The overnight flight arrived in London as scheduled. We sailed though immigration and customs. It seems that every other country than the US has easier access. This is the first time that we have packed small enough to carry on everything with us. We each have a rollaboard suitcase, and Philip has his computer case and I have a small tote bag. We could take about anything we wanted on the Continental flight from IAH to LHR, but I was worried about how much we will be able to take on the Austrian airlines flights. We do get better and better at packing small most every time we travel. This trip includes two distinct climate areas, so that added to the problem of what to pack. London should be cool and wet, but the days on the river cruise may be hot.

I guess getting through the arrivals process so quickly was a surprise for our driver. He wasn't at the meeting point when we exited customs. We had the phone number and called, just to find out he was a bit farther down in the area. The trip into London took an hour and a half. Traffic was slowed by a wreck that had happened earlier in the day. Since we were using a limo service rather than a cab, we weren’t allowed to use the bus/cab lane. Okay, lesson learned. It’s faster to take a cab rather than a car service in London. Philip doesn’t like to take the train when we are carrying luggage.

Our early arrival at the hotel didn’t go as well as expected. This was the first time in a long time that the hotel did not let us check in even though we got there about two hours before check in time. We dropped our bags with the bellman and started the day anyway. We had planned a day of shopping as the first day, wanting to do a little, but not a lot of buying. The Tabio sock shop, our favorite place to buy socks, was a 15-minute walk away, so that was the first stop. We spent way too much on socks, but it was fun and a rare treat. We stopped at a pub for lunch (fish and chips for me and ploughman’s lunch for Philip). After earlier trips, we have finally gotten the hang of how to order in different types of places in London, so Philip went to the bar and ordered and we had lunch served in just a few minutes. We went into the National Gallery on the way back to the hotel, but just for a few minutes. We will have time to come back by on Thursday or Friday.

We tried to check in at the hotel again, and the room still wasn’t ready even though it was exactly time for check in. Deciding to keep shopping, we headed for our second store, Turnbull and Asser, for Philip to order some shirts. He has had good luck with their shirts so he wanted to get more. It was another 15-minute walk from the hotel, but in a slightly different direction. That job done, we headed back to the hotel. The only other store we planned on going to today was Harrods, but we never made it there. It is a 35-minute walk, or more likely, a 10-minute tube ride, but we have done enough shopping and we don’t have anything in particular to look for there anyway.

The third time we try to get our room key, we are told that the previous guests left a smoking odor in the room and that was why it wasn’t ready. At this point we are a bit irritated and wondering why they don’t just give us another room in the same category, but pretty soon the desk clerk offers us a key and says that they did change our room. The room is on the first floor, being one up from the ground, without the river view we expected. However, the room is large and has a quaint balcony and we are happy with it. We soon discovered that even though the balcony is attractive and furnished with two cast iron tables and chairs, we can’t use it. The sign says that the railing is too low for current safety requirements. Oh, well.

Tonight we decided on a light dinner in the hotel and we’re going to bed early. (Going to bed early was on the itinerary.) We ordered just appetizers, salad, and dessert and skipped the main course. I wonder why changing time zones messes up your appetite? Also, on our official agenda is sleeping late tomorrow. Good night.