What the Deuce?!--Day Two

Today was my first full day in London. I am still feeling pretty jet-lagged, but I am told it will pass eventually. My morning started off with a two-hour walking tour of the neighborhood (Kensington and Chelsea, both Royal Boroughs because Queen Victoria was born here in Kensington Palace). We saw the London Study Centre (our common meeting spot), Metrogate House (the location of our computer lab), and Heythrop College (where we will be taking our classes).

Class starts for me on Tuesday. I am lucky to have class only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, meaning a very long five-day weekend, which I might be thankful for very shortly. Obviously, I want time both to sight-see and to do my assignments well. We had lunch at a restaurant in London specializing in Middle Eastern food with a few British and American favorites on the menu (namely, fish and chips and hamburgers). I opted for a fried mixed vegetable pita. It was a decent meal. My main concern was the money. I am hoping to find a cheaper supermarket than Waitrose so my friends and I can pack lunches and plan more elaborate dinners (instead of living on cereal, dried fruit, and granola bars for 10 weeks). After lunch we explored the area around Cromwell Street before our first orientation at the London Study Centre. The program leaders informed us about the Tube and other modes of transportation and debriefed us a little on life in London, strongly advising us to watch out for our physical well-being during these first two weeks. The orientation ended about 90 minutes earlier than I expected, so I was able to get a cheap phone from T-Mobile (for emergencies ONLY). I'm having a little trouble as far as my electronics go. My computer is fine with the adapter, but it looks like I need a converter for my hair dryer and hair straightener. I've heard it's cheaper just to buy British models, so I think I'm going to make a trip to the chemist's on Monday to see if they sell such appliances at reasonable rates. I'm not too keen on the amount of money I've been spending, but I'm sure my pace will slow once I get more adjusted to life here.

On a more positive note, I'm really enjoying seeing all of the beautiful apartments and buildings here. Today on our tour, we went to the rarely-open Roof Top Garden off Kensington High Street. It was a real treat. I guess Prince Henry parties at the club near the garden. We also saw Kensington Palace (sorry, there were too many people to get a good picture). Another favorite of mine was the former apartment of T.S. Eliot, tucked into a cute side-street near Kensington Square.  I must say that I love London's green space. About 1/6th of the city's area is devoted to parks and gardens, which reminds me a lot of Minneapolis (well, that and the unpredictable weather).

Now, I have a few things to take care of before tomorrow's big all-day tour of Central London--Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, the Olympic Stadium, and much more! I'm looking forward to finally seeing the heart of this great city! Cheers for now!

And today's pictures are... (drum roll, please!)

The view from our apartment.

The side-street on which T.S. Eliot once lived (it leads to Kensington Square off Kensington High Street).

A narrow stream of sorts in the Roof Top Garden

Some nice flowers in the Roof Top Garden

The garden has flamingos! Talk about being out of your element...