We Made It!

We have made it to London! The flight was long but uneventful, same with the train and cab ride to the hotel. Except for the fact that our flight was over night, but we lost 5 hours so our night was only about 4 hours long. We are running on very little sleep. It feels like coaches trip all over again except worse because what little sleep I got happened sitting upright and cramped on a plane. We tried to power through but ended up crashing for an hour or two in our hotel after we checked in. 

I have been  to London before and remember it fairly well so it actually seems familiar. That combined with the fact that they speak English and the part of town we are staying in feels very similar to NYC makes this less of a culture shock. I find the little things the most interesting. Like how they number their floors in stores. The ground floor is 0, going up is positive numbers and going down is negative numbers. So a store could have three floors and they could be 1, 0, -1. 

Their food isn't too much different, just combined in unconventional ways. They are really big into café style places where they display open faced sandwiches, finding sit down dining is difficult but possible. I had chickpea stew for dinner with a rice pilaf that was delicious. 

The driving on the other side of the road you get used to really fast, and I was expecting it so no big deal. The funny thing is that, on cross walks, they tell you which way to look for cars since most people are used to them coming from the other direction. 

Our hotel is right near BBC. 

I couldn't help but think that I was in the presence of someone who is involved with either Sherlock or Doctor Who. It felt cool just walking by it, which we did multiple times. It's a really modern looking building with lots of windows and there is a really old church right in front of it. From far away the tower of the church is framed by the BBC building. It is an odd but very beautiful contrast.

My mom and I walked to Picadilly Circus and sat on the fountain and watched a guy play guitar. I just like being able to sit and observe. I can shop at home but I can't sit and take it the vibe of being in another country. It felt very the same and very different at the same time. 

Tomorrow we are going to the Harry Potter set at Warner Bros. Studios. I have never been so excited for something. I GET TO SEE SETS AND PROPS AND THINGS! GAH! They have the life size model of Dobby that Daniel Radcliffe carried during his burial scene. Cue the tears. Get ready for the longest post ever on that. I will take oodles of pictures. 

It is 10:00 here, so time for bed. Getting used to having to check what time it is back home before I talk to anybody is going to take a while. I need something from you now!!! Oh wait... it's 3am.