We arrived in London around 5:30 am (London time--that would have been closer to 11:30 in EST). Heathrow Airport is gorgeous; they really know how to keep an airport clean and well-marked. It is huge, though, so walking to reach the Arrival port and get to customs took a while. Thankfully, my luggage did arrive in London, so I did not have to deal with any hassles on that front.
Heathrow has a greetings space where people can congregate to meet/collect anyone who has gotten off the plane. To an American, this was refreshing. A woman was holding a "British Studies Program" sign and directed us to the corresponding professors. I got a chance to meet with both professors for the LIS class, and am even more excited about this month abroad.
We waited for about an hour, and finally our coach (bus) picked us up to take us to King's College. The bus, like the airport, was clean, and the driver was very kind. We rode for at least an hour, which was wonderful; the sights were so interesting I truthfully did not want the ride to end! London appears to be a city in which the old and the new are kind of at odds with each other. As we rode along, I could not help noticing the architectural disparity between many of the living quarters and the newer, posh, corporate skyscrapers--often times both would be right next to each other. The fact that I was reading 1984 probably informed my observations (right, Dad?). The older buildings were mostly made of the same kind of brick--brown and grey with a misty look to it.
Most yards had clotheslines in the back, and many of the houses looked like they needed a paint job. Yet, seated amid these houses would be massive corporate buildings, usually with long, glass windows and an overall modern and clean look. The juxtaposition of these two styles--and classes--was so interesting to me.
We saw many interesting people while riding the bus. Most memorably, one little boy (I would guess about 5 or 6 years old) was riding a scooter alongside his parents and was wearing a helmet with the UK flag, a shirt with the flag, and the flag was on his scooter's foot area and handles. I told one of the colleagues on the bus that the child looked like a fictional character. We did see a few other little children like that, which was amusing. There was also a little old lady walking three little terriers. As a Fish Called Wanda fan, I found that hilarious. She was dressed expensively, too.
The traffic moved swiftly; speed-wise, I would compare it to Charlotte, NC: very easy to navigate and, in spite of congestion, the traffic always moves. I have to say, though, I'm still adjusting to the left-side traffic here. I keep thinking about another particular quote from A Fish Called Wanda, which, to avoid profanity, I will allow you to guess. :) There were many bike riders sharing the road with the traffic. The UK actually has half of the sidewalk marked specifically for bike riders, which I thought was smart.
There are plenty of trees and parks all over the place, which, along with the lovely brick buildings, give the city a look of majesty. The weather is BEAUTIFUL--no humidity, temperatures in the 60s and 70s. I keep wanting to tell these Brits they have no clue how lucky they are in terms of summer weather.
After arriving at King's College, we were assigned rooms and were on our own until 4 pm, at which time we had to convene for a tour of the neighborhood.
I took some pictures during the tour, and later a new friend and I went to the grocery store. As you can see, there were some pictures I could not resist taking.
This first picture is of Waterloo Bridge, the setting for the Vivien Leigh classic, Waterloo Bridge. We were walking when I took this, so it's a little fuzzy.
The next few pictures are from the port beside Waterloo Bridge, offering a lovely, panoramic view of London. The river you are seeing is the River Thames, by the way.
Here is a better picture of Waterloo Bridge.
Speaking of Vivien Leigh, while we were leaving South Bend's riverside walkway, I noticed a statue of...Laurence Olivier! I couldn't resist it; I had to take some pictures.
On the walk to the grocery store, my new friend and I saw this clothing store. What would Carson say? :)
As we returned home with our grub, we saw literally hundreds of people riding bicycles down the street. It was a sight to behold, truly. I have never seen so many cyclists together at one time. They were blasting rock music as they rode by, too. I don't know what this was for, but it looked fun!
These are all the pictures I have so far! Tomorrow we are having orientation and another, more in-depth tour, and Sunday we are attending a service at St. Paul's Cathedral. Expect pictures galore!
Also, family members, I can chat with you on Facebook chat if you are interested. I'm on Facebook right now and will try to be in the evenings. I will be obtaining a British cell phone tomorrow, and I'll email all of you the number once I have it.
Well, that's all for now! Talk to you later!
Love,
Laura
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