Can I get a Hallelujah?!!!

I am ONLINE with my computer (thanks to ex-pat, Kelly B for the Starbucks suggestion!) I am at a local Starbucks, enjoying a coffee and a blueberry muffin. London is waking up and people are starting to emerge. There is not a cloud in the sky and it is an exceedingly pleasant morning--nice & cool.

One thing I just realized...I have not sat in a comfortable chair since I arrived in this country. Just sayin'!

But, I did sleep pretty good last night--sort of. I went to bed at 10:00, slept like a log and woke up ready to start my day...........at 2 a.m.!! What's up with that? So, back to bed. Woke again around 4 and again at 6. But, I was absolutely cooked to a fine crisp (actually more like wilted spinach) in my room each time I woke up. Too many covers and not enough air.

I need to pay my hotel bill as soon as I can. The nice young lady at reception yesterday said I could pay after I went to the bank to get pounds. I did, but when I got back she was off duty. Besides, I couldn't pull out enough money to pay for the hotel anyway. If you pull £300 from the ATM, it is costs more in dollars than I'm allowed to withdraw per day, I guess. I was very worried the first time I tried the ATM as it wouldn't give me any money at all! When I lowered the amount of my request, it happily complied.

I'll go back to the bank tomorrow. They are closed today, of course. But, I will not use a sidewalk ATM for safety/security reasons. There was a guard-type person inside the bank, which made me feel comfortable withdrawing money there.

I haven't been finding much in the way of appealing restaurants in the neighborhood. There is an overabundance of middle-eastern restaurants that I'm just not willing to try just yet. There is an Italian place very close, so I might eat there tonight. I might even go to Pizza Hut. I ate at McDonald's last night only because I was salivating at the prospect of getting free/usable wi-fi! I wasn't particularly happy with my meal. Their menu has different items than we do in the US. I had a Chicago burger with crisscuts (fries like you get at Chick-Fil-A). It was supposed to come with sour cream & chives but it didn't. When I asked for it, I was told they were sold out. So, I got ketchup instead. The burger was nothing special, and neither were the crisscuts, for that matter!

Not sure what I'll do today. Definitely something outdoors. There is a fellow Shawnee Mission South Raider (Kelly B) who lives here. She invited me for a walk in Hyde Park yesterday, but I didn't get her message in time. I'll call or e-mail her a little later so maybe we can meet up today.

I'm also going to try uploading the photos I took yesterday. I hope to take lots more today, as it truly is a gorgeous day! I think rain, wind & colder temps are heading this way. Those will be museum days. LOL

Oh, I forgot to mention a funny little story. Yesterday, after checking into my room, I wanted to use the bathroom. Well, there is no light switch in there. So, I tried the one by the entry door. Still no lights. I tried the switches next to my bed. Nothing! I mentioned this to the front desk clerks and was told that I need to insert my card key into the reader inside the door for the lights to work. SERIOUSLY??

Well, my coffee dregs are cold and I'm anxious to get back outside.

I'll try uploading my pictures real quick.

More later.....