... the first day ...

so, goodnight gracie it was, at ~8:30 p.m. (truth be told: not much earlier from my normal bedtime) my first night of arrival, which turned out to be a bit of a mistake, methinks: i was wide awake at 1:00 a.m., feeling fully rested from ~four hours of sleep.  thankfully, when it's the middle of the night in london, it's (fairly) early evening in minnesoooooota, and i've got a healthy share of faithful texting companions.  that, and access to late night british soap operas ... i did finally fall back asleep, back into a deep sleep, actually, and did not wake until after 8:00 a.m., a rise time that is completely foreign to me, someone who considers sleeping until 6:15 a.m. "sleeping in."  and even though i "slept in," it still took a fair amount of energy for me to get moving (blame it on the rain).

once up and at 'em, though, game on.  i started the day by getting a better feel for the 'hood.  my hotel is about two blocks from victoria station, one of the major transportation hubs in london (just today, day two, actually, i found an entrance to the underground that is much closer to my hotel than the main entrance i'd been using, which is about 4 blocks away).  the close proximity to the tube is incredibly convenient (thanks, pam h-b!), especially since its probably the only mode of transportation i'll use during my stay here.  anyway .... back to getting a feel for the city ...

pretty much everyone from whom i sought advice re: how to make the most of this grand adventure suggested taking a city tour on the hop on/hop off bus (http://eng.bigbustours.com/international/home.html), a bus that drives around the city, allowing passengers to hop on and off and on again at their delight.  so. that's what i did for the better part of the morning and into the early afternoon, during which time i was able to glimpse the majority of london's most familiar tourist attractions and get a feel for the city.  after the tour, i walked myself to the local grocery store for some (late) breakfast - a chocolate filled croissant (no regrets!) and some yogurt (purposely purchased in an english brand, just so i can say i didn't eat yoplait while i was here).

since it was cold and raining, i decided my time would be best spent indoors: to the british museum i'll go, says i (one of the "must see" places on my list ...).  first, though, i have to figure out where the museum is and the route i'll need to take to get there - a task i completed with relative ease, much to my own satisfaction (you can imagine my delight when the hotel receptionist confirmed the travel route i'd identified).  oyster card in pocket, i set out for the tube and made it to my destination without incident (three cheers for the well drawn tube map and subway signage!). interestingly, the circle and district lines are not running (not until december 30, at least), so everyone has to take the victoria line and make the appropriate transfer to reach his or her destination. the sea of people in which i found myself (the picture does not do the scene justice) as we all tried to make our way to the platform, was pretty impressive, especially when compared to the (almost deserted) platform on my return trip from russell square).

here, the british museum, is where i start getting acquainted with rick steves, well-known travel expert and guide. he, and some other woman (can't remember her name), offer a ~60-minute tour of the museum. why not? and i plug in (glad i decided to carry a spare pair of earbuds in my bag!). the tour is helpful in that it helped me establish a starting point (the rosetta stone - so cool! i wanted to snap a picture, but there were too many people gathered around so i could only get a shot from the back, which is still pretty impressive, i guess) and some of the commentary is informative and interesting, but the tour is punctuated by so many lame jokes and cheeky (not funny) quips that it becomes more of a nuisance than a help to listen. so, i unplug and let my interests guide the rest of my time at the museum. i especially enjoyed the philosophers' exhibits (duh!), the artwork from the parthenon, and the museum ceiling, which i discovered while enjoying a cappuccino (check out the bags under my eyes (that's a lion behind me - not the greatest photographer, obviously) ... yikes!).

before heading back to my hotel, i decide to explore russell square a bit (walking around is hard to resist because london is such an aesthetically pleasing city, at night and during the day).  there is so much to look at - the buildings, the advertisements, the people, the streets ... it's hard to move from block to block without stopping four or five times just to marvel ... 

(sidenote: these red phone booths are everywhere! and i love them!)

back at the hotel, i decide the night is young (and it is, as it's only ~6:00 p.m.) and resolve to take in some theatre. wicked is playing at the apollo victoria, which is only a few blocks away from my hotel. so, i walk over and check at the box office for remaining tickets for the saturday evening show (a perk of solo travel: single seats are fairly easy to come by, according to the woman selling tickets): voila.  and done. and talk about a phenomenal production, too: i did not miss a word!  one of the best parts of the experience, though, was talking to the gentleman sitting next to me, an irishman, who was there with his daughter (a wicked groupie, as she'd seen the show at least 7 times!).

at intermission, he asked what brought me out to see the show (and explained how he'd come to be there, too). when i told him i was visiting the UK/Europe for the first time, he inquired more about my travels, which i shared. we chatted about shakespeare and the joy of seeing the words come to life on stage, and he gave me some tips about places to visit in paris.  we then talked about travel in the united states (several years ago, he brought his family to new york, boston, and florida! and would like to travel the midwest), and he inquired about the "mood" in the states, wondering if people felt optimistic or disenfranchised ... i had a difficult time answering that question, since i am operating in elation and did not want to get too philosophical (that, and we only had about another minute before the second act started).  after the show, he wished me well on my travels; and i thanked him for the chat (my first exchange with someone who was not in the service industry - e.g. hotel receptionist, bartender, etc.), a very nice chat, indeed.

the show ended just after 10:00 p.m. since i had not stopped for dinner beforehand, i thought i might find a place on my way back to the hotel.  but most places in the neighborhood were closed (or closing at 11), so i opted for the grocery store special, which hit the spot and marked a pleasant end to a pleasant day (no, i did not eat the pen).  

(another sidenote: it was well after 2:00 a.m. when i finally went to bed, hours and hours after my normal bedtime, which made getting up this morning a wee bit difficult (7:15 alarm? yeah. right.). could the uk be turning me into a night owl?!?)