London

I have arrived in London!

I arrived yesterday afternoon and found my way to the London Underground. It was really refreshing to be able to get right off a plane and on to a train that takes you directly to the city. I got off at Piccadilly Circus (Pick-a-dilly) and it at first sight it looks like Times Square. I went through all five stages of culture shock in a matter of minutes. The cool thing about London is that even though it is intensely commercial and expensive, the buildings retain a classical look to them. The city is rich in history.

The bad part of London is the prices. Unfortuately, my rail pass does not work in Britain. They require their own BritRail pass just like they refuse to use the euro (The probably have a good reason to because the pound sterling is quite strong - almost 2 to 1 to the US dollar). Getting around has been a bit confusing. The town is not laid out like a grid. Instead, it#s a maze of winding streets that often times do not have street signs. Any street signs in London are on a plate on a side of a building. It has been quite difficult to find my way around.

London is unbelievably expensive. One night in the hostel put me back $40. Speaking of hostels, the one I stayed in was very big and had every facility you would need. I was in a room with a couple from Australia and a student from India. Both were very nice and I had a good chat with the couple at about one o'clock this morning (I had woken up thinking I had just had a good night's rest and found that I had only slept for three hours or so). It really wasn't a good chat now that I think about it. We were both awoken by the sounds of drunken French girls above us and started laughing about it.

Yesterday I had a good look around London and settled in one of their parks for a while (Green Park). It was really nice to sit down and play soem gutar and read away from the city, which is already tiring me. Here's my tree.

The food in London is spectacular - or so it seems. Anyone who wishes to remain above the poverty line does not eat in London. Chances are if it's not a cafe or a swanky restuarant - it's a McDonalds. And I am NOT eating at McDonalds my first day. I did come close to settling for some fast food after wandering through the town for an hour looking for a decent deal. The best I could do was a £6.50 all you can eat Asian buffet. I had two plate fulls and left full - only to find one accross the street for £4.50. The couple in my room settled for KFC...

This morning I did have a "Traditional English Breakfast" at a local cafe.

Today I checked out of the hostel and I will be taking a train to Dover. I'll probably spend the night there and then hop on a ferry to France tomorrow. I was going to go to the free exhibits at the Royal Academy of Arts but they do not allow 'large rucksacks of any kind' so I couldn't go. I did go into a huge five story bookstore and looked at books that I had trouble not buying. I'm going to find a discount used book store in Dover - I hope.

For some reason it's taking a long time to upload my photos. Maybe from now on I'll only upload the really interesting ones. I am paying by the minute here. It's a good thing I'm a good person, because it would be really easy to steal this internet.

My Photo Album

Well, I think I am off to West Minster abbey or some other place before I hit the rails. Until later...