lag in London

The ride from the airport to my hostel was a itself a tour of London. I was the last stop of seven and in the meantime we covered most of central London. I felt as though I had been around the Monopoly board twice, Kings Cross, Euston Rd, Leicester Square, Park Lane, Mayfair and Fleet Street. I didn't get my £200. The driver had started three months earlier and he said he didn't know London at the time but he seemed to know it now- talk about jumping in the deep end.

After all of delays I was running late to catch the FA Cup final at a pub. I had lined up to meet some friends after the game at the Elusive Camel Pub near Victoria Station so after a shower to wash away the last 25 odd hours of travel I braved London busses for the first time-a mere formality as it turned out. Public transport in London is great.

Of course my first big decision in the Uk was which beer to ask for. Well there seemed little doubt after running my eyes over the taps-a pint of John Smiths it was. Apparently this namesake of mine has provided some friends of mine mild amusement over the years they have been here.

The atmosphere at the pub was great as there was a mix of Liverpool and Westham United fans so each goal or near miss was matched with cheers or groans. Normally I would find a game that was tied 3-3, by a goal in injury time, very engaging however by this stage (4.30pm local time, 1.30am aest) the effects of jet lag and little more than three hours sleep on the 22 hour flight was taking hold. I was thankful for the arrival of some friends who I had known from my screen production days at Uni.

I hadn't seen Pippa for six years and Cathy nigh on ten years so some engaging conversation and meeting others including Pippa's husband Darren a good distraction to the extra time and then penalty shoot out in the football. After a change of venue to another Pub for some dinner some headed off for the night.

I was keen to stay up longer hoping to meet jet lag head on and at least stay awake till 10ish. Pippa, Darren and Paul were happy to oblige as tour guides and we went off on an evening tour of the Thames from Westminister Abbey, Big Ben, The London Eye past much of South bank to the Tate Modern.

Now I am a fan of modern art, it often being so different and often confronting, but I have to say I have found a new and exciting way to really appreciate modern art. If I was behind the wheel I would have been dangerous and to see works by Pollock, Monet, Rothken et al in my current Jet lagged state was something else again. When I started to go dizzy I knew it was time for bed.

A feature of the Tate Modern, which is housed in an old Powerstation, is the huge space of the turbine room. This space is often used for atmospheric instillations and as we where leaving large booming noises echoed through the space. Thinking that these were art we looked for their source trying to determine wether it was art or otherwise. It turned out to be fireworks further down the river, which was a fitting end to my first day in London.