans. A cardigan, a jacket and a jacket around my waist. Oh, and tennis shoes... With my dress combination. A scarf and a necklace and like 3 chunky bracelets. I had to have looked ridiculous, but who was I going to run into in the UK? :p So my bag was still overweight 5 lbs. and they charge £20 per kilo over. Soooo, I had to pay £60 just for excess baggage. Again, Julie, my study abroad advisor, warned us about packing lightly. :p

I check my bag in, I get to the security gate and the line was huuuuge for 5:00something in the morning. I go through the security detector and BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. "Ma'am, do you have a belt on? A cell phone with you?" No, no. "Okay, can you step right through there again?" BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. Awesome. To make a long story, short, I had to a private search and strip down to my bra/jeans. Of course it took forever to find someone to search me... Then she had to fill out paperwork... Turns out, 2 sets of underwire will set off a security detector. Also, when you set off security, they have to go retrieve your bag you already checked in, to double check it. I missed my flight and they did nothing about it to help me. I had to pay £100 to get my flight back within 24 hours, however the next flight wasn't until the following morning at 6:45, so now what I was I supposed to do? Hang out in an airport for 24 hours? Horrible option. Rent a hotel room, so I could at least put my luggage somewhere and rest? Too expensive. So I decided to get a roundtrip coach ticket back into central London and head back to my hostel. When I got to Victoria station (London's main train/bus station), I'd have to walk about a mile to my hostel, like I had been doing with my 50 lb. suitcase, 25 lb carry-on and probably 20 lb purse. (Needless to say, I've packed on some muscle in these 4 days). As my luck continues, the handle on my suitcase broke off. Dragging my suitcase became even more of an adventure... A painful one.

I got to the hostel and explained what had happened to the owner. The people there were seriouslyyy soooo nice! They let me check my bag in and lock it up all day. They let me take a nap and asked if I wanted to take a shower or anything... All free of charge! It was raining pretty hard again, so I just hung around the hostel for the most part and talked with a guy I met there, Tyler. Tyler had to head back to Victoria station (London's main train/bus station) around 11 PM, so I decided I'd walk with him so I didn't have to pay for a bus. (Didn't want to walk in the dark by myself, obviously). So he had to leave, but I just hung out at Victoria Station until about 1:00 AM when I took my coach bus back to the airport, which arrived around 2:15. I had about 2 hours before I could check in and things went smoothly this time.

On the flight to Bremen, I sat next to an American girl from California, who is getting her masters in Bremen. She was telling me about her stressful day, getting on her flight and I, in exchange, told her my troubles. She proceeded to tell me that I seemed so calm for all that had happened. Although it was stressful as each incident happened, the truth is, I am actually really glad I got "stuck" in London for a few days. Had none of this happened, I wouldn't have been able to visit London or meet some really cool people.

I arrived in Bremen, Germany, where Kelly picked me up from the airport. ((Thank you!)) Had anything gone wrong here, the language barrier would have made things 50 times more stressful, so I am thankful she was able to pick me up. We stopped in Bremen and she showed me around some of the city. Here is a picture of the Rauthaus, or Town Hall!

Here are some pictures I took of the town, while we were walking around. They have these cute "pedestrian streets" all over the shopping areas.

The Town Musicians of Bremen, a Brothers Grimm folktale, is based on the city of Bremen, Germany. All around the city are statues, souvenirs, etc. with images of the Town Musicians of Bremen, a donkey, dog, cat and rooster.

Mr. Brett (Matt and Kelly's son) with the statue!

In this last picture, this specific statue, you're supposed to rub the legs of the donkey for luck. Lord knows I needed some of that!

**All of these pictures, I took on my phone. Pictures from London are on my camera, but I have to buy a new uploading cord. Until then, I'll keep posting pictures from my phone! More soon!

Xoxo

Paige