I left mid-morning to go to Leicester. I should have left 10 minutes earlier, maybe then I wouldn't have had to make a mad dash across St. Pancras Station. Note to people travelling by train from London. St. Pancras and King's Cross are different and St. Pancras is not just international trains!!!! I tried to get into King's Cross but turns out my train was St. Pancras and by the time I realized it, I had 3 minutes to get on the train! I bolted across the station and nearly took out two Italians. Everyone afterwards in front of me got the hell out of my way, I'll tell you! I supposed a 5'6” girl with a giant red back pack running across the station was signal enough to get out of me way! I just lied to you there: I'm actually 5'5.5”
Anyways, got the the train (Which was thankfully the right one. I had no clue what I was doing!). Once I arrived in Leicester, I realized I'd forgotten my map of the town. So I went to the info booth at the station and asked for a map and directions to the University of Leicester. According to the info woman, no such university existed. Oh I nearly exploded. I finally gave up trying to get information from her and figured I'd manage to ask someone in the town where it was. I found a real map outside the station and sure enough. The University of Leicester not only exists but is practically beside the station. Moron. I was hungry because it was about 1pm, but decided to find the Museum Studies department first and then figured food would be easily accessible then come back because I had two hours for my appointment.
I should have gotten food. And peed.
I walked along University Road (subtle hint, info booth girl). I tried wandering into some kind of hall, but no doors seemed really open. I kept going hoping to find evidence of the campus more than some fancy flags on the lampposts. I finally found a building with another university sign and walked in. It was a medical building, but I asked reception for a map. A nice fellow gave me a map and showed me where to go. Turns out I passed it blocks before. So I walked back and looked everywhere for a sign for the department. Nothing. I looked at the map, ok, have the Department of Social work. Check, then I have the next department. But no Museum Studies. Now, you need to realize that I've been walking for an hour with a large backpack on my back, my purse and another smaller backpack on my front. I needed to pee, and I hadn't eaten all day. I was sweating so badly, my nicest shirt that I brought was soaked through in the back.
I finally figured out which building it had to be after walking up and down the block at least 5 times. No exaggeration. The problem was the building's sign was for some sort of Knowledge Institute. I tried to open one door. Locked. The other door to the office (these are really old townhouses) was open, so I walked in. No one around. I walked past a door with a sign saying meeting in progress. Then found an empty room with some sandwiches on a table. Thinking back, I should have taken one. I was so hungry... Realizing that I was not supposed to be there, I figured I would sit on the wood pew (I can't call it a bench, that would imply slight comfort) and wait the hour until my meeting. I thought about going back to the main street and finding food, but I wasn't even sure if this was the right building and I just couldn't bring myself to carry all myself all the way back up the hill.
I waited about 45 minutes. One fellow came out, shut the door, gave me a funny look and ran off before I could talk to him. Eventually I figured out there was a buzzer and rang out. I asked for the person I was meeting and they replied with a “who?” Great. Turns out that Museum Studies had moved buildings a year ago. The man on the buzzer came down and showed me where it was (luckily just down the road) and I headed over. I get there and have a pretty good meeting other than a minor incident involving me spilling coffee on the stairs and on myself.
I got a free book! Which was pretty cool! At the end of the meeting I didn't have quite enough time to look around campus so I just went back to the station and scarfed down what seemed to me the most delicious sandwich I'd ever eaten. Apparently they are not good sandwiches. Whatever, anything tastes good when you are really hungry! Train ride was good. Spoke to a nice man from Newcastle. His daughter just started university and he obviously really missed her. It was sweet.
Got to York with no trouble and Ian picked me up from the station. Then I got to walk another 25 minutes with my bag. Which sucked, but I'd had a long enough break that it wasn't too bad.
We got Pizza Hut pizza (which is even grosser in the UK) and then I crashed pretty hard. I even got my own mattress! I was sleeping on couch cushions in the kitchen in London.
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