The starry-eyed traveler

Three days into this, and I've already had my first big trip. I journeyed from Oxford down to London yesterday to visit Katherine Atchison on her birthday, and to do a little sight-seeing of my own. I'll admit that there was some anxiety on my part, planning out the whole travel. I can't claim to have ever done something similar so independently. But at 9:30 yesterday morning, I set out from St. Michael's Hall and walked the streets of Oxford to the rail station, which is thankfully only about ten minutes away. The gentleman behind the ticket booth was a real aid in the process. He set me up not only with my train ticket from Oxford to Paddington station, but also with a time-unspecified return ticket and a day pass for the tube, both of which were crucial. I then boarded the train and was off!
The ride there was interesting. The trip itself was quick, only about an hour, owing to the fact that we only stopped at two stations (one was Reading! Monopoly anyone?). But the views outside the window were fascinating. I watched as the tranquil scenes of sheep and fields transformed rather suddenly into those of skyrises and graffiti. Somewhat unsettling. It was also sad to see the condition of the buildings in the area surrounding the rail as we approached Paddington. It served as a reminder that London isn't all glitz and glamour, that people in fact eke out a living here just as elsewhere. It was humbling.
But I was caught up in the thrill of the experience from there on out. Paddington is enormous. The station ceiling is probably a hundred feet overhead, and there are at least ten platforms all crowded under that same roof. Thus began my starry-eyed traveler phase, as I knocked into several people walking along because I couldn't keep my eyes in front of me. I made my way from there to the tube station, where I mapped out my route from there to Leicester (pronounced Lester, as only the Brits can do) Square.
One of the first neat things about London is its dedication to the arts. The tube stations are littered with posters for plays and musicals going on in the city, of which there must be more than thirty at any one time. This is staggering to the Phoenix-bred boy who knows of only two or three theatres in the area. The same applies to the museum, of which there are a multitude, almost all of which are free! Another great thing about London would have to be the tube. It goes everywhere, it's quick, and efficient, and overall fun to do.
But I made my way to Leicester Square, where there is a half-price ticket booth for shows. The place is jam-packed with people, since the area surrounding it is roped off for pedestrians. Katherine and I had been hoping to see Les Miserables, but weren't able to get tickets, it being the weekend and all. I did manage, however, to find two for Avenue Q. I had two hours to kill from there before meeting Katherine and her class at the theatre, so I walked over to Trafalgar Square (conveniently close), did the old tourist bit with the camera, and headed into the National Gallery, which is a phenomenal museum right there (and free, which works perfectly for me). In the hour and a half I was there, I didn't even make it out of the Renaissance section.
From there, I headed across the Thames to the Royal National Theatre, where I was meeting the London theater class from Olaf to see a play titled August: Osage County. While wandering along the banks of the Thames, I'm afraid I was again caught staring blankly around me, trying to comprehend where exactly I was. The whole experience was a tad surreal. From where I was, I could see St. Paul's Cathedral far across the Thames. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly the most ideal day for sight-seeing, with an extensive cloud covering that lasted the entire day and allowed through very little sunlight, as well as a temperature touching the freezing point. The fountains in Trafalgar were frozen over! But that made it all the better to go inside and enjoy some prime drama. The play itself was incredible, highly recommended if you ever get the chance, although pretty intense, so make sure you're in the mindset. Also, it was a full three and a half hours, complete with two intermissions. But it was done with apparently the original Chicago cast, one of which won a Tony for her performance. A personal highlight was seeing the boss from Office Space on stage. After the marathon drama, we headed out and walked across the Thames at night, looking out at the lights of all the buildings along the waterfront. We took the tube back to Leicester Square, the area where Avenue Q was playing. We grabbed some dinner at a little Italian restaurant around there, and headed inside for the production. Neither of us had seen it before, and I don't know if either of us was entirely prepared for the spectacle, but we were both laughing hard throughout.
After the show, I dropped Katherine off at Baker Street and headed back to Paddington station to make the last train back to Oxford. I was somewhat alarmed to look up at the departures board and not see any trains to Oxford. Apparently, they were doing engineering work on the rail between there and my station, and had to cut the journey short. I was notified, thankfully, that a bus service would take me from the last stop on the train to Oxford. So, although the return journey was much longer than the one to London, I made it back safely to Oxford around one this morning.
Today, I'll be back in London (tough life) to tour the Tower of London with my class. I believe my starry-eyed ways may come back into play. But all continues well here in Oxford. On Friday, we spent the day going through more practical orientation stuff. One major focus is fire, which makes sense in a building so old. We even had a practice fire drill. We also hit the town that night to tour the local pubs, and got a good taste of the Oxford nightlife. More on all the activities around here later. I hope all is well back home!