Gotta Be The Good Life

PURLOINING

I even found Disney in London!

London Bridge is falling down...nope it's not, good thing!

There is sunshine here!

Beautiful cathedral

Big Ben!

   Today was our first official day in London. We got a chance to explore the city finally! Yesterday was a whirlwind spent checking into the hotel, napping, and getting our phones set up. Our hotel is absolutely beautiful (props to Hilton and to Ali for getting us the hookup) My only problem is that our internet has been somewhat sketchy which is why I haven't had the chance to write sooner. Our arrival was nearly flawless, with just a few minor hiccups. Upon entering the European Union customs check point at the airport, I was almost not let in because I did not have a visa. I had to explain to the customs officer that for my business in England, a visa is not mandatory since I am a student. After about 15 minutes of more questioning, the officer seemed content with my reasoning and my extensive paperwork that I had shown him. Phew! Since our flight was a red eye overnight, we were exhausted as soon as we checked into the hotel, and our jet lag didn't help with our sleep deprival. All 3 of us American girls decided to save money and stay in a room with 2 double beds instead of getting 2 rooms. Based on our experience in the USA, this would not be a problem...2 queen beds, one of us would sleep alone and the other 2 would share a large bed. However, here in the UK, they only have twin beds in double rooms. Dessi came up with the ingenious idea of pushing the 2 twin beds next to each other so that all 3 of us could fit horizontally on our newly Macgyvered bed. Surprisingly, it was quite a comfortable sleeping arrangement. By the time we finished napping and went to the local mall to get our sim cards for our phones,  whole day was gone, thanks to the time difference. We fit a plane ride, bus ride, and train ride all into 24 hours, it was quite the day for traveling! 
   We also had to exchange our American dollars for pounds, that was an extremely depressing experience...We got so excited when we first made the exchange because the conversion booth gave us 540 pounds in exchange for our combined 600 dollars(they don't charge a commission if you exchange a certain minimum of money.)We were jumping for joy, we weren't going to be as poor as we thought we would be! Nope, wrong. The conversion bank teller chased us down and told us she had exchanged euros for pounds instead of dollars for pounds. She then processed the new transaction and we ended up with 340 pounds. Again, very very sad. We didn't even buy anything but, poof, our money was gone. Guess we will have to really start living like poor college students now. Ramen noodles will be our new gourmet meals! 
   Today was the coldest day I have experienced in all my life!!! We woke up to a very nice full hot breakfast at the hotel, which of course we gobbled up our share and then purloined half of the buffet that remained. Food is so expensive here, we are learning to take every chance we get to have free food and drinks. Our hotel room is currently filled with yogurt, about 10 mini jars of jam, rolls, whole fruit, Babybell cheese wheels, and sandwiches made from bagels and the breakfast meats and cheeses from the buffet. All of our leftover food really came in handy during lunch when we were able to have a lovely free meal! Guess there really is such a thing as a "free lunch!" 
   We are slowly but surely learning our way around the train and tube system. I never in all my life thought that I would have so many transportation options. When traveling, one can choose to take any of the following transportation methods: tube(underground or overground rail), taxi cab, public bus, train, private car, or tour bus. It is wonderful! We have found that the most inexpensive methods are tube, public bus, and train. We finally found a map(and made many friends today) to help us with our train and rail navigation...the whole process can be very tricky for someone who isn't used to public transportation, but luckily the entire system is color coordinated, which helps. If worst comes to worst and you go the wrong way, you can always  hop back on the next train and go the other way! No biggie.
   I don't think I will ever get used to the road system. I am so thankful I will never have to sit behind a wheel of a car over here. Even when crossing the street, we never knew which way the cars were coming, or which lanes were able to turn left and which ones turned right. Some intersections don't even have cross walks so jay walking is inevitable and it is a free for all battle between the vehicles and the pedestrians. We unfortunately do not have the home field advantage...Something else to get accustomed to! 
   I am also quickly learning that I will get looked at like I have 3 eye balls if I say certain American words across the pond. So far my old English lessons have taught me trash=rubbish, bathrooms/restrooms=toilets, thank you= cheers, and don't even think about uttering a "y'all" if you would like to be socially accepted in the UK. This is exactly what I came here for, to learn and try new things! 
   My biggest hangup is the weather. Contrary to popular belief, England does have a sun, and it does shine on occasion, but it is always cold. Not like Florida's idea of cold(anything below 70 degrees.) It is like the arctic tundra here. No amount of clothing can keep you warm when the wind starts to blow. Today was a high of 32. That's right, it was 32 degrees at the WARMEST point of the day. Hopefully my blood will thicken just in time for my to move to the mountainous, and also freezing, Colorado. While out today, we did most of the touristy things. We visited Big Ben and the houses of Parliament(not to be confused with Parliament House in Orlando. ;))  We also took our fair share of photos in front of double decker buses, telephone booths, and pretty cathedrals and monuments that we had no knowledge of. All in all I would say it was a great day. As the song goes "Woke up in London yesterday, found myself in the city near Piccadilly....Oh, this has gotta be the good life, this has gotta be the good life, this could really be a good life, good good life....yes it is ♥ Can't wait for tomorrow...