I have arrived! After about 33 hours worth of travel… The flight from Abu Dhabi landed on time and I made my way into Heathrow for the first time in a long time. Got through passport control okay, though the self-serve machine didn’t like my passport for some reason, so I had to go to the counter set up for that happening. Little bit of a queue, but not too bad. Saw Elaine and Richard again and said goodbye, then headed to find my backpack.

I seem to have good luck with baggage at Heathrow – by the time I got to the carousel I only had a couple of minutes wait before my bag arrived! Considering it had to be transferred twice, I was a little worried it might have gotten lost!

From there it was a short walk to the tube station, and then the trip into the city! The hotel I’m staying at is just around the corner from the Russell Square underground station, so it was nice and convenient – and a short walk, it’s bloody cold here! I’m loving it though! Though I’d only booked a single room, they gave me one with a double bed which is very nice! After unpacking a bit, making use of the hotel wifi, and a much needed hot shower, I headed out again to see a bit of the city.

I’ve spent a fair bit of time in this area of London – the first time I was over here in 2009 I stayed for three weeks in a place just up the road from my current hotel, and a couple of other times I’ve stayed in other hotels to be close to the train stations that are here (Euston for trains northwards and St Pancras for the Eurostar). Luckily, there’s a shopping area not too far from the hotel were I was able to get a UK sim card. Only £15 (about $30) and it had unlimited data! That’ll definitely come in handy! From there I headed to the British Museum, to have an all-too-short look around, and then down to Covent Garden to have a look in the outdoor shops. Was hoping to find a new pair of pants but didn’t have much luck, will have to keep trying.

Next it was up towards Oxford street, and meeting my friends Sam and Dan for dinner. It’s always great to catch up with them, and they also know all the best food places. This time we went to BRGR.CO, who do absolutely amazing burgers. Seriously, I’m going to have to go back there before I leave… After dinner we went for coffee and more conversation, and then it was time to part ways. Unlike me, Sam and Dan have to work tomorrow! We made our way up to Oxford Circus and they headed back home and I headed back to my hotel.

I was supposed to update this last night, but kind of crashed when I got back to the hotel, so it’s a bit late today. Hopefully I’ll be on time from now on! Tomorrow I’m headed out to see more of the city, and see if much has changed in the almost two years I’ve been gone.