Kensington Gardens, settling in, and about town...

We exchanged our money, found our way around the tube (and carefully mind the gap) and we finally found our apt! (there are several green District lines, and just because a station has both, doesn't mean there is a change over - and for some reason the Notting Hill Gate station was closed for "improvement works" this morning. We did our best to supress giggles every time they said this line was bound for Cockfoster's.... But we were jet lagged and slap happy - so it didn't quite work, and since its the last stop, they say it at every stop, this stop is, and we are headed for Cockfosters... We saw deaf people on the tube! But it was BSL and they looked to us like we must look to people who don't know ASL.

We're operating on no sleep and trying not to crash until tonight. We couldn't check into the apt until 1:00pm, but we were able to drop off our bags and then walk around. We're in the Notting Hill area, right near Kensington Palace (Built by William and Mary and the last residence of Princess Diana)... We found an english breakfast at Cafe Diana - we all had the "bacon" which is like a cured ham, and sausage (which is like a spicy hotdog) - and were served chips (french fries) with it - and made note that everyone else ordered the meal with the bakes beans. Odd to me, eggs, spicy hotdog, french fries and baked beans. We're going to have to try the beans before we leave. Oh, and at breakfast we were eating cafe style outside on the sidewalk - and a very polite drunk joined us with a half finished bottle of wine - he told us that if he offended, he could leave... Amy told him, "Bye, then"

After breakfast we walked through the gardens near Kennsington Palace endlessly (their map wasn't the best, and I got turned around) - but we found the tribute to Prince Albert (husband to Queen Victoria) - very gold and gaudy, a sign of true love. We stuck our feet in the (icy) cold waters of the Diana Memorial fountain, found Peter Pan, and beautiful scenes all around Hyde Park, and basically just walked our feet off.

By then it was 1:30 and we checked into the apt. Its adorable and it faces Hyde Park! I was a little scared at first because the foyer dips a little when you walk on it, but the apt is great. A bathroom (in the foyer) - a quaint little kitchen area that looks out over the park (and a couple of red phone booths), and a nice big shared area with a double bed and a cot for a 3rd person.
We settled in - freshened up - took a nap, and headed out to find Farmer Street and some good fish and chips. We each got a different kind of fish - there was Pollock (lower plate), Cod (middle), and Haddock (upper) - all with very distinct flavors. Also had some great chips, they're like good bar steak fries - and had soya beans (edamame) and "mushy peas" (how can you not order that out of curiosity?) - it tasted more like the soya beans mashed up, not our American "peas". Good, but I don't need it again.

We just took the tube down to Piccadilly Circus (its like their Times Square), and walked down to Traffalgar Square and got some great pics with St. Martins in the Field Church in the dusk. This is Big Ben in the distance.

We're heading back to the apt now to get online and go to bed (finally!). A short stop at a corner store for some bananas and cheese and crackers... And we're back at the apt and getting the internet hooked up.

Some other London first day observances... You have to order "still water" if you don't want sparkling water, and it won't be iced; There is no conditioned air, its always cooler outside than in, and Londonites will be in long sleeves and cardigans; Instead of "exits" you have "way out"; and at nearly every intersection or cross-walk they have painted on the street "Look right" or "look left" - at first we scoffed.... But ooooh, we naturally look the other way because we expect people to be driving on the other side. And really everything is backwards here - we look for up escalators on the right, they're on the left. When you walk you kept the the right (wrong again. Keep to the left).

More tmw!
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