Getting ready for the London Marathon – Early morning in Southwark | Southwark, London

First day in London. Hellish jetlag and a check-in time of 2pm forces me to move about the city for a few hours. 5am and my flight moves quickly through customs, I fight with a subway ticketing machine on behalf of an American couple whose card is not accepted (it is), wait for the first train on the Jubilee line, and find my way to Southwark by 8:00. Then it’s a stop to the hostel to drop off my luggage before wandering the streets.  London has 15 bridges crossing the Thames in the city centre: so far I’ve crossed four. Why all the back and forth? The London Marathon was today, running along the Thames, and I joined the crowds in Westminster to rubberneck as well. Other stops: Jubilee Park near the London Eye, Waterloo Station, Trafalgar Square.