OXFORD - Day 2

I'm never packing so much again.  That was stupid, really stupid.  Today I had to get from my hotel in London (which was awesome, by the way.  A few things I learned though:  If you plug something in, that doesn't mean it's getting power.  You have to also flick the switch next to it.  Go British for trying to save electricity.  Also, the stories in a building start at 0.  So yeah, I was wandering around the rooms on the "1st" floor for a while looking for reception before I figured that one out-)  Anyway, so I had to try and get to Oxford today.  I asked the guy at reception and he said to take such and such bus to a second bus which would take me to the train station and I could go straight to Oxford from there.  Simple right?

Nope.  The trains were pretty confusing.  And dragging 80 lbs of luggage around on and off trains was very tiring.  It was fun to get carted around various London neighborhoods though.  I'm enough of a tourist for the novelty of English architecture to cancel out my frustration over being lost and confused.  On one train, a woman was next to me with her two young kids.  She was on the phone with who I assume is her soon to be ex-husband/ex-boyfriend.  She was swearing at him and yelling at him.  With her British accent it all sounded quite lovely though.

Eventually, I found my way to the train station, thank god.  I was sitting there looking around and trying to figure out why everything here looks so clean- and it's because there aren't stupid advertisements everywhere! It's so refreshing!  And so much brick!  I love brick buildings and they're everywhere here!  I can't get enough of it.

Something else I've noticed that is commonly missing around here are clocks.  In America we have a clock in every room.  It's very common.  I never know what time it is here!  I've never worn a watch, always relied on my phone.  So now without my phone I'm at a loss.  Luckily, I haven't needed to be anywhere at any certain time.  Also refreshing.  

I got to my hostel today and it's pretty nice.  I got a bottom bunk, thank god.  It's pretty clean too.  So far no complaints except that my pillow is about an inch thick.  I'm shocked though, that out of the 12 people I'm sharing a room with, I'm one of the 2 people to use a locker.  Everyone else leaves their stuff under their bed or on top of it and then leaves without a second thought.  It would be so easy to steal something!  Even if I leave the room for a second I lock up my purse and laptop or take them with me.  

The hostel is two buildings down from the River Thames (still trying to figure out the correct pronunciation)  so I decided to go for a walk down the river.  There are all these really cool boats docked there!  

I followed the river up to Jericho on a hunt for a cheap bike.  No luck yet, but I found a decent people watching spot in Frevd.  Get this- it's an old church turned bar!  I love it already.   

I've had 2 beers since I've been in England and they've both been served cold.  So much for all the warm beer warnings.  Everybody here looks a little bit like me.  Pale, messy hair, dressed in solid shades of blue, pensive looks on their faces...

People are used to foreign visitors here, I haven't gotten any "oh you're American!?!" conversations yet, like I've annoyingly done to every Brit I've met in the states.  But they will look at you strangely as they try to determine exactly where you're from.  

I just saw my first SUV in 2 days!  Yayyy low gas mileage!  Seriously though, all the cars here look like they're ducking from something.