Brought to You by Clotted Cream: Because it Tastes as Good as it Looks. Yummy!

Sorry about the delay between posts. I've actually had to pretend to be a student instead of a tourist the past two weeks in order to finish all my assignments. I actually finished my term papers a week before they were due because my parents are going to be here tomorrow and I had no intention of doing any kind of work while they were out having fun. However, this will be the only time in my life that I do not procrastinate. After all, I have spent 17 years of school turning procrastination into an art form and intend on applying it regularly. But, that being said, I have plenty of fun little tid-bits that I've done, seen, and experienced since last time. I'll start at the beginning.
Last Saturday, July 5th, I went to go see Spamalot. Excellent musical, though quite cheesy and if you're a fan of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I'd rank Spamalot below it. Though it was a good show, highly amusing, and enjoyable, some of the numbers were just too over the top. Think American Pie funny vs Mel Brooks funny. Mel Brooks will always reign supreme, sorry kids. I also happened to go see Spamalot, which was in a theater just up from Leicester Square, during the middle of London's annual Gay Pride Parade. And yes, it happens to be in the middle of Soho which is Boy's Town. I've never seen so much leather in my life. Though, I have to say I did enjoy watching the two beefy, hunky men selling underwear in their little tighty-whities despite the fact that they were much more interested in each other than they would ever be me. First time ever I wish I had been born the other gender, but alas, God blessed me by making me a woman. If only I had been just a little more unlucky at birth...But I digress. I also believe that the sailor hat is going to replace the rainbow flag as the insignia of gay pride because after about thirty minutes of walking around, everyone and their boyfriend had a little white sailor cap that they had bought for a couple pounds from the guy walking around selling little white sailor caps. And here I was thinking gay men were fashionable. Guess it goes to show that everyone makes mistakes.
The following Wednesday I went and saw Wicked. Oh My God!!!! Sorry, I don't normally get so carried away, but it was, by far, the best musical I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot. It didn't beat out Lion King in terms of costume and set design (I don't think anything ever will) but without a doubt musically it reigns supreme. The cast I saw was also fantastic. Wicked is a difficult story to carry vocally since it probably has some of the most powerful songs I've ever heard and I didn't put too much stock on anyone outside of Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth actually being able to pull it off, but the cast I saw did an excellent job.
Then this past Friday I had a required class field trip to Cambridge. I didn't mind at all, especially since in the past I have looked at applying to Cambridge for their PhD in English Literature. And I'm so glad I went. It was so much fun. If you ever get the chance to go to Cambridge, trains leave from King's Cross Station every 30 minutes or so and you should do it. The town itself is beautiful and the college is fantastic as well. It's small, old, idyllic, and very interesting. I'd also recommend taking a punting tour of the grounds. Punting being a small, flat-bottomed boat propelled across the water with a long pole. Yours truly even got to punt, until the silly girl in the boat next to me ran into my boat and I was horizontal in a vertical river...It didn't end well. But everyone was dry and safe when they got back to the docks, I promise.
So, the story of Cambridge goes as such:
In Oxford there were horrible riots between the students and the townspeople. One night, during a particularly terrible riot, a group of students escaped Oxford and ran to Cambridge where a teacher of theirs lived. He continued to teach them, away from Oxford, and that is how Cambridge began.
Like I said, if you get the chance to go, you should. It's architecturally beautiful, historically rich, and tourist friendly, though it does get a bit crowded so come early or stay late.
Also, another interesting tidbit of information. These cows:
that graze in front of Christ Church College, have to audition for the honor to do so. They are apparently the most beautiful cows in the area. They also have to tap dance and sing 16 bars of a popular song. I heard Simon Cowell was hard on them, Paula tried to ride them, but Randy was the deciding vote and they got it. Way to go, cows.

Lions and Tigers and Ann Coulter...Oh My!

So, I was riding the escalators at the Holborn Tube station, today, looking at all the bright posters that are supposed to draw your eyes away from the monochrome doldrum of rush hour with promises of beach vacations, tightly muscled bodies, and fantastic adventures, and I thought about all the ridiculous things that I've seen in London, such as, advertisements for a beach vacation in the Tube while most people's minds are very, very far away from the beach. I wonder how many people actually call the number at the bottom of that poster, because on their way to work they were impulsively struck with the desire to go to Morocco and simply had to dial that number, riding up and down the escalators multiple times until they got all the numbers right. Hmm, perhaps the mental image is a bit more adequate when you've actually been at the Holborn Tube station during rush hour, but alas, I digress. Anyway, I thought I'd make a list of the ten most ridiculous things I've seen so far in London, and amazingly enough, underground beach vacation posters do not make the list. So, here we go. (Think David Letterman here people)

10. The guy walking down the street with the two foot tall spiked mowhawk. (Please understand that I have no problems with the "Punk" lifestyle, but instead am humored by the irony of a lifestyle that supports anarchy causing someone to force their hair into a preconceived notion of a certain institution, i.e. punk, which therefore goes against the very thing they're supposed to stand for. That, and the guy probably spends more time than the average super model in front of the mirror trying to convince the world that he really doesn't care).

9. Everything is now a musical. Do you want to see Lord of the Rings, Gone With the Wind, and Billy Eliot all set to music with lots of singing, dancing, and choreography? Well, here you can.

8. Taking number 9 a step further, who's interested in seeing the musical "Into the Hoods". That's right. Into the Woods goes urban. And no, I'm not making this stuff up. I couldn't if I tried.

7. Mopeds! Well, for a motorcycle rider like myself, it's pretty self explanatory. But to see two grown men, one in short pink shorts with a tennis racket and the other in a business suit, both wearing white cue ball helmets riding the same little black moped, well, it just sticks with you. But I am amused by all the moped riders in business suits, their little ties flapping in the wind. It kind of makes you all warm and fuzzy inside.

6. Property Values. OK, so this one's a bit more serious than the last, but I can't understand why property values are significantly higher in London than they are in places like New York City and Los Angeles. I mean, seriously, they are ridiculous. I saw one that was $1,000 US for a bedroom and ensuite bathroom a month, but you had to share the apartment with another couple, and it wasn't in a particularly expensive part of town.

5. Tourists, mainly from my program. I cannot tell you how many people in my program have gone to stores like Gap and Nine West, all of which we have back home, and bought things at about twice the price it costs back home. It's the same with fast food. "Ooo, I'm in London for six weeks. I think I'll have a Big Mac and that blue cable-knit pullover, no, the one on the other shelf, yes, that's it...Hmm, well now what can I do?"

4. Tube announcements: When things go wrong in the US, normally it's veiled by the Powers that Be. So if a bus or train has problems, it's due to a mechanical problem, equipment problem, or some other code term that could mean anything from, bus driver had to take a potty break to the engine's about to explode. What do they do in London: "We are currently suffering severe delays on the Piccadilly because of a person under the train."

3. Rush Hour. I'm sorry, maybe it's just because where I come from, rush hour means someone's tapped a new keg and if you don't get to it in the next five minutes you'll have to wait for the skinny kid in front of you to finish his keg stand and that's totally going to kill your buzz, but people here seriously freak out during rush hour. In Bloomington, early morning on campus kind of resembles a funeral procession. Lots of dour, sad-looking students, taking very resolute steps as if attempting to walk the plank and yet do it with courage and grace. But here, it's a free for all. I think I saw a woman in high heels and a tight black skirt try to pile drive a man in a business suit for space on the train. And, I'm pretty sure some of the mopeds are packing heat-seeking missiles for those pesky traffic jams. I've never seen so many people running, jogging, sprinting, pushing, shoving, back handing, sucker punching, eye gouging...well, you get the point. But you'd think after a certain amount of time, people would have learned how long it takes them to get from point A to point B and could do it without causing physical violence.

2. Dolce and Gabbana: Please, understand that I have no problems with fashion what so ever. What I do have problems with is the headless torso of the heavily muscled, very ummm...well endowed man that I see in tighty-whities every morning when I go to the South Kensington Tube Station. Mainly because, no matter how many times I walk by that large poster nearly as tall as I am, he will never come to life, step out of his poster, whisk me away on his white horse (which has suddenly materialized in the South Kensington Tube Station) and take me to live happily ever after in his mansion on the edge of Lake Como (which has also suddenly materialized, just go with it). Ah, Dolce and Gabbana, how you tease me.

1. The Snake Stone, a book by Jason Goodwin. Which I have seen posters up all over the place for. Let me simply close with this as to why it is the most ridiculous thing I have seen in London. It is a story about a detective. Sounds harmless enough. I have 9 words for you. 19th-Century Ottoman detective, who happens to be a eunuch.

Good Night, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Safe Travels!
~P

So, last night I was chasing Harry, Ron, and Hermione through the streets of London. They made it through the invisible wall...I didn't.

If you ever, ever decide to go on a trip with me, put down the hallucinogenic drugs and step away from the crazy train. No, really. I'd advise against it. I think I even have a surgeon general's warning on the back of my head that traveling with me may be hazardous to your health. Time to regale you with more of Patrie's Weekend Adventures (think of that last part being said in a booming James Earl Jones-esque voice with lots of reverb).
So, this weekend, I was thinking I'd get out of London. I'd made plans a few weeks back to rent a cottage for the weekend, go up to the Cotswolds, and in general have some nice fun out of the city. I'm a country girl at heart, so hiking, nice fields and forests, and wildlife are all my cup of tea. I checked train reservations on the national rail website (www.nationalrail.co.uk) and had a cottage reserved for Friday and Saturday nights. I picked up my train tickets early, and am glad I did because my train left London at 5:40 in the morning which meant I was lucky I could walk and breathe at the same time, much less operate a ticket kiosk. I was staying in the little town of Shipton-Under-Wychwood which is in the Cotswolds (which is an area in central England that is just beautiful.) It's really idyllic and most of the houses are made out of a beautiful gold-brown stone that is apparently native to the area.
So, like I said, I left London fairly early in the morning. I took a cab to the station because the Tube doesn't run that early in the morning. It starts most lines around 5:20 but I wasn't willing to just give myself 20 minutes to get to the station and since the next train left for Shipton at 4:00 that evening, I'd decided that I really wanted to be on that early train. I got there around 8 maybe 9 in the morning on Friday, which was great because it basically meant I got to spend the whole day traveling from Shipton to Shipton-Under-Wychwood which, according to the addresses I had plugged into Mapquest, were about eight miles apart. I'd used the address from the train station to the cottage I was staying in. And to be honest, I didn't mind the walk because it would give me a great opportunity to walk around and see the Cotswolds, which was what I had come out to do anyway.
Well, just to let you know, in England, there is no I-65 N or 461W or anything like that. So, know the towns that are in the direction you want to go. For example, if you were in Indiana on I-65 going North towards Indianapolis, It wouldn't say I-65 North in England, it would say I-65 towards Indianapolis. Of course, for those of us who have lived in Indiana for years, it's obvious that Indianapolis is North of, say Louisville, and that we know that. It's a bit different for someone not from the area. So, I'm getting on A361 towards....I have no idea. Which puts me at a bit of a loss as to what direction I want to go in. And, since I see no signs saying A316 to Shipton-Under-Wychwood, I have a problem. So, I call daddy. Unfortunately, for daddy, I call him at about 4am their time. Sorry, dad, but I was lost. So, Dad gets up, out of his nice warm bed for his totally devoted, loving, very lost daughter, checks out a map, and points me in the right direction.
Well, at least I thought so. I ended up walking about two miles in the wrong direction before turning around and having to walk back. Apparently Mapquest confused eight miles, and about one kilometer, because that was literally about how far my cottage was from the train station. Perhaps a mile, mile and a half tops. But it was certainly not eight miles. And you know the real irony of the situation. I was calling my dad at the corner of a three way stop. A361 went in two directions, right and left, and right across from me was a second, smaller road. Had I gone down that road across from me, I would have been at my cottage in about 400 yards. But, oh well. I finally got there and got to see some great countryside. I just wish I could have seen it without a 20lbs backpack on my back.
Anyway, the cottage was great, and I got to see some really great sites. And I spent most of the weekend reading and drinking tea (How very English of me) and all in all it was absolute heaven.
The cottage
There were stone walls everywhere in Shipton-Under-Wychwood, most of them in excellent condition.
Now that is just gorgeous and you know it.

It is quite easy for one to get lost in the past along this path.
I just stopped in to say "Hello"
However, getting back on Sunday was a different story. Alright, so I told you how I checked for my times on the national rail website, correct. I saw that there was a train leaving Shipton on Sunday that would get me back to London sometime around 10 or 11. So, I went to the train station and waited. 10:30 came and went, still no train. I waited until about 11, thinking that it was probably late, and then looked at the time table on the train station. There are no trains that leave Shipton on Sundays. There are also no buses leaving Shipton to go anywhere where I could get a train, and none of the nearby towns are guaranteed to have a train out anyway. I learned all of this after I hiked to a gas station down the road. So, finally I just borrowed a phone book and called a cab. I think it was about one at this time. The cab company tells me it's going to be about twenty minutes. I wait forty and call them back. They can't find me. I give them more instructions (apparently there are quite a few different Shiptons and they need to know exactly which one I'm at.) I tell them I'm right down Station Road from the Shipton train station. Still doesn't help. So, finally, I ask the gas station attendant where I am. He tells me, I tell them. It still takes another hour or so for the taxi to get to me.
When it does, I still think karma's playing a practical joke on me. My cab driver's name is Fabio (no, I'm not making that up) he keeps asking me if I have a boyfriend and telling me to call him the next time I'm in town and we can go clubbing. With a population of about 500, most over the age of 65, I have to wonder what kind of nightlife Shipton has that doesn't involve a high fiber dinner and the British version of Wheel of Fortune.
So, I take the taxi all the way to Oxford with Fabio enjoying the sound of his own voice, asking me about American boys and what I like to do, what food I like to eat. When I tell him I like to cook he tells me he can cook good Indian food and then launches into a description of every Indian restaurant within a thirty mile radius. I'm still trying to decide if he wanted to take me home or if he wanted me to find him a good American boy to take home. Needless to say, I don't think I'll be calling him the next time I'm in Shipton. But he was very nice.
So, anyway, I finally made it back to London around 4 that evening. It was great fun, though, even with the glitches. I had a wonderful time in Shipton and if you ever go, try to rent the Newbarn Cottage for a few days. It was really a lovely place.

I don't have ADD, I just get easily distract- ooo, bunnies.

I've been waiting to post another blog until I did something interesting. Otherwise, I'd have about ten blogs going, "today, I woke up, ate breakfast, went to class, came back to the dorm, did some studying, went to Battersea park, ate dinner, hung out with some friends, went to sleep." However, I didn't know how much of an adventure I was actually going to have. I'll start with last Sunday since I haven't updated since the Queen's birthday.
Last Sunday I went to Hampton Court Palace. I caught a train from Waterloo station (only six pounds and well worth it) and then traveled about thirty minutes. It was neat being able to see the suburbs of London, of course, unlike US cities, there aren't huge skyscrapers, but the apartments here are much smaller than the ones in the US, even in places like Chicago and New York because land is at such a premium. They're also much more expensive. I was in Knotting Hill today and smaller homes were selling for around three million pounds. So, anyway, back on subject. Hampton Court Palace was the home of Kind Henry VIII, actually built by Cardinal Wolsey before it was taken over by King Henry when Wolsey fell out of favor. The tour was wonderful, they have a variety of activities and a lot of actors dressed up in period costume. They have an audio tour of four different areas. I did the Kitchen tour, Henry's Apartments and the Georgian Rooms (those belonging to the later kings and queens that lived in the palace). It took about two hours, possibly three just for that, and was great fun. The Tudor Kitchens are without a doubt the best, even if you just have an hour to spend it's worth it. And they have a fascinating shop where you can buy traditional style ale and wine drunk during the Tudor period.
The architecture is also quite interesting as you can see.

The, I didn't really do much during the week but some friends and I planned a trip to Stonehenge for the solstice. So, on Friday around noon we left, again from the Waterloo station (if you can find a group to travel with, tickets for four people, or family tickets for two adults and up to three children, are cheaper than four individual tickets, sometimes than even three individual tickets) to travel to Salisbury. This trip took about an hour and a half but we went far outside of London and got to see some beautiful countryside. The four of us, three girls, one guy (lucky guy, huh?) became Salisbury adventurers for the day and decided to go see the cathedral. We were lucky enough to get there during a flower show they have annually and it was just beautiful. The cathedral itself is impressive enough to see by itself, but it was so nice to see the flowers as well.

After that, we hung out in a pub for a little while and ran into the cutest little girl who was very excited about my camera. She let me take a picture of her and Bunny.
Then, after that little interlude, things started to get interesting.

The four of us went back to the Salisbury train station to take the bus to Stonehenge. So a thirty minute bus ride and a twenty minute walk brought us to the gate where we were allowed inside with the other, maybe 500 people waiting at the gate already. It was great, because we were able to get right inside and actually touch Stonehenge, the summer and winter solstices being the only time during the year you're actually able to do so.
This would be me touching Stonehenge. As a past archeology major, I can honestly say that this was just really cool. Anyway, we hung around, talked to a fun Wiccan guy named Old Grey Fox who had some really interesting stories to tell since he'd been living in the area for about thirty years, and had been in the military for about twenty years before that. Then, as night started on, things started getting a little crazy. I was personally expecting a party, but not a rave. I was expecting some music, lots of drums and Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans praying to Gaia or some Mother Goddess or something of the sort. Instead there were about twenty thousand drunk, stoned idiots running around getting progressively drunker and more stoned as the night went on. It was nearly impossible to walk through the crowd without being accosted by someone, or offered pot, or some other drug in pill form, and needless to say, it was making me a bit uncomfortable. And it's not that I can't handle some stupid drunk guy, but my fear was that twenty thousand stupid drunk guys might decide to operate on a mob mentality basis and things could potentially get a lot rougher than they were. It was also raining constantly, I was soaking wet, and it was about 50 degrees. So, at about two am, I decided to leave.
Yep, that's right. At about 2 in the morning I grabbed my stuff, said goodbye to my friends, and walked the two and a half miles or so, alone, in the dark, back to Amesbury which was the closest town. I then called my lifeline (i.e. my father) and asked him to give me the numbers of a couple of cab companies in Amesbury. I can honestly say that I felt safer walking back to town than I did at Stonehenge because the people that were walking down the road weren't quite as drunk and Amesbury is a sleepy little town where a fender bender is a rare event. I don't recommend doing this though, on a regular basis, unless you have to. So, I called a cab company to come and pick me up and take me back to Salisbury which is where I needed to take my train back to London.
By the way, Cabbies in England drive like it's the Indy 500 every day and they're just coming out of the pit and need to catch up. But, it was kind of fun to be blazing down a road at about 2:30 at around 75mph or so. Also, I had a really nice cabbie, who, when he heard my story, spent about thirty minutes just outside of Salisbury knocking on every bed and breakfast door trying to find me a room for the night because he didn't want to leave me at the train station for four hours to wait for my morning train. So, finally, my guardian angel on my shoulder, he found a bed and breakfast that had a room available for the night. So, I stayed the night there. And if you ever get the chance to go to Leena's Guest House in Salisbury, do it. She was one of the nicest people I've ever met, to give me a room at 3 in the morning, and she made an amazing breakfast for me the next morning. I will forever be in her debt for doing that because if not for her, I would have been sleeping on a bench outside the train station.
So, I got about five hours of sleep, which was great because my jeans and socks got a chance to dry out. They were damp instead of soaking when I put them back on. I also got to wash my hands and drink some water, which I hadn't done for several hours. I think it was one of the better nights of sleep I've had in my life, especially after walking for a couple hours. I made it back to the train station for the 11:20 into London. My friends were already back, though my guy friend, Alex, walked in the wrong direction and I got a call that morning at around 6:20 asking me for his number because my girl friends had lost him. I gave it to them and didn't really think about it until I woke up for breakfast. We finally found him around 8 that evening. He'd been back for a while, just got separated. Which is easy to do with that many people. So, that's basically my weekend adventure. I recommend Stonehenge on solstice for anyone that wants a huge rave, but if you don't enjoy being around obnoxious, loud, drunk people, huge amounts of marijuana smoke and other types of bathroom born drugs, and a general disregard for and desecration of an ancient religious artifact, then go for it. But, if you aren't interested in that, go at about eight when the gates open, spend an hour taking picture of yourself pretending to hold up the Stonehenge pillars, and then get the heck out of town. But I don't recommend walking at two in the morning in wet shoes. It makes for a heck of a story though, doesn't it.
Until next time, happy travels.
~P.

London's like a wack to the head with a shovel, only it tastes better!

Well, I can honestly say that I've had one of the greatest days I've had so far in London, and it's only week one. The great thing about London is, even though it's fairly big, it's small. I know that doesn't make sense, but let me explain. London is connected by a huge series of trains and cabs and buses and a number of other things that make getting from Point A to Point B quite easy even if they do happen to be across town. This was the case today.
Today happens to be Saturday, June 14th. It is the Queen's "Birthday" or her coronation day anyway, which is celebrated as her birthday. I believe her real birthday is in March and I don't think London weather in March is anything to write home about so I think it's wonderful to allow London a public celebration that lets them actually see their reigning monarch. It's both kitschy and dignified, a great combination of foreign tourists with cameras that would make even the most seasoned paparazzi weep and foreign dignitaries, nobles, members of parliament, and several hundred soldiers, royal guardsmen, and artillery troops. It's a perfect way to encapsulate the spirit of London in an afternoon. After all, London has history thousands of years old, the remains of an old Roman temple have been found right downtown, but there's also the giant gherkin (now owned by an international bank) and the new buildings going up for the Olympics to be held in London in the future.
The ceremony was about three hours long, with four different bands entering the parade grounds around 10:00am coming from Buckingham palace. Then, several companies of guards arrived in their red uniforms, bearskin hats, and high powered assault rifles (again the traditional and the modern). Then the artillery and royal guardsmen moved into place. After that, two carriages arrived. I don't know who was in the first one but I have a picture of Prince William and Camilla in the second one:


Finally, the queen arrived. I was quite lucky. I was about ten feet away from the artillery, a hundred yards away from the parade ground, and on the front row behind the barricade, so I got to see everything. If anyone ever decides they want to do this, arrive around 9 in the morning and stay for the whole thing. You may not be able to see right away, but eventually you'll get pictures like this:
So, after that was done and the Queen rode back to Buckingham Palace, my friends and I made a mad dash for the yard in front of Buckingham where the Queen was supposed to come out on the balcony and wave at the crowd while the Royal Air Force did a fly over. It looked something like this:
Why yes, those are the princes William and Harry at her side...
see.

So, after this was done, my friends and I went back to King's Road where, for the next two weeks, the Chelsea street fair is going on. It seems to have little events here and there because this afternoon it was a great market with a ton of restaurants and individual vendors selling food. I had a mint and lamb pie and then ice cream for desert. But, I think the highlight was being entertained by a cross-dressing nun...Let me explain. My friends and I are sitting near the fence that separates the small park from a small circular drive. Suddenly, up the circular drives comes a nun with a piano. No, seriously, the nun was driving a baby grand piano up the drive. Apparently the nun, dressed in a full habit, had made a fake wooden grand piano, fixed it to a platform that was then placed upon a motorized scooter (the kind you sit down in) and then an electric keyboard was placed in the body of the baby grand piano body. So, the electric keyboard would play the occasional, random sound effects, snippets from songs or the occasional choral rendition of "Hallelujah". However, as the nun rolled closer, we realized that she was a he, and a he with an amazing five o'clock shadow none the less. When he rolled over to us he proceeded to hop off the scooter and dance around for a while, hiking his habit up to his knees and I must say, he had nice legs for a nun...and a man for that matter.
After dinner and a show, we went to the London Zoo. I recommend it because it's quite beautiful, is in, or close to, Regent's Park (which is also beautiful) and because it's a great way to spend the afternoon. They also have a student discount where students get in at the child's price. Remember that one, folks. We saw some very cute baby animals, including a baby warthog and a baby monkey. And, as always, I took pictures. I'll go on and close this blog with a few cute, funny, animal pictures. If you don't say "awww" at least once then I'll give you your money back...And if you're still contemplating that last sentence then I may have to have a giggle at your expense. Safe travels.
~P.

Father forgive me for I have sinned. I entered a bookstore while on a budget.

I've had classes the last three days, the first two afternoons were spent scouring London for required course texts and realizing that books are expensive in London, even if there was a one to one pound to dollar ratio, which there isn't so it's just that much worse. Then, today I went to a library, attached to the University of London, which we are supposed to use for resource materials. It was an interesting place, but they're doing renovation so it's not somewhere I'd recommend even bibliophiles to go. Needless to say, because of that, the tourism has stopped. However, I'm less than a block away from the British Museum and I'm going there tomorrow even if it kills me, so I should have more pictures. And, like I said, if I'm not home in August, I'll be there so, you know, send a postcard or drop me an e-mail or something. I'll tell the mummies you said hello.
In the meantime, I have learned several things about being a student/resident in London, which has helped me learn how to be a better tourist. Here's what I have learned so far:
1. Apparently, after a prerequisite amount of time has passed, Londoners develop motors in their hindquarters. I want you to understand this, because, in situations where you sprint, they walk, and they will beat you. Therefore, you cannot keep up with the flow of London traffic because the flow of London traffic would beat the Pamplona bulls into the ground and have them waving white flags of surrender. So, my suggestion, keep to the right on escalators and just stand there. It may take thirty seconds longer, but the absence of mortal wounds, scars, and spinal footprints will truly make up for it in the end. Also, don't cross the intersections with the natives. They can walk across a ten yard gap in .08 seconds. You cannot. They will miss the bus, you will splat.
2. Pret a Manger: Learn it, live it, love it! Pret a Manger (or Pret for short) is the McDonalds of London without, well, to put it bluntly, the crap. Pret is basically a fairly inexpensive sandwich shop that is perfect for a lunch on the go or a picnic in one of London's many parks. They have a huge range of sandwiches, wraps, baguettes, soups, salads, and deserts, all made up, all fairly cheap. And they're not like turkey and swiss. I had bree, basil, and tomato on a baguette for 2.50 today. It was excellent. The other day I had a chicken club. I've also seen tuna, salmon, prawn, chicken, and all kinds of other things. Trust me, it's worth it to buy one of these for lunch and then spend a little bit more on dinner. Also, try their lemon-aid (5p goes to a charity organization for each bottle you buy). It's quite good, a little more sour than we're used to in the states, but it's wonderfully refreshing on a hot day.
3. Regarding pub grub: Look at the appetizer (or starters and treats). Normally, that's enough food for one person for a meal, and they have very different things than we do in the states in pubs, not just fries and peanuts and potato chips. It's fairly inexpensive as compared to the slightly more pricey bar food meals. Pair that with a beer or soda, or perhaps share one meal between two people, and you can have some pretty good eats.
4. Battersea park, on the south side of the Thames, has to be one of the most underrated attractions in London. I adore it. It's within walking distance of my dorm, around ten minutes, and is beautiful. Apparently the Battersea power station was made famous on a Pink Floyd album cover (sorry all you rock fans, I've never heard any of their songs) and I believe that cover was spoofed in the movie Children of Men (excellent flick by the way). But, on the other hand, the park itself is just beautiful and there's a huge Japanese pagoda in the center with three solid gold Buddha statues (I smell souvenir). There are also a lot of dogs out there and it's great to people watch. The other day I saw three dogs, I'm pretty sure they were part husky, part St. Bernard, and part Polar bear...No, really, they were huge and furry, and quite cute. But, anyway, it's a great place to hang out, take a Pret sandwich and enjoy the sights and sounds along the Thames that almost make you forget that you're in a huge city.

Germany vs Poland: My money's on the winner.

Hello, everyone. Thought I'd drop by before bed and put up a nice little update since today was a fun, eventful day and I'm not totally certain I'll remember it all by tomorrow night since I have class and that will probably be on the forefront of my mind for most of the day. Today is the first day since I got here that I hadn't gotten up before 8am. I wanted to. I actually woke up at about 7:30, but I have decided that I really don't want to be sick while I'm here and I suppose that exhaustion is one of the best ways to make sure that I do in fact get ill. So I slept in, woke up finally around 10:00 because my body literally wouldn't let me sleep anymore. Then I did the breakfast thing and got ready for my bus tour of London which, by the way, was totally awesome. We drove around London for about three hours before stopping at the British Museum and saw quite a few things on our way, like:
The place where the Bishop of Canterbury lives
A nice statue of Winston Churchill
Fleet Street: Hello Sweeney Todd
and a great Korean festival at Trafalgar Square.

After the tour, some friends and I opted out on seeing the British Museum since we all have plans to spend quite a bit of time there considering the fact that our classes are taught within very close walking distance of it. Therefore, if I don't come home in six weeks, check the Egyptian exhibit. I'll be posing as a mummy.
Instead we walked to a restaurant and I had some great fish and chips while a couple other friends had falafel. By the way, the chips in London are great. Chips are french fries and they're nice thick ones instead of the stringy little McDonald's french fries. We then walked back to the Korean festival at Trafalgar Square and listened to the music for a while and just hung out. Then, we decided to walk from Trafalgar Square to St. Paul's Cathedral (check a map people. It's a fair piece away) for the 6:00 service. We made it, and it was beautiful. They don't let you take pictures of the inside, especially not during services, but the outside is incredible.
The service was fun too because they had beautiful music, a wonderful organist, and Cannon Warner was a joy to listen to. I plan on going back, perhaps next Sunday for their sung Eucharist. After that it was back to the dorm and then to a local pub to watch Germany trounce Poland, at least it was 2-0 when we left and I don't know if Poland had anything left in them, though I could be wrong. I have to say, it's the most fun I've ever had watching a football game because everyone else in the pub was so into it, though most of them were supporting Poland. Their mistake. I can't help it. I speak the language, I'm visiting the country in a few weeks. DEUTSCHLAND!
Well, I can't say I have much else to write. With classes starting I may not be able to update quite as much as I'd like, but I'm hoping to. My piece of traveling advice tonight...Cars will run you down. Pedestrians do not have the right of way unless you're at the Zebra crossings, white hashes on the ground, you're merely a moving target.
Happy Travels
~P.