Sorry it's been so long, but I have been busy busy! This post will be short (sorry again!) because I'm feeling a bit under the weather and plan to get to bed early to rest up.
The past weekend has been fantastic, complete with a trip to the theatre, a visit to Stonehenge and Bath, a day at the Borough Market, and a couple of really great football games. On Wednesday we saw Billy Elliott at the London Palace Theatre, one of London's most popular musicals. It was absolutely wonderful! It's about a little boy from northern England who loves dance, but is afraid to pursue his dream because it's not really accepted in his small town. I learned from our tour guide Angie, who filled us in a bit on the production, that the show started as a one time performance, but after Elton John saw it, and deeply empathized with Billy's story, he made it into a long-term musical, and wrote the music for it. He also created a school for the arts in northern England for boys like Billy, and they now cast every "Billy" from that school. Pretty cool, huh?
On Thursday of last week, everyone in my program made a dish and we had a big potluck dinner. I made my family's tabbouleh salad, which was a huge hit. The next morning we woke up bright and early for a trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge was magnificent. I'd heard so much about it, but seeing it in person was an astonishing experience. I took a million photographs, of course, but also took a moment to sit in the grass and look upon the awe-inspiring stones, pondering their intention and just thinking about life. It was lovely.
After an hour at Stonehenge, our group headed further west to the city of Bath, where we promptly took a tour of the famous Roman baths from which it gets its name. These baths, which date back to the 1200's, were created by the Romans to indulge their luxurious passion for bathing and lounging. They were quite splendid, and I'm amazed at how well they are preserved. After the tour, my friends and I walked around the city, doing some shopping and eating. I bought some tea and some chocolates (the essentials), then shared an incredible ice cream sundae with Sarah, which boasted two scoops of locally farm-made ice cream, espresso, and whipped cream - delicious. Full to the brim, we boarded our coach and made our way home to London.
That night, Sarah and I booked our trip to Edinburgh, Scotland for the end of September. We're taking a night bus that will get us there in 9 hours, but for very cheap. After our Ireland adventure, I'm pretty sure I can handle anything, so I'm excited for the trip. I think now that that's booked, I'm all set for the semester. I'm going to a total of six places (including Ireland) outside of England, with two trips to Italy (one with friends, one with my mom when she visits in October). I will also have two more day trips, to Windsor and Hampton, and Oxford and Blenheim. Over all, a whole lot of traveling! I guess I'm sort of glad I'm sick now, so I can be healthy for all of these planned adventures. I think it's just a cold, so hopefully I'll be up and running in just a few days.
The rest of my weekend was spent shopping at the Borough Market, under the London bridge, and watching some grade-a American football. The market was great: I got some fresh farm grown potatoes, cinnamon almonds, organic oranges (for extra vitamin c), and a delicious looking pie, with goat cheese, spinach and tomatoes. We also ate at a Mediterranean stand, and the owner told me he was from Syria. Delighted to meet a real Syrian (perhaps my first, outside of family), I promptly, and very excitedly, told him that I was Syrian. At this, he kindly shook his head and chuckled at my red hair and freckles. I then explained to him that I am only a quarter Syrian, and look nothing like it, but we had a good laugh and he gave me some free falafel. Over all, a great market experience.
Saturday night was all about the football. I found the Ohio State-Navy game streaming online (somebody out there loves me) and was able to watch almost all of it. The USC game was harder to find, but I got to see the first half, and that was enough to predict the ending. The Buckeyes looked pretty good, but I would have liked to have seen a little more defense. On the other hand, the Trojans wailed on San Jose State, almost an embarrassing amount, and our defense stood strong (not that we really needed it). Over all, I was quite pleased with both of my teams, and am beyond excited to watch them battle each other next weekend. The USC alumni association here in London is meeting up at a nearby pub to watch the showdown, so my die-hard fan friends and I have planned to attend. It should be a great experience, and hopefully a great game. The only downside is that I will be watching the game live... at 1:30am. But it's all worth it for a good game. Go Buckeyes, fight on Trojans!
Alright, this post ended up being way longer than intended, and now I think it's time for a Sex and the City episode (I brought the entire series with me on DVD) and then bed. Hopefully I'll kick this cold and be back to taking London by storm in a few days. Until then... love!
Photos: A view of Wales from the countryside outside of Bath, a statue of Julius Caesar at the Roman Baths, Sarah and me at Stonehenge.
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