I made it to London

I made it to London. Right now I sit at the womens hostel near the
Earl's Court Tube Station. The flight from Philadelphia to London was
awesome! I got an isle seat, and the seat next to me was empty! I was
able to use the two seats to curl up and sleep almost 4 hours of the 6
hour flight. There was a downside though, since I was sitting in the
middle rows I was unable to see London during landing.

I got off the airplane, went through the boarder control things, and
went to get my luggage. It was almost the last piece to come out, which
is nerve racking. I went to an ATM (aka cash machine) and got my first
amount of pounds. The money is so different. Down to the tube station I
went, I purchased a ticket. The attendant handed me my change through
the window and said "There you are, love, 17 pounds." I had to hold my
giggle. The accent and phrases are going to take some time to get used
to. On the Tube I went, got off at Earls Court, and arrived at my
hostel. I checked in and realized how hungry I was. On the 3 block walk
I saw a Pasty bakery. Amy (a friend from college) said it needed to be
one of my first meals, so I gave it a shot. I choose the chicken pasty.
It was like a dry, enlarged pizza pocket, filled with corn, potatoes and
chicken. I would not call it bad, just very plain.

After lunch I took a shower. The hot water is only available for certian
time periods of the day so it was a very tepid shower. I then took a nap
with the sounds of the London streets coming through my window. I don't
know what I will do next, but back outside I go.

Check out my pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/shannon.bye