We all have stories from our travels, but do you have a story (or stories) that you love retelling? The one that was so memorable, you just have to tell it at every opportunity.
I think we all do. I also have a few, but the I'm going to share is my favourite. If you're someone who has heard this story before now, you have permission to stop reading. :)
For those who haven't heard, please continue.
It was my first time overseas. I flew to London to visit my sister who was on a working visa. Started off in Dorset and did a bit of travelling in the UK while I was there. My other two planned trips were in Scotland and Paris. Scotland was first, a 6 day bus tour of the highlands, then I'd booked to go to Paris immediately after.
When I say immediately, I didn't leave myself a lot of time to get from Edinburgh back to London to catch the Eurostar. It should've been fine though, I had a few hours up my sleeve, but my bus in Scotland was delayed. Because, of course it was. Whenever you have a schedule to stick to, something will always come up. Murphy's Law.
I finally boarded the bus around 10:30 p.m. and it was going to be an overnight trip. Thankfully I was being dropped off near the station to catch the Eurostar so I didn't have to go far. My Eurostar trip was scheduled for 7:15 a.m. the next morning.
I was a little stressed, but confident I could make it with some time to spare. The bus is surprisingly quiet and I didn't have a neighbour so I was able to stretch out.
Then I fell asleep on the bus.
Not a terrible thing, right? A lot of people travel and sleep on transport without any issues. Unfortunately I'm not that person. Let me tell you something about me... I rarely sleep on transport. I'm that person who'll stay awake for 40+ hours with occasional half hour or hour naps in between because I just can't sleep properly. So me falling asleep on the bus was a huge surprise, clearly the tour knocked more out of me than I realised.
The first part of the trip was long and boring and because it was late at night, I couldn't enjoy the view. It was why I fell asleep to begin with. Suddenly I was jerked awake by the bus stopping and the driver announcing the location but I didn't hear it properly. I glance out the window, noticing a busy bus station, even for early hours of the morning, so in my half asleep state, I think we're in London. It felt too early, but because I was so aware of my next trip, I convinced myself we had arrived. So I got off the bus.
You can see where this is going can't you?
What didn't help was the bus driver even got my bag for me! He would've known I was going to London and he didn't question it, or me. In my mind this only confirmed that I was in the right place.
Oh how wrong I was.
It was as I watched the bus depart, the smell of petrol fumes in the air, that I realised with deep dread that I wasn't in London. It took me only a matter of seconds to see a sign saying I was in Milton Keynes!
I go from having time to spare to possibly not making it and this couldn't happen. I was so looking forward to Paris, I didn't want to miss it. I went inside to ask about other buses, but was told there were none available until morning. I went back outside again, debating what to do when I another bus arrives!
Our bus was so delayed, the other one scheduled left only a few minutes later. You can imagine my relief. When the bus stopped, I went up to the driver. I showed him the ticket from the previous journey, tell him about the debacle and beg him to let me on. He was hesitant, and I could see the bus was full, but by that point I was nearly on my knees, begging.
Eventually he sighed and said I could board. I wanted to hug him! I didn't, of course, but the relief is immense. I boarded and found a seat but I was wide awake by that point, too afraid of falling asleep again. I made it to London and even though the second bus only about half an hour behind the last one, we managed to get the worst of the traffic, all the red lights, you name it.
I'll let you out of your misery. Did I make the Eurostar and get to Paris? Well, yes, yes I did. I had a fabulous trip too and fell in love with Paris. I've wanted to go back but never had the opportunity. However, writing Lonely in Paris was a great way to escape and rely on my memories to relive that amazing moment in time.
Do you have a memorable story? Share it in the comments below!
Lisa xx
Get your copy of Lonely in Paris now - release date 16th January 2023