June 5 - 6, 2015
Well, the plane ride was not that bad coming into London. Virgin Atlantic provided several goodies in my seat when I arrived to my seat on the plane, which included a blanket, headphones, bottled water, pillow, toothbrush, sleeping mask, and ear plugs. I have never been on an international flight before and was very impressed with how Virgin Atlantic was with their services such as free drinks and meals. There was a bar on the plane and it felt like Austin Powers for a moment especially with the British Flight Attendants. The touch screen monitor at the back of the seat in front of me allowed me to watch free movies and TV shows, listen to free music, and play free games. The trip went by very fast with these services despite the almost eight hours that it took to get to London, England from Atlanta, GA.
Once we landed at the airport, we went through customs, and I not knowing how customs works because I have never traveled outside the country told the customs officer that I was there to study different colleges for a class. Well, this led to questions about where was my letter verifying that I was there to attend classes. I just gave them my itinerary and hoped that they understood. After several minutes of confusion, they accepted me into this Jolly Ole country. I should have just said that I was there to site see to make my experience a little bit easier. Before my custom officer's experience, I was moving along the enormous line in customs and noticed that a bag was left unattended. In desperation of not knowing what to do or the ability to find someone close, one of our trip companions yelled out "Excuse me! A bag was left unattended and needs some attention." Everyone paused in the airport and took about five seconds to process what just happened and kept moving, and the lady came back and picked up her bag.
We got to do some sight seeing today through Kensington Park and viewed the outside parameters of Kensington Palace, supposedly where Princess Kate and Prince William live. I cannot verify that information at this time, LOL. As we strolled down the London streets, we settled at a breakfast restaurant called Cote' and I got a sausage baguette, which was quite delicious. Everywhere that I went I drank American soft drinks such as Coca Cola and 7-up, which contain real sugar here. After our brunch and park adventure, we made our way to the Kensington Close Hotel. I was very surprised to see that my room is smaller than any residence hall room that I have ever stayed in during my college years. The lights would not turn on unless I left my room key card in the reader by the closet. That goes for the air conditioning as well. They are much smaller than the US. Of course, I walked into one of those famous red phone booths and provided some poses just like any awkward American tourist would do.
The evening came and we rode the tube (subway system) to the see a play called Woman in Black at the Fortune Theatre. Before we took part in those activities, we ate at the Wellington Pub. I got a wild boar burger and some chips (french fries) with another delicious real sugar coca cola. The food was great, and the tomato sauce (ketchup) was Heinz but was surprisingly sweeter maybe because it too had real sugar in it. We have to do better USA. Okay, now back to Woman in Black. The play only had three actors with two male leads and a female antagonist (woman dressed in black). I was impressed with the acting but I am not surprised because it is London, England, and they produce wonderful actors. However, the play did move slow and I was mentally exhausted so my best focus or attention was not present tonight. I did enjoy some wonderful cadbury chocolate caramel crunchies and a real sugar 7-Up that is served warm here with no ice. The men's restroom facilities at the theatre were a bit cluttered. Literally, the floor urinals were so close together in a little room that every man urinating would actually be touching in some way. I bumped into someone's foot, and the British Chap said that it gets a bit cozy sometimes. The ceiling was so low that I was bent over at the urinal. With this uncomfortable state, I decided that this was not a viable option for me, so I waited for the one stall to open up. I literally had to step over the toilet to get into the stall and to flush it I had to pull a hanging lever.
This has been quite an experience so far, and I cannot wait to see what tomorrow reveals. I was surprised to see a Pita Pit and a Whole Foods here as well. Good Night Lads!
Cheers!
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