Oh wow, we're actually HERE! (Andrew's entry)

Our first two days in London have been a bit of a blur, but the prevailing feeling is one of "This is crazy!" We got into Heathrow around 6am local time after a 7 hour flight which was surprisingly comfortable but did not afford much (or ANY) sleep. We made to our hostel intact, grabbed a continental breakfast, and then took a walk thought the busy streets to the SWAP office for orientation. Along the way we saw the outside of St. Paul's Cathedral, which is spectacular and reminded me so much of my childhood days of watching Mary Poppins over and over. After our info session with SWAP we took another little walk, then a nap on a bench, and opened a bank account. This fiscal responsibility gave us new life, so we jaunted off through the West End and passed actor Tim Roth on the street! If he hadn't clearly been having an important cell phone call, I'd have said hello, but que sera. We found ourselves at Trafalgar Square, and this iconic Brit image made it all begin to feel real. We swung through the National Gallery, traipsed past Big Ben (I've never heard a clock so in tune!), and then got a bit lost on the way back to the hostel, where, after a bit of Chinese food, we COLLAPSED.

We're sharing our dorm room with some very polite French kids; Brianne can talk with them, I can nod along and smile. We hit the streets this morning and crossed London Bridge to stroll along the Thames, and though we had thought to try other things, we just couldn't stay away from The Tower of London. We had a great day in the Tower. Brianne is, of course, the ultimate tour guide, and we actually managed to find a family from Virginia to look around with, Brianne narrating all the way! We saw the Crown Jewels, went on a Yeoman Warder tour, and took part in a fun activity of following actors portraying the key players in the War of the Roses around the castle grounds. After some authentic fish 'n' chips, we strolled back to the hostel.

We've made our plans to head to Bristol tomorrow. London's fun, but really fast and busy, and we feel like Bristol will be a better fit to settle in to right now. We'll stay in another hostel for a few days while we try to find a room or flat, as well as start looking for work. We also look forward to seeing our friends from the honeymoon, David and Jo.

No Prince William sightings yet. (Sorry, Brianne.)