The Joys of Travel

Josh and I settled into our seats on the flight from Dallas to London, cramped in our tiny economy seats. The plane taxied out...then proceeded to taxi back almost immediately. Joy! Apparently the heat sensor in the plane wasn't working properly and according to my pilot brother "you are going to want that" when flying over the Atlantic. Bummer. After about 45 minutes of waiting to see if the problem could be fixed, we were herded off the plane to wait for a backup. After enjoying the fine virtues (ie. women's bathroom, closed restaurants, and lack of wi-fi) in the Dallas International Airport for a few hours, we were finally on our way to London.

After a changing money fiasco, a rude TSA agent and figuring out how to get oyster cards (for the tube) we were on our way to Islington. The tube ride took about 30 minutes. Exiting the station we stepped out into a world of bright lights, hustling crowds, double-decker buses and drizzling rain...it was perfect!

After a quick clean up at the hotel, Josh and I went out to explore the Islington area. Our dinner that night was fantastic. We ate at a little Mediterranean place with dim lights and a cozy atmosphere. The food was amazing, we shared a baba ganoush appetizer, Josh had shoulder of lamb and I ate a delicious chicken kabob dish with tomato and cream sauce. Mmmm...this is making me hungry!

We crashed early that night and it is a good thing too...the next three days were filled with appointments and flat hunting. Everyone we met from Josh's company were very friendly and helpful. A few are new to the London area too, so hopefully we will be able to explore the city together. Flat hunting was....hmmm...interesting. Some places had weird set ups, some were filthy from the current tenants, and some made us feel claustrophobic. A few places were possibilities, but in the end, we decided we weren't ready to commit...and that we needed to up our budget to get what we want.

Overall, our first experience of London was excellent. I definitely think I can live there. Good thing too...since we can't turn back now!