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i have arrived in the uk safe and sound!

here was the scene at my gate at the atlanta airport: 40+ american high schoolers, all wearing red jackets, embarking on a chorale trip to europe. AND THEY WERE ON MY FLIGHT. in the airport they were doing all the things that high schoolers in big groups do - play big games of cards, laugh too loud, play volleyball with a balloon and then proceed to scream when the balloon pops. every person at that gate who wasn’t with the group was thinking one thing: SHIT. other than taking a million years to board, the kids actually appeared to sleep through the flight, so the potential catastrophe of laughing/talking/singing on the plane was avoided. whew. i sat next to a really nice british guy and his two sons and i slept off and on during the flight. when we landed in london i was exhausted, though, because sleeping in an upright position isn’t the best sleep. i mean, obviously. but i have persevered - i showered and went on a walk, bought a ticket to see the matinee of billy elliot tomorrow, visited van gogh and monet and degas in the national gallery, had a meal, and i’m now resting a bit before i go to the pub across the street to watch the football (look at me practicing my british english) match at 7:30pm my time / 2:30pm your time.

i’m reminded already of my biggest complaint about being a woman and traveling alone: i don’t feel very comfortable walking around after dark. and granted, it doesn’t get dark until pretty late here, but i found last year when i was traveling - and i continue to find - that i make my evening plans around locations that are close to my hostel. i might have gone to see billy elliot tonight, for example, but getting home at 9:30pm or so from a location a ways away makes me nervous, as it probably should. so matinee tomorrow and football watching tonight. YAY HOORAY FOR FOOTBALL WATCHING.