from the UK

Hi everyone,

I arrived in Exeter late last night. Travel was a little bit of an ordeal, but here I am. I STILL don't feel like I have arrived though... Exeter looks a lot like Victoria. I mean a lot. For one thing, there are seagulls. Another thing: it is pouring rain, grey, and overcast. Third thing: everyone is carrying an umbrella. Fourth: the university architecture is almost identical. I could be writing this on a grey, rainy day in the Craigdarroch residences at UVic.

But, I am sure that will change later today. Hannah has her Chaucer class until noon, and then we are off into Exeter itself to see the cathedral, and the rest of the sights before catching a train into London tonight. I think when I get to London I will really feel like I have gone somewhere.

Travel: Flight leaves at 8.30pm. Must take 1pm ferry to ensure we are at Vancouver International soon enough. Get there early, at 3.15pm. 5 hours before our flight. Wait one hour before the check in desk even open. Check in. Discover the plane was late leaving London, so our flight is delayed until 9.35pm. Clear airport security. YVR has embarked on a massive reno project, meaning there are 3 cafes, 1 duty free, and a pro shop open. Can't even buy a book. Waste many hours sitting in terminal, getting increasingly cranky (sorry Eric!). Plane arrives, excitement builds. Then all of a sudden "British Airways is paging the following passenger: Would David Ross please report to gate D52 for a message." Heart leaps into throat. Go to D52, turns out that they were concerned they had lost my bag: both of our bags were checked under Eric's name. No problem. Finally board aircraft. Oops, they have to run tests. Sit on the tarmac for ten minutes. Finally take off, at 10.40pm, more than 2 hours late.

Flight over OK. Dinner and drinks served after takeoff. Chose a movie, fell asleep. Got woken up at 5am PST for breakfast, which was nasty. Delays at Heathrow. Holding pattern for 15 minutes. Land. No free gates. Wait ten minutes. Finally get off the aircraft. I feel like garbage, and my cough is coming back at this point. Get through Passport Control pretty quickly (20 minutes) then off to the Arrivals level. Bags claimed no problem. Take Eric to the Heathrow Express station to get him settled on his way to London. I go the National Express desk to pick up my ticket for the Bus to Exeter. I pick it up at the Terminal 4 desk, as instructed on my online confirmation. The lady says "The bus leaves from the Central Bus Station at Terminal 1. Go take the Heathrow Express (no charge) but you will probably miss your bus." Run back to Heathrow Express. Run down the esclator. Run into Eric on the platform. We get on the train. Train gets to Terminal 1 at 5.15, bus leaves at 5.25pm. RUN down the worlds longest corridor. Follow sign to Terminal 1. Take a long escalator ride. Get off escalator. Go around corner, another escalator. Ride it. Another corner, another escalator. RUN up it with my bag. Go around corner: long hallway. Start running. Completely don't see the travelator, so ran next to it. 5.20pm. Arrive in hub where 4 corridors meet, no more signs for the Central Bus Station. Finally spot an elevator with a paper sign on the door "Temporary Lift to Central Bus Station." Take it. Get to bus station. 5.23pm. Run to info desk, go to platform... Bus is 30 minutes late.

Got on the bus, and slept, slept, slept. 3.5 hours later, arrived in Exeter. Hannah met me, we walked back to her flat at the school, and was finally able to relax. Took the best shower of my life, and went to bed.

I suppose it could have been much worse. It actually isn't that bad. I just wanted to document that part of my trip before I forgot.

I can't wait to get to London tonight!

and I'm out for now!