The flight was delayed an hour, so it was a little longer than it was supposed to be. Air India has received bad reviews, but I think everything went smoothly for me. They gave everyone pillows and blankets and quite a bit of food. There were a lot of empty seats, and what were left was mostly Indians on the plane. I managed to sleep some on the plane, but my right ear really started to hurt on decent. It took a few hours to get better.
Once I landed, I realized I forgot to write down the name and address of the place I was staying at. I knew the general location, so I tried to get as close as I could. So I took the London Underground (subway or tubes), some trains, and then I got stuck and couldn’t find the last train station to get me there, so I ended up walking the last 3 miles or so. I also found a wireless hotspot and got the address.
On the way, I stopped at the National Maritime Museum & Royal Observatory, in Greenwich. I was able to stand on the 0° Longitude line, and walk over both the western and eastern hemispheres of the world. I ate at Wing Wah Buffet in Greenwich and it was probably the worst Chinese food I’ve ever had. So pretty bad first impression for food in England, but I guess the country isn’t known for its food.
After checking in, I finally figured out the train situation (my room is a nice 25 minute train from the center of London). So I headed to the middle of the city and went to the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, some of the many free museums. By the way, no photography rules inside all the museums I went to today, so not many photos so far.
Some observations about London so far:
- They don’t believe in road signs. Once in a while you might get a sign on the side of a building, but that’s it.
- Public transportation costs are among the highest in the world, but ticketing isn’t enforced greatly. It appears you can just walk right on any subway or train without going through any barrier. I did buy a 3 day travel pass for $40 however.
- CCTV cameras are everywhere. Every room of a museum, every hallway in a hotel.
- Not only do the British drive on the wrong side of the road, the lines they paint on the roads are wrong! They put double yellows on the outsides and whites in the center.