Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

I arrived with blood shot eyes a little before 7:00 AM this morning. My flight was fairly enjoyable. Well as enjoyable as it can be sitting in coach. The plane was only 40% full. I tried in vain to get upgraded to business class but wasn't too disappointed to have an entire row to myself. I managed to get about an hour of sleep on the plane. I never have much success sleeping on planes without the assistance of pills or booze or a combination thereof.

I breezed through British customs. Their embarcation document is a small, four line form. The U.S. documentation is much more detailed. It took longer to exchange my money than it did to pick up my luggage and walk through customs. I kept wondering if I missed a step. "Surely, it's not that easy in a Post 9/11 world to enter a country." If I missed something I am sure they will find me. I was just happy to arrive overseas with my luggage. Some of you might remember me being without a change of clothes for a couple of days after I arrived in China due to misrouted luggage.

From the airport I hopped aboard the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station. The express train is very clean, fast, comfortable and affordable. The trip from Gatwick to Victoria takes about 30 minutes. I think the ticket was 20 pounds or about $36.00. With the dollar being so weak right now, trips to Europe can be somewhat expensive. I was staring out at the English countryside for about 10 minutes when the food trolley came by. I felt like I was on my way to Hogwarts.

After arriving at Victoria Station I hailed a Hackney Carriage aka London Cab to take me to my hotel. I find taxis interesting. In my previous travel logs I wrote about the high tech taxis of Tokyo and the no tech taxis of Beijing. London Cabs are unique. It seems to be a cross between an antique car and furniture. The back seat consists of a leather three seater bench with two parallel jump seats. Luggage is stored in the cabin with the passengers since there is no trunk. The manually operated windows do not roll down, but have handles to pull them down. By the way, this is my first trip to London, but my second time in a London Cab. I worked for a dotcom that purchased a London Cab for advertising purposes. Chances are that was the first and only London Cab ever to roam the streets of Atlanta. The doors have an auto locking mechanism with a red LED indicator to inform the passenger that the door is locked. They high tech LED looks out of black in this horseless carriage.

I arrived too early to check into my room. They allowed me to store my luggage in the bellhop's closet. I decided I would explore the neighborhood until my room was available. I found a pancake shop around the corner. Hmmm...what to have for breakfast. I stared at the chalk written menu for a few minutes. All of it sounded tasty to my empty stomach. They offered sweet or savory pancakes in addition to a hosts of other side items such as sausage, bacon, and other recognizable fare. I ordered a sweet pancake with Nutella and a side of bacon. What came to my table wasn't a pancake, but a crepe. Yum-me! A crepe filled with Nuttella and served with a side of pig. That was tasty. The bacon wasn't as salty as its American cousin, but hey....it's still bacon.

After breakfast I walked a couple of blocks to the British museum. I will write more about the museum later. If you are in London it is a must see.

I just woke up from a five hour coma like sleep. I will write more later, but for now I am going to meet a friend of mine for a pint at the pub.

Cheers.