My First Day In London
...and I loved it
It is now three days since I arrived in London (or 2 and a half days if one wants to be precise) and I already feel the urge to make a balance sheet. The opportunity to talk about what surprised me or questioned me here, even if it is not the first time I put my feet in the English capital...
The (small) time difference is not to be taken lightly! One could believe that with only one hour less than France, one adapts quickly. Well... no. I'm obviously not talking about jetlag, but of a disturbed rhythm, whether to eat (I'm hungry too soon) or sleep. And the fact that the Sun is sleeping at 4:00 at the moment, it doesn't help. I lose all my bearings, so I didn't even realize that I was arriving at 5pm instead of 6:00 p.m. on an appointment. My Smartphone (though purchased locally) had not updated the time zone, and as it was already very dark, I did not realize anything.
But I have no doubt that all of this will be solved by itself in the coming weeks.
Taking the bus is a leap of faith. What I can translate by "taking a step towards the unknown" or "having faith". I'm not talking about driving drivers (though, it's impressive to see them slalomer between cyclists, cars and red lights), but many schedules and traffic. I chose to take me a bus subscription to the week, firstly to save (£31.40 for the Metro in zone 1 to 2 for a week, against £20.20 for a week of bus unzoned, there is no photo), but also because it is much nicer to travel by bus e t take the time to admire the city from the floor.
But the problem with the bus is that we know when we leave, but never when we arrive. The Citymapper application (an indispensable one) can tell you what time the next bus is going on and how long you will be at your destination, the plugs often come all over the place. Today for example, I waited for a bus to go to see the sunset on Big Ben, bus that was finally blocked... and that made me miss my sunset! This time it was not very serious, but imagine when I will have an appointment for an apartment visit/interview. So the bus is more economical and friendly, only if you can get ahead...
The traditional "British pub" is not a myth! There are surely a lot of clichés about London and the English, but their love of pubs is not. It's very simple, even in the most creepy neighborhood (in which we find apartments way American motels, or kinds of HLM), you will find a typical pub, with a dark wood storefront, the small lantern at the entrance, the big benches fluffy inside...
Smokers are also very lucky, since the beergarden is fashionable: it is a small garden (heated or not) laid out in the back of the pub and that allows to enjoy a beer outdoors (and therefore, to smoke). The problem for non-smokers like me is that in case of a big cold, you find yourself waiting alone (or almost) indoors.
I hope this little article will have pleased you, and that I have not pushed too many open doors with my impressions! I also apologize for the few pictures of illustration, put I have not had time to take a lot, prefering to concentrate on the administrative tasks before strolling in the city. So my only photos, for now, are at night! And as my computer screen darkens a lot of the photos, I wonder if you will see some thing...
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