I've Arrived!!

Hi All!!

I have have arrived in England and in one piece thankfully!! :) The flight was long and I had come down with a nasty cold before heading out which always tends to make traveling a bit more exhausting!! The flight wasn't so bad, I was well stocked with flu/cold meds to help ease my symptoms as I didn't want to become "too popular" amongst my fellow travelers! :) I sat next to a nice elderly Norwegian couple who were very interested in me and my travels. The 11hrs to my connecting flight in Iceland went relatively quick. Watched a movie, chatted with my neighbors and tried to catch a quick nap in between. The change between flights in Reykjavik was a bit daunting... but Iceland looks absolutely beautiful from the air, another place I wouldn't mind exploring (in the summer!) someday. Once off the plane we had to stand in a huge line to go through security and passport control only to get in another huge line to go through another passport inspection to leave the country. Due to the fact that it was very late according to my clock and that I was probably pretty drowsy with the cold medicine I was getting a little annoyed with all the lines!! It seems like a small airport and they were making the last call for all passengers boarding my plane to Heathrow while I was in line. I was a little worried that the plane would leave without me but they waited I think because most of the people in line waiting to get their passports stamped for a second time were on the same flight as me. But hey, I got Iceland stamped on my passport twice!! Once I got on my plane it was only a short 2.5 hrs flight to England, which I pretty much slept through!! Once I got to the Heathrow airport there was more of waiting in line at passport control. I was a bit worried because I realised that I didn't have my friend Lee's address (whom I'm staying with in England) and even though I am only traveling in England for 3 wks my ticket shows that I fly out in 4 months and I'm not employed but the guy at the boarder control let me in!! He was actually very nice but made me prove that I had a return ticket and credit card. Then I waited for my bag, yes, bag. I am very proud of myself for managing to pack for 4 months and only take 1 bag. This is a huge deal for me!! It started out as three but I am glad that I widdled it down to only one, makes it much easier for sure!! Thankfully Lee was right there to pick me up once I went through baggage claim and customs. I was so relieved to see him because I realized that I didn't have his address or a cell phone. If anything had gone wrong it could have been tricky. Then we drove 40 mins in his van (Europeans drive vans, VWs mostly because it is too expensive to fill up on petrol. It cost Lee $160 to fill up his tank and he said that usually lasts him about a week!) to Basingstoke, where is flat/apartment is, which is a suburb of London. It is a quaint town with a very cute shopping center. Once we settled in we went to the Supermarket to stock up on groceries. Though there are different customary foods here, it really isn't that different than what you would see at home. One thing that I thought was very funny was that you could buy pre-made packaged pancakes. Pancakes aren't traditional here but Lee assumed that I ate pancakes for breakfast every morning. So if you are in England just go to the bread section and you can buy yourself some already made pancakes and heat them up in the oven!! After chilling out at his apartment we went to a local pub and met up with a few of his friends for a pint or two. At this point, I was exhausted!! Between having a pretty severe flu-like cold and being awake for going on 25 hours there were moments that I was so tired it almost hurt. I wasn't much for company at the pub but it was nice to get out. I was desperately trying to stay awake so I could try to get on England's regular time!! My goal was to stay up until 6pm and somehow I managed to stay up 'til 10pm. I finally went to bed at about probably 11pm or so and I think at this point I had been awake for something like 29 hrs (I'm not counting my cat naps on the plane because you're not really sleeping, are you!?) But of course I woke up at 1am, wide awake. I felt like I had been sleeping for something like 8 hrs when in fact it had only been a few hours but there's nothing like some relaxing tunes on the ipod to put a girl back to sleep. Then I was up at 5 am bright eyed and bushy tailed! I'm not sure if it was because of the time change or because of the fact that I was so excited to be in England!! I read a bit in my travel books trying to catch up on the sights to see in England and get a feel for my surroundings!! I really didn't want to wake Lee up since it was so early. Then at about 6am I mossied down and watched some local news, again trying to get acquainted with my new surroundings! *74* seemed to be the magic number! It has been the driest summer in England in 74 years! Also an Englishman had been selected by FIFA to reff the World Cup finals in futbol. The first time in 74 years!!

We then went to Winchester which used to be the capitol of England so there was a lot of history there!! We went to the Great Hall which is all that is left of the castle that used to be there. Now that all that is left of the castle are small ruins and bits and pieces. The great hall was built in the 11th century and was where the king used to hold important meetings and where the king and queen would dine. It also housed King Arthur's round table. I took lots of pics and will post those later. Then we walked along looking for the tourists information center. Lee wanted to show me the oldest pub in England, although it is a joke that every city in England claims to have the oldest pub in England!! Once we picked up the brochure we got a delicious bite to eat in a "posh" pub. I would like to try some of the local food here but it's things like fried ox tongue and blood sausages. Lee confided in me that even the local English don't eat that stuff so I felt off the hook!! Working our way back to the "oldest pub" in England we stopped at the Winchester Cathedral which was absolutely breathtaking!! I love the architecture of the cathedrals in Europe and the history here is mind blowing!! We lucked out on the day we chose to visit the cathedral because there was an orchestra symphony practicing. To hear that music while touring the cathedral really set the ambiance of the whole experience. It was almost eerie but in a cool way. Like all cathedrals in Europe the masonry that went into all the details of the structure of the building were mind boggling!! Again, I took pictures and will post them so you can see. It was a very old cathedral again, built in the 11th century. The detail in the stain glass windows and stone sculptures and decorations were really amazing!! One highlight for me at this cathedral was (again we were lucky by chance) that they were having a Jane Austen exhibit. Jane Austen's father was a priest at the Winchester Cathedral and she was buried here. I was able to see where she was buried and the gold commemorative plaque that was placed by her brother. I also got to see some of her original books on display. Very cool!! Then we made it to the oldest pub in England. It really is only part of a pub now. The oldest part was built in the 11th century and the "newer part of the pub that was added on was built in the 16th century. Kind of made me laugh that "newer" is 16th century! But the old bar had very low plank ceilings and was dark. You could really imagine what it was like back in those times. The ceiling planks were made out of an old ship and had the wear and tare of the sea on them. Again, very cool. So Lee and I had taken in a lot of history that day and thought we well deserved a few pints. :) Very nice first day in England.

The next day we drove to Exeter, which is in the county of Devonshire located in the southwest of England. It was about a 2 hr drive from Basingstoke. I really enjoyed seeing some of the countryside of England. It is really beautiful here!! Gorgeous rolling hills and plats of farm lands boarded by shrubbery!! Although it has taken some getting used to (being a passenger) driving on the other side of the car/road. Whenever Lee would pull into a parking area I was always thinking that he was pulling into on-coming traffic and whenever we go to get back into the van I always instinctively try to get into his driver's side. Along the drive we passed through some beautiful forests which really remind me of the NE of the U.S. We also drove past Stonehenge!!! Lee promised that we would stop and let me have a better look when we go back to his beach cottage next week!! It was a friend's birthday which is why we went down to Exeter. They all are a very nice group of people and I quite enjoyed myself. I was still a little out of it but they were patient with me. It was very interesting to hear them talk about world politics and the economic state of England. They also had fun asking me questions about America but were mostly interested in what TV shows we watched :) The following day we walked into the town of Exeter. It is a busy bustling town with a lot going on! There was a lot happening down at the queae (sp? pronounced key, which is basically an inner harbor) There were some sort of traditional rowing contests going on which was being taken very seriously and was entertaining to watch. The inner harbor was lined with craft shops like wood working and glass blowing and also many restaurants and pubs. We grabbed a bit to eat and walked around in the city center. Thank god there is a Starbucks in every city because iced coffee is unheard of in England and with it being so hot and all, I really enjoy my iced coffee!! The walk to and from the town was about 3 miles each way and it really was a lovely stroll. Walking along a canal and through the park. Really quite lovely.

Now we are back in Basingstoke and having a bit of a relaxing day. I feel a little guilty because I feel like I should be trying to see as much as I can while I'm here but I also feel like I need to take advantage a rest up a bit. London is next!!

Oscar Wilde said, "The English have really everything in common with the Americans-except, of course, language." I love the English accent and Lee and I have really been having a laugh at how we say things differently. There's a lot of, "are you with me?" to make sure we are on the same page, it can be hilarious at times!!

That's all for now.