A Rainy Day in London Town

Did I mention that it's rainy here?

It's not terribly cold, except when the wind blows, but it's quite wet around here. I've been feeling a bit damp all day. But hey--I'm in London! How can I complain?

So. First London impressions. Honestly, London reminds me of San Francisco. Not that I've been there very much, but from what I have seen--the small shops, the smells, the cobblestone streets. But, as Delys, my program director's wife, pointed out, everything here is at least 100 years old. It's so crazy walking around in a place with so much history. I love all the historic architecture--the stone walls and iron railings and building facades with their pillars and sculpted moldings. On some of the buildings there are blue placards telling you what famous person lived there at some point in time. Today I saw the former residences of Robert Baden-Powell, founder of Scouting, Winston Churchill, and Virginia Woolf. Pretty illustrious people in this neighborhood, eh?

After my lengthy nap this afternoon and a meeting we had to have for apartment upkeep, I was ravenously hungry, and my roommate Becca and our friend Caroline and I decided we wanted crepes. I know, I know--we're in Great Britain, and the first thing we want to eat is French. Don't worry--fish and chips is on my list of things to try very soon. Our trek took us past a ton of embassies and three of the major museums in London: The Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. All the museums in London are free, and I can't wait to visit them. On our walk we also saw a triple rainbow! I'm taking that as an omen that my stay in London will be wonderful. :)

You can't see it very well, but it's there, I promise. This was taken right across the street from the Museum of Natural History.

Round about the French embassy, we found what we were looking for--the Kensington Creperie. I had the Countryside Crepe with chicken and carrots and cheese and garlic and onion. SO GOOD. We ate on our way home because it costs more if you sit down and eat, and I paid seven pounds for that thing. But it was delicious.

Of course, on the way home I took the obligatory picture in front of the classic red phone booth.

Please note how far up my leg my pants are soaked. Yep, it's wet out there.

On the agenda for tomorrow: Westminster, the changing of the guard, some museums, and Kensington Palace. But first--sleep. My body clock is super out of whack, and even after my nap this afternoon (it's about 9:00 local time now) I'm still exhausted. Yep. Time for bed. More adventures tomorrow!