Houston, The Eagle Has Landed

Well, it’s really London, and it was more of a 767 than an Eagle…

At any rate, I arrived here a bit after 11am. The drive to the airport was hell. Apparently an accident on I-285 which backed up 400 more than normal. Then all the Cobb countians tried to go down 400 and bang a U onto I-75 north, which backed up 400 under the financial center all the way to the exit to I-75 on the connector… I was ready to cry. It took me nearly 2 hours to make it 20 miles. Luckily I had plenty of spare time and the rest of the drive wasn’t bad, but it left me quite flustered by the time I got to the airport. I couldn’t remember if I had everything or not when I took it out of the car and I keep having to remind myself that I did test the doors to insure they were locked…

Anyway, Delta doesn’t begin to compare to British Airways, and the plane was not as nice, but on the positive side, I like the later flights. I actually slept some on the way here because I was tired and it was so much closer to my normal sleep time. Getting in later may have left me a little less time to do stuff today, but I’m not missing it. The first day is always walking dead anyway.

I went to the Imperial War Museum after checking into the Hostel. Quite an amazing place, this museum, but more than I can handle in such a large dose. I made it through WWI and WWII barely. I didn’t look at every single exhibit, but I got the highlights. The trench warfare exhibit was unbelievably real, or at least as close to real as I can imagine not having any actual experience. I didn’t make it past WWII into the other exhibits. The Holocaust exhibit upstairs is supoosed to be first rate, but I just didn’t think I could take it. My attention span was already shot and I was hungry. So, I jumped the Tube up to Piccadilly, had dinner (or lunch or something – who knows) up here at Burger King (yes, my normal) and now a little e-mail and updates here in the net cafe downstairs.

I think next is either going to see a production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest at the Globe Theater OR the National Portrait Gallery. There’s only one more chance to see the Tempest while I’m here, and that’s Sunday. Otherwise, I see Pericles (sp?). The weather is one factor as the show is at Shakespeare’ Globe, which is open to the weather. It is raining tonight, but the weather is the same Sunday, so it looks like more a question of which I’d rather do tonight… The other factor of course is that I’m still somewhat tired.

Yes, it’s raining. Yes, there’s only a couple of days in the forecast NOT for rain. But it’s London, what do you expect? I had unbelievably good luck my first trip here to not have rain and to, in fact, come during a heat wave. And least it’s not payback (yet). It’s a very fine mist. Such to the point that I have not even bothered to pop out the umbrella or even put on the hood on my jacket. Neither do the locals.

Okay, well, I think now it’s time to head off either in search of something to fill the time until Tempest or for the National Portrait Gallery!