My UK Trip - Day 1 Tue, Feb 27

Coming off of jet lag and adjusting to the array of Peugot's driving on the wrong side of the road, I made my way to the Northwood tube station exit in the north-west area of London to check in for my first night in England with Val, the student affairs director at London Theological College. After grabbing a quick nap, I jumped back on the tube for my first night in London. Once in the tunnel, riding the Metropolitan line into town, I met a student from Ghana name Kassia along with 3 other London Theological College (LST) students on their way home. They suggested I speak with Deborah, a woman with a background in media, who was taking classes at the school and wants to become involved in a venture like the Hub Nights concept some of you are familiar with.

I exited the train at Tower station and walked out to face the Tower of London, lit brightly against a London skyline. I had a bit of time to kill so I traversed a side street to a local pub and ordered a sandwich from a Bracilian bartender. A quick bite and a chapter from a Ravi Zaccharias book and I was off to meet up with my first London Walks tour, Jack the Ripper Haunts. I met a man and woman from Belgium, a girl from Australia and a guy (Ben) from Philly. We covered the seedy parts of town, narrow cobblestone walkways with rows of pubs centuries old, lit only by gaslight as we tracked the Ripper's roots through his playground. We learned of the gruesome deaths of Anne, Katie and many other of the prostitutes that had worked these corners and met their untimely deaths at the hands of the Ripper. Our guide gave us a few conspiracy theories, largely discredited, and we finished back at a tube station. I chatted with an English girl for a bit on the train ride home who immediately recognized my Americanese from her travels in the States and exited back at Northwood to sleep off the jet lag from the days travels. Day one, in the books. More to come.