31 December

The day started with us catching an early train for the airport. It was a little strange in that the train would separate during the trip in which the last car would proceed to the airport and the rest would continue on to some other cities. It was neat watching the cars separate and must have looked kind of funny to see a tiny little train head for the airport. Getting to our terminal and checking in was a simple process and we were slotted for group A which meant we would get first priority in seating. From there it was a boring wait during which I listened to the Pod and wandered about a last-minute gift shop. The flight over was uneventful and we all enjoyed listening to the British flight attendants. Customs was also fairly simple. Saket and Sachi passed through without a hitch but I was special since I’d be staying in the country for quite some time. When I told the official that I’d be staying until June, she kind of looked at me funny before I quickly told her that I wasn’t going to be staying a full six months, that I checked the timing beforehand. You see, Americans and most foreign nationals must apply for a visa if they intend to stay in the UK for six months or longer. I did not have a visa because I would be staying exactly 5 months and 12 days. I reassured her that I would definitely not be working (for that you need yet another special permit) and just studying hard. She gave me a tip of keeping a copy of all my King’s documents with me whenever I leave the UK in case they ask to see it upon re-entry. Since I’m an American I do not need a multiple-entry pass for the UK like many other foreigners do. She wished me good luck and I finally rejoined my siblings. Saket had a connecting flight at 4 and I wanted to head into the city as quickly as possible, so we parted ways soon after customs. I was sad to see him go since I won’t be seeing him again for over 5 months. The first thing Sachi and I did was pull out some money and then went in search of a place to buy coach tickets. Since the strike was on and the Tube was down, we decided to catch a coach (bus) into the city to Victoria Station and from there just walk to the hotel. There was some confusion as to where the buy the tickets and after some needless huffing around I found a desk and bought our tickets. We waited in line with some obnoxious and noxious Italians who were smoking like crazy and clearly looking forward to tonight’s festivities. I hate being stuck next to smokers who really don’t care that everyone around them does not smoke. They were also being really pushy in line which just grated on me further. It didn’t help matters much that we just missed the first bus and had to wait another 15 minutes in the smoke and cold for the next one. We boarded near the front and tried to enjoy the view while dozing intermittently. It was nice to be back in the city again and see the familiar sights. We drove by Tower Hill and Parliament and naturally everyone pulled out their camera phones and started taking pictures. I knew that I’d have plenty of time to shoot and didn’t bother. From Victoria it was a grueling walk to the hotel. I made a promise to myself never to pack a duffel bag that heavily if I intended to carry it around a lot. It hurt. With great relief we finally checked into our hotel room. It was already past 4 and I was too tired to find something to eat.

Our evening started out fairly low key with Sachi and me crashing in the hotel for a while and just resting. She took a little nap while I starting going through my papers and figuring out what I needed to get done in the next few days. After she woke up, we left for dinner. Saket, if you thought Switzerland was bad expense-wise, I think you'll have a heart attack here. Dinner for two at a "normal" Italian restaurant cost us £20.25 or $34.84. It didn't help that they charged 90 pence for a single piece of bread (we rather unwittingly and foolishly had one apiece) or that Sachi ordered a £2.80 glass of white wine (I had free tap water). At around 11:35 we left the hotel for the embankment to watch fireworks over the river Thames. The London Eye (that big fancy Ferris wheel) became a sort of cannon from which fireworks shot out in neat patterns. It was pretty, but the NYC July 4th show was much better. The crowd wasn't too bad where we were standing but there was definitely a lot of alcohol and even some festive sparklers...It was drizzling very lightly but not enough to warrant an umbrella or dampen the mood. We headed straight for the hotel after the show and I appreciated the company of the older and definitely sober British people who were heading in the same direction we were. We were surprisingly not that tired when we made it back to the hotel and watched some British comedies and sports highlights before finally going to sleep.