Whilst in London

I know I just posted yesterday, but I wanted to (briefly, I promise) share some of my adventures today. It was my first day wandering the city solo, and I went east to Liverpool Street. It's just north of the Tower of London, and it's where many of London's high rise buildings are located (surprisingly, there really are few here), including 'the Gherkin,' the sixth tallest building in London. Found a jewel of a market called the Sunday UpMarket, with great vendors, interesting stuff, and much better prices than the more upscale nearby Spitalfields Market. Just up from the Sunday UpMarket is a food hall that looked and smelled wonderful the minute you stepped in. Lots of international cuisine choices, and I had myself a tasty and filling chicken tandoori with rice. Each vendor had huge simmering dishes to choose from (see the photo below).

On three separate occasions today I was asked for directions. I can only assume that I must look approachable and/or like I know where I'm going. I wish both were true, but I had to tell people today that I barely knew where I was!

The 'Gherkin'

Brick Lane, on which the Sunday UpMarket is located in an old brewery. Lots of people!

This picture is primarily for Chad's benefit. They were really good!

Huge amounts of tantalizing food

Well, I've completely bought into the 'me' generation, and I'm writing a blog- mostly prompted by the fact that I am embarking on a fairly huge life adventure, and this may be one of the easier ways for me to record this adventure and stay connected with those back home.
I've now been in London for ten days, with today being the first without Chad. I took him to the airport this morning and of course there were tears on my side- it's going to be a huge adjustment to not be a daily physical presence in each other's lives. Right now, though, I don't think I've quite registered emotionally how hard it's going to be. I really do have an incredible, amazingly supportive husband and I'm so thankful for him, and already miss him, but December will come quickly.
We had fun exploring London (after sleeping the entire first day), and did many of the main tourist activities: saw the London Tower, Parliament Building and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, Hyde Park, and Picadilly Circus. We skipped over Madame Tussauds, though. We rode the London Eye and took a day trip with a tour group to Stonehenge and Bath. I think one of my favorite things about London so far is that their museums are free, and they have some wonderful museums- we wandered around the Victoria & Albert Museum (with a huge Chihuly piece in the entrance), the Imperial War Museum, and did a couple trips to the incredible British Museum, which is only a five minute walk from my flat.
I'm fairly certain I'm going to love living here, even with the homesickness and missing Chad and the pups. London truly is a global city. I read somewhere there are around 300 languages spoken here, and I believe it. It's hard to walk down the street or into a shop or pub and not hear at least two or three different languages being spoken. The traffic is crazy and I'm afraid I'm going to get hit one of these days by a car or bicycle- fortunately many of the street crossings tell you which way to look. It's a very pedestrian friendly city, and is on its way to becoming a very bike friendly city. I've seen lots of cyclists every day. You can actually rent (or hire) bikes from 'kiosks' all over the city- an initiative by the mayor, Boris Johnson. Pretty impressive. I've seen lots of public recycling bins along the streets, which makes sustainability freak like me very happy. The public transportation, especially the Underground or Tube, is amazing, although I'm pretty sure using it has given me a cold. I've been told I'll build an immunity. I think I'll be using my antibacterial lotion much more frequently. Chad doesn't like how crowded and busy London feels, but I get an impression of energy and vitality from the city.
I still have yet to be blown away by the food, though we did have a fish and chips last night that was quite delicious- after just a little bit of salt. Not a fan of the mushy peas that came along with it, however. I need to do some more exploring- we didn't really eat out too much. Went out to a few pubs, and I really love the atmosphere, but Chad hasn't been impressed with the beer. Like the food, lacking in flavor. I, however, found cider! Now I can have a pint with everyone else instead of always resorting to wine.
I'm living in a studio flat in an intercollegiate hall, called International Hall, with about 800 residents. I've attached some photos of my flat...if you're trying to get an idea of size, think hotel room. It's in a wonderful spot- right by a nice shopping square with a great grocery store, by an Underground station on the line directly to Heathrow airport, and only a 10-15 minute walk to the UCL campus. It's a very nice neighborhood, and within reasonable walking distance to a lot of great London places. I feel incredibly blessed to be here...now I just need to start school and get into a routine. Next week is induction week, and classes start the week after that.
I've posted some photos of our adventures- hope you enjoy!
By the way, my address is 4C29 International Hall, Landsdowne Terrace, London, WC1N 1AS.