I want to be free to fly away and sing to the world about my soul serenade

Well, it's official.  It's a Friday night and I am lying on my bed.  I have a glass of wine, I'm wearing a bathrobe and listening to the new Radiohead album, and I fully intend to crack open a short stories collection by Tennessee Williams once I finish writing this entry.

I'm settling in here, and I'm worried that my comfortability will lead to me not fully experiencing London.  Take tonight, for example.  I haven't been to the students' union yet, which is really the only way for us to meet other British students, since we only have Americans in our classes.  Everyone is there tonight, but I just wanted to have some time to myself.  I can't help if I feel that way, right?

I'm trying to make up for it by actually doing something with my alone time.  Just being able to do what I want without having to take other people's feelings into consideration or compromising somehow is a new experience for me.  But it's really exhilarating and liberating.  Last Saturday I went to the British Museum, then wandered around towards the National Gallery and found the Victoria Embankment Gardens.  It was absolutely beautiful.  And now that my Dad sent me his camera (thanks, Dad! <3), I can show you!  Alone time is the best.

The view out my window on a beautiful Saturday

Blue skies at the British Museum

My new favorite: The Victoria Embankment Gardens

Victoria Embankment Gardens

The Thames is right behind this.  Beautiful.

This past weekend I finally ventured outside of London and took a pretty ridiculous trip to the land of Connor's ancestors, Wales.  Despite many jokes about Connor's heritage and the worst museum I've ever been to, Wales is definitely Middle Earth-status beauty.  We took a cool tour of Cardiff Castle, too.  Unfortunately I don't understand the settings on this camera, and obviously the flash went off on the picture I took about three seconds after the man told us that we should under no circumstances take any pictures with flash.  Great one, Emily.

THE KEEP.

Illegal flash picture :(  Of a lion! :)

Inside the grounds of Cardiff Castle.  Love the crane in the back.

Pretty piazza thingie in a park!

Really, Wales?  This is your proud heritage?  Kabuto?

Even Welsh people play Guess Who!

I've realized how comfortable I am here lately because I don't think about where I'm walking anymore.  When I'm rushing to work in the morning, I no longer smile at "It's All Greek," wondering if they sell food or merchandise, and I've even stopped glancing both ways nine times before I cross the street like a crazy person to avoid getting hit by a bus driving on the left hand side.  I know which streets are one way, and I know when to look, and I know which walk signals are burnt out, so I shouldn't wait for them to turn.  It's nice, but I'm not going to let myself get complacent and feel too comfortable.  I don't want the opportunity of being here to slip by.  I wish there was a cheap thrills blog for London.

<3 Em

My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue

I've been thinking for some reason for the past few days about what I want to take from London.  Besides a tacky shot glass, of course.  I know it's odd to already be thinking about what will happen when I leave, but I've definitely hit the downward slope of the happiness curve Connie and Adriane told us about.  Don't misunderstand at all, I absolutely love it here.  I don't want to shoot anyone and everyone with a British accent.  I'm just missing my friends a lot.  But Milo reminded me that I need to live in the here and now and not spend all of my time blowing up my friends' facebook walls.  You make a valid point, Milo.

But in light of thinking about what it will be like when I leave, I've been thinking that if I try to take what I like about living here with me it will be easier to go.  So I've begun compiling a list of the things that are incredible about London and I could never go without in the future.

1.  Blackberries.  Okay, what?  Why had I never tried them before I got here?  They rule.  This is less related to London.

2.  Tea and coffee.  All day, every day.  I don't know why people don't do this in the United States!  Every thirty minutes, somebody makes more tea and coffee and offers it around.  Do you know why?  Because it's delicious, and standing up to make it is not as boring as working straight for eight hours.  If you need a break, you make a hot beverage.  Wherever I work in my life, I promise that my coworkers can look forward to having tea or coffee forced down their throats at least five times per working day.

3.  Language.  This has been a point of contention for me in the past, which has only been exacerbated by my being here.  In the past two days, I've overheard the words "ascertain" and "endeavour" being used in normal conversation.  We have an entire language full of words at our disposal.  Words and speech can be so beautiful, and I've never understood the sense n typin or talkin lik thiz.  What does that do for anyone?  I don't care if appreciating language makes me a "nerd" or "uncool."  It frustrates me to no end when people think that it's "cool" to butcher the English language.  Especially when people have the social privilege to be able to afford a good quality education.

4.  Now that I'm off my soapbox, I also like that they sell Heinz ketchup in the glass bottles in the supermarket.  Using obscene amounts of ketchup on my food feels so much more civilized if it's coming from a glass bottle.

On the other hand, there are also things that I would not like to take from London.

1.  Bars close at eleven.  Whose idea was that.

2.  Where are all the Trader Joe's? :(

3.  Separate faucets for cold and hot water.  Absolutely unacceptable.

4.  How come it says on the Boots website that they carry Burt's Bees chapstick, but every store that I go to (even the ones with two floors) tell me that only the bigger ones carry it?

5.  Stop putting weird sausage and meat inside bread things, London.  Pies, rolls..  Inappropriate.  It's really weird.

<3 Emily