Britain! Britain! Britain!

Hullo all. Yes, I'm alive. And in England.

I didn't get my complimentary ethernet cable until yesterday, so apologies for the delay. Also, I haven't yet gotten to scan any of the few sketches I've done. Those will have to wait until next time. Let's see, what's on the menu today?

The flight over was fine, no problem. Incidentally, have you ever seen a sunrise while you're in a plane above the clouds? (photo courtesy of Flickr)

One of my favourite things. At least regarding airplanes.

When there's a thick layer of stratus below you, it feels like some arctic landscape. Everything is deep greys and lavenders, and then the sky turns bright blue and orange; it's really peaceful and serene. It's so lonely, and then you see another plane flying by below you, and they look so small. It makes me want to sing!*

I've been lucky enough to see two airborne sunrises so far in my life, and both have been just inspirational. It would make being a pilot worthwhile. Well, almost worthwhile. At least until the three months of jet lag hit you. Oof.

Wow, you could see yourself in all that poetic wax, couldn't you? Anyway...

* But there shall be no singing on this blog! For now!

::Getting to Bournemouth::

Got my coach ticket to Bournemouth from a woman who said "Darling" and "My Love" a lot. Saw my first three MP5-toting local law enforcement units at the bus terminal. Wondered how people could drive American-style cars in Britain. Saw some cows.

I had to go to the Arts Institute first to pick up my keys. This is Friday afternoon; nobody's around because term doesn't resume until Monday. So I ring the bell for the security guard that was supposed to be there. Nothing happens. After fiddling around for a bit, I hear a voice from On High: "Hello?" I look up, and hanging in the second floor* window is the security guard. He was rather old, rather avuncular*, and rather British and from his location, reminded me very strongly of the guard of the Emerald City:
He threw down the keys to get in and when I asked where Bourne Chambers was, he said, "I have no idea. But here's a picture!" So armed with a mental image of what I should be looking for, I set off. Once I found the place, it took me nearly ten minutes to figure out how the little fob unlocked the door. Too bad the Schmermunds weren't there, because then I'd be able to blame it on them. Then I comically tried to carry my two bags (and a backpack) up the three flights of stairs to my room. It would have been funny if it wasn't so embarrassing. But enough about that, what about...


* Third floor, for our American readers.
* Oh, go look it up.

::Bournemouth::

Bournemouth is a very popular seaside town on the south coast of England, in Dorset.It's a really nice little town, but as anyone from the Jersey Shore knows, popular seaside towns are dead in the off-season. There are tons of shopping places, though, so even though the beach is down for the count, there are still a fair amount of people shopping and eating about town. As with most of Europe* there are a bevy of buses waiting to take the intrepid traveller to foreign destinations such as Boscombe! and Winton! Poole and Charminster! But really though, the public transit is great. Bourne Chambers is right in the middle of it all, which is great for shopping, catching the bus, or eating a late dinner at McDonald's. The accompanying picture is the view from my window - St. Peter's Church.

On Saturday (3 January) I took a walk about town to explore it's wonders, and strolled along the beach. The first place I found was a Borders right in the center of town, where I promptly picked up some Not-Printed-In-The-US Terry Pratchett books.* Then I walked through the park/botanical garden,* overheard a conversation about tortoises, and made my way to the seaside. It's a very nice beach, and very clean as well. I'll bet it's lovely when it's not -2...


* And none of America...
* Technically it's Sir Terry Pratchett now, thankyouverymuch.
* It's got palm trees! And an aviary! And HOT AIR BALLOON RIDES!


So now, have some pictures!