Jet Lag

April 29, 2010

We got in to London this morning at about 7:00 in the morning after flying through the night. It was a direct flight from San Francisco which was really nice because we only travelled for about 9 hours as opposed to the great delays caused by layovers. Despite being worn out from the flight, we were energetic because, we were freaking in LONDON! Customs, border control and baggage all went lickety-split and before you know it, we were riding the tube into London to search out our future flats (even though we won’t be able to move in for a week.) We navigated out way to Hyde Park with all our luggage in tow, and in my case on my back. It was a little rough going to be honest because the tube station isn’t exactly next door to the flats. The weather was really nice though. After finding the flats, we made our way to Wimbledon, first on foot to the tube, then on foot again after getting off at Wimbledon. We went to a local library and got a printout map of the area and to look for the family that we’re staying with. By the time we arrived there, it was past noon. So, we basically walked from 7:00 am to 12:00 noon non-stop. Between the flight and the walking with all our luggage, we were totally beat. But, then we met Janice. Janice is the aunt of one of Michelle’s friends. She is 70 years old and a wonderfully hospitable woman. I’m literally twice her height, and more than twice her weight. She showed us around the house which is so quaint, lovely and really well kept. She had a pizza waiting for us in the oven that she invited us to as well, so we were just really feeling lucky. Of course, we couldn’t have pizza without tea, since we’re in England after all. After chatting with Janice and her daughter in law Tu, from Thailand, we cleaned up a bit and went for a walk to try to stay awake and get over jet lag. So, we discovered all of Wimbledon, yes the famous tennis crazy Wimbledon, by foot. We got a pay-as-you-go cell phone and checked in with parents for a bit. We stopped in a nice little park with a pond to rest for a bit and wandered into some of the shops. Michelle was especially taken with a vintage dress shop that was really fun. We got back to Janice’s house and met her husband Albert and neighbor Ray. They were really fun to talk with over tea and biscuits. Being as tired as we were, we only made it until about 9:00 when we checked emails, brushed our teeth and passed out.