The Time I Scaled a 4th Floor Ledge

I am a klutz. Ask anyone.  Really, I just spilled wine all over myself.  ( Damn Purple Cowboy)  So how I managed to scale a tiny ledge, four floors up, and survive, is beyond me.

Let me give you the setting.  I was in a hostel somewhere in London.  My friend was in another room and we had a flight to catch.  My alarm went off and I quickly jumped off the top bunk.  Dazed, I got dressed while rehashing all the great times Jessie and I had had on our three week tour of England, Scotland, and Wales. 

Dressed.  Check.  Bag packed.  Check.  Blanket check…nothing under the covers…time to head back to my life in Saskatchewan.  I tiptoed to the door and tried not to knock anything with my massive backpack.  I reached for the door….and…it would not open.  Trying again and again I started to panic.  I hate being late.  Even though I knew I still had plenty of time to make the flight, I could not bear to make my friend wait.  I pushed.  I pulled.  I turned the knob back and forth. 

Nothing.

I surveyed the room to try to make a plan.  It would be awkward to wake the huge breasted naked girl, so I chose the next bed.  Tap.  Tap.   “Hey, the door is stuck. I can’t get out.”

The groggy reply was,” Oh, ya, that happened last night.  You have to go on the ledge and get the next room to open the door.”

WHAT???? 

We were four floors up.  Miss Groggy fell right back to sleep.  Now what??   I walked over to the window and …what happened next is still unbelievable to me.

Without much more thought, I crawled out onto that ledge.  Back against the wall, I scaled to the next window and knocked.  Seriously.  I couldn’t make this crap up.  Being so early in the morning, I scared the crap out of the people in the next room.  I mean, who expects a knock on their 4th floor window???

 Head first, I dove into the window.  I proceeded to open my room door and grab my backpack.  It didn’t seem real as I walked downstairs to meet my travel buddy.  It still doesn’t.  No one was at the front desk and we had a plane to catch, so I never got to put in a request for a new knob for that room.

I hope no one fell to their death on that ledge.  That would suck.  I am sure most people would bang and scream before putting their life in danger.  Me, I chalked it up to a great story:)

I love hostels!