Safely in London!

Here I am, safely in London and happy to be here! I got here around 6:30 this morning and with customs and baggage and lines and the train and all, arrived at the hotel around 8 a.m. They let me fill out the paperwork and leave my bags, but it was far too early to check in. No matter. I just wanted to dump the bags, wash my face (and reapply it) and brush my teeth. Then I was off!

The hotel is right by Paddington tube station, so I bought an all-day pass and went to Covent Garden, which I remembered from my last trip to London w/ Heidi. (Actually, everything here reminds me of Heidi and our last trip here, which makes the city especially sweet.)

I walked all around Covent Garden for hours and had a cappucino at a French pastry place in Covent Garden. I pulled a classic Rebecca and walked all around, checking out all the food before finally settling on a place, only to have it not be worth it. I sat and ordered a cappucino and then when it arrived ordered a croque monsuier, but they weren't serving food yet. Argh. Then I called for the check, and they brought the little credit card machine to the table...and you guessed it, it didn't go through. (Not because of anything w/ the card; I've used it other places today; it was just the machine or connection or something.) So then they say that I'll have to pay in cash. Nope. No British pounds. Just USD. No, they need pounds, of course. (That is the currency of this country and all.) So the waitress walks me to a money changer and walks me back. At this point, I'm a little out of sorts and want to be a jerk. Fortunately, I prayed, and she was a sweet, funny young woman from Brazil who misses the sun. We talked about my moving from Texas to Seattle and her moving from Brazil to London and what it's like to miss the sun. So it was fine; plus I got my money changed!

Then I walked all over the whole Covent Garden area, not just the market. It was fun, but I was looking for a bookstore because I wanted to take myself out to afternoon tea, but if I'm eating alone, I like to read (and I'm really tired of the school books on social action research that I brought.) So I never did find one, but I did find an amazing, gorgeous, expensive jacket. Which I bought. It was all of dad's b'day money and part of the Walton's. So thank you, dad and Bill and Judy and Hilary!!! How could you have guessed that I would want a bottle green velvet, knee-length jacket with a funky green print lining and big buttons?! You guys are good... You must have let Hilary choose. :-)

Then I took the tube Oxford Circus because I knew there should be a bookstore there, and sure enough, there was a big Borders. I took forever choosing a book so that it would be late enough to go to tea afterwards. When it was 3 p.m. and I knew that St. James restaurant would be serving afternoon tea, I left the store w/ a nice, simple mystery novel and took the tube to Picadilly Circus, where I walked the wrong way, walked back, consulted a map, and finally asked a police office which of the 29837329875 roads that cross there is Picadilly leading toward St. James park. Once on the right road, I found the place easily. It is in a huge, swanky department store that contains 3 restaurants. St. James is on the 4th floor and has a grand piano and aqua couches pulled up to tiny tables and waiters who are in ankle-length black aprons with black pants and white dress shirts. I was STARVED at this point, so I ate all of the afternoon tea: tiny cucumber sandwiches and egg sandwiches and pickle-and-veggie sandwiches and scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam and a tiny lemon sponge cake that was only 2 (ladylike) bites and a tiny tart topped with raspberries. Plus a glass of champange, bottle of sparkling water, and pot of earl grey. (I was thirsty!)

On the way back I stopped at St. James market and got something for Hilary's Christmas. (Wheeee, I'm so excited!) Plus, a pair of earrings for myself. The earrings are amber studs set in silver, but they are a lovely green. I hadn't realized that amber came in green, having only seen the brown and golden colors before. I was sorely tempted by yet another jacket (this one a white cotton Asian-inspired one) but came to my senses before purchasing it.

I'm back at the hotel and checked in now. My feet are swollen from another night on a plane and then walking all day, so I'll shower and sleep with them up. The hotel is...plain but safe and fine. It's a good sized room with a full bed and a twin bed, plus a very tiny table and 2 chairs and very very tiny vanity with stool. It has a private attached bath that is clean and sufficient though remarkably small. If you sit on the potty and swing your legs to the side, they are in the shower. If you swing your legs to the other side, you can't. That's the sink. And that's the whole bathroom. But, again, it's clean and private and has hot water. That's all I'm going for here. Okay, better sign off and start charging my camera. Big sightseeing day with Carrie tomorrow! She arrives tomorrow around breakfast time and says to be ready to hit the ground running. Yay!!!