Post Scotland

I've spent the week recovering from my trip and planning more trips and booking more flights across Europe. Last night we solidifed plans for our October 10th visit to Paris (I can't even pronounce the name of our hostel) and I'm in the process of getting my fall break in order. I got an email from a Grinnellian in Poland. The tickets are cheap. Who knows.

Allison Sutton and I set a date. I'm visiting her in St. Albans on October 5. I couldn't be more excited.

We caught up on wine and Project Runway on Monday but most of the week, we did homework and hung around the flat. I'm still frequenting Starbucks and working on my new Sudoku book but things have calmed down considerably and I feel less pressure to see everything all at once. I did manage to get to the Museum of London on Tuesday, which was neat, and I visited the Imperial War Museum with class on Monday. I found both museums to be very accessible and I'm planning on sending my parents to the War Museum while I'm in class. My dad could easily spend a whole week there and my mom would like the gift shop. They sell aprons there.

Today I had my first test of the semester and yesterday I got my first paper back. Some professors just don't get me. On my exam, I know I completely missed the mark on the section about the historical significance of Westminster Palace. For those of you who don't know, the Abbey and the Palace are two different landmarks. Westminster Palace is more commonly known as the Houses of Parliament. For lunch, I headed north on the Northern line for a delicious burrito from my new favorite spot called "Mucho Mas" in perparation for the test. Their food is authentic Mexican-American and it makes me feel better about being here.

We've been riding the bus home from school everyday and I'm really liking it because we get to see all 7,000 cultural and architectural landmarks like Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, House of Parliment, and Charing Cross in one go. Turns out, they are all less than a mile from our flat. It also gives me a chance to breath without feeling like I'm inhaling massive amounts of exhaust.

Soup night/Lasagna night starts in about 20 minutes and I've got to get the wine to the dinner party before people get upset.

When I get back from Stratford-upon-avon (I'm leaving tomorrow morning) I'll let you know if I could see how big Patrick Stewart is under his cod piece in Hamlet.