US Travels

I've been silent the last couple of weeks but have had a lot going on - here is a quick update! 

I spent the first week of February here in London.  The most important event that week was that I was able to get a lease signed on my apartment!!  I will pick up the keys tonight from the realtor's office and my movers are coming to delivery my stuff on Saturday.  The hotel has been nice, but it will be much more comfortable to be in my own place.  And with all my things back from home - movies, shoes and my own pillows!  I will post some pictures next week once I start getting settled in.  I will also send an email with my address and phone number. 

Saturday, February 9th I flew back to Atlanta because I had a work event the next week.  My flight was around 9am, but that made a very early morning because I had to take the Tube to Paddington Station, to take a train to Terminal 1 at the airport, to take another train to Terminal 4.  The whole trip took almost 2 hours!  Then I waited in line at the airport 45 minutes just to drop my bag off to check.  Crazy!  I'll have to remember to give myself plenty of time for this in the future. 

I stayed with my friend Beth over the weekend.  She did an fantastic job of pampering me - cooked dinner, organized a run/breakfast with my Team in Training group on Sunday morning and didn't even mind that I unloaded an entire suitcase of dirty clothes into her washing machine 10 minutes after I arrived.  It felt a little bit like visiting home from college! 

My work project was VERY busy all week but it was nice to see everyone there and to catch up with some other people in from overseas.  Beth lives a good distance from my office, so I spent the work week at the Phillips' house in Suwanee.  Staying there is also like being with family, so I had a very comfortable week - shopping with Wendy, watching Forrest Gump with Rob and hanging out with Madi, Ian, Cesar and Bella. 

Finally, I took a little "holiday" (do you like how I used that English word instead of vacation?) over the weekend to visit a friend in LA.  We spent a great few days mostly walking the beach, hiking the Hollywood Hills, watched the sunset in Malibu and eating some delicious food.  I even had a celebrity sighting at breakfast on Monday - Phil from the Amazing Race walked in!  The weather was beautiful, the company was wonderful and I had the most relaxing weekend I've had in a long time.  Just what I needed before coming back to a very chilly London!

So I'll get some pictures posted in the next couple of days and then update everyone on the move into my flat next week!

In the left lane?

So they drive in the left lane here in the UK. I don't think this is news to anyone.  But it's still an unusual adjustment for me, having lived my entire life where we drive on the right!  Last week when I was out with my realtor, she drove and I had to fight the urge all day to get in on the wrong side of the car.  And riding along (sitting on the left side in the passenger seat) was somewhat terrifying.  Every time we turned a corner, it felt like we were going into oncoming traffic!  I'm sure it doesn't help that we are in London, a major city with lots of traffic on mostly 2 lane, very narrow roads.  At one point I swear we were INCHES from one of those red double-decker buses. 

Aside from riding in the left lane, there is a pedestrian adjustment as well.  It is nice that in most of the busier (read, touristy) areas, they have helpful little signs painted on the road to assist: 

If it's a one-way street, they will even say "look left" on the opposite side.  I find that at most intersections, I just swivel my head in all directions before I attempt to cross.  In addition to the added danger of looking the wrong way, apparently cars have the right-of-way over pedestrians except when you are in a crosswalk.  And not all intersections have crosswalks.  So the point is - look closely - they can and will run you over. 

My last observation about the left lane situation is that it isn't the same all the time.  Think about traffic in the US - we drive on the right.  The right lane is the slow lane and the left lane is the fast/passing lane.  If you are walking, the same holds true.  You would always veer to the right if you and another person were walking straight for each other.  We walk on the right in shopping malls.  We run to the right on running paths.  So you would think that if the British drive on the left, then everything else would switch too, right?  NOT SO.  There is a true identity crisis with where to walk.  I have had near head-on collosions with people ALL over the place because I am trying to go left and they go right!  What is that all about?!  On the escalators in the Tube, everyone stands on the right and passes on the left.  Some hallways in the Tube stations even have guardrail dividers in the middle to keep the traffic moving and sometimes we walk on the left and sometimes on the right.  It is entirely confusing.  I'll repost if I come to any conclusion on this, but if you are visiting, look out for oncoming traffic - both vehicles and humans!