and this is London...

First off, Virgin Airlines serves excellent meals and should open a restaurant chain ASAP. And don't even try smoking in the toilet while on-board -- you'll get arrested.

The shock factor of entering a new country - not just to visit but to actually live there - is intense, to say the least. I never felt so emotionally unstable in my life like I did on that first day-- I felt like a little girl who just got her blankey taken away. I missed my family and friends like a kid at her first day at camp. Needless to say, I felt like a child. And even though thousands of people were milling around me, and even though Elizabeth was right beside me, I couldn't shake off the nagging sensation of lonliness.

But then I went to sleep and the next day I felt better. Yes, that easy. Sleeping good.

So I've seen a lot of what London has to offer: Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, a lot more really old buildings that I forgot the name of, Picadilly Circus, the Thames, etc. And don't forget Harrod's -- good lord, that place has everything except for a firing squad and pony rides. They even have a Princess Diana memorial, which consists of a photo of her framed in classy, plastic gold, and what they think is the engagment ring given to her by that Dodi guy.

The people of London are definitely interesting -- all manners, until they enter the tube -- than it becomes a hodge podge of people pushing and shoving down the stairs. And not very politically correct at all -- in fact, they believe Americans to be too PC who need to loosen up.

As for food, Cheerios taste better over here. And they have shredded wheat with cranberries in the middle. Delicious. Other than that, I've eaten fish 'n chips, which was tasty -- but everything fried is tasty anyways. There are McDonalds everywhere and they look very clean. Once I get something called an income, I'll be able to discuss the food at greater length.

And highlight of the day? Watching some little girl at the Portobello Market sing and dance in an army girl costume. Except it was the most horrendous singing and dancing I have ever had the pleasure of hearing and seeing. What was she doing it for? Collecting money for "some poor kids charity." Sure. I expected Tom Bergeron to come out and yell, "you're on candid camera!" because our face -- and the faces of many others who happened to pass by -- showed a mixture of amusement, disgust, and, ultimately, worry. Beautiful.