Return home safely and further travels

My return trip home was uneventful, taking a cab to the airport to avoid public transportation. During my layover in Houston I had a wonderful lunch and coffee with my family (those who were still stateside anyways) and shared stories and pictures. Tony picked me up at Dallas Love Field later that evening, complete with a lovely bouquet of flowers. I crashed as soon as I got home, seeing as how I had left London at 2 am CST and was getting home at 9 pm.

The next 2 days consisted of unpacking, repacking, and heartfelt goodbyes to all of my Denton friends. Tony hosted a delicious steak dinner Thursday night, and just when I thought I'd be saying goodbye on Friday to head back to Omaha, Not-Texas, Tony came along too! It was a wonderful surprise. So we traveled the 10+ hours up from Texas to Omaha, where we had a great weekend doing things around town and catching up with friends. When he left on Monday, I knew my summer was over. In all it was a fantastic summer that I wouldn't trade for anything! Now back to the books for my last year of didactic education ever.

Museums and Fires

Today was a beautiful day of typical sightseeing and museum exploring, despite the fact that I've caught a cold of sorts (like everyone else here) due to some very cold air that has settled in. We 1st went to the Victoria and Albert Museum for a while before heading to Caryn's old hangout part of town near the British Library. I got my fish and chips, which were very good, and we went to see the Relics and Saints exhibit at the British Museum. I also saw the Rosetta Stone, which is permanently on display there. Then we went shopping and got some great stuff.

We headed home somewhat early to make a homemade dinner and watch Hot Fuzz, after which Caryn's roommate informed us there were riots going on down the street. It's pretty small and insignificant in comparison to the other riots going on in the city, and I don't anticipate any problems getting to the airport since we're going further out of town to get to the airport. I'm safe, and from what I understand no one has been hurt, but please pray for the victims who have lost their businesses and those performing these awful acts of random violence.

Lucy Pevensie, how would you like to have tea with me?

Saturday night we went to Leicester Square to celebrate Caryn's bday, which is also where they have all the red carpet premieres for big movies. The Square was under construction though, so it wasn't quite as picturesque. Fun times late at night in the heart of London, including after-bar festivities at McDonald's.

Sunday was spent at Greenwich Market, the Painted Hall (where some of the latest Pirates movie was shot), and stood on what I presume to be the Prime Meridian. Following that was afternoon tea, where Caryn and I came up with the "Street" version of the Hail Mary for those Anglicans (and Protestants) to better understand us. Lyrics coming soon. Last night Mass was at Westminster Cathedral followed by drinks with the young adults at the Windsor Castle (pub). Today I'm off to see museums, so updates later!

When in London, bring an umbrella

I haven't had much time to update my blog, but for those who've been pestering me for an update (you know who you are) here's a quick rundown of what I've been doing:
Wednesday night - Caryn and I went to see the last Harry Potter because she hadn't seen it yet and what better place to see it again than London?
Thursday - It rained all day, which required the purchase of an umbrella. We rode around in buses, trains, and tubes, taking in the sights (most of my pictures were impeded by the rain), going through central London by Trafalgar Square (think Times Square of London). We took refuge from the rain that afternoon in the London Film Museum, which was interesting enough but nothing spectacular.
Friday - We went to the Hampton Court Palace, home of King Henry VIII (and other royalty). Super cool! Pictures to follow.
Today's agenda - Kew Gardens, aka gardens of the Queen. :D

Airport Escapades

So I finally made it here to London with few interruptions. My original flight was delayed, so Continental switched me to an American Airlines nonstop flight. The only drawback is that this resulted in me killing time for 6 hours in the DFW airport. But I finally made it on the plane, which was super-fancy, practically new with individual screens with my choice of tv shows, movies, and video games. Yes, there was a detachable remote in the armrest that you can play video games on the screen! While I didn't actually play them, it was still pretty awesome.

The flight here to London was pretty long, and I did sleep a little. One thing I didn't realize was the fact that the sun rises at 2 am central time when flying above clouds... But alas, I landed in London at 4 am central time (10 am here), so it's all in perspective. I had a run in with the girl at the passport counter thinking I'm a stupid American for not having Caryn's address physically written down (thanks, Droid, for crashing at the most inopportune moment). So while I was temporarily stuck in limbo between UK and not-UK, I finally convinced the person to let me into the country.

Now I'm here and everything is just like the movies! Houses are built next to each other, all the roofs are orange, and the tube is just like Harry Potter depicted it to be. Caryn and I are still deciding plans for the rest of my trip, but I'm sure it'll be great. :D