June 19, 2009

London Day 1: the Plane & the Bus

Autumn drove me to the Groome yesterday at 4, and I have not stopped since. I’m finally in London, after what amounts to a nine-hour plane ride where I was seated in the middle, and a one-hour bus ride to finally get to lunch, a brief meeting, a short shopping jaunt, some (awful) dinner, and finally some computer time.

The actual travel part sucked: I just don’t like planes. The bus ride into London was cool. Our driver was an older chap who used to drive for the royals. He had stories and opinions; we might have heard them all. I managed to take a few shots from the bus. He dropped us at Astor College where the students have their dorms, then we had a lunch at the cafeteria. I’m glad it was free. We had a short meeting to distribute Oyster cards and other assorted goodies. I got a new phone today that turns out to be relatively cheap to use for calling home. It’s even a Sony Ericsson, so it doesn’t suck. If you want my number here, send me an email.

After our meeting, Mark showed the students around the neighborhood, and several faculty members and I took our bags to Schafer House to check into our rooms. After chilling for a bit and testing my phone by giving my SSA a call, we walked to Tesco to spend a bit of our £25 grocery allotment for this week. I bought a four-pack of Boddington’s for £3! Beer is cheaper here in London. I also stocked up on some other staples, like bananas, apples, pita, hummus, and water. I need to remember to get soap tomorrow.

Currently, I’m drinking a Boddington’s, munching some pita and hummus, and getting ready for some well deserved sleep. The students are going on a photo scavenger hunt, and if the weather’s right, I’m sure I’ll be right there with them. Speaking of weather: it’s gorgeous here today—in the seventies and partly cloudy. Wonderful.

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  Soho, London. From the bus.

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  On the M24 heading to London.

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  Schafer House.

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  My room for the next five weeks.

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  The essentials.

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  Our faculty, excluding me, of course.

In all, a pretty good first day. It’s only gonna get better, though I miss my A.

Canon Camera Information
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT1, Canon EOS 30D, Canon EOS 5D, or Canon EOS 6D • Prime Lenses: Sigma 10mm f/2.8 EX DC Fisheye HSM, Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, or Canon EF f/1.2 85mm L USM • Zoom Lenses: Canon EF f/2.8 16–35mm L, Canon EF 24–70mm L, Canon EF 70–200mm L IS USM, Tokina AT-X 124 AF PRO DX 12-24mm f/4 • Processed with Apple Aperture.