Yay for England

I had an interesting journey over here, once again being reminded that God's plans are always better than mine. Im very particular about where I sit in the airplane, so the night before the flight, I chose the seat that I wanted (unlike Meg, my strategy revolves around the bathrooms and not around emergency exits:). In any case, when I checked-in at the airport, I found out that they have changed the aircraft and I got a window seat (no matter how much I pleaded), which doesn't work for a frequent bathroom visitor like myself. Even though I was mentally typing an angry email to United Airlines customer service, when I got in line at the counter near the gate, the lady was really nice and switched me to an Economy Plus seat for free (more leg room). The seat turned out to be right behind the business class area, so the whole flight I got the business class treatment without actually being in business class (champagne upon entry, delicious meals, extra attention, cleaner bathrooms:).

When we got to Heathrow, the immigration process went so fast that I didn't even realize that I had just gone through immigration (very surprising since you would think that the UK would be even more paranoid than the US). Good thing that I was traveling with 2 of my colleagues because the way to the conference site was a bit confusing: we had to first get on a bus to the train station, then a train (with a change) to our final destination. Apparently, there is no set train schedule for Sundays, so we were a bit confused and missed an earlier train while we were eating superdelicious homemade pasties (that's right, not pastries). To get to the later train, we had to change platforms, i.e. drag our luggage back and forth, several times up and down the stairs across the overpass. The ride itself took us through some picturesque English countryside with cute cottages, happy cows and sheep, and green pastures. We are staying at a cute bed and breakfast in the quiet town of Cheltenham. Tonight, we organized a small reception for some of our collaborators from around the world who have come for the same conference, and afterwards I took a little walk around town. First impression of England: very much like it.

Here are some detailed observations (for those who are still reading):

1)The country is VERY green.
2)I can barely understand the accent:):):)---all the efforts of my English professor from the university in Vladimir have gone to the dogs.
3)No trash cans in train stations and cameras everywhere---I guess the memories of the IRA (Irish Republican Army) terror times are still fresh.
4)The food is quite heavy (but good): how do people stay thin?
5)It is pretty clear right away that there is so much less consumerism here than back in the States(e.g., barely any SUVs on the road).

So happy to be here and can't wait to explore more of the UK!