A Tourist Extravaganza! (A Lengthy Couple of Days)

Friday was pretty much an amazing day, every single part of it. Before that, on Thursday night, I had to go to a pub in Camden Town (Dublin Castle) for Brit Pop class to see some bands with Jessie and Paddy and the girls from downstairs and, well, everyone in both sections of the class. It was all kinds of fun. But, back to Friday:

Katie came in to Gloucester at one-ish, to be exact. I was waiting on the platform at the exact spot where she was on the tube when it stopped. It was fate. I was beyond excited: Katie was in London!! We got her all settled with a weekly tube pass and came back to the flat for the grand tour (approximate length: 2.7 minutes) before heading down the street for some delicious Thai food at Tuk Tuk. A lot of killing time until our 5pm Eye appointment took place, particularly at our lengthy lunch.

We took the tube to Westminster where we alighted for the Abbey and Ben (er, Houses of Parliament). I must say I wasn't too impressed with the Abbey; rather, I found it pretty maze-like and resembling an overstuffed statue shop, but it's a big deal and, despite getting lost, we did enjoy a good chunk of it. I'm not so keen on the lack of picture-taking allowed in a lot of these places, but we took pictures when we could, mostly of Ben outside and of the "green and rainy" in the cloisters. We walked along the bridge to the London Eye, at which we arrived early but no one minded. It was a really nifty experience, but what we got to see was more limited than I expected. Katie said it was a good way to meet London, though, and I tend to agree with her.

Saturday and Sunday were planned in complete detail using our London Pass guidebooks and maps for the remainder of Friday night, and exhausted, we went to sleep early.

The Tower of London was our first stop on Saturday morning (because apparently it gets quite busy on Sundays), and along the way, Katie had her first negative encounter with the Circle line which caused us to be just late enough to miss the guided tour. So we showed ourselves around. It's really amazing inside, nothing at all like what you would think looking in from the outside. We even saw some clothes hanging to dry - from the people who live there! It was exciting. Afterwards, we went to the Tower Bridge to walk on the top, and while it was nice, the views from the bridge left something to be desired. They did have a neat exhibition on Victorian music up there with little wind-up music boxes which were amusing.

We left for The Orangery where we were meeting everyone for afternoon tea at 12:30. Apparently, however, that is lunch time and afternoon tea is around three. So, we bought some desserts instead and got individual teapots and took pictures and enjoyed the general splendor. (Afternoon tea is now rescheduled for Thursday afternoon during proper tea time. We're all about the finger sandwiches.) Katie and I went on to visit Kensington Palace which had exhibitions on fashion and Princess Diana. Luckily, the Palace is much grander on the inside than it looks on the outside.

We rushed over to St. Paul's after the Palace, having readjusted our schedule to accomodate the Circle and the too-much time we spent at the Tower. The lady that let us in wasn't so nice, but the rest of the experience was fantastic. The cathedral is absolutely gorgeous. We walked up the 300-ish stairs to look out over London, then up the 100 or so more to the Whispering Gallery (which we couldn't quite work) and then up about 100 more sprialing ones to the Stone Gallery, or rather the tip-top of St. Paul's and where some of the very best views of the city are. It was breath-taking.

We ventured down the trillions of steps into the crypt for a quick look around and then continued our London Pass Day 1 by going across the Thames to Shakespeare's Globe. I had a lot of fun at the Globe, much more than I expected to since Shakespeare and I don't get along so well, and I think I owe most of that to our fabulous tour guide. Loved her. We poked around in the gift shop (yet another one) and came away with nothing (again), leaving us souvenir-less still.

We ventured past the Golden Hinde for maybe the third time thus far (The Golden Hinde!) to Southwark Cathedral, which was relatively deserted and starting to close, but still pretty. It was around dinner time then, so we walked past the Golden Hinde once more to The Anchor, a pub that's Katie's guidebook pointed out had been visited by Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Tom Cruise and that was, as a result, quite irresistible. We popped in for some good ol' British fare - Steak and Ale Pie for me and Bangers & Mash for Katie. I think my pie may have been mostly ale but was still quite tasty.

When we arrived back home, we had just a few minutes to take a breath before we had to get ready to go out to a fabulous bar recommended in another of Katie's guidebooks - Atlantis, a maritime-themed bar with children's games and toys to enjoy with your pint. Connect 4 and Jenga! Paddy, Meg, Meg's friend Sarah, and the two of us headed over to Baker Street to see exactly what Atlantis was all about, ready for some fun and games. After wandering past where we thought the bar was supposed to be and still a little further without any luck, Paddy ducked into a shop to ask for directions only to find out the bar closed a few years ago! Disappointed as we were, we sucked it up and went to a bar just outside the tube station, The Metropolitan Bar. Jessie met up with us after her play, and the six of us spent the evening there trying different pitchers of cocktails and Snakebites all around.

London Pass Day 2 started quite early as well, with the first destination being The Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221b Baker Street. We got there just as it opened and luckily were already in before the small crowds that came in just 10 minutes later. What we loved the most about the museum was that it was a far cry from the "Don't touch, don't take pictures" atmosphere of so many of the other places we visited. We sat in the chairs and tried on hats and used magnifying glasses; it was fabulous.

The Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum was next on the list - again over near the South Bank area we're so fond of. We learned all about tea and some about coffee and settled in for our cream tea: cakes, scones with clotted cream and jam, and a pot each of Ceylon and Darjeeling. Katie is now a clotted cream addict.

We then took the boat from right in front of the Globe to Greenwich, an hour long trip with commentary full of amusing British humour. The boat docked just outside of the Royal Naval Academy where we hopped off to go to the end of the world. Up a pretty big hill later, we picked up our ticket to enter the gates behind which they keep the precious Prime Meridian. (The tickets are free, leaving me pretty confused as to all the ticket-needing and gate-requiring, but that's okay.) We exploited all the photo opportunities the line had to offer, wandered around inside the museum for a bit and noted how smart British schoolchildren are, and admired the Prime Meridian line of things the gift shop had for sale. Satisfied with our end of the world experience, and with a few more pictures on the way out, we headed down the hill to the Queen's house and in search of the Greenwich markets.

On the way out of Greenwich, we had the opportunity to ride the DLR line - add another one to the list - which I enjoyed probably more than I should have. We came up at London Bridge for our next stop, a Vinopolis wine tour so that Katie and I could gain some culture. We were undoubtedly the youngest people in the tour and, not particularly enjoying wine, I was a little doubtful in the beginning. I started with a delightful sweet white wine (which I bought later in the shop) and the rest of the tour went just as well. We got to try a total of 5 wines each as well as a Bombay Sapphire Cocktail with the tour package, but we ended up finding some dropped tasting tickets and added another 2 wines and a bit of absinthe to our tastings as well. I had wines from Macedonia, France, Thailand, Australia, and Portugal, a Bombay Berry Cocktail, and shockingly-colored teal absinthe from the Czech Republic. Sufficiently hydrated, it was time for our London Walk - Harry Potter.

We rode the tube to Embankment, met our tour guide Alan, and joined the hoardes of eager tour-takers in a clump near a flower stand. The tour took just over 2 hours and, while enjoyable, wasn't quite as Harry Potter-centered as one might think. We did learn loads of interesting facts about J.K.'s character and name choices, but not much aside from that. It did make us very anxious for Book 7, though, and made me regret not bringing any HP movies or books with me - again.

Our final London Pass activity was ice skating at the Queen's Ice and Bowl, just a couple of doors down from our flat. Apparently, Sunday night is cheaper and more fun than other nights ("Soul Skating - with mood lighting and music - for just £7 including skates!") so it was a bit crowded. I've only ice skated once before, for about ten minutes behind Katie's house, so I didn't quite know what to do. She helped me out a lot and, despite getting distracted and unsteadied by the constantly changing "mood" lights, I only fell once. It was fun, but after all of the walking the last two days brought, we didn't last very long.

We bought some ice cream from the waffle house just outside and our London Pass Days were done.

Midterm Stress

So, I booked a trip to Malta with Alyssa. And it just so happens to be during their annual Fireworks Festival! We are leaving the day after classes end and returning right before finals, hopefully refreshed from a weekend of lying on the beach. A bit of a whim of a decision helped by a map in Brit History, but one that I'm happy with. Malta!

For midterms (next week), I have a grand total of 4 papers, one for each class, and then for history we have an in-class essay as well. Really, that doesn't seem so bad. Except that it is - and a major source of stress. Katie is coming to London tomorrow morning!! Which is what is behind all the urgency because, while they are all due on Tuesday or Wednesday, I have a self-imposed deadline of Friday at 10am. Luckily, I had a spurt of productive energy this morning and can happily report that I have 3 out of 4 completed, a total of 5500+ words of great essays. There is now just 2000-ish words to go and my productivity has died. At this point, I want naps and Katie to be here and to go to Italy. And, of course, sunny beachy Malta.

Fly Tipping: £2500 Fine

(One of the few things Bath taught me. Also, treacle sponges are amazingly delicious!)

Friday morning came with the earliest wake up call I've ever had in London - 5:30am. The entirety of our flat arrived at the London Center right on time at 7:15, ready to head to Bath and Stonehenge via Avebury and Glastonbury for a couple of days. I lost my morning high when I sat on the bus, a pattern of exhaustion that descended upon me every single time I sat in that seat. We took nearly one and a half hours to arrive at our first stop, Avebury, which is the largest Neolithic 'henge' monument in Europe.

Supposedly, it rivals Stonehenge in impressiveness, though I must say, I can't agree. It was certainly worth going to, but the fact that it rained (and I'd left my umbrella on the bus) probably didn't help the flow of positive feelings toward it. The rocks were big as were the ditches; take away the rain, mud, and cold temperatures, I think you have yourself a very nice henge.

I couldn't shake the cold and, upon our arrival at Glastonbury Abbey, Erin and I eagerly went into the gift shop to gain some warmth and escape the rain, leaving the exploring for a bit. Once the shivering subsided, we ventured out into the Abbey, home of King Arthur's grave. We looked around one building for just a minute before the whole group left for the Tor, some 521 feet up to the top. Memories of the White Cliffs came flooding back to me as I struggled for breath and my legs wobbled up the many many steps. I really need to get in shape. Once I could breathe again, the view from the top was spectacular. St. Michael's Tower stood above us, where legend has it Guinevere was imprisoned. I had enough of the wind and headed down to the bottom where I waited for the rest of my flatmates to make their way down too. Glastonbury, as a town, is extremely interesting and I really wish we'd had more time to explore it, but such is the nature of cramming so much sight-seeing into two days. Erin and I went back to the Abbey to actually explore. The Abbey is in ruins, but I don't think it could be any more gorgeous than it was. The ceiling-less buildings seemed all the more majestic and overwhelming than they would have otherwise. We found King Arthur's grave, some Roman mosaics, a tower, and the remains of a dining hall in which I leaped from stone to stone almost successfully. It was fun. We headed back to the gift shop to collect some souvenirs and boarded the bus for Wells.

Our destination at Wells was the Cathedral. I don't have many pictures and none of the interior as there was a fee to take them and we started the tour before we had a chance to pay. You'll just have to take my word that it is the most glorious and beautiful cathedral I have ever seen; both the inside and outside were beautifully ornate and, unlike so many other cathedrals, had a central theme of life rather than death which shone in almost every detail. Our tour guide was fabulous, bringing so much of the cathedral to life saying adorable things like "running out of puff" that amused me greatly. Pictures wouldn't have done it justice and neither can I. Just see it if you ever get the chance.

From Wells the near-100 of us travelled to the Bath YMCA to stay the night. We arrived at 6, had quite the confusing time getting checked in, and split off to find our rooms. Jessie, Meg and I had a triple across the hall for Paddy and Erin's double. The beds were comfortable but I was wholly unprepared for a dorm-style bathroom. Ugh. Ten of us - the girls downstairs and our entire flat - went in search of dinner, getting lost several times along the way and requiring help from Bill's group as well as some locals. Finally, we found a good pub and filled up. Dessert! Erin and I split a treacle sponge which was the best thing I have ever had, though I don't really know what it is and, therefore, can't really describe it to you. Just trust me and eat one. Or twelve.

In the morning, the bunch of us went to the Roman Baths Museum. We had nifty audio things to explain everything; I especially loved the children's option on them. Meg and I took pictures galore and touched the water we were apparently not supposed to. We didn't taste the one you could taste though, mostly because we couldn't find it, but luckily we didn't because reports were that it tasted like eating coins. Yummy. We perused the souvenir shop and wandered the streets a bit before becoming engrossed in a most interesting display of street-performance. I'll leave it at that. Bill took the group up to Queen's Square with a big obelisk, the Royal Circus, and the Royal Crescent. Afterwards, Meg and I went in search of food and got lovely cheap baguette sandwiches and continued around the rest of Bath looking for gloves. I also bought slipper-boots!

We hopped back on those welcoming buses and drove the fun hour to Stonehenge! Erin had a script of the audio tour and we congregated around the markers as she read to us all about it. We took picture after picture, including some of eating Stonehenge (only a few of which were successful). Then, we came home.

Only On the Circle Line

Leaving for the London Center a little early this morning, and the Circle line with minor delays, I considered myself lucky when a train was waiting on the platform and there was just enough room to smush in before the doors closed. The first bit of the ride was so jerky, but we made it to Notting Hill Gate and High Street Kensington without much consequence.

And then we sat at High Street for 15 minutes, the doors remaining open, no explanation as to our delay. We sat and stood squished together tighter than sardines, so hot. Finally, a voice over the station PA announces that they are sorry for the delay, but they're trying to figure out exactly where the train on Platform 1 is headed. Um, it's a Circle, it goes in a circle. I don't understand the confusion. The driver gets on the train PA and announces that he was unaware of his route and it would take a little while to get everything sorted out. But it's A CIRCLE!! Ugh. Finally, we heard two announcements that the train on Platform 1 was, indeed, a Circle train and that it would be heading towards [this is where the driver reads off the entire list of stations the Circle normally stops at...allllllll the way around the route]. Thanks, guys. The one line that just goes around and around and around, and you still can't get it right. And, obviously, severe delays all around for the Circle. Brilliant.

Classes, Copenhagen, and Canned Goods

Don't you just love alliteration?

Just realized that nearly two weeks of classes have gone by since I've updated about them though, really, not too much is different. I still love British Pop. It is endlessly entertaining and, to be honest, is the only class I willingly retain information for. We are going to see a musical based on the songs of Boney M, "Daddy Cool," this Thursday so that should be interesting. I finally met the ever-mysterious Clive, one of my Sport Marketing professors. We've had two classes at the MLB and I had a meeting with him last week about an upcoming paper. I must say, not what I expected but pleasantly surprising. I really like the baseball mitt chair in his office - comfy. Between Modern British History and British Youth Culture, my afternoons are not very riveting. I like history well enough, but the class is kind of dry and I often find myself fighting the urge to fall asleep. Youth Culture is really my least favorite class of the bunch, and I don't really have much to say about it other than the fact that every time I find myself about to go into the class, I wish I had dropped it when I had the chance. Ugh, and it's tomorrow.

Germany has changed to Krakow which changed to Vienna to Gothenburg (Sweden) and finally to Copenhagen. So, long story short, not sure where this last big trip will be taking me, but I'm excited all the same. We should be booking something by Thursday night at the latest, and I'm personally loving the Danish Kroner (5.75 to a dollar! - finally a favorable exchange rate!). I still want to go to Ireland, though, and Germany, and pretty much everywhere, but I'm only here until May, so I'll just take what I get. Copenhagen! (maybe)

I fell in love with the 99p chocolate chip muffins from Sainsbury's and recently expanded to try the blueberry ones. Yum! I love the crisps and pretty much anything we put together ourselves, but I don't much trust pre-made things as I haven't had much luck with them. Heinz canned macaroni and cheese, for example. I missed macaroni and cheese A LOT, but enough to stomach more than a few bites. Thankfully, Mom sent some good ol' Kraft and I had a wonderful dinner last night! And, hobnobs and digestives - absolutely delicious - but they're no cookies. I really really miss cookies.

Late Birds Don't Get a Treat

Our Spring Break, or excuse me, Mid-term Break plans are more or less finalized. I always expected it to be expensive because, well, it's a week in Italy. We made it worse though by waiting and waiting to finally book things which causes a whole host of little inconveniences - the ticket prices went up from 1p to £19.99 each way and, for the first few days of our stay, the 5 of us are split into two different hostels. We're staying at a campsite in Venice because all the relatively cheap hostels were booked, but I'm excited about it; it almost seems nicer than some of the hostels. Still, the moral of the story is to just get your act together and book it. You learn from everything. Including this nifty billboard Meg and I saw on Superbowl night at the bus station:

Our Ireland plan may be changing, but we're not sure to what. We've been looking into some cheaper areas of interest including Krakow (Poland), Berlin, Munich, and other German locations. We want to go to Ireland too, but we'll see what happens. I have yet to find a cheap way to get there, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

The Eccentric Flat 129

Having been in London and my flat for almost a full month now, I think I have finally come to accept the little quirks that make our flat what it is. And, love them or hate them, we're stuck with them until May and we just have to deal with what comes our way:

1. Our windows, particularly the ones in our room, rattle incessantly when even the lightest breeze blows through. Solution: plastic knives stuck in the cracks (my idea).
2. The plumbing is old and Victorian, and therefore, our toilet likes to take frequent breaks. We now have our landlord's plunger and Erin knows how to use it.
3. Our glasses like to jump off counters.
4. Most of our drawers and wardrobes ate their handles.
5. The internet only really likes the bedrooms in the flat, though it seems to be warming up the living room. Just a little.
6. The radiators stay on all the time. The off switches disappeared, much like all of those useless handles.
7. Because of this, the windows are often open. It's loud at night on our street, except when we don't really care if it is or not. We haven't quite thought of a solution to this problem, but I am getting used to the noise.
8. Our washing machine sings to us when it's finished - I think it's congratulating itself.

*Edit: Oh, and I forgot to mention, number 9, our oh-so-cool gambling toilet seat cover:

An American Football [Game] in London

Sunday left little time to recover from all the traveling and birthday-ing from the earlier part of the weekend. There was, after all, a concert to go to and a Superbowl party to attend. With the help of the non-functioning Northern line, the most important line for the evening's journeys, we had to negotiate the bus system quite a bit as well.

KoKo, the club where OK Go was playing, was an amazing venue. I think it must've been an old theatre at some point, but the inside was huge and full of fun levels and balconies. There were two opening acts, one of which was seemingly Scottish and the other of which was Swedish. The first one was enjoyable, the second one strange but somewhat amusing. OK Go was completely amazing. And, despite my ruined voice, I screamed and sang with the rest of the crowd and had the time of my life. (My voice, if you're wondering, was surprisingly better upon return home in the early hours of Monday morning.) We, unfortunately, had to leave early, but learned later that we didn't miss more than 3 or 4 songs, so I'm not heartbroken about it.

Getting to the Superbowl Bash hosted at Battersea Evolution was lengthy and cold. The entirety of the trip was a good 45 minutes to an hour by bus and an additional 15 or 20 minute walk. Really conveniently located, let me tell you. Once inside, it didn't seem as bad as I had expected. It was the only place in my entire life I've ever seen no line in the Ladies' room and quite a long one for the Men's. There were 3 massive screens to broadcast the game to the fans in the stadium seats and standing along the front. Meg and I arrived just when the pre-game party was ending and the cheerleaders were dancing about. We found a conveniently out-of-the-way place to stand and watched the exhilerating first quarter (which I am not being sarcastic about - I actually jumped up and got excited!). We planned to leave just after it, but ended up talking to a Brit who happened to be a long-time fan of American football and seemed to have a lot to share, particularly about sport marketing when he found out the class was the reason behind our attendance. He was extremely nice and certainly helpful and, when we left during the second quarter, he shook my hand and wished me luck with the class.

We ended up pouring into the flat around 1 or 1:30, and with all the excitement, I didn't get to bed until 3:30. Not the usual Sunday night fare in London - American bands and sports - but I quite enjoyed myself.

White Cliffs and Castles

Or, more acurately, a castle. Still, it was a castle and that's always exciting.

This weekend's destination was Dover, about two and a half hours to the southwest by bus. The day was sunny which made for a beautiful ride through the countryside. When we arrived around noon, we wandered through the town in search of something to eat and happened across a pub called The Eight Bells. They had a Burger, Beer, and Chips for only £3.99 deal, and I hopped on that. Upon finishing, we asked the man at the bar for directions to the castle (had to re-ask a man at a bus station for walking directions) and headed up the hilly pathway to Dover Castle on the top of town. The hike was strenuous (as was pretty much every "walk" we took over the two days).

The man at the entrance booked us on a tour of the Secret Wartime Tunnels without us even having to ask, but unfortunately, we'd missed the last tour of the Medieval section of the castle grounds. Having an hour to kill before our tour, we enjoyed the sunshine and took in the views of Dover below and took pictures of ourselves with cannonballs. We also visited the on-site church, which had a lovely invitation on the front door saying we could get in, but after many failed attempts to open the front door, we realized it was lying. But I took some more pictures anyway - of it and its neighbor the old Roman lighthouse.

The Wartime Tunnels were really interesting, but we weren't allowed to take any pictures which upset me a little. Also, the Underground Hospital was closed for renovation (because we were there on their off-season), which upset me just a bit more. Still, the Tunnels were really cool to be in and seeing everything that took place in them was just unbelievable. After the Tunnels, we explored the rest of the castle, mainly the Keep (which is the main building), the Medieval tunnels, the Battlements, and the little shops. The Medieval tunnels scared me a bit, but the rest was great. I love castles.

We followed a very large group of French students out of the castle, and luckily, went in the opposite direction of them when it came to the pathway back to town. We found our B&B, checked in, and took a nap because we were exhausted. Around 6ish, we headed down to the High Street for a meal, and when we got there, we realized that all of Dover closes its doors when the sun goes down. We opted for The Eight Bells again rather than KFC or the Chinese place that was open. We took our place at table 41 again and placed our orders for fish & chips. We tried to prolong our stay as much as possible, knowing that the only thing that was waiting for us was our room at the Bed & Breakfast and a whole lot of nothing to do. We ordered desserts and eventually left around 8.

Nothing much exciting happened back at the room, except for the tea-maker which eluded me and caused me to pour water all over the floor. Hey, it was entertainment. We watched some TV, I read a book, midnight came and home called to wish me Happy Birthday (as did a sleepy Paddy). I went to bed with the least amount of voice I've had in a while and was worried I would wake up without one altogether.

We woke up extremely early - 7am - to go downstairs for the breakfast part of our B&B. We got the traditional English breakfast, which I was originally excited for and which, I can now say, I am not a fan of. It is, by the way, an egg (this one was poached), a fried? or poached? tomato, baked beans, some sort of sausage, and bacon (which isn't American bacon because they don't have that here - more Canadian). And tea, which I liked. We went back upstairs, attempted to go back to sleep, showered, watched cartoons and other weird British shows, re-packed, and killed time until 10am checkout.

Upon leaving, we followed signs to the Dover Information Centre and, right before we reached it, were accosted by a marketing research team offering chocolate (a whole lot of it!) if we taste-tested some crisps. I wasn't allowed because I'd never had the flavor - Thai Sweet Chili - but Paddy participated. She collected the chocolate and, at the Info Centre, we got directions to the pier (the best place to see the Cliffs) and to the Cliffs. We headed off in the direction of the pier, thinking we should see them before we hike up them. From a distance, they were gorgeous as was the Castle and the town. Again, it was sunny and beautiful, which made everything better. We walked along the beach and hiked up the long, steep path to the beginning of the White Cliffs.

Being on the Cliffs was absolutely amazing, albeit exhausting. The views were beautiful and being on the top was such a cool feeling. Paddy and I took loads of pictures until my camera was filled up and then just sat around at the top and soaked it all in. Luckily, we got such a beautiful weekend.

Good Things Come to Those Who Scavenge

Last night, I consented to go on the Jack the Ripper tour with Jessie and Erin since, excepting homework, I hadn't much else to do. Our enthusiasm - we had much too much anyway - fizzled as we waited for a Circle train that would never come, switched our plans and hopped aboard the Central and ran through the station, up several broken escalators and through long corridors, desperately clinging to the hope that we would not, in fact, be late. Alas, we arrived at the start of the tour just short of 20 minutes late and had to admit that all of our exhaustion was pretty much wasted. (I apologize if you thought this would be a good story.)

But, not to let a little thing like missing our main event deter us, we embarked on a walk about London. Being right outside the Tower of London, we walked around it towards the South Bank, hoping a brilliant idea would strike us. The two of them had just been on a tour of the Tower with a class earlier in the day, allowing them to share with me a wealth of information. The most important of which being that people live in the Tower!! Now, I don't know how many people knew that, but I certainly didn't, and boy did that keep me entertained for pretty much the entirety of the evening. I stared into the distant brightly lit windows to get just a glimpse of the lucky ones living within, and while it may seem futile, I beg to differ. As we were rounding the building, a runner went up to the Tower's guard, showed an ID, and was admitted to run in across the little bridge! This was simply astonishing and, from that moment forth, I suspected every runner we passed of living in the Tower. On the Thames side of the Tower, several windows were lit up, a series of which looked quite nice on the inside from my position on the walk, and I even saw someone's head moving in the window!

(A little more on the Tower, but just a little.) My new dream-come-true moment is to actually be one of the residents of the Tower of London, or at the very least, to befriend someone who lives inside. From what Jessie and Erin told me, they have their own pub and tennis courts and I'm pretty excited about the whole thing. People live in the Tower of London!

After all the excitement that was the Tower, we wandered over the Tower Bridge to the South Bank and to a pub near the Tate Modern that Jessie wanted to check out, Young's Founders Arms. We stepped inside, ordered some rather interesting drinks - a Waggledance for Erin, and a Double Chocolate Stout each for Jessie and I - and stared at St. Paul's Cathedral as we finished our drinks and talked. In hearing that the Globe is opening shortly before our departure to the States with a production of Othello I got rather excited, as it's the only Shakespeare play I completely enjoy. Being in the company of two Shakespeare-lovers, I agreed to try some more of him and perhaps accompany them to a few plays before May. We crossed the Millennium Bridge and made our way back home for the evening.

We're trying for Jack the Ripper tonight, leaving extra early just in case and bringing Meg along. We're prepared this time.

One of the other great things about London (besides the fact, of course, that people live in the Tower!), is that often, the ICLC will hold various competitions and quizzes of sorts - all of which yield cash prizes to the winners. Always useful in such an expensive city. Earlier in the term, Paddy and I set off to win a few of them and succeeded in winning two! Our first task was to get a library card from two different library systems (i.e. the one near school and the one near our flat); the second was to find all ten items in a scavenger hunt. The majority of the scavenger hunt wasn't too difficult, but the pub plaque we were required to find (stating that US Servicemen broke some of the pub's windows while playing baseball in WWII and that American drinkers were required to pay the outstanding bill) took the longest and came as a bit of luck. During today's coffee talk, we were awarded our prizes - £10 to Sainsbury's each. Just a bit of incentive to try for the next contest...