Well, I have survived my first full day in London. After traveling for several hours we landed at what my body was telling me was 4 a.m. the day after we started at 10 a.m. on Monday. In reality it was 10 a.m. on Tuesday local time in London. Thankfully I had managed a few winks of sleep during the seven hour flight from Philadelphia, so in a way it tricked my mind into thinking it was the correct time of the morning. After my first trip on the Underground, we made it to the dorms where I had a quick and glorious shower. Three airports worth of grime washed away, we headed downstairs to meet the groups at around 2 p.m.
The trick of the mind about thinking it was morning quickly faded away as we traveled on foot and by underground for the next several hours. A blur of station stops and walking led us to Brunswick for lunch, next to a place to buy temporary phones, an ATM, the British Library for readers cards, the main underground stop (forget the name) to buy an Oyster card (great thing these, you pay for the month and can ride all over the city), and then lastly to a wonderful pub for dinner. Makes me tired just writing it. All that on about three hours sleep in two days after traveling for 13 hours.
Hannah and I made it until around 8 p.m. until we had to part very good company and head back to the dorms. We had to go around to the shops and buy toiletries and some things for the room. At times it felt like we would not make it another block. The blister on my foot was screaming as my wonderful wife's celebrated navigation skills began to fade with weariness. Finally we completed our errands and made it back to the dorms. We went to our separate rooms, yes separate for they are tiny, and slept the sleep of weary world travelers. Unfortunately my brain woke me up around 3 a.m. and wondered why we had been sleeping from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m at night. Oh my!
So far, what I can say is that this city is awe inspiring one minute and then quiet and quaint the next. You can turn one block and enter into a whole new world. I have not even seen one tenth of a percent of it and I am rapidly falling in love with it. The things that Hannah and I love and have to hunt for at home are all around. From the food, to the culture, to the people we have meet so far, it is what we love.
As I sit here, with my window opened to the sounds of the city seven floors below, at 6 a.m. local time (midnight at home) I am full of excitement and anxious to meet the day.
The trick of the mind about thinking it was morning quickly faded away as we traveled on foot and by underground for the next several hours. A blur of station stops and walking led us to Brunswick for lunch, next to a place to buy temporary phones, an ATM, the British Library for readers cards, the main underground stop (forget the name) to buy an Oyster card (great thing these, you pay for the month and can ride all over the city), and then lastly to a wonderful pub for dinner. Makes me tired just writing it. All that on about three hours sleep in two days after traveling for 13 hours.
Hannah and I made it until around 8 p.m. until we had to part very good company and head back to the dorms. We had to go around to the shops and buy toiletries and some things for the room. At times it felt like we would not make it another block. The blister on my foot was screaming as my wonderful wife's celebrated navigation skills began to fade with weariness. Finally we completed our errands and made it back to the dorms. We went to our separate rooms, yes separate for they are tiny, and slept the sleep of weary world travelers. Unfortunately my brain woke me up around 3 a.m. and wondered why we had been sleeping from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m at night. Oh my!
So far, what I can say is that this city is awe inspiring one minute and then quiet and quaint the next. You can turn one block and enter into a whole new world. I have not even seen one tenth of a percent of it and I am rapidly falling in love with it. The things that Hannah and I love and have to hunt for at home are all around. From the food, to the culture, to the people we have meet so far, it is what we love.
As I sit here, with my window opened to the sounds of the city seven floors below, at 6 a.m. local time (midnight at home) I am full of excitement and anxious to meet the day.
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