Checking In

Hey, I made it! A 7 hour flight from T.O. in which I actually slept, and very little traffic at Heathrow, so that I actually got to my hotel well before check-in time.

I secured my bags with the concierge and thn went for a walk around the area. I am at the Guoman Tower Hotel, which is on the north bank of the Thames just east of the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. Here's the view from just a few feet from the hotel entrance

And another view from the NBC lounge on the top floor:

The hotel is in a really nice area called St. Catherine's Docks, and backs onto a yacht club type harbour with lots of cool restaurants and strolling areas. Here's a view of the dock area (also from the NBC lounge):

I walked along the Thames and up and around the Tower of London, and then back through the dock area, and by then my room was ready. I'll save the Tower of London until I actually go to visit, but here's the view from my room:

The Tower of London is in the left half of the photo, and a strange shiny building they call the Gherkin is in the upper right.

After checking in, and taking a brief nap, I had a shower and headed in to the IBC (about a 35 minutes bus ride - on an Olympic charter bus that has a specific route from my hotel to the IBC and back every 30 minutes).

It was really nice to see all the guys again in COMMs. It's like a small fraternity that I only get to see every two years. More tomorrow...