Shock and Awe

Wednesday I toured London with my brother!! WOW!! I was blown away! London is definitely a melting pot. And when I say melting pot, i don't just mean different kinds of people, because with the different kinds of people came tons of styles, different mannerisms, and all sorts of crazy stuff! It was a lot to take in!

There were so many amazing things to see and do and since we walked over 5 miles on Wednesday; I learned a few more lessons in travel, sight seeing, and having fun!!

#1 When traveling by train: if you get motion sickness easy, don't watch the area wear the cars are joined. The movement of wobbling cars can give you the heebeegeebies....

A) Also.. don't stop and wait for people. On the underground (the tube as it's called) there are thousands of people with destinations and agendas... if you pause so they can walk in front of you or something.. you'll get mowed down. Just keep moving... that was a hard one for me.

#2 When traveling on foot: Have fun..and who cares if you get lost... if you have the whole day to do what you want then do it!! Tom and I took some back streets and just went with the flow. We found a cute little pub for lunch, and a fire brigade museum we wouldn't have found if we'd just stuck to the main roads.

#3 Be aware of the cost to convert your money and pay attention in shops for forms of payment

#4 When going to a restaurant, ask to see a menu first.. this will help with two main things: A) finding a place that has food you really want to eat and B) finding a place you can afford to eat! Tom and I looked at several places before we stopped for lunch. One place that smelled so good when we walked by we found out was completely organic food. They served things like chicken wraps with yogurt and garlic sauce. Something I wouldn't mind, but my brother would NEVER eat!!

#5 Also while you're traveling around on foot, you'll see several street peddlers. They are out there to make money. They are either bums with no place to live or they are actors just out to make a buck... BE CAREUL if you decide you want to give someone money. Some of these people really do need help others as I said are con artists. We found a man playing sax on the street and it sounded AMAZING... but as soon as we started to walk over to give him some change... the "street police" as Tom and I called them, walked over to him to give him a citation. Apparently in England you have to have a permit to perform EVEN IF you are dirt poor. It's how the Queen makes money. There are several things you need permits for or pay extra taxes for. In fact on a side bar you have to pay a tax to have your TV and you have to pay a tax to have screens on your windows.... funny I thought. (We just kept walking then as the police approached. You never interfere in official acts here or you're liable to get scooped up along with the rest of them and taken away or ticketed yourself. We decided we better just hold on to our money.)

Anyway... that's what I know so far... I feel so incompetent in some ways here.. there are so many things I don't know about or understand... but I've enjoyed learning and I'm sure there will be more to write as the days go by!!

Cheers!

Lessons Learned Thus Far

Well, I have only been here a little under a week, and let me tell you...wow... you really don't realize how different things are in other places... I'm not going to use the cliche that it makes me appreciate what I have back home more, cause honestly, it doesn't... it makes me more aware of other people, cultures, and ways of life, ways of doing things. It's not a matter of what's right or wrong... like why we drive on the right and in the UK they drive on the left... its a matter of the history behind it and why each works! Here are a few things I learned over the last week:
~ Animals here consist of foxes and moles, not squirrels and raccoons
~ There are TONS of pigeons
~ The weather here makes it possible for several crops each season. And PS when they grown onions... you can SMELL IT!!!
~ There are little to no stop signs, they use "Give Way" signs
~ You cannot EAT and drive, let alone talk and drive...BIG TICKETS HERE!!
~ I could go on and on about the driving rules...the last one I'll share is that if you are caught intoxicated and NOT driving but in possession of your keys, you can still get charged, they have something here called an Intent to Drive Intoxicated Ticket
~ They take their time collecting garbage on garbage day, if they get to it on your day fine, but if not...expect them tomorrow.
~ They stack their hay bales in the middle of their fields here 20+ high and 20+ wide and then have problems with teens setting them on fire! Oops
~ Most schools, public or not have uniforms
~ People are allowed to PARK ON THE ROAD like the main road to talk on the phone or get out and do something ... you simply must drive around them...
~ Soda here is made with natural sugar so it tastes different
~ You get tea with almost anything even fast food. This morning we had Burger King, we each got orange juice but they gave us each a cup and tea bag for hot tea

And that's where it's at right now... I could go on but I'll let you chew on those for now... wild stuff!! Tomorrow I tour around London with my brother and I'll post some pictures then!

Cheers!

Arrival in the UK

Well...I finally made it here after several hours on a plane and LOTS of drilling at Customs!!!

My trip started on the 16th at 6:10AM! The early part of the day was spent driving to the cities and having lunch with some friends!! It was fun. I arrived at the airport around 1:15 but we realized we were in the wrong terminal...we darted back to the car and headed for the other terminal. When we found where I was going however, we realized the check in counter didn't open for yet another hour!! So I said goodbye to my friends and settled in for a bit!! I tried to read but I was far too distracted and preoccupied!! I started to get my ticket information and passport ready when I noticed the counter opened early...I headed over for check in but this is when it started gettin' dicey!!

I made my way to the counter where the gentleman looked at my passport and started to put my luggage tickets on. He asked me about my return flight...to which I replied, "I won't have a return ticket till I get there". (Can I please have credit for honesty)
"Well", he informs me, "that's a problem!" Lovely I'm thinking..just what I need...a PROBLEM and I haven't even left the US yet. He said that all summer they have had to tell people unless they can prove they are leaving they won't be allowed in the country. I went in to immediate panic mode and started to pray. The clerk went and got his boss. When he arrived they pulled up their handy-dandy information on the computer..."Guess they changed the rule" he declared! "It says here we're supposed to let them go ahead and they decide over there whether or not to let them in!!"
I wiped the sweat from my brow, thanked God, handed off my luggage and hit the escalator!!

My flight was pretty long...I had a flight first to ICELAND, (5 1/2 hours) where my layover was. It was NOT covered in ice yet, and I got a few pictures I'll post soon!! The Airline was nice, and the seats were comfortable. Complete with monitors in the head rests. The down side: you had to buy headphones to watch anything...oh well.. I needed sleep. Once we got to Iceland, it was back thru security and customs for my first passport stamp and then on to England. By the time they have you thru security and customs you're ready for your next flight almost literally..I think I had 7 minutes to use the restroom and board my next plane!! The toilets P.S. are triangular in the airport there and have a push button on top to flush...

Anyway...the flight to London was not near as long! (A little over 2 hours)It was the customs agent I got that took forever!! When I got to the counter finally after being in line almost a half hour she asked me when I was returning to the US which I of course had to try and explain the best I could...I informed her I didn't buy a return ticket as we were waiting on the birth of my new nephew etc...she didn't like what I had to say and couldn't believe I would have any desire to fly across the globe to be with my family...she was not nice...and by the way NOT A NATIVE!!! I wanted to ask her what process she needed to go thru to get to where she was...but I didn't! After asking me all sorts of personal questions, including how much money I had and what was my brother's phone number...she finally stamped me in to the UK!!!! I made my way thru and got my luggage then headed for the EXIT!! Once I hit the doors..I saw Megan's lovely face greeting me!!! It was so nice after all of that drilling!! Tom and William then walked up, as they had gone to another counter to see if I was somewhere in the building needing assistance!! :)

The end of my day was pretty laid back...they took me to McDonalds (yes there's a McD's!) and then we headed to the house!! I had in my mind for some reason that the drive was shorter than it was to which came my first disappointment as my rear end was quite sore from sitting so much!! But the day ended good..Tom and I went for a run and I was surprisingly not as tired as I had thought I would be. I did hit the sack early tho so we could venture out on Friday...I have a feeling I will have lots to write about as the days go on so stay connected...it should be a great adventure!!

Pre-Trip Notes

Well...I decided to start a second blog to track and journal about my adventures outside of the US! I'm getting anxious, a little worried, and of course EXCITED!!!!

To bring you all up to speed, I'm heading to England September 16th, to stay with my brother and sister-in-law for a few months. They are expecting Baby #2 and have invited me to come stay and help them for a few months!! I have no idea what to expect as I travel and I actually love the idea of having NO expectations. I have been out of the country before..but not that far!!! (Only Mexico)

As the day approaches I find I have more and more questions reeling in my mind....I feel totally unprepared some days and other days I feel I have no worries!!! I do have one suitcase completely packed and ready to go..that's a bonus right!?

Follow along if you'd like... I'll try to keep it interesting!!

10 days and counting!!
~Cas