London: Arrival

I arrived around 5AM GMT, feeling surprisingly rested from my flight from Chicago. After retrieving my bag from baggage claim, I proceeded to the Heathrow Express where I exchanged my online voucher for a train ticket to Paddington Station. It was very quick and easy ride into the city and there I met a woman from New Jersey who happened to be heading to Prague. After talking to her for a while about the time zone difference, the ticket taker came by and she soon realized she had just missed her stop.

We arrived to Paddington Station, I wished her luck and I got off the train. Determined to figure out the Tube I proceeded to the underground entrance only to see the gates closed. It was still very very early in the morning. So, figuring I had intended to take a London cab ride at some point, filed in the queue (yes, queue) for one. Soon the black cars pulled up on the left side of the road and one by one we said where each person said where they were going and clamored in. There was some confusion because an Asian woman was in line behind me and they assumed we were together, but that cleared up quickly. The ride itself was neat, like everyone had said it would be, but my cab driver seemed a bit on the grumpy side and didn’t speak much. But again, it was early and the sun was not up yet.

When we pulled up to my hotel, someone came to open my door and take my luggage. The doors spread open and a sweet perfume smell filled the air. And suited men and women stood to greet me behind shining black marble. The lobby was extremely swank, but in an overly aseptic kind of way–felt like I walked right into a design magazine. That aside, I was lucky and able to check-in early and proceeded to my room to unpack and shower.

By this time, it was around 8AM and I decided I should follow some advice and take an hour nap before attempting to start the day. However, as you can imagine this was difficult as I laid thinking of what to do first, watching the light begin to come through my window curtain.