Back In The U.S. Back In The U.S. Back In The U.S... A?

Well, I’ve been back in the States for a few days now. It doesn’t seem real, but here I am. Watching the Olympics is weird because I kind of feel like I never left. It’s exciting, though, because I see buildings or parks and I know exactly where they are and probably walked by them just a week ago.

Its good to be back, though. I’m busy finishing up a few assignments (which will be posted soon) and catching up on sleep, which really means I’m being super lazy just because I can.

And I’m pretty sure that any weight I lost walking around Great Britain over the last 6 weeks, I’m gaining back quickly via 5 Guys, Mickey Mouse pancakes & bacon, loads of Dr. Pepper, and the roast and potatoes that are currently hanging out in the crock pot.

If you’re wondering whether or not I made it to the Opening Ceremony, well I’ll just tell you. I woke up early and made my way to East London and met with Bev, Kristen, and Brandy at the tube stop. After a long and twisty walk, and asking at least 3 different people for directions, we finally made it to Victoria Park.

Victoria Park is one of London’s many public parks and it sits about a half a mile west of Olympic Park. Inside Victoria Park, they (whoever they are) have set up three giant screens, a ferris wheel, a hot air balloon, and countless food stands and port-o-potties. Its one of a few parks in London with this set up, where Londoners can come watch various Olympic events over the next few weeks. And, its free!

So, even though the Opening Ceremony didn’t start till 9:00 pm, we got in line around 11:00 am to make sure we’d get in the park and have a decent view. We were actually really close to the front of the line and, at 4:30 pm, when they started letting people in, we set out our blankets right in front of the main screen. It was a perfect seat. Of course, once we were inside, we still had several hours to wait. The time went by surprisingly quickly and before we knew it, the sun was going down and the park was packed! The wind was cold and the excitement was electric.

I won’t relay all that happened in the Opening Ceremony because hopefully you’ve watched it and if you haven’t, then you should find someone who dvr’ed it and invite yourself over and watch it. Only you can watch the athletes’ parade in fast forward because it took forever. Although, it was really fun to watch it with people from all over the world in that park. Whenever their country was called, groups of people who stand and cheer and dance and yell. It really was such a great experience to be right there, in that park with the whole world, cheering and dancing and singing along to 

“Hey Jude” and watching the fireworks because we were close enough to see them without the screen!

So what it was 2:30 am before I got back to the hostel? So what I had to wake up at 5:30 am to get to the airport? So what I had an exhausting day of travel ahead?

It was absolutely worth it. 

Oh yeah! Here's my photo of the torch relay!

Longer Than The Road That Stretches Out Ahead...

Today, a miracle happened. Not only did I finally get to met up with Dan and Leslie, but we went to a pub for lunch and guess what! There was baseball on tv in the pub! Oh man, I got so excited.

I got to watch the last inning of yesterday’s Braves game and the first few innings of the Cards game.

Before we left for the pub, we’d heard that the Olympic Torch was supposed to come down a street close to the hostel, so we left the pub in time to line up along the street with the rest of the neighborhood and wait.

Before too long, the parade began and we got to watch as a smiling lady jogged down the street holding up the torch. She was surrounded by other joggers and, of course, lots of cops and security folk. But I got a pretty decent picture as she went by. Too bad I’ve already packed the cord that connects my camera to my computer…

It’s been really great to relax and swap stories with Dan and Leslie. They’ve been traveling all around Europe and will head back to Nashville next week. Sitting in that pub, having lunch with Dan and Leslie, watching baseball felt great. Its like the world just wanted to give me a great transition back to the States.

Tomorrow, I’ll be meeting up with a few of the FSU girls at Victoria Park and hanging out all day, waiting to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremony on a big screen with thousands of other people. It’s going to be bananas, but I’m excited! After seeing a bit of the Torch Relay today, I’m just excited to participate in whatever Olympics events I can.

I have no idea what time I’ll return to the hostel and I have to be up early to get to the airport Saturday morning. I may just stay up all night. Who knows. All I’m saying is, this is likely my last post from the lovely city of London. So I guess this is where I say goodbye. 

Goodbye, London.

Goodbye, City Life.

Goodbye, Land of Peter Pan and Harry Potter.

Goodbye, Two Little Princes.

Goodbye, Her Majesty the Queen.

Goodbye, Kensington Gardens.

Goodbye, Richard at Kensington Palace.

Goodbye, Awesome Public Transportation.

Goodbye, Amazing Cheese.

Goodbye, Living Out Of a Suitcase.

Goodbye.

The Love You Take...

Well, I guess its officially Olympics time here in London. Traffic is terrible. New signs are up everywhere. They’re making special announcements in the tube about how to get around and stay hydrated. And there are people everywhere with official-looking Olympic shirts and lanyards on. I don’t know what all these people will be doing around the city; maybe just hanging out and helping people find their way. They’re everywhere.

As excited as I am to experience the Opening Ceremony, I’m glad I’m getting out of here before the Games actually begin. Of course, there aren’t really tickets left for the Ceremony, (unless you have a couple thousand pounds to spare) but there are going to be screens set up in a few parks around the city where you can go and watch. I’m planning to meet a few of my FSU classmates to hang out in a park and watch together.

It’s weird being alone in London. I mean, I know my way around and I really do love sitting in the park with a book, but its just weird to be without the group at this point. Its crazy how close we all got in just three weeks.

Last night, I met up with two of the girls, Melissa and Brandy, for dinner near the Globe Theatre. It was a great, relaxing meal, but as Brandy and I hugged Melissa and crossed the Millennium Bridge, it still didn’t feel like we were saying goodbye.

One of the things I’ve loved about living in Tuscaloosa (rather than living elsewhere and doing school online) is that I’ve been able to develop a real sense of community with the people who’ll be my colleagues for the rest of my life, with people who are passionate about books and libraries and serving the people around them. Being here, doing this program, has only helped me broaden that community.

Some of them I may never see again. That’s just the truth. But others, I will. My community has expanded to New England, Florida, the Pacific Northwest, and many cities and small towns in between.

For now, I’m just wandering the streets of London like I own the place. I cut through sidewalk traffic like I’m in my Honda on the Interstate. I know the cheapest and best coffee shops and I know the coffee shops with free wifi. I don’t wait for the sign to turn green before crossing the street. And I know which stores have the coldest Coca Cola.

Even so… I’m ready to go home. I’m not sad or homesick, but now that the program is over and I’ve pretty much seen all of London, I’m ready to get back to my life. I’m ready to have a cell phone again just to hear the voices of those I love. I’m ready to eat Chick-fil-A whenever I want. I’m ready to get back to school and get into a routine. I’m ready to drive my car, any car. I’m ready to cut my hair. I’m ready to drink a Diet Mountain Dew, immediately followed by a Dr. Pepper, immediately followed by finding a bathroom. Speaking of that, I’m ready to not pay to go to a public restroom. I’m ready to have Noodles at Noon and flirt with Ginger Dreads. I’m ready to watch a baseball game and not just highlights when I wake up the next day. I’m ready to sleep in not a twin bed. I’m ready to wear all the clothes that wouldn’t fit in my suitcase.

And yet, I’m ready to plan my next trip… I’m thinking New York! 

We Said Our Goodbyes...

Today was our last day as a group. I can’t believe it’s already over. I’ve packed up most of my stuff and I’ll head to my hostel tomorrow, but it still hasn’t really hit me that the class portion of my trip is over and we’ll all be leaving the flats tomorrow for bigger and better things… well, at least different things.

Some of the girls leave tomorrow; some leave a week from now. Some are staying in London; some are traveling around. But we’re all leaving the flats.

It really is so hard to believe that I’ve been in Great Britain for 5 weeks now. The time has flown by, and yet, it feels like I’ve been here for so long!

Today, we spent a few last, relaxing hours together. We walked down to the London Eye and all piled into our own little pod. I was nervous about the Eye, but it was really cool. The ride is so smooth and slow that it really is hard to know you’re moving, but suddenly there you are, flying over London like Peter Pan or Harry Potter on a broomstick. It was a perfect way to say goodbye to our beloved London.

And as if London wanted to give us a wonderful goodbye in return, the weather is gorgeous today! Blue skies. No rain. The temperature was in the 70s. I actually wore shorts today!

And so, before lunch, we all gathered under a tree in Green Park and talked about our favorite things we’ve done as a class. It was great to hear what everyone else loved. It was pretty much unanimous that our favorite days were Primose Hill and Kensington Gardens, which, of course, were also our rainiest.

Dr. Everhart also took the opportunity to give us our “Evies”, which were hilarious. I am proud to say that I won “Most Likely to Marry Prince Harry.” It was perfect. Needless to say, my love for British men (well, really just men) has become a humorous topic of conversation among the group.

We walked from the park to Hard Rock Café for a final meal together. It was a perfect gathering around the table, full of laughter, music, and delicious food.

I feel like I should have some really great “wrap up” blog post, but it just doesn’t feel right yet. Maybe its because I’ll be here for 5 more days. Just give me a few days laying around in parks and a few hours at a café with wifi and I’m sure you’ll get a sappy wrap up.

For now, I’m enjoying some crime dramas and Disney music with the flatmates on our last night together. 

Très Bien Ensemble...

Well, we’re back from our long, exhausting, wonderful, crazy weekend in Paris.

We started the weekend before the sun came up on Friday. Our train left at 5:40 a.m. We got into Paris around 9:something a.m. and hit the ground running. We went straight to the Arc de Triomphe. What a great first view of Paris!

From there, we walked to a café for lunch. We had a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower while we relaxed and ate. And ate. And ate. And drank. They kept pouring wine, so we kept drinking.

Let me just take a moment to say that this was one of those meals that quickly makes it onto the “Best Meals Of My Life” list. Not only did we have an outdoor table with beautiful weather and a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower, but the food was amazing. The bread and the chicken and the mashed potatoes with so much butter Paula Dean would be ashamed. But we weren’t. We cleaned out plates! And then came the crème brulee. Lord have mercy. It was my first crème brulee and I’m pretty sure it spoiled me. I’ll never want it if I can’t have it in Paris.

After lunch we walked to the Eiffel Tower for some photos and then took the metro to Notre Dame, where we got on a boat for a cruise on the Seine. Dr. Everhart surprised up with some champagne and we had a toast on the cruise right in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Our day ended at the Louvre, but we were exhausted and didn’t actually stay very long, so we all made our hikes to our hotels for the night.

Saturday, Mary and I spent the day at Disneyland Paris! Oh man. I was so excited. I know some people may think I’m crazy for going to Paris for a weekend and choosing to go to Disneyland instead of seeing Parisian sights… Well, those people clearly don’t know me very well.

It was fantastic! We packed so much into our day and rode so many rides. The lines weren’t too long and the weather was perfect! Everything really was just magical! If I were to try to write every detail of the day it would take forever, so I’ll just post a few pictures.

Sunday was another beautiful day of wandering through the streets of Paris, which included a slight detour to watch the Tour de France (and get sunburned), and then we caught a train back to London.

It was a great, fast weekend. I enjoyed Paris, but I know there is so much I didn’t even see. And if I ever make it back to France, I want to be with a smaller group and with someone who speaks French. 

Au revoir! 

I Should Be Sleeping Like A Log...

Today we went to Platform 9 ¾!! Well, we tried at least. No matter how hard I pushed, I just couldn’t get through that barrier. We did, however, get some great pictures of us all pushing a cart through to the Hogwarts Express. And we had a lot of fun while we were at it.

From King’s Cross, we walked the few blocks over to the British Library. I am now officially a library card holder at the British Library. How cool is that! It has my picture on it and everything!

Not only is the British Library a working library, it also has several exhibits to see. The Treasures Room holds all sorts of important pieces of literature and sheet music, including a Gutenberg Bible and the Magna Carta as well as original copies of Handel’s Messiah and some other really old stuff.

Let’s be real. My favorite part of the Treasures Room were the random sheets of scrap paper, envelopes, or birthday cards on which John, Paul, George and Ringo had scribbled lyrics to melodies that hadn’t even become songs yet. Seriously, John Lennon wrote the words to “Hard Day’s Night” on the back of his son Julian’s birthday card. George Harrison scribbled lyrics on the back of a piece of scrap paper that had directions to George Epstein’s house on the other side.

The library had another exhibit called Writing Britain which cost £5 and, being Frugal Fred’s daughter, I thought twice before paying the extra to go in. It was worth the £5.

In the Writing Britain exhibit, I saw an original J.R.R. Tolkien painting of the Shire, original manuscripts from countless authors, including the Bronte sisters, Virginia Woolf, Daphne du Maurier and, yeah, some dudes, too. I got a little teary when I saw Wind in the Willows in Kenneth Grahame’s own handwriting. But the best part, of course, was seeing J.K. Rowling’s doodles on the side of the paper, which also included pieces of chapter 6 of Philosopher’s Stone.

It was a really great exhibit. Being a lover of books and a lover of storytellers, it was really exciting to have a sneak peak into the authors themselves.

And now, I must be off. We have an early train to catch tomorrow. We’re off to Paris for the weekend! I’m excited and slightly nervous, since, as anyone who went to Deshler would know, two years of Ms. Stone’s French class actually just means two years of watching Disney movies with French subtitles or The Three Musketeers with Chris O’Donnell and eating croissants.

Oh, well...

As long as I can find my way to Disneyland, I’ll be fine!

Helping Everyone In Need...

This morning I got to tag along with a few of my classmates here to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. My classmates are doing a video project on J.M. Barrie and Peter Pan sights in London and had made an appointment to visit the hospital. I found out yesterday that they were going and they graciously asked if I wanted to join. And I absolutely wanted to.

So this morning, Melissa and Brandy and I met up with Christine, who is in charge of all things Peter Pan at GOSH (isn’t that a great acronym??) Christine told us all about how Barrie came about making the decision to donate the rights to Peter Pan to the hospital and she showed us some really cool memorabilia. We also got to flip through first editions of both the novel and the published play of our beloved Peter Pan.

Christine also gave us a tour of the hospital itself, telling us all about the history and great things GOSH is known for. None of us had any idea that GOSH was basically THE children’s hospital. Children from all over Europe come there for treatment and it was even the inspiration for the first children’s hospitals in the US.

We also had no clue how many literary people were associated with GOSH. From Barrie to Dickens to Lewis Carroll. And maybe I should’ve known this, but Princess Diana was the president of the hospital from 1989 till her death in 1997, and had been known to show up randomly after her divorce, with no bodyguards or anything, and just say “I’ve got a few hours, put me to work.”

Needless to say, it was a really great experience. I’m so grateful that I was able to go. I’d looked into visiting because of my love for Peter Pan, but decided against it since you have to make appointments. So I am so thankful to Melissa and Brandy for letting me tag along. Thanks ladies!

Oh! And here’s a picture of the Peter Pan statue that sits just outside the front doors of the hospital. And a close up of Tink putting a thimble on Peter’s finger! I love that.

I shall give you a kiss!

Well, you may be wondering if I, too, had to do a video project and the answer is… Yes, of course! My group got together and brainstormed about a video we could do that helped future FSU abroad students enjoy their experience as much as we have. We wanted to do something that was helpful and also introduced future students to a little taste of London.

And in a world surrounded by tea, we decided to go in search of London’s best cup of… coffee, of course!

Help Me If You Can, I'm Feeling Down...

Today was a roadtrip day. We took a fancy little bus to Salisbury today to see the Salisbury Cathedral and then onto Stonehenge. It was a beautiful, but very windy day. Although I don’t feel like we actually did as much as we did yesterday, today seemed far more exhausting. Perhaps it was just the roadtrip aspect.

Our driver, Tony, was really great and really funny. Our guide for the cathedral and Stonehenge was very also quite funny and very knowledgeable. Pat, our guide, even brought out his “most amazing visual aide” for us… a pop up book! It was awesome and it really was a perfect visual aide for what Stonehenge (most likely) once looked like.

It really is fascinating that people built that huge structure thousands and thousands of years ago.  I mean, with the technology and engineering we have today,  we don’t think twice to see buildings like The Shard go up in no time. (The Shard, by the way, is London’s newest skyscraper.) But to think about how much time and labor went into creating this structure we know as Stonehenge really is incredible.

On another note, our photo assignment for the day was to create a story in 5 pictures. I brainstormed all day to try to come up with a great story, but I just couldn’t figure anything out. So I consulted my dear Purple Minnie and she suggested we go outside to see if we feel any inspiration there.

And here’s what happened…

And Learn To Fly...

A summary of last night’s Hard Rock Calling at Hyde Park in tweets ( that I’d have tweeted if I could’ve used my phone…)

Guess who just got on the big screen during Punch Brothers?!?! #frontrowdanceparty!!

Question: How many arm tattoos can I get and still get hired by a library?

 

Alison Kraus: “You know him as the singing voice of George Clooney.” Guy next to me: “George Clooney is his body double.”

Sweet Home Alabama just came on… #weird.

Paul Simon. I love you.

Moving on...

Today, the group went to Kensington Gardens, which may have become my favorite spot in London. We started the morning at the Peter Pan themed Diana Memorial Playground. It was fantastic. For a half our every morning, the playground is open for adults and no children. So we got the playground all to ourselves! I loved it! For the record, Peter Pan is one of my very favorite stories and fictional characters. So playing around that playground was as if I’d actually been doused with pixie dust and flew over London to my own Neverland.

Needless to say, it was magical.

After the playground, we walked through the Gardens to the Peter Pan statue and the Diana Memorial Fountain, which also had no children around. Naturally, I took off my shoes and jumped around for a while. I figured, if I started the day acting like a child, might as well keep going.

photo by the lovely Bev Coe

After a rather cold picnic lunch, we walked over to Kensington Palace. My mom and I went through Kensington Palace a few weeks ago, but I was really excited to go back. The exhibitions are incredible. Their use of modern art to tell historical narrative blows my mind. I could go back tomorrow and be just as amazed.

Another special thing happened at the Palace, too. A few of us found a table with a deck of cards in the king’s quarters and decided to play a round. As we took our seats, a dashing young courtier sat down and said, “What are we playing ladies?”

“Go Fish,” Emily quickly replied. And what followed was a priceless game of Go Fish with a charming and, yes, flirtatious British gentlemen. And let me just take a moment to let you all know that when you’re on a trip with all women and you haven’t had real conversation with a man in going on 4 weeks, a game of Go Fish is all you need to put your flirt face on.

Richard at Kensington Palace, I thank you.

After our time in the Palace, we all went over to High Tea at the Orangery. It was super fancy and we all felt a little dainty, pouring tea (well, I had coffee) and eating fancy little sweets. I think that’s the quietest the 13 of us have been the entire trip! It was really great.

So after spending all morning and afternoon at Kensington Gardens, one might think it would be enough… But… Katie and I also spent our evening there, too.

We just got back from seeing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which is being performed in a giant, round theatre right beside Kensington Palace. And it was incredible. Besides the fact that I already love the story more than I can put into words, the presentation of it tonight was so beautiful. From the costumes to the staging to the actors themselves. Everything was just fantastic.

So, yes. Kensington Gardens has become my favorite place in London. And if you need to know more about it, you know what you should do???

Watch this digital story I’ve created about my (last Friday) afternoon in Kensington Gardens!!!

Get Back To Where You Once Belonged...

So I know I’ve written quite a bit about all the great things I’ve been able to do here and some of you may be wondering if I’ll even want to leave in two weeks. If you know me well, you probably know that it’s a very rare thing for me to feel homesick. And while I am loving absolutely every minute here, I am keeping a running list of things I miss. I mean, there are only 11 things so far, and most of those things were listed early on in the trip. Although, if I were to add every person I miss to the list it would be much longer. They are all summed up in one entry on the list.

I thought I’d let the world in on the things I miss most while in another country. In some particular order…

1. The Honda- Oh man, I love that thing. I haven’t driven in 3 ½ weeks. I mean, I know that’s not a lot, but when you drive everyday and you love your car as much as I love my Honda, it’s a big deal. And even though I’ve been here 3 ½ weeks, when I here the rain start outside I still immediately think “Are my windows down?!”

2. Chick-fil-A- Enough said, right? I told my parents already that when they pick me up from the airport, Chick-fil-A WILL be our first stop on the drive home. I’ve already looked up the closest Chick-fil-As around the Huntsville airport.

3. Dr. Pepper- Mostly a large, fountain Dr. Pepper. Hmmm…

4. My friends- All of you. The ease of calling or texting anyone, anytime. Sharing inside jokes. Dance parties in the middle of the night. etc. etc.

5. Google in my pocket- Mostly, the map on my phone. Man, I love that thing. I haven’t even had this iphone for a year, but I realize that I use the map all the time, especially in new cities.

6. My camera- I may have mentioned that my camera died four days before my mom and I left for Scotland. Fortunately, my mom had just bought a new camera and let me keep it, since photography is a huge part of this trip. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great camera. But I miss mine. You know, when it’s just yours.

7. Baseball- When I got here, Euro 2012 was going on so football was all anyone here thought about. Then, Wimbledon was happening when I got to London and every English eye was focused on that. And as much as I really do love sports, baseball will always be my favorite. And I miss it. I really do. Last  weekend, the Cards had day games, which meant they started around the time I was winding down, blogging and getting ready for bed. Did I stay up till midnight to watch the games on gameday on MLB.com? Absolutely. Did my dad dvr the All Star game so I can watch it when I get home? Absolutely. Am I planning to stay up tonight and watch the Cards/Reds on gameday? Absolutely.

8. Water Fountains- I’ve found more here in London than I did in the other cities I visited, but they still aren’t very common. I’m so used to water fountains being near any restroom and being able to fill up a water bottle several times throughout the day. I really miss water fountains.

9. My straightening irons- Yes, I said “irons” and yes, i miss them. I have two of them. One is tiny and perfect for short hair. The other is typical size and I tend to use it when my hair starts getting long and thick. I’m not exactly high maintenance, and I don’t actually use my flat irons very often, but my hair is getting super shaggy and when that happens, I just want to start playing with it. Either that or I start looking at pictures of short hair on Pinterest for hours at a time…

10. Ice- Fortunately, we have ice trays in the flat, but ice isn’t common in restaurants and pubs. Water or Coke usually has 2 or 3 ice cubes. Before I got to the flat, I thought about an ice cold glass of water on a very regular basis. Now, I can actually have it!

11. Making my own coffee- They love tea here. And I don’t. I don’t do tea at all. Not even sweet tea and I was raised in Alabama. I just want my coffee. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of coffee shops around (my group did our video project on the coffee shops here), but I can’t afford Starbucks everyday at home. I certainly can’t afford Pret or Eve’s everyday here. Plus, I really love making coffee. I love smelling it and listening to it brew. I love my creamer and my own mugs. I miss coffee.

So there you have it. That’s my list so far. I’m sure the list will probably grow a little over the next two weeks. Perhaps I’ll give you an update.

For now, I’m going to watch Twilight. Why? Because it's on and it's hilarious. #TeamJasper

Referring to Edward Cullen…

Me: “He looks constipated.”

Emily: “He has constipation of the heart.”

P.S. Here's a picture of my dessert from tonight!

gelato!!

I Was Alone I Took A Ride...

Today was another relaxing and wonderful day. Our assignment for today was basically to choose our photography focus and wander through the British Museum on our own taking pictures. I slept in a little and had the photo taken and uploaded by around noon, which left the whole afternoon to do whatever I wanted!!

I took a bus to Hyde Park and just walked through for a while, ending up under a tree in Kensington Gardens. It was a glorious day. The sun was out and the sky was a perfect shade of blue… for a little while at least.

Fortunately, I was already under my tree when it started raining and the leaves doubled as an umbrella.

Oh, and I made another friend. This one was around 9 or 10 years old and from Saudi Arabia. Once again, she just started talking to me. She was great and told me stories about dogs and trees and her grandmother’s choosiness when it comes to coffee.

The night ended with a tasty dinner at… Nando’s! Where else?? It was the first time for some of my classmates and I was really hoping they’d like it. After all, I’d built it up a good bit. And it was a hit! 

We Must Surely Be Learning...

Today we took a daytrip to Oxford. Oxford is rich with literary figures, so we were all really excited about visiting.

Our first stop was the Bodleian Library. The Bodleian Library is actually an entire complex that consists of the divinity school lecture hall, countless reading rooms, and an old, magical library. We were all pretty much in awe in the actual library. It was beautiful and just how you’d imagine except, somehow, better than I could actually describe. I expected Madame Pince to be sitting at the desk to welcome us in.

Now, we are all fans of C.S. Lewis and/or J.R.R. Tolkien, so there wasn’t even a question of where we were eating lunch. After our tour of the library, we went down to The Eagle and Child pub, where the Inklings hung out in their days at Oxford.

Sidenote: Once upon a time, I had a dream that C.S. Lewis was my grandfather. Its true. I have weird dreams. I was taking a C.S. Lewis class at Lipscomb around the time of the dream, so that could’ve had something to do with it. Nonetheless, that dream has provided humor to me and my friends for quite some time. Occasionally, we refer to Lewis as “Grandpa Jack.”

All that to say, I really love C.S. Lewis. From the Narnia books, to A Grief Observed, to The Screwtape Letters. I just love him.

After our lunch, we got to experience Wonderland! Well, really it was The Story Museum, but it was fantastic, complete with a Mad Hatter Tea Party!

We wrapped up our tea party and hiked the few blocks for a tour of Christ Church. Besides the fact that much of the first Harry Potter movie was filmed there, Christ Church has also been host to countless students who’ve gone on to became famous poets, writers, theologians, scientists, prime ministers…

Also, it was beautiful. And we could actually take pictures in the cathedral!!

We caught the train back to London, and made it back to our flats in time for dinner and some blogging. 

Because The Wind Is High, It Blows My Mind...

So much to say in one day…

Today was fantastic. It really was just great!

We began the day at Primrose Hill, flying kites like Mary Poppins and the Banks children. We made it up to Primrose Hill to see a perfect view of the city. The wind was just right and our kites took flight. There was a group of young school children there and it was just funny to see them all sitting so nicely on the top of the hill while a group of grown-ups ran around like mad trying to get our kites in the air. We had several successful kites and kept them going for a while… until the rain came… as it does several times a day in London.

And when it rains, it tends to pour here. I’ve learned not to even leave without my raincoat, no matter what it actually looks like outside.

We reeled in our kites and began our hike to Regent’s Park. By the time we got to a good picnic spot, the sun was back out. We settled in for lunch and dried out. It turned into a truly beautiful afternoon.

We trooped into the heart of Regent’s Park through Queen Mary’s Garden and the Avenue Gardens. Our photo assignment for the day was flowers. And flowers there were! They were everywhere and so colorful and I couldn’t get enough of them. We have to choose one photo to submit to our Facebook site each day and it was a very tough decision. And since I had to choose just one for Facebook, I decided to post more on this blog.

These flowers were just so brilliant!

We got another downpour during our photo shoot. And this time it included hail. Here’s a shot of some of the ladies trying to take cover under a tree.

I was so focused on taking pictures, I didn’t notice a friend approach me until she just started talking to me. I turned to discover a lovely old woman I would’ve pegged in her late 70s. She began talking to me about all the flowers and how beautiful they all were. I couldn’t pinpoint her accent, but then she started telling me the names of flowers in Italian. She apologized for not remembering the English names. “I think you call that one a lily!” She asked where I was from and we started talking about her adventures in the States. “I left my heart at the Grand Canyon.” We even talked about Native Americans and what a tragic history they have.

I asked her how long she’d been in England and she said 65 years. “Wow” I couldn’t help but say. “Well, I’m 91 years old.” She replied.

What! Ninety-one! I couldn’t believe it. She started talking about how she was a sort of travel agent and was very successful because she has three languages. And, of course, she used the phrase “after the war”... which war, you ask? I didn’t ask. I just listened.

As our conversation was wrapping up, I knew if I didn’t take a picture of her, I’d regret it. So I asked her and she just waved her hand as if to say “you don’t want a picture of me!” But she took her hood off and ruffled her hair and smiled.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Palma. I hope I remember her for the rest of my life. And maybe when I’m 91, I’ll meet some youngster and tell her about the time I met Palma in Regent’s Park in London.

Well, the day wasn’t over yet.

We left Regent’s Park and made our way over to Abbey Road. We spent some time writing on the wall outside Abbey Road Studios, as everyone does, and we tried our best to get the classic Abbey Road picture. All twelve of us. As we were all lined up on the zebra crossing, an ambulance turned out direction and turned on the siren. We’re pretty sure they just turned it on because they could because they didn’t seem to be in any hurry. Nonetheless, it scared to lightning out of us, several of us squealed like children, and we took off at a run. And our teacher caught it all in a perfect picture that is far better than anything we could’ve planned. I’ve “shared” the photo on Facebook, so you should all have a look at it.

It was quite an adventurous day. Kites. Rain. Flowers. Palma. Abbey Road. Ambulance. Did I cover it all??

Oh yeah! Also, for class I’ve created my very first podcast! Figuring out this process was also an adventure. I’m glad I’ve learned how and I hope I have an opportunity to utilize this skill in a job someday.

So here it is, my first podcast:

Podcast Powered By Podbean

The music used in the podcast is the "Prologue" from the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone soundtrack and "Weasley Stomp" from the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince soundtrack.

Goodnight, all!

P.S. Did you guys see that All Star Game??? Well, I haven’t actually seen the game yet, but how bout that National League!