Wed 1 Aug 2007
Some random thoughts on London
Posted by Matthew under GBSIComments Off on Some random thoughts on London
It's odd being in a foreign country, yet still speaking English. They do talk funny here and it's interesting the subtle differences (the guys in Pulp Fiction were right). They say "way out" for "exit" and "mind the gap" for "don't trip and fall when stepping from the train to the platform").
I like how they have idiot proofed the streets with "look right" and "look left" signs for pedestrians. It's confusing otherwise because, not only do they drive on the wrong side of the street, but there are lots of one way streets that have no sign indicating this.
The air seems dirty. I didn't notice at first, but now have. This explains why I've seen people biking around with face masks on.
The hotel is okay. No A/C, but that hasn't been necessary. It's odd that the small room has a pants press but no alarm clock. The walls are rather thin, but I've been up early enough to not notice much noise. The showerer is excellent with lots of water pressure and very hot.
The weather has been fine- no rain. It's been sunyy to partly cloudy. Cool in the morning, warm in the sun, and cool at night. Similar to home, actually. The tube is often warm to hot, but managable. It seems less humid than I was expecting.
Food portions generally seem smaller than the US and a more acceptable size for me. This also explains the noticably fewer over weight folks that I've seem. While the British are often said to have bad food, everything I've had has been fair to very good.
The city feels very young. Most people look to be about my age. Where did everyone else go? Is it Logan's Run?
The exchange rate really is horrendous. A meal under ten dollars is impossible. A large orange juice at Starbucks costs the equivalent of about 5 dollars.
The days are really long. It's still a little light out after 9pm and it's been light out in the early mornings when I've been up.
Some of the people working at the museums don't seem very friendly. At the British Museum, there were three people at the desk, but only one seemed to really be doing anything (I wanted an audio guide). When I returned the guide the woman asked what I thought. I said that it was okay, but that a lot of the exhibits it was hard to find the number to punch into the guide. Her resposne was just a shrug.
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