Halfway out of the arrival area and I'm already gathering as much tourist leaflets and brochures as possible. London walks, maps, theatre guides, and what-have-yous. Flying business class on British Airways allowed me to go on the fast track lane for immigrations so I didn't have to line up long. The immigrations officer asked about my trip here, the purpose, what sort of formal training I'm getting, how long, and what company I work for. After that last question, he stamped the page my UK visa was on and I was on my way. Heathrow Airport public address system reports a fire on another building. A good ten minutes waiting on luggage belt three and I'm on my way out. I had to look for the guy holding a sign with my name in it. The guy looked like Alfred Hitchcock and stood in front of the Hertz counter. Once I signalled him a greeting, we were on our way.
Out past the sliding door, I was greeted by an old friend, the cold climate, which I have missed for almost a decade now. The service was, I think, a BMW. I told the driver (who I later knew as Tommy) to guide me through the places we were passing.
Heathrow was a good 15-30 minutes from the interesting part of the city. I found the row brick apartments very appealing. Soon, the driver was pointing me to museums and parks, Buckingham Palace, the Thames, the London Eye, Tate Modern and various government buildings. We headed straight to Docklands and Canary Wharf, where he pointed out where I'll be for the duration of my stay, Circus Apartments.
(More on the apartment on a separate post)
It was already past seven in the morning and I was itching to squeeze out a walk to explore the city. It doesn't get any more touristy than the South Bank Walk.
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