originally written - Feb 2, 2010
I must write now or I simply wont believe all I've just done after I have a sleep. Mind the poor grammar - I'm exhausted. The coffee I'm enjoying is my saving grace right now as well as my first in London town. I've just arrived a few hours ago after an overnight plane ride from Toronto. My sinus infection wasn't quite cleared up and so I got to enjoy an ear and headache throughout the flight despite the sprays and pills recommended. I'm stuck now with my left ear that refuses to pop, a broken suitcase that is far too heavy for my purposes and this coffee. I'm quite dehydrated and really should be drinking water – but coffee is less offensive to put on a visa card. I have yet to visit a bank machine.
Alas, my single achievement so far in London has been arriving at my couch surfing host's house – though too early; hence, the coffee shop. To get here, I hopped on the “tube” at the airport and rode 3 different trains for a solid 2 hours until I finally arrived at the desired stop. From there, I had to catch a bus (given the oversized and overweight luggage, this was a pain in the butt) to an obscure stop about 30 minutes away. Finally, I arrived at Alex's house and tried the buzzer, even though I knew she wouldn't be home for another hour.
London is having a very dreary day. From what I hear, this all looks about right. Passing London Bridge on the bus was pretty special. As the train zipped past the rooftops of passing suburbs, I couldn't help but sing “Chim Chiminny” to myself. One thing worth noting: not once have I cried to myself since arriving in London – I must be getting tougher! It's quite funny having to tell people to talk only into my right ear. This must be what it's like to be 78. I imagine that 78 is the age where my body will begin to turn on me – in all likeliness it'll be sooner than that, but I'm an optimist.
It's hard for me to make judgments just yet, but I imagine I'm going to like this place. It's nice to be in humidity after all those dry weeks in Canada. It's 6 degrees Celsius but feels glorious to me after -12 back home.
Buses are indeed red, and many are double-decker. Traffic is on the “other” side as in Australia. People generally look, well, English. I know, that's a huge stereotype and I don't even know what it entails, but I'd say that most of them, I could pick out of a crowd as an English person. Though, it might just be the accent that makes them more English to me. And the bad teeth. Oh, and black jackets. Just like Melbourne.
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