First Week in London

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Hi all,

Welcome to my travel blog. I'll be updating when I feel appropriate (possibly frequently), and, if I get around to buying a camera, I may add some pictures. I'll also include advice for students thinking of studying in London or the UK as it can be hard to come by.

I arrived in London Sunday morning. The flight was easy enough: on both legs I sat by a student (one of whom will be at LSE with me), and both flights were under booked so there was some room. The layover in Iceland was short but interesting. The airport felt very Ikea (I think this was due to the prevalence of glass and concrete in it's construction. Heathrow was not nearly as clean or aesthetically pleasing, and customs was a good half mile walk from our gate. The line was small and I didn't get stopped after they stamped my passport.

Fast forward through a few days of jet lag and train rides.

I've found London to be to my liking. LSE is in a great location, and truly is an easy walk to any sort of shop and many a pub. It is a few blocks from the river, and the campus is adjacent to King's College, so there is an abundance of youth. The mass transit here works wonderfully, and there are good discounts for students. The costumer service is a different story entirely: if you come to study, plan on spending at least half of the first week in queue (line) for one thing or another.

Here's an example: after researching, I went to a bank to open an account. I stood in the queue of the main lobby for 15 min before being directed to the queue for students in the back. After waiting for another 20 min I scheduled an appointment to set up an account on Saturday. In order to prove my residence, I had to type an address on the LSE website then print a page with the address on it and get it stamped (another 20 min wait). If this seems silly, that's because it is. The good news, though, is that you meet several new students in the various queues.

That's all for now. Let me know if you have questions, and feel free to comment.

Cheers!
phb

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Comments

[Carlye]

:)
Paul i'm so jealous of you! it sounds like a good trip so far! can't wait to hear more from ya. i'm missing ya back here in IC :)

[Harold]

Have you
Have you seen Harry Potter's kids flying about anywhere yet? Does it feel odd to be a muggle in the land of magic?

[phb]

Potter
Actually, there are spots that were in the films all over the city. I've been by some, and it's something that all the tour guides point out.