Oh, London Airports

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So, I flew into London-Gatwick this morning. What a nightmare. We did arrive early, and my first experience with Norwegian Airlines was fantastic - it's got to be the best night's sleep coming to Europe that I've ever had. But everything between getting off the plane and meeting up with Eno was a disaster.

I always figure that the worst part of any trip to Europe is the first few hours - jetlag, getting the phone to connect, crowds... This experience, though, takes the cake. I guess if I hadn't had high expectations for being able to use my American phone in Europe this time, things wouldn't have been so troublesome. But I've been on the ground now for 6 hours, and my phone still hasn't connected. I'm glad they had wifi at Gatwick, so I could get out the word of my arrival to people who needed to know. My dad promises that he's working on the phone issue back in America.

My trashy cheap phone that I bought specifically to get in touch with my European friends works fine, and it has a new SIM card, so you can even call it. Now. Unfortunately, the battery was dead when I put the new SIM card in it at Victoria station, so I couldn't use it for anything. But hey, now I'm at Eno's apartment, where there's plenty of wifi and a place to charge my appliances.

I'm including three photos in this update - the first is the ubiquitous tube map, which is indispensable in London. Some of us have it memorized, and I have it memorized concerning the places I would go. The second photo includes the first sustenance I ate, which I bought at Gatwick: a bag of roasted chicken flavor crisps and an orange juice. I was desperate. Lastly, my favorite grab-and-go place in all the UK is Greggs. Their pastries are scrumptious, and their pizzas will do in a pinch. Graham and I got addicted to these when we last visited Eno, and Jim and I probably overdosed on them 2 years ago in Scotland.

I've enjoyed the time here so far, relaxing and devouring Greggs. We've planned our trip to Cambridge tomorrow, which looks to be loads of fun. That's all I have for today - I'll try to keep it updated as often as possible, mainly so that I can remember everything when I look back on this trip in June.

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Photos

Tube map
Any London traveller needs to have a copy of this (or better yet, memorize it)

First calories in Europe
OJ + roasted chicken flavor crisps on the train

Greggs!
If you're in the UK, you just gotta try this inexpensive little chain bakery

Comments

[Peggy and Ray]

a good start!
enjoyed your first report...looking forward to updates as you enjoy your "holiday".... Best wishes for good weather, safe travel, and new experiences!

[Will Abney]

So far, so good!
Thanks for keeping up with me. Aside from the momentary unpleasantness of my first morning in Europe, it's all been a great time since then. And I think the only thing that might spoil anything at all is the weather - but that's part of the adventure too!

[Lynn and Doug Gatchell]

A good night's sleep!???
Sorry about that dead battery but we were very envious of that good night's sleep on the way over. We've never had one of those. How'd you manage?

[Will Abney]

The "best" doesn't always mean "good"
My seat was in the exit row, so I had more leg room. I also had a "j pillow" with me for the first time - more and better neck support. Plus I took a melatonin not long into the flight, and I had avoided caffeine for about 35 hours before the flight. All that put together meant a decent chance of zonking out and staying out. So, maybe the airplane helped, but I was determined to get some kind of sleep on this flight!