Hello from LONDON!

Hey y'all! It didn't take me long to make it known that I wasn't from London. "Ya'll" came out of my mouth at customs and the nice lady quickly realized I was from somewhere in the Southern USA. After an 8 1/2 flight from ATL, two movies, two meals, and some pretzels, I finally made it. London is amazing. I've been here less than 8 hrs and there have already been so many firsts for me. I just got back from walking the streets of London, simply taking pictures with no sense of where I was going to end up. This city is absolutely beautiful. If you've ever been to the French Quarter in New Orleans, you know how historic and unique it is. Now imagine a city of 4 million people with nothing but that architecture and atmosphere. Everywhere you turn is something different. Musuems, parks, and pubs round out almost every corner. I managed to find a pub called "A Friend in Here" that had a St. Bernard as a logo, so I tried it out. Of course, I had to have a "pint" and the famous fish and chips. Yes, it's as cliche as going to Graceland and Rendezvous on your first trip to Memphis, but I don't care. English food is, well, different. Much more bland than American food that I am used to, but nothing a little (or a lot) of pepper can't fix! The beer, however, is good. I simply picked one that looked good and got it. Worked out well. I think it was somewhere around 11 pounds for everything, which is about $16. Not too far from normal in a big city I would say. I guess that's what this is all about: trying new things. I found it random that fish and chips also included a side of peas. I'm assuming that's custom here, but just seemed strange. However, I ate them and they were fine. Hump, Hub, Knoll: You would eat all this stuff, no problem.

I've noticed elevators (lifts as they are called here) seem to be popular. However, escalators are not, as I have yet to see one. Getting through the airport would be like reading a Greek Children's book. Really, really tough. Especially with 7 weeks worth of luggage. I refused to pay for a taxi and told myself I was going to use the train to get into London. Well I did. My first train experience was awesome. Pretty cool way to come into the city by seeing the country side and then gradually trend into the urban area. Once I got into London, I decided I would cab it the rest of the way, simply because draggin around my luggage was getting old. I'm glad I did. My cab driver was awesome. I read that you always get a quote before getting in a cab. My quote was right on. I also got a pretty scenic route to my hotel. The first historic landmark I saw in London was Buckingham Palace. Pretty good way to start, huh? History lesson: The Queen has her own flag that flies when she is home at the Palace. It was not flying today, therefore she wasn't there. The guards are awesome. Before my time is up, a picture with the guards will be taken. I will do my best to make them break character, without getting put in the quode (jail) of course. ha Well, I'm going to take it easy for a bit before I venture back out to probably The West End. It's Lodon's version of Broadway/entertainment district. Hope all is well back in the states. I'll have more pictures later!

Until my next post,

Life's a garden. Dig it.

Woodard