Jet Lag Arrival

Hello All,

This is a jet-lag inspired experiment which may or may not result in many posts, but those of you directed to the blog may find updates here about our European adventure from time to time.

We arrived in England with no troubles. Customs was a snap. Bart and Tony picked us up (big thanks in order here), and we were off from Heathrow to Oxford (at 100 mph!). With only one wrong turn, we arrived at our apartment - two hours early to meet the agent.

This two hour window was perfect for a first exploration of our neighborhood. We quickly found that within a five minute walk there are plenty of take-out restaurants, a couple of small grocery stores, pubs, etc. We found a Bangladeshi restaurant for a quick lunch. (We later read an advertisement claiming that it is an award-winning restaurant with four branches in Oxford.)

After a quick walk up the road a bit, we ambled back to the apartment. The rental agent arrived shortly thereafter to show us the place.

I would say that the apartment is small, but that might imply more space than we have. This studio apartment is quite sunny and clean. The kitchen is small, but well-outfitted except that there isn't any way to brew any kind of coffee other than instant. The bathroom is off of a hallway from the kitchen. It is almost small enough for either of us to touch all four walls while standing at the sink. The only remaining space in the apartment is the bedroom, located at the end of the five foot long hallway. Other than the bed, some kitchen chairs, and the floor, there is nowhere to sit. We're hoping to borrow a small futon from Bart and Tony sometime soon.

On the plus side, the wired internet connection fired up no problem. The promise of wireless remains unfulfilled, but we may figure that out next week. In the meantime, we've stocked up on the best available foodstuffs (M&Ms, jam, tea and milk, bacon!) and avoided those things that all visitors fear: marmite and vegemite. In fact, the entire jarred-items aisle was a challenge.

Tomorrow, we explore Oxford on foot, despite threatened rain. The Rothermere is about 2 miles from the apartment, while central Oxford is even closer. The big goal, though, is to sleep through the hours 1-3:30am. Unlike today.

Cheers