first impressions

London is beautiful. The people are like the buildings- classic and charming with a sense of style that makes you feel as though you have to be dressed up. Everything is just a little bit fancier, even McDonalds makes fresh deli sandwiches and Pizza Hut has cafe-style outdoor seating. The accents here are adorable, and so far everyone has been very helpful when I've had to ask for directions (which is often) or when I got confused with the currency (one pound coins look so much like nickels to me!)

I feel very guilty for it, but after three days here I still haven't seen any major landmarks. Our days have been filled with orientation activities and trying to find a flat to stay in these next few months. Mix in our jet-lag, the after-effect of going to pubs every night, the fact that we're living out of suitcases and having to dine out for all our meals, and trekking it to Big Ben just hasn't seemed plausible yet. 

Once I move in Sunday, I plan to get started seeing the sights and learning the city. Finding a flat in London was simple. By the first night here it seemed obvious which friends clicked, so getting roommates wasn't hard even though I didn't come over with any of my closest friends. On noon on Wednesday we contacted a highly-recommended landlord, fell in love with the first flat he showed us, checked out a few more places, and by 2 we were enjoying a celebratory lunch. Brilliant!