Coming Home

Ok. It's been awhile, but things have been crazy. The night we got back from Edinburgh we went out for dinner at a cozy little pub then to another comedy club. The pub was called the Imperial and it was actually really good English food. After the pub we went to the Texas Embassy for dessert where my friend Kat donated a "texas item" for them to add on display in the restaurant. It was just a little glass knick knack that said don't mess with Texas, she had to do it for a class, but it is now on permanent display above their bar and that's pretty cool if you ask me. The comedy club was jam packed and the people were rowdy. It was fun, there was a really good bit about the winking and smiling emoticon ;( it's rare but it does have its occasions. For example: "Sorry about your great aunt :("... "But good news about the inheritance ;)" We've been coming up with new situations to use it in ever since.
The next day I got up and and went to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see their sculptures of Roman and Greek myth then spent most of the day preparing for Finals.
Monday I took my final. I think I did alright... but we'll see. Once finals were done we headed over to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. It was crazy. Honestly, I couldn't see anything. The crowds were huge and I couldn't see over anyone. Next we went to see Number Ten Downing Place. That's the Prime Minister's House. I suppose It's kinda like going to see the White House... Once we finished up there we had lunch in Trafalgar Square then headed over to the Cabinet War Rooms. Those were really cool! I've enjoyed learning so much about the British perspective on WWII. We took a packing break after we finished up the museum. For the evening went out for dinner again then to another (better) comedy club. Comedy Clubs were defiantly my favorite form of night life in England. After we left the club we stopped for one last ice cream at our favorite place in South Ken. The staff knew it was our last night in town (that proves how often we've dropped in there) so they presented us with a huge tub of our very favorite Ferro Rocher ice cream. We had a good time splitting it and spending our last hours together laughing about the night's comedy routine and just soaking up our last night in London.
On Tuesday I was up at 4:45am to finish packing and catch my bus to Heathrow. We flew out at 11:40am. It was a really long travel day. We landed in Dallas at about 3:40pm, it was fun to come out of the international arrivals doors and see my mom's face (I think she missed me haha).
It's been good to be back in Texas for the last 23 hours. We had dinner at a truck stop (far cry from London) and I drank almost a full pitcher of tea (Londoners don't do cold tea and I reallllly missed it). We made it back to the house at almost 11:00pm Texas time but to me it felt like 5:00am (see what I mean about a long day).
It felt weird to wake up in West Texas, good, but still weird. I'm kinda surprised at how much I fell in love with England and with living in London. I hope that I'll go back someday... someday kinda soon actually. I know it won't be the same without all of the wonderful people that I first experienced it with but I have a feeling that I'd still feel at home there. I learned a lot on this trip. A lot about memory and medicine and how to travel yeah, but more about life and people. I learned how the world we live in is simultaneously big and small. I learned to be grateful. I learned when to take my time and when to hurry. I learned to trust myself. I finally learned how to relax. I learned so much, more than I can list, but most importantly I learned that life just keeps moving, whether you want it to or not. This past month has been one of the most important and wonderful months of my life so far. I know I'll always look back on it fondly.
If you've been following my blog I should note that this will be the last one about the trip and that I'm about to upload the last round of pictures. I hope that it's been a decent read and (since I have a good sense of who all is reading this) I can't wait to see you all again, finally face to face.

Edinburgh

I just got back from our brief but amazing time in Edinburgh. We plan to do something or another in London tonight but for now I have the time to regale you with the story of our travels. Again, I'll start from the very beginning as I've found that doing so helps me to remember the trip in full.
We got up quite early to get to King's Cross for out 8am departure and the place was packed. There was a line to the Edinburgh platform, it was really a good thing that we'd made reservations. On the train our seats were a bit sporadic and I ended up seated across from a very old woman who was a retired professor of law, we made friends after I helped her to get her suitcase into the overhead bin. She was really an interesting lady but I have to say that the gang of women across from me were a bit distracting , but man they were a hoot! Just think of the Women from the movie Calendar Girls at their wildest and I think you'll have a pretty good sense of what they were like. It looked like they were out for a hen party for one of the women. (A hen party is a bachelorette party and a stag party is a bachelor party, we've run into lots of them and the participants are always good fun to watch and talk to). Anyway, they gav e me some good advice on things to do Edinburgh and made for lots of laughs on the train. After our 4.5 hour ride we hoped of the train and got our very first taste of Scotland. As we walked from the platform into the station we noticed lots of men walking about in kilts, the full Scottish garb. And then... as if it had just been waiting for us to finish taking in the clothing, the sound of bagpipes cut through the air. It was the perfect arrival! So as we're taking all of this in we grab a cab to take us to The University of Edinburgh, Pollock Halls. When we were just shy of Pollock Halls we stopped to get some lunch (it was still a bit early to check in) and to see the cafe where J.K. Rowling first began writing Harry Potter... it was magical. It's easy to see how this part of the world could help to inspire such stories. Once we got all checked in we immediately set out to climb to the very top of Arthur's Seat, which our dorms happened to be at the foot of. It was amazing. No picture I post can possibly do justice to it. We climbed all the way to the top, and when I say climb I mean it literally, we opted for a tougher route so a couple of times were going almost straight up, like a rock wall... but real. Once we reached the top we were beat but we certainly felt like we'd earned the view. It was perfect, on one side there was the city of Edinburgh and on the other there was the sea. We took lots of silly pictures up there and just talked and enjoyed ourselves before we began our journey down. Once down we cleaned up a bit before heading out the Fringe Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. I should explain that bit I suppose... You see, we were in Edinburgh at the absolute perfect time. Every year Edinburgh has it's military Tattoo, a program taking place in front of Edinburgh castle that showcases military bands and the like, namely the Scottish though, that means lots of bagpipes. It's really quite popular here and this is the first time in 2 years that Baylor has been able to secure tickets for us. The festival will last for the rest of this month and will play to sold out stands every night. Now because the Tattoo attracts such huge crowds to the city another festival has popped up on the outside of it, this festival is called the Fringe and it can be found all along the Royal Mile up to the castle. Namely it consists of shows, especially comedy. Lots of these shows are free because they're kinda like dress rehearsals or pilots. We managed to get into a free comedy act when we arrived at the Fringe and it was pretty good. After a thorough investigation of the Fringe we made our way up to Edinburgh Castle for the Tattoo which began at 9pm. It was stunning. I'd heard it would be good but it really exceeded my expectations All the acts came marching out of the castle with torches lighting the way. And the music was awesome. Again, pictures just won't do it justice. If you ever happen to be in Edinburgh during Tattoo... you should go! It absolutely blew my mind. After the show we went out for coffee and played stupid games like Hot Seat and Make it or Break it. Talk about a good way to get to know people. haha. We had a really good time just hanging out together. This morning we simply dragged ourselves out of bed, had breakfast, checked out, then caught the train home to London. It would have been fun to stay in Scotland a bit longer but we had to be checked out by 10:30am and had nothing to do with our baggage. Hopefully I'll make it back it there some day. Edinburgh was certainly a highlight of this trip.

"That was Wicked cool"

Today was yet another perfect day in London. Today was our last day of class so of course that was wonderful. As soon as we got out we headed over to the box office to get tickets for Wicked tonight. After we got our tickets we opted to have a leisurely lunch at a quiet little pub then head over to the Imperial War museum. The Imperial War museum was really cool. There was so much in there, I feel like it would take at least a week to see it all. We managed to see a pretty large section of the Berlin wall, the WWI trench experience, and the Holocaust walk. The Trench experience was really interesting. It was just a recreated WWI trench that had some props and models in it and effects going on around it, it felt pretty realistic to me, it was kinda damp and even smelled like mud. The Holocaust walk was awful. Not because the exhibit wasn't good... just because the subject matter. It certainly was a good thing to do though, it made the horrors of WWII become personal rather than just something you skim in a history textbook. It a couple of hours to get through, but I'm glad I did, even though it left me a little misty eyed.
It didn't take to long for our spirits to lift back up though. We did have Wicked tickets after all! The show was absolutely stunning. The set was amazing, the costumes were intricate, the singing sounded perfect to me and the acting was wonderful. It was hands down the best musical I have ever seen and definitely made for one of our best nights our in London. In the morning I leave for Scotland so no blog tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be awake enough on Saturday to get pictures up.

The Cliffs of Dover

So today was pretty much fantastic. We went to Dover. Right after we finished our last readings class we headed to St. Pancras station to catch a highspeed train to Dover Priory Station. Good grief that train flew! It only took us an hour to get there and that was with 4 stops at other stations. Dover was absolutely beautiful, I was pleasantly surprised at how small the town was. It was really just quaint and postcard perfect. The items on our agenda included checking out Dover castle "the key to England" and the famous white cliffs. Dover is only 20 miles of ocean away from France and on really clear days you can see the French coast in the distance. As we toured the castle we learned a good bit of British history. Dover Castle was built by King Henry II. In medieval times Dover sevrved as a point of passage for pilgrims wishing to visit the grave of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury. During WWII Dover castle was most famous for its use as the base of Operation Dynamo. This operation was the successful evacuation of British forces from France through Dunkirk port after the Nazis had taken over the country. It was all really interesting. The planning and execution of operation Dynamo occurred in a secret network of tunnels beneath the castle, which we got to tour today. The tunnel network at Dover was also used during the Cold War. Dover castle was defiantly my favorite castle of the trip and the white cliffs were certainly a site to see. We enjoyed it all so much that we stayed at the castle until they kicked us out at closing time. There was just so much to see and explore there (people were free to roam and read info at their own pace, no guided tour) we could have easily stayed for several more hours and still not seen it all.

Rub a dub dub... Romans in the tub

There was a mutiny today. We were supposed to go to Oxford, but the profs decided not to require it, sooo... we went to Bath. I was kinda glad to get out of Oxford seeing as how I've already been to Cambridge and believe it to be the better of the two anyway. Bath was great! it was another of those delightful audio tours. It was so strange to think that the paths we walked were thousands of years old and that they were walked by people I study today. Latin was everywhere and that was interesting to me... but I should probably brush up on my vocab before I take the next class.... After we went to Bath we checked out the Jane Austen Centre for a while before we caught the train back to London. Once back in London we headed straight for the Texas Embassy. It was Wade's Birthday and he chose it as the best possible celebration point. While we were there we all headed upstairs to leave our names on the Wall of Texans. It was pretty fun.

It's shocking how quickly a place can become your own. South Kensington has become my home in this city. After a really long day like today I can't help but feel relieved when I come out of our tube stop. It's so similar to the feeling of driving down 608 towards my house or strolling up the academic walkway to Brooks. And as much as I love returning to the quiet in South Ken I've found that I love the heart of the city just as well. I like the rush, it reminds me that life just keeps moving whether you know what is around the corner or not. I've even grown used to the Londoners, with their straight faces and busy movements. Would you believe that tourists annoy me now? or that I no longer need to consult the tube map? I never fancied myself as the city type and while I miss things about home and especially people at home I find that I wouldn't mind staying here. In fact I think it will be quite sad to leave, all the more reason to "suck the juice out of" our last week here.

New pics

I finally got all the new pictures up. New things can be found in the albums London 2 and Paris.

Bikes, Baguettes, and Berets Oh My!

I hope that you are quite comfortable as you read this, Because I plan to re-live my weekend in Paris to the best of my memory in this one. I'll start at the very beginning. After class the boys and I took off early. We wanted to get tickets to the Arsenal match on Sunday and the ticket booth was just a bit beyond Kings Cross St. Pancras Station. We were lucky and managed to nab our 4 seats together. With our prized tickets in our wallets we (and the luggage we'd been hauling) got back on the tube to Kings Cross. We got an early taste of French cuisine at a restaurant called Paul while we waited for our departure time. Once on board the train (yes I said train, this is the one that goes under the English Channel to Paris) I was surprised to find that my seat was not with another Baylor student... odd... I suppose I managed to get the last number or something. Just as I was starting to believe that the seat beside me would remain empty a plump little french man approached and asked me (in French) to excuse him in getting to his seat. I wordlessly complied. You see, I was exhausted from the night before when I'd gone to the London eye and been up packing, I planned to sleep on this train and had no desire to chat with this fellow. To bad for me I suppose. Within two minutes of sliding into his seat he began chattering in French, when he looked at me expecting a reply I simply apologized and said that I only knew English. Well, lucky for me... he knew English too (limited and with a thick accent). I realized I'd have to humor him for a while and so I answered his questions about who I was and where I was going. He was thrilled to find that he was sitting with an American... so thrilled in fact that despite my efforts to read my book or go to sleep he continually interrupted me with questions about The States, my lifestyle, etc... The most ridiculous was the time he shook me awake and said "I'm sorry... but I just have to know... How do you feel about president Obama?" I couldn't believe this guy. I answered his questions though, and decided to do some prodding myself. In the end I suppose we learned a good deal about each others cultures and It was certainly a learning experience... Once off the Train and away from my French pal Kevin we loaded onto a bus and went straight into a tour of the city. It was a lot to take in but helpful for getting our bearings. After the tour we checked into our hotel which was just down the street from the Eiffel Tower. Once settled we went exploring, or as Dr. McCormick put it "set out to discover the magic in the city". I must say that we did find some of that magic. Just as we were approaching the Eiffel Tower it lit up. I must say it was quite a sight to see. The Tower was beautiful and there were people everywhere just lounging on the grounds enjoying the site. We decided to stay put and just enjoy the atmosphere. Before long we got to see the tower sparkle, it was amazing. The next morning we got up early to go up into the Eiffel Tower on a tour. That was pretty cool, the view was stunning and even standing on the Eiffel Tower we just could not get over the fact that we were really there. After leaving the Tower we set off in search of the Louvre. This meant our first time on the Paris Metro or Underground or Subway... whatever you prefer to call it. At first we really struggled to understand their system but after a bit we had a solid handle on it and felt confident in our travels. Once we found the Louvre we booked it to the Mona Lisa. Gosh was she heavily guarded. On a wall all by herself I must say she was interesting to gaze at and even now I can't believe I've actually seen her. After the Mona Lisa we wandered through the Greek and Roman antiquities where I saw many a statue representing a story I'd translated from Latin, seeing them, and knowing what they were representing made the hours of translating feel well worth it. Next we headed for the Champs Elysees, where the event items from the Tour De France were all still set up. As we got closer to the Arch of Triumph we enjoyed browsing through stores that were way out of our league. We then took a break back at the hotel before setting out for our night in the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter is right next to the University and is filled with people our age and genuine Paris nightlife (not the touristy stuff) by day, Latin is still spoken in some places there. We really enjoyed ourselves that night. The Latin District was incredibly picturesque. Narrow, cobblestone streets that were free of cars, old buildings with the flowers outside, and French kids gathered everywhere. We had dinner at a really good restaurant and fun chatting with our waiter then we went to club type place called The Princess and the Frog, it was pretty cute.
On our second day in Paris we made reservations to see Moulin Rouge (I'll get to that later...) then set off to Notre Dame. Notre Dame was by far my favorite thing we did in Paris. It was the most amazing cathedral I've seen on this trip and the climb to the top was well worth it. The bell and the Gargoyles were awesome! There were even gypsies outside (you have to look out for those actually... we were told they're quite the pickpockets). After Notre Dame we hit the Musee d' Orsay to see some Monet and Van Gogh. That was pretty cool. I had no idea that Monet's Waterlilies was so big. After the museam it was back to the hotel to get ready for Moulin Rouge. Now, I'm not sure how I felt about this one... I felt wary making the reservations in the morning... but my whole group seemed set on going and they said it was like the New York City Rockettes. I figured that'd be pretty cool to see then, and after all, I'd heard about Moulin Rouge and I figured it'd be a very French thing to go see. So I went for it. I had no idea what I was getting into... the first act was amazing, vibrant, feathery costumes, neat dances and good music. I was feeling really silly for having second guessed at all in the morning... until the second act that is. It was quite similar to the first... just with a lot less costume. It was at this point that I began to wonder if I was witnessing legitimate French culture and entertainment, or just a glorified topless bar... I still haven't quite decided. The show was good though and the effects were mind blowing. I especially liked the bits between the dancing. They had the most talented juggler I've every seen. He could do seven glowing rods at a time, he was going so fast that the rods left patterns of light all around him. They also had some incredible acrobats and a hilarious ventriloquist. The show ended at 1:30am that gave us 15 minutes to get back to the Metro and get back to our hotel before the metro rail closed for the night. We dashed out of the the theatre and into the underground and were quite satisfied with ourselves when we caught our train. It looked like we would make it home in time easily... that is until our train came to a sudden and screeching halt. All was quiet for a while and we figured something had broken down and that we were just experiencing our typical luck with trains. Then an announcement was made in French and we could see shock on the faces around us. That was pretty scary, just being able to see that something was quite wrong but not being able to understand what it was or the instructions we were being given. I turned to the man nearest me and asked him ( in French, I had to learn a few phrases ) if he knew English. Lucky for me his response was "it's my native language" He and his wife then stuck with us and translated the announcements. What had happened was that the train ahead of us had hit someone, likely in a suicide effort. All trains had been halted and we were being given instructions to evacuate through the front of our train. We couldn't believe it. All trip long we'd been nervous around that ledge in the underground and quietly wondered if people ever fell in. It was a terrible thing to think of. I'm just glad it wasn't our train that hit the man, at least we didn't have to see anything. When we emerged from the underground we learned that the kind couple who had helped us were just in Paris on Holiday. The man was from England and his Wife was American. Together we navigated to the Arch of Triumph were we were able to get a cabs to our hotels.
Today we rode the train home to London, dropped our bags off at the college then went to the Arsenal Football Match. It was fantastic. I've never had so much fun at a sporting event in my life. The fans were crazy, the place was packed, and we were as into it as all of them. Arsenal won the match against the Celtics and that also won them the Emirates Cup. It was really something to see.