(The full photo set from day 2 is at Flickr)

Day 2

I'm not sure what time it is.  I mean, I'm know what time my iPhone says it is.  However, a week and a half ago I was on West Coast time.  Then I spent several days in isolation at home in the DC area shoveling snow.  Now I am in London.  Talking with friends on the West Coast is rather confusing.  There seems to be more and more math involved.  I think I may have lost my circadian rhythm at Heathrow's baggage claim.

The hotel windows are insulated quite well against outside sounds.  This is especially fortunate since there is someone building something with a circular saw nearby.  However, the room doors are not as well insulated against the sounds of the housekeepers talking to each other from between rooms as they work.  Don't they know that their ten in the morning is my nine in the afternoon?

Before I left I saw the forecast for London was unfortunately consistent: rain and cold.  I took yesterday's clear skies as a bonus.  Today however, I awoke to the muted sounds that instinctually tell one that the world outside is wet.  The good news is a co-worker has recommended I pick up a souvenir umbrella from Harrods.  This, and another friend telling me about the basement full of food at the famous department store, will likely be enough to motivate me to investigate.

London is a terribly fashionable city.  WHere you hear the phrase "black is the new black" they're talking about London.

I'm still adjusting to transportation moving on the opposite side from the U.S.  For cars this isn't so much trouble, but for the Tubes (the subway, not the internet) it's a mildly amusing.  I keep looking in the opposite direction, waiting for the train to arrive.

Escalators, however, are the same as the U.S.  Everyone stands on the right and walks on the left.  And they are MUCH better at it that we are in DC.  Line queues to right for the escalator, but leave room on left for people walking, even when there's a huge crowd waiting to get on the right.

Walking is a mess.  There seems to be no rule or convention at all.  People are everywhere.  I thought this might contribute to overcrowding at the stations, where entire stations are often closed and evacuated because of crowds.  Probably not. During rush hour the stations are packed.

Harrods has beautiful window displays, similar to Macy's in NYC.

Harrods food court is impressive and classy.  There is incredible variety.  (more photos here)

I was disappointed that only one person was handing out samples.  I was looking for a free lunch.

Surprisingly, there are dim sum and sushi restaurants in Harrods.  Unbelievably expensive.  And honestly, the fish smell coming from the sushi place was not so good.  

I did find macarons!  This was an unexpected bonus.

However, I was shocked to see a Krispy Kreme.  In Harrods.  First Tokyo.  Now this.  

This is madness!

No. This. Is. KRISPY KREME!!!

Unfortunately, there is nowhere to sit in Harrods, so I went across the street to a Starbucks (there is one on every corner) to enjoy my find.

In the States when we pay for something we often give exact change (or a little over) with our bills to minimize the amount of change we receive.  In countries like England, where one and two pounds are coins, this doesn't work. Not realizing this, I gave the girl at a pub ￡5 and change for a ￡3.20 pint. She was utterly confused. I didn't realize what I had done until she broke out a calculator to do the math. I didn't have a chance to explain until after she handed me my change.  All coins, of course.

I found a beer named after my old friend, John Smith.

At another pub in Camden I was finally able to try Bangers and Mash.  Sausages dropped into a bowl of mashed potatoes and covered with onion gravy.  It was a delicious and heavy as it sounds.  I laughed when they asked if I wanted more gravy.  Later, I took them up on their offer.

I met a friendly group at the pub when I offered my small table to them as I was about to leave. Turns out one of them is a doctor, so we had an interesting discussion about the difficulties as health information becomes more pervasive and accessible. Her friend in the music industry and was very familial with the DC/Baltimore scene. We swapped names of great bands to come out of the area.  I had no idea Bad Brains had their start near DC.  Of course, I added SR-71 and Jimmy's Chicken Shack.  Another person had visited DC and was a fan of the architecture and open spaces.

The Tubes are easy to navigate. I think I'll try the buses tonight though. The group at the pub recommended the Night Bus (buses which run all night) if I'm too jet lagged to sleep. They got quite a laugh out of my saying that Americans have only heard of the Night Bus from… (they even said it at the same time) Harry Potter.

In Chinatown I had a delicious pork bun.

Later I had some very nice Indian "comfort food" at a restaurant, Masala Zone.  The dish was called Gosht Dabalroti.  I also tried an Indian beer called Cobra which, despite it's name was very smooth.  I swear there were hints of vanilla.

After visiting another pub, I went to make my way back to my hotel in Russell Square only to find the queue at Covent Garden Station out of control. Strangely, Leicester Square Station, two blocks away (and up the line) was fine.

Despite the rain, my first full day in London way quite enjoyable.