The trip on British Airways was actually pretty wonderful - the upgrade I had arranged through a friend did not come through as the flight after mine to London was cancelled or delayed, causing them to push more people onto our flight - such is life. Coach, middle seat turned out okay, nothing that a few glasses of red and a sleeping pill couldn't fix. After so many business class trips from LA to HK, one gets used to the perks, but what can you do?  A really sweet girl sat next to me, bursting with excitement over her sojourn to Rome to study abroad for 3 months. I, of course, took the opportunity to build upon her enthusiasm with my own stories of studying overseas during college and how it absolutely opened my universe and changed my life forever - for the good that is.  To be honest, her joyful anxiety filled me up as well.  Although we were wildly different from each other, our mission seemed quite similar - seeking the adventure of new experiences in far off lands.

The train ride from Heathrow reminded me that I did not remember London. Everything seemed different from the memories of twenty years ago. Red roofs and decaying factories dotted the landscape as we traveled into the central part of London. Old buildings shoved up against newer, modern architecture crowed the streets until we arrived at Victoria station. This I remembered well, and I was amused to find myself thinking of Harry Potter now, a much different thought than that as a twenty year old, twenty years ago.  Funny how modern references sometimes skew our perceptions of things. I was greeted with that familiar smell, the one that I get when I travel to cities across the world, not totally definable, yet completely understood by those who've been. London has a scent, as does Bangkok, and you'll need to visit to know what I mean.

The flat I had arranged in Kensington truly is in a posh area of London.  I easily found the French cafe where I was to pick up the keys and made my way across the street into a beautiful brink building.  Excited by the feel of the place, I quickly dashed to the vintage elevator - the kind with double metal drawn back gated doors like one would find in an old loft building. After a few fumbled attempts at the locks at the door, I finally entered into my tenant's flat - perfectly neat and tidy and very modern.  Yes, I would enjoy staying here. Immediately my mind raced with future visits to London, which to me was a great sign that I wanted to spend more time here.  

After fighting jetlag, I ventured out for a walk-about and ended up grabbing a lager at a pub in soho.  Well, I need to grab a little nourishment before I get into my adventures there...more later