First day in London

We landed in London and met with our guide, Simon Cole. Cool guy.

We had no problems with customs, though people did worry over-much that their bad handwriting on the form we had to fill out would get them deported. I couldn't convince them that if they'd let someone with handwriting as bad as mine get in, no one else needed to worry.

We took a bus across London, past Parliament, Big Ben, The Tower of London, London Bridge, The Old and New Tate Museums, etc. We dropped our bags at the hotel and headed out quickly before everyone fell asleep. We took a train (the new, automated DST variety) back into the City of London (a distinct political entity within London, essentially the old city, now the financial district). We walked for about a half an hour, familiarizing ourselves with the nature of crosswalks in a country where pedestrians do NOT have the right-of-way. We made our way to a restaurant called The Center Page where most of us had traditional fish and chips. I hate to say it, but,though they were good, they weren't the best I've ever had (beat Burgerville on ambiance, but not on taste).

The evening's high drama: Chris' sinuses, irritated by all the dry air in the planes, gave him a really bad bloody nose and he spent all of dinner a bloody mess in the bathroom. At least Jeff and I could take turns so we could eat while one of us kept him company. Just as we began making calls to clinics he finally stopped bleeding, but he and I didn't go to the London Eye as planned, just to be safe.

Most of us came home to go to bed. Jeff took a contingent of kids to the Lindon Eye, though he didn't ride it himself. It's tough to get a claustrophobe to voluntarily climb into anything called a capsule, no matter how large.

A bunch of us GLs (Group Leaders) sat down with Simon to hammer out the plans for the next few days. Then I took these last few notes and did a room check. I found a bunch of the guys playing cards and told them to finish the last hand before heading back to their respective rooms. I waited and looked over te shoulder if a student who shall remain nameless. He held seven or eight wild cards and one Draw Two. sean challenged him and found a stack of cards hidden under his leg. Yep: cheating at Uno!

No free internet in the hotel, but there's a pub here across the street.

Oh, and it turns out there's no Mountain Dew in the entire Kingdom! Probably by royal edict.

It's been fun to overhear the rich conversations here in the pub, including one older man trying to convince a younger one to never get married or have a family. Paige and Noah, I want it noted I seriously considered interrupting to come to the defense of the institution. I do like how folks here refer to each other as "mate" and "luv", even when bashing their own families.

Speaking of irony, there's a production of "Waiting For Gadot" starring Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, but I won't get to see it. So I guess I'm still waiting for that.