The entertainment system on the Aer Lingus jet from Chicago to London was awesome. I watched shows about raging elephants and Johnny Depp and Bethany watched a documentary on Rasputin. Eventually we both gave in and watched The Simpsons Movie which is funny for about 30 minutes.
When we landed we were not happy people. Tired and malnourished, we dragged our excess baggage, which was an immediate regret, for about two hours. The subways do not have elevators (“lifts”) but did have long staircases, many of them. We ended up dragging our bags through Hyde Park (akin to NY’s Central Park) and were getting some hilarious looks from limeys who were oot n aboot walking their pups.
We finally taxied it to the hotel and collapsed on the floor, but not before we broke my baggage’s trolley poles and tweaked Bethany’s wheels. It is not worth dressing well when travelling! It was about a half hour of cursing our vanity before hunger got us going again.
Picking up some GBP at the money changer, we were slapped with pretty nasty exchange rates. The first thing we did was get some pizza from a little boutique. Immediately our spirits were up. It is amazing what a little food can do. I began to realize however, that a little food was all I was going to get.
We stopped in a street café called Café Diana, a shrine to the late princess of Wales, which was ironically plastered wall to wall with media photographs of the icon. A group of kids were eating pork sausage and chips, which looked quite unappetizing. If you know me, you realize that I eat a lot, and as far as I can tell, people in London do not. Nor do they drink water. I did not see one drinking fountain in any public place and rarely saw bottled water advertised. We drank a lot of tea with a lot of sugar and felt a little more willing to explore the city.
The rest of the evening was pleasant. We visited the amazing St Paul’s cathedral and toured the riverside district (follow link to full album on Picasa). Our hotel room was very nice, cold, but elegant and roomy. Well rested, ready to go to Athens tomorrow. Later chaps.
