London: Part The First

1/28/10
So, here I am. It's been a long time coming, but at least Hannah Middleton has set her feet in the goopy moistness that is London city. I'm not really sure where to begin. It's my second day here and already I feel like it has been weeks. The thing about London is, no matter where you are there is a good chance it's been there for awhile. Like, a couple of hundred years. As a history buff and English literature major, the translates as "don't blink or you'll miss something." Seriously. Even the McDonald's was in a building older than the state of Oregon. With all of this info, my mind has had little time to adjust and think. So, I'll process while I write.
I flew from Minneapolis. The plane was new and shiny with a state of the art entertainment system and lots of room. I had a row to myself! The food was terrible but hot which is nice. I had the misfortune of choosing a book to read that did not hold my interest so I took advantage of the movie selection and watch the "Time Traveler's Wife" which was a disappointment. I won't give away the ending but if you're interested in time travel, like myself, leave it alone. I slept over the atlantic and before I knew it we were gliding over cloudy Ireland and on our way.
Flying over London was wonderful. As soon as I laid eyes on the Thames I knew exactly where I was and I'm afraid my excitement disturbed my fellow passengers. From above, London looks like a model city with orange rooftops, soccer fields (football pitches), and a long snake-like river to divide it into two. I wanted to shout "Get ready! I'm here!" Of course I didn't, but I pressed my forehead against the window for so long that it left a rather ugly smudge.
Baggage claim was hectic. I could not find my bags! I searched and searched and grew a little frantic as the selection dwindled. And then I looked up and saw the reader board overhead. Rome. Oh. Not Minneapolis. Once I located the proper claim I found my bags easy-peasy and was off to customs where I was happy to discuss my literary taste with the agent (Bronte is a bit heady for him).
Uncle Tom was there right outside waiting which was so welcome. I don't think I would have liked the idea of taking a cab so early on.
We drove to his home. It's beautiful. London, like most cities I suppose, has very little room. Europeans in general seem to live in much smaller, more compact homes than Americans. Uncle Tome lives in a lovely little Edwardian house in the Kilburn area. Small, yes. Uncomfortable, no. He even has a garden and a hatch that allows us to go and watch the city from his roof. From up there, we can take our glasses of wine and see the lights on the London eye, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Gurken, and lots of other things. Gorgeous.
We had time to pop out and take the tube to see the outsides of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, 10 Downing Street, and Westminster Abbey as well as the Thames close up. It was alot to see and we did not even go inside!
1/29/10
Today was another busy one. We went and toured around the National Gallery. It's big and beautiful. I wish I knew more about art history but I still enjoyed it. We saw Can Gogh's Sunflowers, many Lautrecs, Cesannes, Pissaros, Titians, Belinis adn all sorts of names that I'd like to tell you about but in fact know nothing about. I did enjoy the enormous life size portrait of King Charles 1 (the one that got ousted and then beheaded after the civil war) on his charger (war horse). It's really striking.
We had lunch there. I'm enjoying the fun flavors of chips (crisps) they have here. SO far, I've seen chive and sour cream, salt and vinegar and smoky bacon.
After lunch we walked through Trafalgar square and took the tube to Borough Market. Unfortunately, it being winter, the market was not at it's best. However, it was still loads of fun. It reminded me a lot of Pike's Market in Seattle minus the non-perishable goods sections. There's cheese, olive oil, wine, fish, poultry (like pigeon and pheasant) sausages, breads, ethnic foods, beers, and fresh veggies. I tried hot mulled wine there for the first time and it was pretty good. I bought some really good tea and turkish delight (rose and Date & walnut) and Uncle Tom bought some Coffee beans.
On our way home we decided to walk along the river and take Tower Bridge back to the North side. As we went we just so happened to stumble across Sir Francis Drakes ship, the Golden Hide, moored along the river and the remains on Winchester Castle. To be frank, I kind of freaked out. It's just so amazing how things of such historical importance are left, seemingly half forgotten amongst the modern buildings like Caffe Nero (nice fast food) or and office building. We walked across Tower Bridge I had half a heart attack when I at last saw the Tower of London. "It's a bi short for a tower," my Uncle says. Well, yes. But we don't measure this building's importance by its height. We could also see Canary Wharf from the bridge which reminded me of Doctor Who. Strangely enough I have not been thinking about that much here.
We had home on the tube. We took a quick break to see the Bank of England the the British exchange and then made the full trip home. My feet are tired. My eyes sting from the dust in the Bakerloo line (so dirty) and my hair is a bit greasy. But I'm happy. London has not really turned out like I thought it would but that's alright because it's still awesome.
Tomorrow is Oxford. On the agenda- The Eagle and Child, a park with trees for hide and seek and the Natural History Museum.
Next week (February 7th) I move in with my host family. I'm excited and nervous. Having my Uncle prep me for the English experience has been great but I'm still a bit nervous. However, I still have loads of time for adjustment.