Yay for no jet lag!

I've figured out a practical use for those back-to-back, one-or-two-hours-of-sleep shifts that I love so much... I'm not jet lagged at all. Fantastic.

The plane ride was uneventful, save for the noxious sleep emissions from the guy next to me. I got some lovely shots of the Scottish Highlands and the north of England, including Blackpool. I'd wanted to get shots of Greenland and Iceland but it was still dark while we were flying over... maybe on the way home.

London feels, well, exactly as if I'd never left (not a terribly big surprise). Besides not really knowing my way around much outside zone 3, I do not at all feel like a 'tourist'-- I'm oddly at home here. After going through customs at Heathrow I headed to the tube station... ah, the tube smell! It's comfortingly familiar, in a very dirty sort of way. I can't really explain it but those of you who have been on it know exactly what I mean. The Metro in Paris smells a lot the same only a little more sulfur-y.

Knowing that I would have about three hours between arriving in central London and when I would meet Naomi when she finished with work, I decided to wander around and take photos. The weather is gorgeous here, about 50 degrees and sunny-- perfect. What wasn't so perfect is that I did all this wandering with my backpack on. After a tiring few hours wandering ALL over Westminster, Piccadilly Circus, St. James' Park, the Houses of Parliament, briefly contemplating and then rejecting the idea of taking a ride on the Eye, briefly contemplating and then rejecting the idea of going inside Westminster Abbey (£10?! No thanks), it was time to figure out how to get to Naomi's house. I was pretty sure I knew which tube station to get off at, and I mostly knew where her place was. Turns out I ended up actually needing the offer of help from a very drunk, elf-like man on the bus. He directed me to the proper street and without his help I would have been wandering around for a very long time. Thank you, Mr. Drunk Elf Man.

Naomi indeed has what she calls a 'funny little flat'. I'll spare you the details but we'll just say that the entire upper floor (the bedroom and bathroom) are painted in a peculiar shade of pink. She said I was being generous calling it 'cheerful' as she thinks of it as 'Screaming Pink'.

Today I think I'm going to hit up the Tate Britain museum and wander around some more. In what could arguably be called the most expensive city in the world, I'm very glad for the free museums.

I leave for Delhi tomorrow afternoon...

PS-- I decided not to get a sim card for London for my phone this time around. For those of you who were waiting for the phone number, I'm not going to deal with it until I get to India.