Over the summer we had decided we wanted to go to the Florence and the Machine concert in London. We had looked into tickets for the show and even train tickets before buying them to make sure we would be able to get back to Cambridge on a Tuesday night. And so last night after Ely cathedral, we set off on our journey to Alexandra Palace. Since I don’t have a data plan I looked up all the directions the night before, printed them out and was prepared to get us there in one piece.
From our train from Ely to Cambridge, we had to make a connection for a train towards King’s Cross. After we got to our stop at Finsbury Park, we then got on another train for Alexandra Palace, our last stop. I was shocked and surprised when we actually made it with no issues! It was amazing! We got off the train at Alexandra Palace with the rest of the train, all heading to the concert, and walked up to the venue, which sat on top of a hill overlooking all of London. It was spectacular. Tiph and I couldn’t believe we were actually in London, seeing Florence, all by ourselves.
As we wandered around after getting food we wandered into a large hall with all different food carts and a large fake lawn for everyone to sit around and eat. It looked like a giant carnival (without the rides) but it was incredible! Since it was already 7:00, we were shocked at how everyone was so chill. Why weren’t people already packed in so tightly, getting as close as they could to the main stage? It was so much more relaxing. Again to our surprise, the opening act didn’t come out until about 7:45, finishing up at 8:30. At this point, I was getting a bit antsy. When was Florence going to come on? Would we be able to make it back to our train?
At 9:00 Florence came on and all my worries went away. The show was phenomenal. I don’t even have the words to explain how amazing it was. By 10:45 the show was coming to an end and while I wish it wouldn’t have ended, Tiph and I went into traveling mode. We found our way onto an earlier train, extremely happy to be getting home faster than we had anticipated. Again we had started on the right track, figuring out our next moves, determined not to get lost. But as fate would have it, of course getting home wouldn’t be that simple. After getting off at Finsbury Park, we discovered that the trains to Hitchin and Cambridge stopped at 10:30 and we had to get on a bus to get to Cambridge. We wandered outside, looking for a bus or any workers to help us but for some reason, it seemed that every employee of the station had already gone home. At this point the nerves started setting in. We found ourselves getting back on a train to King’s Cross to find a way back to Cambridge. There, panic still very much present, we found some workers who we hoped would tell us there was still a way to get back home. They told us to get back on a train to Hitchin, where we will find the bus to get us to Cambridge. Reluctantly, Tiph and I obeyed, found our way to the train, convinced we would be sleeping in the Hitchin train station. Luckily we ended up on a bus to Cambridge and by 2:00 am, we were finally back home.
Last night I learned a lot. I learned, like I do every weekend, that traveling will never go 100% smoothly no matter how well you plan and that’s okay. In fact, it makes for an even better story. I also learned how lucky I am to be here. Sure, traveling is expensive and stressful. But last night I got to see Florence and the Machine, in London, her hometown, in one of the most beautiful arena’s I’ve ever been in. I’m not going to lie, I have a lot to do before I leave for Spain on Thursday but taking time out to enjoy where I am is what’s important. Spending the day at a beautiful place like Ely, then the night in one of the greatest cities in the world, is unbelievable and I need to remember that while I’m here it’s important to make new adventures and experiences that are all my own, not just going along with what everyone else is doing.
-Emily
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