1/2/09 and 1/3/09 flying to London and first day

Got up at 8am and left with Nate to the airport a little after 10am. We got to the Philly airport around 2pm and had to wait for almost 2 hours before we could even check in. We got some food and hung around until we got on the plane at 6:50ish. I was kind of nervous as the plane was taking off because it was only my second time ever flying, and the first time was a trip to Disney World in Florida when I was 7 or something. The flight went fairly well, although my nose was irritated from the really dry air in the plane. I drifted in and out of sleep for most of the flight while listening to music. They served us dinner and breakfast mid-flight and the food wasn't too bad.

From London - January

We arrived at Heathrow around 1am PA time, which was 6am local London time (+5 hours). We had to go to baggage claim and wait for everyone so we didn't leave the airport until almost 8am local London time. Got to the flats and had a long orientation and all I wanted to do was sleep because I was so wiped out, being up for so long.

From London - January

After unpacking I took a quick nap. The flats are in a great location, with only a 5 minute walk to hyde park and oxford street. However, the flats are kind of old and some stuff is in need of repair, my bed is pretty uncomfortable, and I want to find a foam mattress topper to make it more comfortable. The sinks are weird in that the hot and cold water come out in separate streams, so your one hand is burning hot while the other is freezing cold. Whoever thought that was a good idea is an idiot.

From London - January

Then we had to head to Picadilly circus via the tube to get to the restaurant at 4:30pm for our welcome dinner. It was a little confusing using the Tube for the first time, but we figured it out without too much trouble. We had to buy day passes because our student Oyster cards haven't arrived. The restaurant was nice and I ordered salmon for my dinnner. I usually don't like seafood, but the salmon was tasty and the side of mash (potatoes) was decent. We headed back on the tube and then I passed out in bed after some more unpacking.