Made it to London

So I made it safely to London. I left RDU at 2:30 PM, arrived at JFK, left JFK at 12:15 AM, arrived at Heathrow at 11:30 AM, didn't land until 12:00 PM due to circling the airport (don't you love how time zones mess up your calculations of how long you actually flew - it was a 6 hour flight going across 5 time zones).

After I got here, I went through customs (went very quickly, which surprised me), caught an express train to Paddington Station (yes, like the bear). Then I caught a taxi to where I am staying, in the Kensington district of London - I was told it is the richest part of town, and that people pay a lot to live here. It is a little cramped for space; rooms are small but hold 3 people, the hall is about 3-4 inches wider than a person, so 2 people can't easily pass; they have to contort themselves around each other, and the kitchen is small (but fully equiped, so I can cook for myself (no meal plan here).

I took a tour of the local area today, not an official tour (that is tomorrow) but a tour of places I need to know about - where my London classes will be held, where I need to go to get food, how it is a good idea to walk aways and get out of the rich district before trying to find food, since it will cost less there.

My final actions for today, after the 'tour' concluded, was to go to the V&A (Victoria and Albert) museam. It holds a collection of artifacts from different periods in history, including some beautiful art pieces. I am going to try and upload the pictures here; and if not here, to flickr ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/34125648@N08/sets/72157612158152367/ ) so you know what I am talking about. The only real conclusion I have made is that in the 1600's/1700's, furniture making (really any manufacturing) was an art. Since all pieces were made by hand, the degree of craftmansship is amazing - tables layered with silver, marble statues of the crussifiction,






















an ornamental 'vase' decortated with beads (someone took the time to string beads for a 'vase' taller than me, and created artwork with the patterns)






















Finally, a piece of advice for anyone else who may be studying abroad - if at all possible, pack less than your body weight - I packed somewhere between 150-180 lbs of stuff, because I have to stay for 5 1/2 months in different climates. It is awful to try and transport that much stuff around by hand!