Saturday 27 December 2008

I Have Arrived!


Hello everyone reading this! I am alive, well and in London! Hoorah! (Yes look at me in the photo looking like a red-nosed fool outside Buckingham Palace. Hopefully the photos of my travels will get more attractive as we go on - no guarantees though)

Look how organised I am starting this blog within days of my arrival - oh the things you can accomplish when you are terribly jet-lagged and therefore awake at 5 am London time... I shall continue to type my days and my findings - mostly weird stuff... as I go on!

Right! The trip over! Well customs were all very lovely when I left Addie, Liam, Paul and Robin with a tear stained face as I was constantly asked if "I was alright" and "what's wrong?". That's the key to getting through customs - cry! Eventually jetted off to Singapore - the flight felt like it took ages when we had only been on it for about 3 hours. Ended up watching 'Mamma Mia'. Sigh it was... nauseating - Sorry Ali, Brodie and Bella! - I just couldn't stomach the main character. Anywho we arrived in London without a hitch and were forced to rattle around the Changi airport for 4 hours getting very tired as it was reaching midnight Aus time. So we found a solution - a pedicure! Haha comfy chairs, hot tea and foot massages. Time eventually passed and we boarded the plane to London which had none other than Kylie Minogue on board (I found out from the very lovely chatty young man sitting next to us). So there I was somewhat star struck for a while. Nodded off and got a record 8 hours sleep so I only had to withstand 5 hours of 'The Mummy 3' - terrible, 'Kath & Kim' and 'Looking for Alibrandi'. Coming into land, seeing all the beautiful lights below, we were descending and then suddenly I felt my stomach drop as we went down...and the up. Roaring back up into the sky I nervously looked out the window waiting to see an oncoming plane (I am NOT an optimistic flyer). As we levelled on the Captain said "We were unable to land as another plane was still on the runway so I decided to make another loop. Not the most common procedure but I felt it was necessary". The man next to us then said "Yeah, that was a polite way of saying we almost died!". We did land! We are alive! Got through customs at London without a hitch - wasn't crying - but the man was nice and wasn't deterred by the fact that I was staying for 6 months and studying. Got our bags nice and quick and proceeded into the black, zero degree abyss that is London at 6am.


Arrived at the hotel to have a quick shower and throw on every piece of attire that I owned only to STILL feel cold later that night. Mum and I ventured out at 9am to witness the sunrise (I kid you not) and swan about town. We caught the tube to Oxford Street and had a squiz at the 'sales' - lots of junk not really marked down that much which is surprisingly similar in Australia I find...hmmm. Went into my favourite store - Hamley's the "finest toys in the world". I just so happened to buy myself a travelling companion who I have named Mabel. We then decided to walk back to the hotel as the sun was setting - about 3pm I think. Walking was difficult as I was gradually becoming unable to feel my toes, fingers or face which made talking interesting so we ducked into the National Gallery for two main reasons - it was free and it was warm. I think everyone else had the same idea as it was crowded and the paintings consisted mostly of fat naked rich people which I would think would only appeal to a remote group of... perverts. We then power-walked to a pub where I had my first half-pint of Strongbow. Had dinner, went back to the hotel, asleep at 6pm London time.

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