London is everything I hoped it would be and nothing like I expected. (Bear with me, this whole post won't be so cheesy) It is romantic, mysterious, and ancient, yet whimsical. Young. Silly even. The people do dress nicely. Hats are common and every one would be considered ridiculous in the States. Sunday, I saw an elderly and stately gentleman wearing bright yellow trousers and yesterday I spotted the most dapper man I've ever seen, complete with a three-piece suit, bowler hat, and long-tipped umbrella. There is a touch of magic. To not illustrate at all, here is a photo from St. James Park showing off the London Eye and some bushes obstructing some probably important buildings.
Let's go back to the beginning though.
I arrived early at the airport to leave for Chicago where I would have a brief layover. I was worried about ten million things: going through Immigration, jet-lag, the state of food, being cold and wet, British boys not being sufficiently attractive, etc.
Plane delays was not one of these things.
My flight was not scheduled to leave til 1:09. By 11:30, the 10:00 flight had not left and would not until 2:00 (I can see you getting worried. Let me reassure you that I do get to London and even on time!) In desperation, I signed up for the standby list for the 10:00 flight, incredibly doubtful I would make it on but pressured by a grouchy United Airlines employee who told me I probably wouldn't make it to Heathrow until two the following afternoon anyway. I'll spare you the dramatic tension. I made it onto the flight.
We made good time, but I still doubted I could make my connecting flight. It was close. It was very very close. We landed about fifteen minutes before it was scheduled to leave. As soon as we did, my heart stopped. I didn't think. I just ran.
I scaled two terminals in less than five minutes. I was the last one on the plane. But I made it!
I even had an empty seat to myself!
The flight to Heathrow was uneventful and relaxing. I ate dinner and watched Sherlock and pretended to sleep and worried about Immigration (which turned out to be a breeze) and where my luggage was (it did not make the 10:00 flight).
And then, there was London.
As soon as I stepped off the plane, before I'd even left the airport or got a decent view of the city, I could tell I was somewhere special (cheeeeeesyyy, Dani......). The air smelled right, the people looked right, the design of the washrooms and terminals was so effective and right and Holy Human Factors, I was here at last!
Here's what I've been doing since then (I arrived at 8:30 AM Saturday morning and it is now 9:00 PM Tuesday night and this is truly the first down time I've had since):
- FREAKING the HELL out over my luggage (which did show up Saturday evening, but I didn't get it until just before midnight and not having any other clothes or soap seems like a massive catastrophe when you haven't slept at all in about 24 hours)
- Going to see the first play of the program, "Neighborhood Watch," directed and written by Alan Ayckbourn. I wish we could have enjoyed it more, but it was the very first night and we were so exhausted that even our professor was nodding off
- Scoring some cheap coke at Pizza Hut! (....eugh, fine, it was Coca Cola, but the guy gave me a good deal and I thought this joke was hilarious when I made it....ten minutes before the play, when I was just as tired and loopy as everyone else)
- Going to see the Clock Tower at Westminster Square (that's Big Ben to you Yanks), Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Prince Albert Hall, St. James Park, the British Museum, and Fleet Street. I didn't mention Hyde Park because I see it every day because I live across the street from Hyde Park which is near Kensington Palace which is where Wills and Kate live. UHG GOD, have I become all jaded and indifferent to the royalty already...?
- Going to a British grocery store! Plenty of produce, yogurt, and cheese to be found, but I never did find the cereal. Also I had to bag my own groceries. Yeah, like I came to England to work...
- Pointing out tube stations and shops that sound dirty (e.g. Cockfosters, Slick Willies, I could go on but I REALLY shouldn't)
- Pointing out adorable dogs
- Pointing out adorable cabs
- Pointing out adorable flats (this would all be really annoying I'm sure if the rest of the group wasn't as enthralled by everything as I am)
- Going on a ghost tour! This city is haunted, yo
- Eating very well. Thus far, I've (throughly) enjoyed organic Mediterranean salads, Korean BBQ, British yogurt and cheese (SO many flavors), macaroons, a fancy sandwich, and yes, fish and chips
Westminster Abbey. It is glorious
Abraham Lincoln! He was given to the British to commemorate a hundred years of peace between the English and the Americans. Very menacing in real life (make of that what you will)
Old book sale under the bridge the dementers destroy at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, gahhh
Obviously they fixed it up since then...
Fortnum & Mason! This is a very fancy and pricey four-level shop that sells exquisite foods and gifts. I've eaten macaroons and shortbread and free chocolate inside. Those two little chambers on either side of the clock open every hour on the hour and Fortnum and Mason come out and present cake to one another. Look, here they come!
At night, London ceases to become beautiful and amazing and just turns into the most gorgeous place you've ever seen. I don't have many night pictures because I'm usually too busy stumbling around with my mouth open, drool puddling behind me like hyperactive Great Dane.
I'll end with this, a very bad photo of a very beautiful scene, the exact same one from St. James Park actually, but in the evening, when it becomes almost hopelessly romantic. Our ghosty tour guide told us about the numbers of men who propose to their girlfriends from the bridge I've taken these photos at on Valentines' Day. I could immediately understand why, when we were around, there was even a perfect white swan cutting across the water. Oh, also a young woman was murdered here during the war and is said to keep wandering the area looking for her head. Til next time!
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