Day 1 in England

Around 10 o'clock Sunday night Sarah and I departed from British Airways on our way to England for a 2 1/2 week tour around the UK. It was only 3 short hours later that the toddler diagonal from us woke up the plane with his sobbing and screams. The lack of sleep hasn't hit us too hard yet. We took a nap after we arrived at our hotel around noon (London time.. that's 7 am US) and woke up for our first round of adventures. I did take a short pretzel outing with Laura and we sat in a big public park that we thought would make a great foreign substitute for our JMU quad.

We all gathered together for a brief meeting before heading out to Picaddilly Circle. A few described it as the "times square" of London. As we were strolling along, we spotted a crowd of excited paparazzi and fans of the show sex and the city and soon learned that the premier was happening right there for their new movie. We failed at getting a glimpse of them, but were amused none the less. Sarah, Jess, Stacy, and I all headed out on our own adventure there after, beginning with dinner at a place called "Guy's and Doll's." They had pink and black styled furniture and it was rather modern. I ordered "fish and chips" as this seemed like a good way to start off a trip to London. Afterwards, we made a few hops along the "tube" and made our way to Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster abbey. We also had a good view of the London Eye. We walked around to these sights snapping pictures and gawking at the fact that we are now in LONDON!!! Sarah and I went on a quest for adapters (which I found!) and settled into the lobby with ice cream and my computer to send some messages home. My eyes are quickly drooping and I'm looking forward to my pillow once more!

In sum, I am here on a trip with JMU, earning a graduate elective credit in Children's British Literature. My previous read teacher is the instructor and she is fabulous! =) She has a wealth of knowledge about everything children's literature. Before coming home, I will be taking a short trip to Denmark to visit two dear friends I met a couple years ago on the last JMU abroad trip I took. As the trip and adventures unfold, I will attempt to post my reflections and updates here when I am able to access the internet. Hope you all are well! I will see you in a few weeks!