Double-Decker Bus, 2X the fun!

Enough said. Is there a point to extend this post? Is there anyone who can deny this simple truth?


Miss Bean's Simple Truths to Abide By:
1. Chopping veggies is the ultimate stress-reliever.
2. Ice cream is best after just brushing teeth. (Kids, remember to brush those ugly plaque buddies away after eating ice cream!)
3. Double-Decker bus = complete awesomeness

So after two days in Brighton, England, I finally got to take my first double-decker bus ride. It was pretty great, despite paying 3.80p (almost $8!!) and climbing up narrow stairs (3-ft wide stairs would not go over well in the states). The buses in Brighton are not firetruck red like the ones in London, but a combo of muted red and yellow. I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the Brighton bus. I must have felt kinda pissed because I just paid almost $8 for a round-trip ride to civilization and back. My lovely university is smack dab in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by black and white spotted cows, fuzzy sheep, and quaint farmland. It was nice to be away from the bustle of town, yet I would have to drag a friend and shell out $8 even before I can buy a fish and chips.

Remember back in the day, it was super cool to sit in the back of the school bus? Nobody ever talked about what happened in the back, but if you were ever in on the action (spraying Axe), you were totally COOL. Well, in the Brighton at least (can't say for the rest of the UK), THE thing to do is to sit at the front of the second level of the bus. There's a floor-length window that is right in front of the first row of seats, so whenever you sit in the first row, it feels like you're flying. OK, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I wasn't cool enough to sit in the first row because it caused my agrophobia to flair up a bit. I had a Titanic Queen-of-the-World moment the 3 seconds I sat in the front, but I'm just not queen material.

Unexpected Bicep Power!

I've never really worked out. Except for using water bottles as weights when doing pilates, I don't lift weights. Who knew I could drag 50 lbs of luggage with each arm? While going down stairs? I OBVIOUSLY did not.

Sept 3, 2009 Luggage Lifting Route (from the moment I got off the plane in London):
1. Gatwick Airport luggage carousel -->
2. Luggage trolley -->
3. South Terminal train station -->
4. Train platform (I really wanted to throw my bags down the stairs at this point) -->
5. Onto Brighton train, over the cusp (Bless that nice British man who help me! I looked pretty pathetic at that point though - jet-lagged, short Asian girl handling 2 4-ft tall bags) -->
6. Off Brighton train (Helped by same nice British man) -->
7. Taxi -->
8. Through the 4-ft wide door of hotel

Thank goodness I didn't have to carry my bags up the stairs to my room. The male attendant commented on how heavy each of my bag was, since he carried one up at a time. I'm not sure where I got all of that bicep power from, but it sure was unexpected. Must have been one of those adrenaline-filled car-lifting movements... That's right Wonder Woman, work it in your leotard.



Took these pictures of Brighton Pier and the Royal Pavilion the next day. I watched British cooking shows in bed the first night I arrived.

Business Class is My Friend

8 months ago, I flew to the UK in Delta's Business Class Elite Cabin. I've only flown business class twice, thanks to the airline's business zeal by overbooking the flight.

Seats>Bodies --> + Bodies --> other flights --> Happy Bodies in Business Class

OK, so that was a fail at math. But my point is, NEVER pass up the chance to volunteer for a different flight if there's a need. The airline is usually more than happy to compensate flexible fliers because that means it doesn't have to deal with as many frantic/pissy people clawing for any seat (maybe even 2 to a seat).

The first time I sat in business class (first class? Is that the same? If it's even better, then I can imagine those folks get an entire bottle of champagne instead of a glass) resulted from much persistent persuasion by my dad. Not towards the airline, but to me. Initially, all I wanted to do was fly home at an earlier and eat ramen. Thus foregoing the first (business) class-treatment and two additional ticket vouchers. My naive and overly-stubborn 17-year-old self didn't realize the sheer AWESOMENESS of rows 1-8 until I was sipping ginger ale from a wine glass and eating steak and haricot verts from china plates, better than our plates at home.

This time, the upgrade to business class (BC) was totally unexpected since I waited 6 more hours at the Atlanta airport and an extra layover in Manchester just for the flight voucher. I didn't discover this until I walked to the gate entrance with my new boarding pass. I guess being careless does have its advantages. I didn't read what it said on my ticket and handed it to the counter attendant. She scanned it and said "... Business class... enjoy your flight!" Alrighty then!

Without sounding pretentious, there is a tiny downside. All the detailed service brings a lot of unnecessary extras - Bose-esque headphones, toiletries/manicure set, thermal blanket, all the extra food (a cheese tray too) sitting in individual china plates, and trays espousing from unseen orifices of the chair. Yup, I'm easily amused and a total BC newb.

Thanks Delta for overbooking your flights so that thrifty college students like me can cross the Atlantic in comfort, style and with extended legroom I wanted to share with a tall, handsome gentleman in coach.

Hello, My Name is Miss Bean.

Have you ever seen "Mr. Bean's Holiday"? Even if you haven't, you've probably heard of Mr. Bean, the bumbling Brit who attracts trouble wherever he goes. He always gets into situations people laugh at, but don't want to personally experience.

8 months ago, I was studying and traveling in England and Western Europe (mainly traveling, with some studying on the side). Since it was such an unforgettable time, I'm NOW finally documenting it 4 months later. My name is Miss Bean for all the Bean-esque happenings during my trip. That's right folks... Mr. Bean's ridiculous adventures are not just scripted, but happen in reality. To me.

So, get ready for some misadventures and somewhat incoherent writing. Remember,everything you read here is TRUE. I'm not making anything up. It's me and 100% of my duntz-ness. Let's go!