Hello From London

Hello all,

Alas, I have arrived in London! It was a long and exhausting journey, but I am here and Matt Jordan was able to great me with a smile and a hug. My flights were happily uneventfully, everything went as smoothly as I could have asked for. However, I sat next to a rather large women on my 9 hour flight from Dallas to London, which made it quite difficult to maneuver around. But we had matching Eyewitness Travel books and we were both able to laugh about it. She was on her way to Egypt, I found myself quite jealous of the adventure in front of her and it was interesting to discuss her past travel experiences. I think she was growing rather fond of me until the lady behind us politely asked me, "Is this your mother?" You can just imagine the look on her face, it made the situation a little tense, but at least the insult wasn't against me. :)

Across the isle from me was a very large young man. Every time he stood up and got something out of the overhead compartment his shirt would lift up to his belly button and all I could see was a pot belly gut the size of a small child spilling over his jeans. You can imagine my disgust. We will leave it at that, but I wanted to share a little snapshot of my view on the plane. :) You are welcome.

Once we departed the plane, I headed for customs with my one carry-on and my one personal item. I know it may be hard for many of you to believe, but I was able to pack everything I need in one large backpack (thank you Tony and Deb Lee Toth). I still can't believe it, for a girl I am very proud of my minimalist attitude. If anyone needs lessons, I am happy to help you pack. :)

The lady that sat behind us decided to cling to my side for whatever reason because she was unable to find her way to customs. I pondered her inability since all signs read, "Arrivals" or "Baggage Claim." She then asked if she could follow me to get our baggage and to find the train to Central London. I had to disappoint her by saying I don't need to pick up baggage and I would be taking the underground. I wished her luck because frankly if she can't find her way to customs, how will she ever find her hotel?

So onto the Underground I went, Piccadilly Line all the way to King's Cross Station and then the Circle line to Liverpool Street. I passed through Gloucester Road, where I used to live and it brought back a lot of memories. It felt good to be back on the tube, I miss this city and its excitement. Once I left the underground at Liverpool, Matt was there to greet me. It was great to see him. We caught another train back to his flat. It is a very nice place, very new and clean. I feel very comfortable here already. We walked down to the store and bought some lunch, a baguette, cheese, crisps and a soda . I was quite overwhelmed by the candy isle and I had to convince myself to walk directly by it. I forgot all the delicious candy they have here. I did however buy some digestives (Nicole, I know you are jealous!).

Tonight we are going to dinner at The Living Room in the Piccadilly Circus area. We will meet Michael Gegg and Amit Sidpuhra for dinner, it will be like old times. I am not sure what we will do after dinner, but I hope to fill you all in later.

Next email I will have more to talk about than my flight experiences. I haven't done much in the city yet, so I can only send what I've seen. Miss you all and keep me updated on your lives.

Cheers,

Anna