h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We arrived at Gatwick on time, and getting through customs and all that went smoothly. Long lines, of course, but that's to be expected. The luggage-go-round provided more excitement than actually entering the country--will the big turquoise bag with the sunflower tag show up? Will there be any other bags similar enough to cause confusion? Will choosing a soft-sided bag prove to be a mistake, with rips and tears? (It did, there weren't, and the only damage was a missing "i" from the logo.)

After gathering my bag, stopping at the ATM, and following the crowd to beyond security, I spotted Ag with the sign she'd made. Hugs were exchanged, and we were off. I'd been so focussed on getting a suitcase that met airline size limits that I hadn't considered trains and busses... But things worked out, and now I know very well that my bag is the depth of a standard escalator step, as well as the most efficient way to mount and dismount escalators with it.

We talked about many things on the way from Gatwick to Ag's flat via train and trolley. I decided it'd be simpler to walk the last bit instead of squeezing my suitcase onto a bus, as well. This may not have been my wisest decision... Anyway, at some point, Ag asked me what my impression of London was, so far. "It's very green, and everything is made of brick..." Frankly, this impression held true for all of England. (Scotland was, "Very green, and everything's made of stone" ) This led to the first of many discussions of how I'm used to everything being wood, while brick and stone are generally for government buildings and posh homes. And something that struck me as odd when I noticed it while walking to Ag's, and thereafter as I purposely kept my eye out for it--all the curbs (of the sidewalk/pavement-boundary sort) in London, and most of the other bits of the UK I was in, are stone, even if the sidewalk itself is concrete. I had never seen that before.

After settling in, a shower, and lunch (with , of course), I made the attempt to get my UK phone up and running. When it didn't work right away, I assumed that maybe it would just take little time to activate, as I was syncing my original account up with the new SIM. Shortly after, it was time to head out to meet Hapi and Hati at the V&A. We originally were going to pick minichessemouse up on the way, but her bus was delayed significantly. Instead of all 5 of us eating at the museum and then looking around, the 4 of us that were there ate, and Ag watched for the text announcing min's arrival at her station. There was a tour starting that sounded much more interesting than it turned out being, that Hati, Hapi, and I joined as Ag went off to collect a 4-hours-delayed min and get her something to eat. By the time Ag and min arrived, I was starting to flag. We all chatted for a little, and went our ways.

I had thought I was doing pretty well, what with not a lot of sleep, and having arrived at what my internal clock insisted was about 3:30ish am. I discovered just how out of it I was when I finally noticed that 1) the bus door was on the wrong side and 2) so was the bus! This was after we'd been riding the bus for 5-10 minutes. And Ag and I had ridden a bus to the Tube earlier (though we'd ridden on the top floor and couldn't see the traffic on the street--the door was still in the same place, though)

I'd promised Tom and the girls that I' try to video call them, if wifi was available--which it did end up being, all 3 Fridays. We had a nice talk, and I crawled into bed.