Hello, London!

Well, the first day is coming to an end and I don't think I have ever felt this tired.  Today we arrived at Heathrow around 9:30 am (after leaving Newark almost an hour late...) and it was a bit stressful trying to get through customs, but we all made it!  We met up with Professor Perabo, and then to our surprise she told us that our assignment for the morning was to find, and get to our hotel by taking the tube (Underground).

WHAT.

Let me tell you, this was not how I imagined my first moments in London! But, it actually turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would be and the hardest part was staying awake for the time we were riding!  Once we got off at Russell Square (Picadilly Line) we made our way to the Jesmond Hotel, our home for the next 16 days or so.  It is a cute little bed and breakfast and everyone who works here is so friendly!  I love a good British accent.  After settling in, I grabbed some lunch at a little organic market down the road from our hotel with Haley and Rachel, and then we were off on our next adventure of the day: a two hour walking tour around our neighborhood of Bloomsbury.

Oy.

Might I suggest that when you are jet-lagged, hungry and overheated, you do not take a guided tour all over a neighborhood that seems to blend all together.  Just a thought.  Our tour guide Wendy was very enthusiastic, but she could tell that most of us were not too interested because we are all EXHAUSTED!  We all just sort of collapsed after we got back from the tour and we were on our own for dinner tonight. I went to a little place called Fish and Chips with Rachel, Haley, Amanda and Tori and had none other than Fish and Chips!  I have to say, I have had better in the US!  So I will have to search out the best place.

Tomorrow, we are going on the ultra-touristy Double Decker Red Bus tour and I am so excited!!  I will finally get to see all of the amazing places I have only imagined visiting.  I hope central London is ready for the ridiculous amount of photos I'm going to take!  But, for now, it is off to bed and hoping for a great night's sleep so that I am ready to go for our full-on touristy adventure tomorrow!

xx