Ok so I arrived yesterday at 5am (2pm Aus. time). I was on the brink of total ‘real’ exhaustion. No sleep (except for 1 hour of broken sleep on the plane) since I left Brisbane. So basically no sleep for 30+hrs :s
After getting out of Heathrow and onto the tube (surprisingly easy – just like when I had to train it to uni in Brisbane), I got off at Hatton Cross. From there, all I had to do was walk across the road and 2mins further down the street “straight ahead”. But instead of opening my exhausted eyes, I turned right and travelled, in my trendy boots and billions of kilos worth of luggage, 30 mins in the opposite direction. After a change of shoes (to runners), I decided to head back to the station from which I could see the hotel – was not impressed with my groggy directions.
The weather was surprisingly pleasant. Blue skies with moderate clouding. It was supposedly 6˚ when I arrived but it wasn’t that cold – just... ‘crisp’. It could’ve been all that trekking around though that warmed me up. The wind was the only thing icy but it lacked the biting edge that the Australian winter wind has (which was nice). The sun also didn’t threaten to burn your face off like in Australia, even when not behind the clouds; the sun seemed a little – ‘dull’? (Again, this was quite pleasant).
Anyway after a shower and a quick (& slightly delirious call from the parents) I slept for 15hrs straight. I’ve noticed I’m extremely thirsty too? Six glasses of water per sitting & not having to rush to the toilet after? Talk about dehydration.
Today is all about setting myself up. I am setting up my Oyster card (tube card – like our ‘GO’ card), getting a map of London (& surrounding areas), exchanging money, and contacting people via internet (skype, email, etc). If I have the time (or energy) I will also venture to into London for some sightseeing. If this headache doesn’t go away though, I might save it for tomorrow.
