Mind the Gap

So I have been here a few days now and kind of feel a bit more settled. That first day on Friday was quite possibly the most screwed up day I have ever had in terms of tiredness. I can't believe I was able to wander towards locations I had no idea how to get to, and arrive alive and with all luggage still in tow.

Here are some observations so far:

There is a SERIOUS lack of recycling in this city and this may extend into the rest of the country as well (I think it does). I wouldn't say that I am an extremely environmentally cautious person, but it's pretty awful to see trash cans filled with so much recyclable material -- especially when in Canada I feel guilty if I don't make efforts to recycle because there is no excuse not to.
Secondly, guys pee on the street whenever they want and without trying to conceal anything. I saw this occur the other day on a sidewalk and I didn't realize what was happening until I was right in front of the guy. Mind you he looked like a street bum or he could have been drunk. But I am still not sure that that justifies the action.
I am still having trouble getting used to looking the opposite ways for traffic so my solution is to just look both ways as much as possible and try to be aware of traffic light patterns. Let's hope I don't get flattened by a double decker bus.
The Old Vic Theater is situated in Susan's neighbourhood so everyday I sleep within a half mile of Mr. Kevin Spacey himself. I know he doesn't live there, but he works there and I am sure some of our hours overlap. It's a cool thought... *sigh*

Yesterday, Susan, Erin, and I went down to Oxford Street to do some shopping. Here's a nerdy archaeological fact: Oxford Street is actually on top of the ancient Roman road which led to Oxford. Anyways, lots of good shopping but I held back because I have a whole week and a half to start blowing cash left right and centre. I can tell you that it won't be hard either... the city is extremely expensive, especially for poor Canadians who have a currency that trades for pennies (almost). Last night we also went out for dinner to a cool pub in Susan's neighbourhood that was housed in a converted Firehouse Station. We all had a steak dinner and that was pretty well the first and last time that I will be eating such a meal in this fine country. We have done some grocery shopping so most meals can be eaten at home or made to take with us. It's really necessary to save as much $ as possible. For now I am trying not to think about conversion rates -- it's just too depressing.
We went to the British Museum today and I was in total HEAVEN. I must have taken over 200 photographs so far and I am still not through the Greek and Roman galleries. I think that I will have to go back again next week to finish up my documentation of artifacts. I saw a few works by Euphronios (my favourite Athenian Red Figure painter/potter) and got to see the Parthenon/Elgin Marbles which was FANTASTIC. However, it has been almost four years since I was in Athens so it's a little foggy in my mind to picture the arrangement. Some day I do have hopes that they will return but I can tell you that they are pretty comfortably ensconced at the BM so I cannot see them moving any time soon.
A lot of the Near Eastern and Egyptian artifacts are awesome. They literally have full statues from Tombs and other monuments. They also have the Rosetta Stone which people flocked to, pressing their faces to the glass like they cannot see it from a few feet away. I keep forgetting how much stuff they have here, which is why I was dismayed that time flew by so quickly and I didn't get through all the stuff I wanted to see. We were only there for 2 hours and a bit because the sleeping patterns are still a bit messed up. Basically, I went to bed around 12:30am and woke up at 3:30am and couldn't get back to sleep until about 9:30am after Susan had given me gravol and we had eaten breakfast. I tried so hard to sleep but it just wasn't coming to me. I even got up at one point and read in the living room for a few hours but still no dice. As a result, our day didn't really begin until 2pm when we ventured out of the house towards the museum. When we start actually getting up early in the morning and having full days of site seeing, I think we will be more productive.

Tomorrow will definitely be an early day as we are heading out to Salisbury (by bus) to see Stonehenge and Avebury. I am not sure what to expect... It will be cool for sure but I wonder if I will be bored. It's an awful thought but even archaeologists get bored of looking at rocks sometimes.