Blogs and Other Things

Tuesday, March 25, 2025 –

I woke up in London yesterday (well, two days ago), but let’s start from the beginning.

Hi.

Happy Tuesday.

This past weekend was my final trip from this 3-month adventure, and the world made sure I wouldn’t forget it.

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Wednesday

Before I left, Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert came out, a documentary-style film of live performances and interviews featuring Hans Zimmer and his collaborators.

(If you don’t know Hans, he’s arguably the greatest film composer of the 21st century)

So, I went opening night.

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I was one of about 10 people in total.

I gave it a 4/5 on Letterboxd; while most of the performances were spectacular, there were a couple that dragged on (sorry Dark Phoenix).

But the interviews were the opposite; for what it’s worth, Zendaya has gained a new fan.

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Thursday

Once again, it was raining, which meant no pigeons for Eric (or the rest of you).

But the pain was only beginning.

My flight was scheduled to leave at 3:30, but we didn’t take off until 6:30, which, if my calculations are correct, is 3 hours after we were supposed to.

I’ve had a few delays over the past few months, but none that have impacted me in the slightest, so this was probably overdue.

For context, I was flying to Milan. With the flight being 2 hours, we eventually landed around 8:30.

…which was exactly when the match started.

A 1.5 hour bus ride away.

Haha.

For (more) context, I planned to see Germany vs Italy in the Nations League Quarter-Final at San Siro Stadium.

(In case it was unclear, I missed it)

But on the bright side, it was now time for Episode 2 of Sleeping (In Airports) With Eric!

Full disclosure, I actually almost cancelled this episode and booked a hotel, but I decided that, for all of you, I would power through.

(The cheapest room being 238 euros had absolutely nothing to do with it)

So here we go again.

Ep. 2

8:30 – Eric lands.

8:45 – Eric buys Cheetos and a Snickers bar for dinner, finds a place to watch the football game he’s supposed to be at.

9:25 – Half-time; Eric ponders if going into debt is worth the 5 hours of sleep at a hotel.

9:26 – It is not.

9:30 – Eric walks around the airport looking for comfortable seating (to no avail).

10:25 – Eric finds this, and tries his best.

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10:35 – Eric can’t sleep; his spot is right next to the Arrivals gate.

10:45 – Eric tries again.

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11:00 – Eric is woken by police (peep the door in the back) who tell him he can’t sleep there; Eric obliges as he doesn’t want to go to Italian prison (yet).

11:30 – Eric finally finds a spot (and is too tired to take a picture); he sleeps on and off until 3AM.

3:00 – Eric is awake and ready to go.

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Hope you enjoyed that episode. If you couldn’t tell, I’m looking to raise awareness for a lack of comfortable seating in airports; Gandhi once told me to be the change I wished to see in the world, and I think this is what he meant.

Anywho.

I slept the whole way to London, but I got to see this before I passed out.

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Now, after all that, the haters might say I went to Milan for no reason.

Well, they would be correct.

Great call from the haters, honestly.

(Elite meme reference)

Regardless, when I got on the London tube, I felt right at home.

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Somewhere, a little Catholic boy is…well, never mind.

Go to sleep Eric

Yeah okay.

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Friday

I got to my Airbnb at 10AM and collapsed.

I didn’t even set an alarm, but I did not think I’d sleep as long as I did.

I woke up at 6:30PM (UK time), but my laptop was still on Barcelona time and read 7:30, so I thought I was screwed; the game was at 7:45.

Thankfully, though, my phone was in UK time, so about 5 seconds later, I could breathe.

For context (again), I was seeing England vs Albania at Wembley Stadium in both teams’ opening World Cup Qualifier for 2026.

It would’ve been hilarious if I missed both games, but probably less hilarious than it was listening to British parents call their kids “twats”.

Unsurprisingly, I’d never wanted to be British more than in this moment…so I may have started cheering with an accent.

…and I may have told the Albanian beside me that I was from Burnley.

:=D

Is it cultural appropriation if you had ancestors there a century ago?

Don’t answer that.

Regardless, the game itself was a banger: England won 2-0 and Marcus Rashford (the reason I became a Manchester United fan) was in the starting XI.

Bonkers.

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When I got back, I collapsed again, and that was my (very short) Friday.

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Saturday

My Airbnb was close to Wembley, which was on the opposite side of London from Stansted (the airport I’d be flying out of).

But this was ideal; I’d get to explore the city as I made my way towards the airport.

Although my flight wasn’t until Sunday morning, I decided to stay in the airport hotel Saturday night, despite how much I know you all wanted Episode 3.

(You’re all twats)

That said, it’s not every day you’re in London, and although I was there in 2023, I didn’t see everything the first time.

So for my final time in Europe, I channeled my inner tourist.

And of course, I documented it all.

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London Guide: The Places You’re Supposed To Go, And Whether They’re Worth It

#1 – Green Park

Nice scenery (while you’re hopefully on the way to somewhere else).

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#2 – Buckingham Palace

For 5 minutes, yes.

(Nothing good is ever longer than that anyway am I right boys)

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#3 – St. James’s Park

Hell to the yes.

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#4 – Trafalgar Square

Honestly, probably worth it (the art gallery’s right there, too).

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#5 – Ministry Of Magic

Obviously.

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#6 – Crepeaffaire at the Hippodrome (Eric’s Rec)

I accidentally went in the women’s washroom (because I’m an ally who doesn’t see gender).

But yes, worth every penny.

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#7 – Small Ben

You’ll stumble upon it by accident, so take that as you will.

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#8 – Large Ben

Big clock = worth it.

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#9 – London Eye

Big ferris wheel = also worth it.

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#10 – Abbey Road Studios

Whether or not you’re a fan of The Beatles, it’s iconic.

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#11 – London Bridge (ft. Tower Bridge on left)

If you go to one, you can see the other; I’d recommend the one with less tourists.

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And that was London.

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…well, almost.

Walking past Westminster Abbey, I stumbled upon this:

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So that was cool.

I didn’t see any actors, but the main street was closed off with cameras all around.

I asked multiple security guards what they were filming, but they could only say it was an action movie.

From a 5-second Google search, I deduced it was probably The Family Plan 2, an action comedy starring Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan and Kit Harington.

In other words, a cinematic masterpiece (don’t ask me how it got a sequel).

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Regardless, after a day in the city, it was time to relax.

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But as you’ll soon see, my relaxation was short-lived.

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Sunday

As they often do, this trip really saved the best for last.

And by best, I mean my inevitable what the f*** is happening crisis.

Allow me to explain.

My flight was at 7AM (or so I thought).

I’d gotten an email a few days beforehand sending me a flight confirmation with 7:00 being the scheduled departure time; however, I later learned they’d sent me the departure time in Barcelona’s time zone as opposed to the UK, since I booked it in Barcelona.

But in case you forgot, I was in London.

Which is an hour behind.

So my flight was leaving at 6AM local time, not 7.

*takes a breath*

WHICH PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO SAY IN THE EMAIL!

*exhales*

Sorry.

Anyway.

I don’t know how else to take you through this, so here’s another play-by-play of how it all went down:

45 Minutes From Hell

4:45 – Eric checks out of hotel.

4:50 – Eric discovers his flight is at 6:00, not 7:00, and books it for the check-in desks. His gate will close at 5:30, and he doesn’t even have a boarding pass.

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Sorry to rudely interrupt, but a bit of backstory: I normally always check in for my flights online with no issues, but this time, for some reason, my phone wasn’t reading my passport chip properly through the airline’s app, so I was going to have to check in in person.

This was literally the first time this has happened throughout any of my trips; normally, I wouldn’t even have to go to the check-in line at all.

Coincidence?

I digress.

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4:52 – Eric reaches the check-in desk, but there’s a line.

5:02 – Eric is next in line to check in, but the man in front of him is having problems with his passport, and neither he nor the staff are in any rush to figure out the issue. While other lines are moving quickly, this man has been at the desk for 4 minutes, and Eric is, for lack of a better phrase, sh*tt*ng bricks. He has spent enough time in airports for one weekend.

5:06 – They finally direct the man to the customer service desk, which is probably where he should have gone in the first place; regardless, it’s Eric’s turn.

5:07 – Eric gets his boarding pass and sprints to security.

5:12 – Eric reaches the front of the line, but is directed by staff to wait behind a woman who is arguing with security and holding everyone else up.

5:12-15 – This goes on for 3 minutes, and sleep-deprived Eric starts to wonder if a higher power is punishing him for lying about doing his homework when he was 7.

5:15 – Eric snaps back to reality when he sees a spot open up in a different line and asks if he can move, and the staff oblige; Eric throws his stuff onto the belt and walks through the body detector.

5:16 – Eric is randomly flagged (of course) by the detector, which he finds hilarious considering he’s wearing sweatpants and a sweater, both of which have no pockets. Regardless, they take his fingerprints and make him put his shoes through a separate detector before finally letting him go.

5:17 – Eric begins sprinting towards the main terminal through a mob of slow-walkers.

5:18 – Eric sees a screen with his gate on it: 38.

5:19 – Eric sees a sign for Gates 1-39 with an arrow pointing to the right; Eric sprints in that direction.

5:20 – Eric finds that the arrow has pointed him towards another sign that reads: “Shuttle to Gates 1-39.” Eric starts laughing maniacally.

5:23 – The shuttle comes. When he gets on, he reads the shuttle has two stops, and his stop will be the second one (lol). Thankfully, it should only be a 3-minute trip, total.

5:26 – Eric arrives at the second stop and sprints up two sets of escalators. When he reaches the top, he sees that the closest gates are 21 and 22, which means that his gate will be at the far end of the terminal (haha, he says to himself). Regardless, he keeps sprinting.

5:28 – Finally, Eric reaches his gate; there’s a small line of people still waiting to board. Eric thanks a God he isn’t sure exists, and boards the plane.

Here’s Eric (sweating profusely) at 5:29.

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Anyway, that was that.

With a setback at seemingly every turn, it felt like the world was telling me not to get on the flight, so let’s just say I’m happy it didn’t crash.

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On a final note, I titled this one “Good Life” as, despite all the times where it felt like life was giving me lemon-shaped sh*t, I really have gotten to live the good life these past few months, and I haven’t taken it for granted.

And besides, it’s hard to get too upset when this is the view from your shower.

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See you next week.