I took two flights, the first from STL to Houston and then from there to Heathrow. The first flight was a quick one, under two hours. But sitting in the airport and on that plane - I literally was shaking with excitement. My heart was beating vigorously. I had "The Adventure Begins" from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtrack (link below!) stuck in my head earlier that morning, so I decided to play it on repeat. It seemed quite appropriate. (I'm pretty sure it was actually my soul song for the day. It was perfection.)
I had reading to do for my Shakespeare class due Wednesday that I was planning to do on the first flight - but I was truly so uncontrollably excited that I couldn't focus on anything but the song.
That is until I got the Houston airport. Which is giant by the way. I met up with my friend Chrissy who's on the trip as well; we decided to fly out together so we wouldn't be floundering around England lost by ourselves. We had a quick bite to eat and then hung out at the gate until we boarded. While waiting, I got to see this piece of gold.
This man was in a complete civil war replica costume. Note the canteen and satchel. It was at this moment that I was heading into true diverstiy. Nailed it.
The 9 1/2 hour flight wasn't all that bad considering. The flight team were London based so I got a great smacking of lovely accents before arriving. (They sound so much greater in person). And there were a fair amount of English passengers on the flight. The man beside me was from England, and had a voice that matched Michael Cain's from Austin Powers to a tee. That may not be the most sophisticated statement of my life, but it is darn accurate. But the best part of the flight was the fact that I got the window seat.
ever seen. They quite literally took my breath away. More than once too! Truly, it is a sight that I doubt I will forget. Nor will I forget the first sight I had of the UK. I'm pretty sure my first sight was of Wales, not England, but it was still great. It's astonishing just how different the geography is here. It's completely different! Not that I didn't expect it to be, but it still leaves an impression in person. It was so exciting! But the areil views did not do this country justice. England - in the spring at least - is breathtaking! Truly it's out of a delightful children's picture-book Except it's better because you can feel the sun and wind, hear the birds, and smell the flowers. And guess who saw it all from the tube, like a boss! I really enjoyed riding the tube. Though I may not look like it in the picture below. (This was taken during one of the stops.) I was very tired, and did not do a good job angling the camera. It's not the most flattering picture, but I'm not writing this blog to post pretty pictures. I'm posting memories.
I must say, riding the tube made this whole experience come alive for me. It was so great to hear all of the different languages; French, Chinese, Aarabic, English, American English, all in one car. Pretty neat. And that's a daily experience for me now. The majority of the ride from Heathrow to Gloucester Road (the stop for my flat) was outside so I got to see a lot of the little towns outside of London which was just lovely. (Disney did a good job replicating this in Peter Pan.) I was smiling and laughing a lot. :) And man do I live in a posh neighborhood! Right across from Hyde Park. Literally directly across. I'm next door to an embassy. That puts things into some perspective. And if you couldn't tell from anything else what kind of neighborhood I'm in, you can tell from the restaurant prices. LOL. But here is a picture of my little window by my bed.
This is facing the opposite direction of Hyde Park, but I still think its just lovely. London is just lovely! I just adore how the streets are set up and the architecture. I really admire the architecture and the land itself. The trees and gardens, even just the grass, I love it so much.
And I must say I was noticing a lot of Sherlock-esque things. There was a cab parked outside of a restaurant and it gave me the creeps for about two seconds thanks to S1E1. Lol but I'm looking forward to riding in one. :) And the area I live in is incredibly resemblant to Irene Adler's home; in the architecture and set-up of the buildings and blocks. I remember walking around just getting a feel for the neighborhood - I'm pretty sure we were on our way to Sainsbury's grocery store - when I looked down an alley. I swear I was looking into Victorian England. I did a long double-take because of it. I swear I almost so Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson trot across street in front of a horse-drawn carriage. It was incredible.
After the neighborhood tour taken to see our classrooms and the grocery, the roomies and I bought a few things to get us by the next couple of days. That is where I bought my favorite candy. Well - at least English candy. It's definitely on my favorites list. And there was no way I was walking by these without grabbing a bag. No chance.
After shopping we dropped off our food at the apartment and then went out to get dinner. Ironic I know. We ended up at Garfunkle's because it was close and cheap considering our posh location. (And due to its posh nature I have to post SOMETHING from Catherine Tate's posh series. It's been on my mind all day.)
I ended up having fish and chips, naturally. I thought it was fitting enough for my first day here. Afterwards it was getting darker, so we decided to take the bus back to the flat. The 49 drops us off right at the corner. And naturally it was a red double-decker.
All in all I found today to be highly succesfull. I'm officially passionately in love with London and I haven't even seen downtown yet!
Sadly, Benedict and Martin weren't physically here to greet me, but their city was enough. ;)
Oh this city; I kiss the ground of it.
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