Wow I can't believe how quickly the time is passing! I only have two weeks left to do everything else I still want to do! And this week was pretty crazy. We left Monday morning super early for our journey to Scotland and the lake district. It was kind of like camping... with a lot of time on a coach (ew) but really cool stops in between... like castles... and sir Walter Scott's house. Anyway I don't know how to make paragraphs cohesive and interesting (I am a biology major after all) so I will simply continue my loving london list only this week it will be Savoring Scotland and Loving theLake District! But first, from last Saturday I still have a few more gems from london:
So, Saturday:
* The antiques shops on Portabello road with all their old sports equipment! I especially love the little kid "football" shoes from the 1930s. Soccer + leather + something associated with little kids + antiques = utterly amazing!
* The dresses and purses of Portabello! If I was a rich girl....
* Going to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace with E. and speculating at the flag bearer's unusual twitch. Did the guy have a bee in his hat? Water in his ear? Whatever it was it was a serious hazard to both his insecurely attached hat and his serious reputation.
* Mantovera's pizza: cheap, close to the tube, delicious. What more could a girl want?
* Going to watch a real football game! Perching precariously on the fence to be able to see amidst a crowd of drunk but amiable fans singing enthusiastically (if off tune) close enough to see the sweat on the player's brows is the best ever!
* Getting together with an old friend in London and getting to hear about all his adventures in Rome and showing him around and laughing at how excited he was to see the London Eye
Scotland etc.:
Monday:
* Jorvik Viking Museum in York! It was way cool! Ok so the wax people and the taxidermy animals were a little creepy and the smell simulation was definitely unnecessary but learning about how they were able to recreate the faces from the skulls was awesome!
* Finally eating a vanilla icecream cone with a chocolate flake in it! A+
* Seeing the sign for "kinky donuts" Am I immature? Yes. Do I care? Not enough to not get a kick out that!
* Climbing the billions of stairs all the way to the top of Yorkminster cathedral and being able to see the whole city laid out below me all gorgeous with its little winding streets and old buildings that have seen so much life,
* Cobbled streets so narrow that the houses almost touch across from them. It's so whimsical!
* The incredible beauty of Fountains Abbey. I used to think that the poets who romanticize ruins were sadly ridiculous but now I have to admit they're right. They invite so much imagination!
* I know I've said this before but I love the sky here! It's such a gradient of colors: light, bright, deep and gentle. I think I will have some serious withdrawals when I have to return to the depressing gray sheet of the P-town sky.
* Late night, totally unauthorized tour of Durham castle by an opera singing, Shakespeare quoting former student who lived there. This gem of a man happened to have keys to all sorts of interesting places and also happened to know good stories about them. He was so priceless! My favorite was when he took a couple of my friends and I down into this ancient little old chapel in the depths of the castle. It was very small and intimate (unlike all the cathedrals we keep going to) and it had the most beautiful sandstone pillars I have ever seen in my life. And he told us it might even predate the Normans because of the unusual animal carvings on top of the pillars! How cool is that?!
* Me and E. sneaking into A.'s room late at night while she was in the shower and hiding in her closet and then scaring the living daylights out of her when she came out! So, so priceless!
Tuesday:
* White sheep with little black faces and curled horns! they are so cute from afar! Thank goodness I didn't have to get close to them and be jerked back to reality :)
* Horses running through the rain! What could be more beautiful?
* Roses climbing up stone walls! They just make me want to sit in a fancy dress and drink lemonade... and play poker. haha
* The wonders of Sir Walter Scott's house Abbotsford: the chair made from wood taken from the house where William Wallace was killed (ah Braveheart, how I love thee!), the clock that belonged to Marie Antoinette, and the armor Scott stole from dead soldiers on the field of Waterloo and brought home with him (so cool to see and so disturbing that he somehow that that was an ok thing to do!)
* Hamburgers from Wannaburger in Edinburgh
* I.'s face when she found chocolate at the bottom of her immense mug of hot chocolate in the best shop ever: Chocolate Soup!
* Underground ghost tour of Edinburgh! Not as scary as I was hoping but amazing storytelling! Best moment: D. scaring the guide! Who knew he could scream like a damsel in distress?
Wednesday:
* Due to my newly developed ring fetish I am now in love with rings and subsequently bought two in Edinburgh. They are so beautiful!
* The Scottish Alloa and Aberdon pottery! It is so unique and beautiful in a much different way than the simple blue and white china you see all the time. This pottery is all green and brown and earthy and marvelous!
* Going to Edinburgh castle and seeing those funny reenactor men who taught us about how musketeers had 13 canisters of powder and each was called an apostle except the one big on was called Christ the Lord. Gotta love them holy wars eh?
* Organ recital in Giles Cathedral by the man who won the international organ competition last year! It was absolutely amazing! The depth and range of the instrument is incredible! It can be playful and light as a piper whistling through the woods and then the next moment a deep and powerful presence that fills the mighty cathedral and reverberates through your whole body. Ant the cathedral itself was amazing too! You'd think that such a vast stone building would feel cold and empty but it doesn't at all! It feels almost... cozy. Which is so unnatural!
Thursday:
* Thunder and Lightning icecream is quite possibly the best ever! And the wonderful people of Ambleside actually believe in giving you a full scoop of it too! None of those dinky little ping-pong ball sized scoops vendors use in London to rip people off.
* Wishing Wells!
* Rowing on the lake near Ambleside for only 4 pounds!
* Ducklings! And the hissing swan! Probably the most memorable moment of the whole trip!
* Learning K.'s dance in the park and laughing at D. and D. shaking their hips like girls.
* Watching a few of my more insane comrades jump in the freezing cold lake. And A. pull A. in fully clothed!
* Playing the most intense game of Egyptian ratscrew ever! Those who are attached to the flesh of their palms beware!
* The beauty of the lake district all emerald and amethyst and sapphire with silver clouds!
* The bread. Everywhere I have been in the whole Great Britain has had amazing bread! The sole non-repugnant aspect of a certain hostel's dinner.
Friday:
* The Preston Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the wonderful peace and reassurance I felt there. The spirit is undeniable.
* Going to an old cotton mill and learning really awesome things like how silk actually comes out of a silk worm's head! So they like have a whale blowhole.. only for silk! Silly me I always thought it was the other end.
* Also at the mill there was this painting of the family that had owned the mill that I was completely fascinated by. The family has 13 children and 1 child is missing in the painting today although she appears in earlier copies of the painting. Also they haven't identified which child is which in the painting because their ages appear to be arbitrary. I looked at it so long just wondering.
Saturday (back in London):
* Rugby game! Rugby is my new fav. The men are beast and the game is so fast-paced! It's like hockey but not as cold!
* Stomp! The. Most. Amazing. Show. Ever! There are no words for how much I loved it!
And that is my life. I am quite satisfied. If only homework ceased to exist and everyone I love were here too it would be paradise. But even with the homework and missing people, this is still the best summer of my life! Peace folks :)
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
I am in a pensive mood this afternoon, possibly facilitated by the overcast skies and soothing piano music drifting up to me from my classmate’s gentle fingers that are coaxing the keys in the corner. Nevermind that the piano is just a tad out of tune, its comforting anyway. So my apologies if my loving London list for today waxes a tad more philosophical than usual. But here goes:
* Sitting in the window seat of our "classroom" with the evening light hitting the windows across the street just right and making them glint gold and the white curtains playing in the breeze to the tune of I's beautiful voice accompanied by A's playing. The sky the bluest blue imaginable.
* Walking down the street and hearing at least thirty languages spoken every day!
* How the British government buildings are all so grand and impressive. They actually are an incredible monument to British might.
* The sign we saw while driving to Portsmouth: "Flash your vits" Yes for some reason that is an acceptable Vitamin Water advertisement...
* Touring the Victory in Portsmouth! It was amazing to be on that ship and see everything like it was during the time of Trafalgar! I learned some really neat things like how after Nelson died they put his body in French brandy to preserve it so that he could be buried in England. Kind of ironic don't you think? Also, I learned how captains and admirals brought their own furniture with them which they took off the ship and towed behind them during battle to protect it. Apparently there's an old navy saying that goes: "You can sink my ship, you can kill my men, but you can't take my furniture!" Hahaha
* Learning about how navy surgeons could amputate a limb in 1 1/2 minutes! That is so amazing! And during Trafalgar 12 limb amputations were performed. That surgeon is pretty much my new hero. Seriously that would be so difficult, he must have been way skillful!
* Racing D. up the moving climbing wall in Portsmouth! So, so fun! I totally dominated. Haha
* How little kids here always seem to be holding hands or have their arms around each other as they walk down the street. I wish American kids were more like that.
* The Stoddard family motto: "After clouds, light"
* The magnet I saw in a little shop that said: "Fridge pickers wear big knickers" haha
* The depth of the English sky, it is so common to see dark thunderheads right next to sunny blue skies
* The way everyone always falls asleep on the bus, flopped all over the place with their mouths hanging open. It's kind of a hilarious sight
* Looking out the bus window and seeing horses silhouetted against the skyline on the top of a nearby hill, nothing behind them but wide open sky. It was amazing.
* Seeing genuine Picasso, Monet, Chagall and Pollock paintings in the Tate Modern! I was kind of in awe of seeing the real things. I love them! Also, the piece called Thirty Pieces of Silver was really cool. The artist took all these random silver objects like plates and trombones and such and had them run over with a steamroller and then hung them from the ceiling with gold wires. It was kind of like being in a really clean, metallic field of seaweed. Haha
* Going to see Harry Potter and our group being so big we took up almost half the theater. Laughing at all the parts that weren't supposed to be funny but that E and I found hilarious!
* The great hall at Hampton Court. A tapestry in the hall cost Henry more money to commission than a warship! And they were seriously so beautiful! Totally worth it.
* How in the privy chamber near the king's receiving room, you must "make water" or "cast annoyance" alone or else disguise the sound by coughing! Yeah that'll make it all fine, just cough so no one can hear you... right.
* The roof of the chapel at Hampton Court. Possible the most gorgeous ceiling I have ever seen!
* That in Queen Anne's bedchamber, there was a wire running from the door to the bed so that you could lock the door from the bed. How awesome is that? Yay laziness! haha
* Playing hearts and the bidding game on the train.
* Watching the Importance of Being Earnest in the open air theater. Such a quality play! It was so witty I love it.
* Similarly, the wittiness of Notting Hill. That movie is hilarious.
So in a nutshell I still love London. And now I'm off to try to scrounge up any play tickets for tonight! Cheerio folks!
* Sitting in the window seat of our "classroom" with the evening light hitting the windows across the street just right and making them glint gold and the white curtains playing in the breeze to the tune of I's beautiful voice accompanied by A's playing. The sky the bluest blue imaginable.
* Walking down the street and hearing at least thirty languages spoken every day!
* How the British government buildings are all so grand and impressive. They actually are an incredible monument to British might.
* The sign we saw while driving to Portsmouth: "Flash your vits" Yes for some reason that is an acceptable Vitamin Water advertisement...
* Touring the Victory in Portsmouth! It was amazing to be on that ship and see everything like it was during the time of Trafalgar! I learned some really neat things like how after Nelson died they put his body in French brandy to preserve it so that he could be buried in England. Kind of ironic don't you think? Also, I learned how captains and admirals brought their own furniture with them which they took off the ship and towed behind them during battle to protect it. Apparently there's an old navy saying that goes: "You can sink my ship, you can kill my men, but you can't take my furniture!" Hahaha
* Learning about how navy surgeons could amputate a limb in 1 1/2 minutes! That is so amazing! And during Trafalgar 12 limb amputations were performed. That surgeon is pretty much my new hero. Seriously that would be so difficult, he must have been way skillful!
* Racing D. up the moving climbing wall in Portsmouth! So, so fun! I totally dominated. Haha
* How little kids here always seem to be holding hands or have their arms around each other as they walk down the street. I wish American kids were more like that.
* The Stoddard family motto: "After clouds, light"
* The magnet I saw in a little shop that said: "Fridge pickers wear big knickers" haha
* The depth of the English sky, it is so common to see dark thunderheads right next to sunny blue skies
* The way everyone always falls asleep on the bus, flopped all over the place with their mouths hanging open. It's kind of a hilarious sight
* Looking out the bus window and seeing horses silhouetted against the skyline on the top of a nearby hill, nothing behind them but wide open sky. It was amazing.
* Seeing genuine Picasso, Monet, Chagall and Pollock paintings in the Tate Modern! I was kind of in awe of seeing the real things. I love them! Also, the piece called Thirty Pieces of Silver was really cool. The artist took all these random silver objects like plates and trombones and such and had them run over with a steamroller and then hung them from the ceiling with gold wires. It was kind of like being in a really clean, metallic field of seaweed. Haha
* Going to see Harry Potter and our group being so big we took up almost half the theater. Laughing at all the parts that weren't supposed to be funny but that E and I found hilarious!
* The great hall at Hampton Court. A tapestry in the hall cost Henry more money to commission than a warship! And they were seriously so beautiful! Totally worth it.
* How in the privy chamber near the king's receiving room, you must "make water" or "cast annoyance" alone or else disguise the sound by coughing! Yeah that'll make it all fine, just cough so no one can hear you... right.
* The roof of the chapel at Hampton Court. Possible the most gorgeous ceiling I have ever seen!
* That in Queen Anne's bedchamber, there was a wire running from the door to the bed so that you could lock the door from the bed. How awesome is that? Yay laziness! haha
* Playing hearts and the bidding game on the train.
* Watching the Importance of Being Earnest in the open air theater. Such a quality play! It was so witty I love it.
* Similarly, the wittiness of Notting Hill. That movie is hilarious.
So in a nutshell I still love London. And now I'm off to try to scrounge up any play tickets for tonight! Cheerio folks!
Monday, July 13, 2009
So this past week I have actually spent very little time in London. We went to Cambridge on Wednesday and then Thursday nine of us headed off to Wales. It was "fabastic!" So green and beautiful and spontaneous I just loved it. But a word of warning to anyone who goes there: bring your own map, the ones they sell there are seriously lacking and for some reason the Welsh are incapable of giving good directions! Also, prepare yourself to be wet for the duration of your trip. But the sweets are amazing so its all good. Haha. And now for the additions to my loving London list! This week featuring: Enjoying England and Wanderings in Wales:
* Old fashioned bicycles with baskets on the front of them. And I don't mean those sick metal baskets like they sell now. I mean those nice old wicker ones that look like they should always have a bouquet of flowers in them or a jar of honey or something. Those were all over Cambridge.
* The Darwin exhibit in the Fitzwilliam museum where I learned gems like that gigantic guinea pigs used to roam South America and that when the great apes were first brought to zoos people would dress them up in human clothes! Just a little creepy I think.
* Hugs!! In the anthropology museum in Cambridge they have these weird sculpture things called Hugs. They're about the size of a pillow and the artist makes the molds from them by hugging them so that they pick up the contours of her body. The best is the sign that says, "we encourage you to physically interact with the hugs" and then seeing G. attempt to do so and look ridiculous! So funny!
* The roses in the botanical gardens in Cambridge! They are gorgeous and smell sooo good.
* The Greek-looking house in my neighborhood. It's white and blue and has the prettiest garden and it just makes me want to go to Greece so bad!
* Hearing church bells ringing as I walk down the street in the mornings
* Moo moos! And horses that look like moo moos! They're all over Wales.
* The chocolate cake in Wetherby's pub in Cardiff. Seriously the most amazing dessert I have ever eaten. It revolutionized my life.
* Mint sauce. This is not a love. This is a warning. Do Not Eat It. I think its a trap for curious people like me. The woman said people eat it on lamb but I don't know what happened to those poor people that they think that this gooey green stuff is somehow edible.
* The Welsh nationalist I met in the hostel in Manorbier (or Maenorbyr as it is spelled in Welsh). He was hilarious! Apparently the Britons are to be blamed for all things unfortunate in Wales.
* Strawberry marshmellow sundaes at Joe's in Swansea.
* The way that all the beaches we went to in Wales were covered in seashells! And a lot of them were still whole too and so pretty.
* Pizza with an egg on it. It sounds weird but its really so good!
* The Welsh language. I think "y" is their favorite letter because it was in about 90 percent of all the words I saw. Also, vowels are apparently optional in Welsh. Who knew? Haha.
* Reliving my childhood by playing MASH on the train! Haha pure quality. I laughed so hard.
* Us girls hanging out of the windows of old castle towers and taking pictures pretending to be Rapunzel. Thank goodness for conditioner for our lovely locks. I wouldn't want to see what hair actually would have looked like back in the 1400's or whatever! Haha
So yeah that's my life right now. Every day I am more blessed. And now I am off to see The Importance of Being Ernest in an open air theater! I am so excited! Until next time, I love you all, peace.
* Old fashioned bicycles with baskets on the front of them. And I don't mean those sick metal baskets like they sell now. I mean those nice old wicker ones that look like they should always have a bouquet of flowers in them or a jar of honey or something. Those were all over Cambridge.
* The Darwin exhibit in the Fitzwilliam museum where I learned gems like that gigantic guinea pigs used to roam South America and that when the great apes were first brought to zoos people would dress them up in human clothes! Just a little creepy I think.
* Hugs!! In the anthropology museum in Cambridge they have these weird sculpture things called Hugs. They're about the size of a pillow and the artist makes the molds from them by hugging them so that they pick up the contours of her body. The best is the sign that says, "we encourage you to physically interact with the hugs" and then seeing G. attempt to do so and look ridiculous! So funny!
* The roses in the botanical gardens in Cambridge! They are gorgeous and smell sooo good.
* The Greek-looking house in my neighborhood. It's white and blue and has the prettiest garden and it just makes me want to go to Greece so bad!
* Hearing church bells ringing as I walk down the street in the mornings
* Moo moos! And horses that look like moo moos! They're all over Wales.
* The chocolate cake in Wetherby's pub in Cardiff. Seriously the most amazing dessert I have ever eaten. It revolutionized my life.
* Mint sauce. This is not a love. This is a warning. Do Not Eat It. I think its a trap for curious people like me. The woman said people eat it on lamb but I don't know what happened to those poor people that they think that this gooey green stuff is somehow edible.
* The Welsh nationalist I met in the hostel in Manorbier (or Maenorbyr as it is spelled in Welsh). He was hilarious! Apparently the Britons are to be blamed for all things unfortunate in Wales.
* Strawberry marshmellow sundaes at Joe's in Swansea.
* The way that all the beaches we went to in Wales were covered in seashells! And a lot of them were still whole too and so pretty.
* Pizza with an egg on it. It sounds weird but its really so good!
* The Welsh language. I think "y" is their favorite letter because it was in about 90 percent of all the words I saw. Also, vowels are apparently optional in Welsh. Who knew? Haha.
* Reliving my childhood by playing MASH on the train! Haha pure quality. I laughed so hard.
* Us girls hanging out of the windows of old castle towers and taking pictures pretending to be Rapunzel. Thank goodness for conditioner for our lovely locks. I wouldn't want to see what hair actually would have looked like back in the 1400's or whatever! Haha
So yeah that's my life right now. Every day I am more blessed. And now I am off to see The Importance of Being Ernest in an open air theater! I am so excited! Until next time, I love you all, peace.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
It's still surreal to me that I'm really here in London. I'll be walking down the street chatting with friends and suddenly it will just hit me: Hey I'm in London! I'm just so grateful for this opportunity. As I brush my teeth at night I like to stand by the open window and look out at our beautiful street and up at the stars and I am amazed at how blessed I have been. In the spirit of this joy here are some more additions to my loving London list:
* Playing "football" in Hyde park with the rain pouring down and all of us slipping all over the place and watching our professors duke it out over the ball and falling down and getting all muddy and soaked and just thinking I would be happy doing that forever!
* Harrods. It's like a Disneyland for shoppers! They have everything and it's all so sophisticated it makes me feel like I should be wearing Gucci shoes and that amazing white suit in Maid in Manhattan. We found a goliath sized bottle of wine for 1300 pounds and a necklace for 57000 pounds! And the chocolate brioche (probably the only thing I could afford in the whole store) was muy delicioso!
* Hearing someone on the street use the words "smorgasbord" and "doodad" in normal conversation.
* Body Worlds! I loved it! Especially the giraffe and the dancers and the tai chi man. I just think muscles are so beautiful... wow I am such a biology nerd. Haha.
* The way the light shines through the trees in Kensington Gardens in the evening.
* McDonalds is posh here! There are flowers in vases on the tables and black leather chairs! Boy that threw me through a loop when I walked in. Oh and Pizza Hut is really expensive here too. Lame! Haha.
* Snappy Snaps. I can't remember if I mentioned it before but it's this store near us and I just think it has the funniest name! It makes me happy every time I walk by it.
Anyway tomorrow we're off to Cambridge and Thursday Wales! I'm very much looking forward to it. :) Till next time, farewell.
* Playing "football" in Hyde park with the rain pouring down and all of us slipping all over the place and watching our professors duke it out over the ball and falling down and getting all muddy and soaked and just thinking I would be happy doing that forever!
* Harrods. It's like a Disneyland for shoppers! They have everything and it's all so sophisticated it makes me feel like I should be wearing Gucci shoes and that amazing white suit in Maid in Manhattan. We found a goliath sized bottle of wine for 1300 pounds and a necklace for 57000 pounds! And the chocolate brioche (probably the only thing I could afford in the whole store) was muy delicioso!
* Hearing someone on the street use the words "smorgasbord" and "doodad" in normal conversation.
* Body Worlds! I loved it! Especially the giraffe and the dancers and the tai chi man. I just think muscles are so beautiful... wow I am such a biology nerd. Haha.
* The way the light shines through the trees in Kensington Gardens in the evening.
* McDonalds is posh here! There are flowers in vases on the tables and black leather chairs! Boy that threw me through a loop when I walked in. Oh and Pizza Hut is really expensive here too. Lame! Haha.
* Snappy Snaps. I can't remember if I mentioned it before but it's this store near us and I just think it has the funniest name! It makes me happy every time I walk by it.
Anyway tomorrow we're off to Cambridge and Thursday Wales! I'm very much looking forward to it. :) Till next time, farewell.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Well week two in London has been pretty much AMAZING so far! We went to Stonehenge and Bath and Stourhead on Wednesday and I have decided that I am in love with the city of Bath and want to live there someday. Seriously, so gorgeous! And then yesterday I went to Westminster Abbey which was so impressive and beautiful and saw the tomb of Queen Elizabeth and Chaucer and all sorts of other important people. Then we went and saw Wicked last night which was honestly the most amazing and wonderful show I have ever seen in my entire life. I was giddy afterwards. The woman who played Elphaba could do the most incredible things with her voice! And the set and special effects were seriously top notch. I didn't even mind that I had to pay an arm and a leg for icecream during intermission because I was so in love with the show! So that was fabulous, and then today we went down to Southall and went to a Sikh Gurdwara and two Hindu Mandirs and that was really cool. It was so interesting to be able to worship with them and get to know their cultures better. Both Sikhs and Hindus are incredibly generous and good-hearted people and I loved being able to spend the day with them. And we walked around Southall which means we got to see all sorts of awesome little shops and stuff. I bought a pair of deeply fabulous earrings (of course) and tried a variety of Indian sweets that were nothing like what I expected but were not half bad at all. Anyway, I could go on and on about it but for the sake of those reading this I will just add to my loving London list and leave it at that :) So here are more quirky little things I love about London (and Great Britain in general):
* Parliament, Big Ben and the London Eye all lit up at night. It is so pretty. The lights reflecting in the water just make me want to jump right in it to be part of it because its so gorgeous! Unfortunately my practical side prevails and reminds me that not only is the water probably close to freezing, it also is the River Thames and therefore infested with all sorts of unpleasantness. Oh and I'd get a beast fine for swimming in a prohibited area.
* How so many people here don't use dryers but instead hang their laundry out on lines so as you walk down the neighborhood streets you can see the clothes flap in the breeze like many-colored banners.
* Delicious Thai food for only 3.40 pounds a plate!
* A lot of houses here have real curtains instead of those disgusting plastic fake venetian blinds that Americans are so fond of.
* Stonehenge. Technically its just a collection of huge rocks in the middle of a field, but when you see it, it is so captivating.
* The street musicians here have serious talent. There was this boy playing the violen in Bath and it was amazing. And there's a woman who sings down by the river at night and she has the most beautiful soulful voice! It makes me want to dance in the moonlight so much!
* In Bath the little boy running down the street holding his toy airplane aloft and the little girl who stuck her tongue out at us as she walked by.
* Also in Bath the two memorable phrases: "gut gazers" and "dating the baths"
* The little frogs that were absolutely everywhere in Stourhead that look gold if you manage to catch one and hold it up in the light.
* The bright colors and exotically wonderful smells of the outdoor markets in Southall. You wouldn't think that the smell of mangos, tomatos, onions, bananas and ginger would mix well but for some reason its amazing.
* Pakistani food that makes your lips buzz its so spicy :)
* Gelato.
* Watching Bride and Prejudice with a roomfull of awesome girls and all of us just getting a kick out of how hysterical it is and being able to say: hey I've been there! And: I ate that stuff today!
Anyway, so that's my life right now and I love it! And tomorrow I will probably go shopping at Harrods because everyone tells me one should go there when one visits London, and go to Evensong at Westminster and hopefully eat a pita from this little place called Taza's that is aparently life-changing... so the future looks good. And next weekend: Wales! I'm psyched. So ta-ta till next time dear friends and family afar! I love you all! Peace.
* Parliament, Big Ben and the London Eye all lit up at night. It is so pretty. The lights reflecting in the water just make me want to jump right in it to be part of it because its so gorgeous! Unfortunately my practical side prevails and reminds me that not only is the water probably close to freezing, it also is the River Thames and therefore infested with all sorts of unpleasantness. Oh and I'd get a beast fine for swimming in a prohibited area.
* How so many people here don't use dryers but instead hang their laundry out on lines so as you walk down the neighborhood streets you can see the clothes flap in the breeze like many-colored banners.
* Delicious Thai food for only 3.40 pounds a plate!
* A lot of houses here have real curtains instead of those disgusting plastic fake venetian blinds that Americans are so fond of.
* Stonehenge. Technically its just a collection of huge rocks in the middle of a field, but when you see it, it is so captivating.
* The street musicians here have serious talent. There was this boy playing the violen in Bath and it was amazing. And there's a woman who sings down by the river at night and she has the most beautiful soulful voice! It makes me want to dance in the moonlight so much!
* In Bath the little boy running down the street holding his toy airplane aloft and the little girl who stuck her tongue out at us as she walked by.
* Also in Bath the two memorable phrases: "gut gazers" and "dating the baths"
* The little frogs that were absolutely everywhere in Stourhead that look gold if you manage to catch one and hold it up in the light.
* The bright colors and exotically wonderful smells of the outdoor markets in Southall. You wouldn't think that the smell of mangos, tomatos, onions, bananas and ginger would mix well but for some reason its amazing.
* Pakistani food that makes your lips buzz its so spicy :)
* Gelato.
* Watching Bride and Prejudice with a roomfull of awesome girls and all of us just getting a kick out of how hysterical it is and being able to say: hey I've been there! And: I ate that stuff today!
Anyway, so that's my life right now and I love it! And tomorrow I will probably go shopping at Harrods because everyone tells me one should go there when one visits London, and go to Evensong at Westminster and hopefully eat a pita from this little place called Taza's that is aparently life-changing... so the future looks good. And next weekend: Wales! I'm psyched. So ta-ta till next time dear friends and family afar! I love you all! Peace.
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