We landed at Gatwick at 7am this morning after an 8.5 hour flight. The flight went smoothly from a safety standpoint, but from a comfort standpoint, it couldn't have been much worse. I sat in a middle row on the flight over beside a woman with a crying baby and a man who was obviously quite perturbed at having to pay 7 bucks for a vodka & tonic. He instead chose to take his frustration out on the complimentary beer selection, downing brew after brew before we were even over water. I think we spoke twice, once when he had to get up and go to the bathroom, and once when I apologized after awkwardly caressing his leg while fumbling around for my headphones. Good times. When we got to Gatwick we met our tour guide, Alex. He was wearing a sweet pair of pistachio colored pants, which made him easily distinguishable. He is also the only English person I have ever met who doesn't like soccer.
The first thing we did was take the underground, or "choo" as they call it. This reminded me of the DC metro system, but it didn't look as dangerous. After that, we ate lunch. Lunch wasn't that bad, but it certainly wasn't great. Godfrey and I ate at a fast food place called Cornish pasty. A pasty is pretty much pot roast stuffed inside a croissant. It was alright.
After that we went to Soho. This was a pretty interesting place, a lot of artsy looking people were walking around, and this man and woman played some Johnny Cash songs. Godfrey and I also saw what was quite possibly the largest pigeon In the world. As Godfrey put it, "Pigeons are the world's most beautiful animals." However, Godfrey did not share the same sentiments when we went through the gay neighborhoods of London. Despite telling Godfrey that being around gay people doesn't make you gay, he was still extremely uncomfortable during that time, and it was extremely funny to watch. Get use to it Godfrey, this IS Europe.
We also visited one part of the city which I can't remember the name of, but it was the equivalent of Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach. I went into one store that looked exactly like a WINGS, except everything said "London", instead of "Myrtle Beach." They also were missing those spray t shirts that are so classy.
The best part of the day was probably Trafalgar square. This square is named after the Battle of Trafalgar, and has a massive statue of Admiral Horatio Nelson, the british military leader who defeated Napoleon at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805, but was sadly killed in battle. I also looked through the National Gallery with Godfrey and Caroline. This was probably the most interesting part of the day, between Caroline having to find specific pieces of art and Godfrey's mindless commentary. I'm also fully convinced Godfrey will cause Caroline to cry at least one time on this trip. It is not of matter of if, but when. In Trafalgar square, I not only got the opportunity to photobomb a couple of tourist photo's, but also attempt to catch a pigeon with Godfrey and Michael. Sadly our 3 pronged attack failed to yield us any birds, which we told mrs Vero we were going to cook up for a late night snack. I also saw my friend Dustin from Cheraw who was also on a school field trip. It was good seeing him again. We ended the night with a fish and chips dinner, and I am now at the hotel typing this daily report up.We have a loaded day tomorrow, so I'm gonna get some sleep. Goodnight.
P.S. I think british people don't know smoking is bad for you. Everyone smoked unfiltered cigarettes. Also, people had a lot nicer teeth than I imagined. I'd have to say that's a good thing.
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