The 36 Hour Day

Greetings from London!  We are finally on our way exploring our first European city.  Let me tell ya, it's been a long day.  Sunday started with a family brunch, a round of golf, and frantic packing to get ready for my 7:30 flight.  I was surprised I was able to fit so much into just two small backpacks.




We all met at the airport and said our goodbye's.  It was also great to meet up with some college friends heading out to Norway for the next two weeks.  We grabbed dinner after we passed security.

     Dan Schmitt, Molly Johnson, Tyler Anderson, Carl Colosky, Jake Saffert, and Matt Thompson


The first flight was to Reykjavik, running around 6 hours.  Ideally, we would all sleep on this flight to adjust to the upcoming time difference.  Easier said than done, especially when IcelandAir has an endless selection of movies and tv shows to watch on your own personal touch screen.  I was able to get about half an hour of sleep before the sun came up and we touched down in Iceland.  

We were in Reykjavik airport for no longer than fifteen minutes before our plane to London boarded.  I quickly paid 750 krona for a sandwich and we were on our way again.  All of us were able to sleep a little more, but the flight was only a little more than 2 hours.  We touched down in London with no food in our bellies and less than 3 hours of sleep.

We took the Underground into the city from the airport, about an hour ride.  I think all of us just about fell asleep on the commute.  The train took us to Camden Town, where we will be staying the next four nights.  The hostel is very small, but it could be a lot worse.  Currently Tom Zimmer, Tom Ward, Josh, and I are sharing a room with 3 Germans, who we have yet to meet.  Craig is in a room downstairs with some Spanish girls, lucky him.  

In front of the British Library

 

After settling in, we grabbed some lunch at a cafe and then headed to the British Library, which featured many ancient and modern texts.  We we're allowed to take pictures in the gallery, but it was really something to behold.  

Some highlights included Shakespeare's original plays, Handel's Messiah written out on scratch paper, the Magna Carta, The Gospel of John dating back to the 3rd Century, The first Gutenberg bible, and many famous Beatles songs as they were originally written (mostly on napkins and postcards).

After the museum we trekked back through Camden Town and on to Primrose Hill.

Camden Town, where we are staying

Telephone booth at Primrose Hill

The view of London looking from Primrose Hill

By the time we reached the top of Primrose hill, we were pretty wiped.  Josh took a nap on the hill for about an hour, the rest of us just rested.  We then went down the hill into Regents Park and into Queen Mary's Gardens.  The gardens were huge and very neatly kept.  

Craig enjoying the gardens

Fountain at the gardens

Stopping to smell the roses

 

After a lot of walking (7.2 miles calculated), we headed back to our hostel.  Being up for 36 straight hours with jet lag is tough on the body.  We ate dinner and had a beer at the local bar before heading off to bed early.  

Tom and Josh enjoy a brew after a long day

Whew, that's a lot of writing for one day.  I may not have time to do this every travel day, but I thought I'd put the effort in since it was the first day.  We'll be in London for three more days, still lots to see!

Cheers,

Dan