Day two in London was full of touristy delights, brought to me by the wonders of the double-decker hop-on-hop-off Big Bus tour.  My first hop off was at the London Eye.  By the way, if you ever go I recommend paying a little extra for the "Fast Track" ticket, I waited in line for a total of 10 seconds.  Here it is from the other side of the Thames...

 

 
 And a few other shots...

 

My next hop off was for lunch of traditional fish and chips at an authentic British pub, The Old Bell which was built by Sir Christopher Wren...

 

That is not guacamole on the right.  It's something yummy called mushy peas.  Mmmm...  (Actually, it really was yummy, I wish they'd given me some more.)

I made a loop around St. Paul's Cathedral but only went inside far enough to get a flavor for it.  

 I wanted to save my architectural ahhhh...'s for Westminster Abbey.

Imagine my sorrow then when I saw this...

I was an hour too late.  But they'll be open later tomorrow so I have another chance.  There were other disappointments too, Leandro (supposed concierge extraordinaire) was NOT able to secure me a ticket to tonight's opera at the Royal Opera House.  However, not all was lost, I did get to hear a gorgeous Faure Requiem at St.-Martin-in-the-Fields (yes, it's actually spelled with all of those hyphens)...

...where I had a nice chat beforehand with a sweet lady who shared my table in the downstairs cafe, and a nice gentleman from the choir (a bass) afterwards.  All in all it was a lovely day.

A few more photos from yesterday's walk through London.  Here's a beautiful allée of trees in Green Park...

The cafe in the crypt on St. Martin in the Fields...

And a fountain in  Trafalgar Square where you it's requested that you not swim or drink the water...

Day one in London is drawing to a close.  All the traveling went very smoothly.  The British Airways staff are very polite, and even though I only managed to squeak in two hours of sleep during the overnight flight, all in all it wasn't unpleasant.  The upgrade to World Traveler Plus was totally worth it!  Check out these happy librarians!

After a quick nap at the hotel (the lovely Flemings Mayfair right around the corner from a certain famous palace) it was time for a walk around town.  Across Green Park then the de rigueur selfie in front of the palace itself.

A lovely stroll through St. James' Park revealed numerous very British flora and fauna.

I even caught a little pomp and circumstance at the House Guards Parade.

A jaunt through Travalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus was followed by a lovely dinner at Jamie Oliver's Diner, then it was back to the hotel for another nap before stealing out to a nearby Starbucks (free wifi!) to update this blog.  Tomorrow, a double-decker bus tour, tea somwhere fancy, and hopefully a night at the (sold out) opera, if the concierge at the hotel is as good as they say he is.

Cheers!

On Friday I turned on the out-off-office reply on my email and changed the outgoing message on my phone.  On Saturday I picked up some last-minute items.  Today, Sunday, I pack and fly to London to start my adventure.  How does one pack for a 10-week trip, anyway?

Shaky-cam tour of the Semester at Sea ship, the MV Explorer.  Check out the library at around 3 minutes in.

Here's a sample packing list that someone distributed.  I would just add to this all of my Semester at Sea library manuals and other stuff I'll need to get the job done.  Must make a list of those...

PAPERWORK

passport

4 copies of passport photo page

2 extra passport photos

copy of everything in wallet

list of emergency contacts

address book and envelopes

MONEY

money/passport security neck bag or belt

credit cards

some cash in the local currencies

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

**bring clothes that you don’t care about, they may get ruined

glasses

contacts and care solution

large and medium-sized backpack

day pack

tee shirts

long sleeved shirts

sweat shirts (the ship is ALWAYS cold)

shorts

workout shorts

bathing suits (2-3)

pajamas

tank tops

jeans

socks

underwear

outerwear

light jacket

raincoat

hat (required for lifeboat drills)

2 pairs of sneakers

hiking boots

walking shoes

sandals

dress clothes (there are at least two formal dinners)

dress shoes

beach towel

blanket – a little throw blanket because it gets cold at night in the middle of the ocean

TOILETRIES

brush

deodorant

shampoo & conditioner

soap

q-tips

sunscreen

bug spray

moisturizing lotion (the ship water really dries out your skin)

lip balm

shaving cream

razor and blades

dental floss

toothbrush & toothpaste

tissues- you have an unlimited supply on the ship, but bring the little pocket packs in case there isn’t toilet paper in some places

nail clippers

overnight toiletries

hand sanitizer

tweezers

soap container

MEDICINES

Neosporin

Cortaid

Bandaids

cotton balls

alcohol

Pepto Bismol/Tums/Rolaids

Imodium AD

Tylenol/Advil

anti-itch cream

cold/sinus medication

sea sickness medication

vitamins/iron supplements

ELECTRONICS

camera & battery charger

flash drives

strap

case/cords/accessories

extra batteries

laptop computer & battery charger

iPod & charger

cell phone & charger

MISCELLANEOUS

extra pillow

duct tape (not sure what for)

1-2 bottles of liquid detergent (like Woolite)

laundry bag

travel sewing kit

clothespins (to hang your hand-washed clothes)

journal

travel guides/travel books

watch

nalgene bottle

playing cards

safety pins

batteries

luggage tags

old sneakers

FOOD

Bring any of your favorite non-perishable foods.

If you’re a “gourmet” coffee drinker (or even remotely picky) consider bringing your own as the coffee on the ship is not very good.

Ginger snap cookies (good for mild nausea from sea sickness)

gum

tea bags

candy

powdered juice - the water on the ship is gross so it’s good to have those little individual powdered juice packets to take away the flavor

MISCELLANEOUS ADVICE

Don’t bother bringing traveler’s checks because they are more trouble than they are worth. Just bring about $200-$300 cash about $100 in 1s then some 5s, 10s, and 20s. It also makes it easier to tip your cabin stewards if you wish to, or other crew members. Use credit cards in port; notify your bank before you leave and assume you’ll still have problems somewhere.

You might want to bring more than one pair of tennis shoes as one pair is bound to be ruined after traveling.

Use soft sided luggage/duffel bags only so your bags can slide under your bed because there is no other place for it.

Be sure you bring lots of underwear because laundry can take a long time to get back. You can do laundry by hand in your bathroom sink, and use the clothes line in the shower to dry things on, but DRYING TAKES FOREVER!! (Faculty have a bit more access to laundry services but they often don’t do laundry while in port.)

Here's a video that explains the Semester at Sea program.  It's kinda long, but interesting.
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