My Trip to the United Kingdom!

I arrived to a drizzly, cold London March 25, 2006 at about 10:30 in the morning (tho' my body said it was 2:30 am). First impressions (beginning with the airplane ride): Wow! English Accents! I loved listening to the different way the English express themselves...including the little things--the steward saying, "Cheers! Cheers!" while throwing away our "rubbish," friends referring to each other as "mate," etc. Once in London, it surprised me how close buildings were to one another! Incredible specimens of 13th century architecture were smack next Victorian buildings which were smack next to Bauhaus structures which were smack next to the most avant-garde architecture of today. Those beautiful old buildings we've seen so many pictures of actually exist...and without too much fanfare...they are just there, everywhere, as part of the city. Also, I noticed lots of people wear scarves! Especially the men. After getting my luggage and attempting to figure out the train system, I arrived at Paddington Station in Bayswater, London, close to Ted's flat. Directly after I dropped off my things, we headed out to ride a ferry down the Thames! You can see a picture of Amy (we taught in Taiwan together and she served as a missionary in London) and Ted (whom Amy taught on her mission. He was our amazing London benefactor!)