What he should most dislike seems pleasant to him,/ What like, [also]

Or, William has landed!

Day one is done and I've already realized that if I write about all I want to I'll spend more time writing than living, researching and adventuring, so . . .

To sum. My first flight, waiting to board and take off were the most stressful parts. In the boarding area, I was so hyper-excited-sickly-nervous-panicky that time seemed to accellerate to a near stand-still: whenever I looked at my watch I felt (equally) both more and less time should have passed. Part of me kept saying that it would probably similar to my experience with roller coasters: all terror in line and just as you start to climb, but then a rush. But then another part kept reminding me I don't even like being in a car when someone else is driving. On the plane it was backing up and moving forward and adjusting that were rough, but then, then - vrooom! Yee - haw! Taking off is thrilling, worth the price of admission, so-fast-so-quick, wow. Then getting to see the Earth below become smaller and smaller, and then you're over the water, and then you're through and then over the clouds . . . Landing was an equal wonder, especially the holding pattern, when the plane dipped and the Earth and buildings seemed to scroll outside the window. So, at last, the only real unpleasantness was the ear pressure thing - gum didn't work on the way down, people! - and the armrest that slowly, painstakingly bruised the outside of my thigh. The woman who was sitting next to me, whom I'd told before take-off it was my first flight, was finally surprised to see me having such a good time. So was I.

From plane to train to taxi, cramped to comfortable to roomy, decompression by means of conveyance. I checked in at Lee Abbey but not really, I dropped off my bags at 10 but couldn't check in 'till 330 - no worries, as I'd planned on staying up anyway. Got directions to the nearest Barclay's cash point ("the hole in the wall," as the sign by it reads), and to Sainsbury's, and hiked about. Happy to say my debit card works fine (and there doesn't seem to be any withdrawal fee, just like with Bank of America at home) and I got right away a few landmarks to help me get around right around where I'm at. Got lunch at Sainsbury's and hiked back to Lee Abbey and ate it in the gardens, a nice, simple first meal, very tasty: Farmhouse Double Gloucester and Fruit Chutney sandwich, a cup of cut mango, and a diet cherry coke. (The coke has more of a cherry taste than the US brand: I thought they'd be the same, but I was happily wrong.) Afterward I hiked out again, exhausted with still two hours before check-in, to the Victoria and Albert Museum. From the wings I explored I got absorbed by the statues mostly and must go back to see the Raphaels; there are areas I didn't go into and will soon.

General impressions from walking about? There is an odd mix of congestion and spaciousness, and I think it's the plant life that gives the latter - big trees, gardens everywhere and parks, too, and I think I even saw a couple bushes growing from a 'sill two stories up! Don't know much about architecture but there seem to be all different sorts of buildings stylistically. And odd little comparisons, how the phone booths seem to have more character than the ones you can find about in the US (New England, at least) these days.

It's Wednesday morning right now, for me. Going out to explore a little and maybe buy some theatre tickets. My exploration might be a bit shopshod but that's okay, wandering about is sometimes just as good as following a plan. And tomorrow I will meet Prof. McDonald and have lunch and get set up at the British Library.

The pics are from my first day adventures, sort of sloppily thrown together for now - sorry, will try to keep pictures more organized soon, labelled and such!