Auf Wiedersehen and Welcome!

Hello everyone! I've returned safely from my Spring Break travels and am now back in Bath. Spring Break was great. I've already written a little bit about Ireland, but to finish up-- Easter night John, Emily, Sarah, and I went out to the pubs. Yes, all of the pubs were open on Easter Sunday, as a very rude woman who worked in our hostel informed us.

John: Will the pubs and things be open tonight?
Rude Woman: (using a 'tone' with some 'attitude') Yes, why wouldn't they be?
John: Well, because it's Sunday... and it's Easter.
Rude Woman: Things only close for Good Friday, why would they close for Easter?
John: Ok, well thanks.

Which, I mean, makes some sense. Everyone in Ireland takes off not only Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but also Easter Monday. So Sunday night is apparently a perfect night for hitting up the pubs. We went to a traditional one which was PACKED. It was called Twas Coilis, I think. It had traditional Irish music played by three (slightly drunk) Irishmen and everyone else there had Irish accents and was singing along and in general quite boisterous. I had a half-pint of Guinness, because I was in Ireland after all.

On the last day we were in Ireland we went on a tour to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. It looked just how you would expect Ireland to look. I bought myself a little instructional guide to Irish faeries that day for fun and it's actually quite fascinating. I love Irish myths and legends. And looking around the Burren I could totally believe in falling into faeryland. All you have to do is walk around a faery rath three times and in you go to their splendid crystal halls, according to the book. At any rate, the scenery was gorgeous, and the Cliffs were spectacular!!! They took three million years to evolve. They are over 600 ft. above sea level. The wind up there was so strong that I worried I would blow right off, which could have been problematic not only for me but for my tour company. There was no voucher to sign before letting us loose on the Cliffs (though, luckily, most of the Cliff area had a wall). We also saw some other sites-- an old Celtic tomb, an earthwork fort from around 2000 B.C (I had my faery book by this point and if there are faeries in Ireland they are IN THAT EARTHWORK FORT), a castle that the Irish National Theatre was dreamed up in (Yeats was there, and Lady Gregory!), Lisdoonvarna-- the Irish town of the Matchmaking Festival, and a few other places. It was a good tour, I thought.

The next day we had to get up extremely early in order to catch the bus to the Shannon airport. We were leaving the hostel by 6:30 in the morning (I think we woke up the other people in our hostel room, specifically a Russian couple who tickled each other until the wee hours of the morning-- swear to God, hostels are not an experience that I want to repeat). We met up with Andrew and his girlfriend at the bus station and then us ASErs bid Megan goodbye and headed off to the airport. We made our flight, got to Stansted, spent six or so hours sitting in the airport, then we were off to Munich! We got to Munich with very little trouble, negotiated our way to the hostel, and got our room. This hostel was better than the one in Ireland-- with Danielle G. arriving we filled a room for six so we had no strangers staying with us, plus the atmosphere was more like a hotel lobby than like summer camp. Still... I think I'm over the hostel thing.

Ahem...Why I Should Have Studied Abroad in Germany:
1) Munich has really great food.
2) Munich has nightlife-- things are open past midnight.
3) Munich is cheaper than Bath.
4) Munich has a wider array of (cheaper, more interesting) day-trips than Bath.
5) I could have learned a foreign language.

The first day in Munich we took a walking tour with a native English speaking guide (it was a free tour thing for backpackers and the guides work for tips-- they are all in their twenties-- it was a really cool thing). I think this guy was a history major, because he talked a lot about history and memory. We saw the Frauenkirche (which Betsy Ray visits in Betsy and the Great World!) and we walked by the Old Town Hall, and saw the Glockenspiel, and we went into the Hofbrauhaus (not for the last time). We also found this gorgeous church called Theatinekirche. I've never seen anything like it. I wanted Jacob there, because I'm pretty sure he would have appreciated the artistic interior far more than I did. It had these twisty columns and some paintings which were probably quite famous, but I wouldn't know. We also went to the English Gardens for a bit and I swear I saw the spot where Betsy and Helena ate lunch before going to the Bayerische Nationalmuseum. Btw, Betsy is the fictionalized version of the author, Maud Hart Lovelace, so really I'm seeing all the places Maud saw... just to clarify for all you non-Betsy-Tacy lovers out there (most of you, I'm guessing). Our tourguide also talked a lot about Hitler and Nazism. I never realized how much of that had happened in Munich-- I guess I always sort of thought it was more of a Berlin thing-- but really it all started in Munich. It made me sad, because I have rather thought of Munich as a Betsy-Tacy rosy glasses city-- and for her it was! She was there in 1913! WWI hadn't started much less WWII! But we saw a lot of sites that had to do with Nazi protesters and Hitler and a memorial at the University to the White Roses-- a student organization which opposed Nazism (it's leaders were executed under the regime). We could have gone to Dachou Concentration Camp, but we decided against it. If we had been in Germany longer we probably would have gone, but we didn't really feel like spending Spring Break crying.

The second day in Munich we just went to some museums. First, we all climbed the tower of Peterkirche. It reminded me of climbing the Duomo in Florence, except less claustrophobic on the way up (and not as high, I doubt). There were some excellent views of Munich, however. Then we went to the Munich Hunting and Fishing Museum, which was actually pretty awesome. It had all these old crossbows and beautiful intricately jeweled and carved rifles, and some old hunting toboggans used by the rich and powerful. It was much better than expected. Next, us girls went to the Residenz Museum. It was pretty much like any other pretty, rich house. It reminded me of Versailles, Hampton Court, The Governors Palace... anything in a Georgian-style, really. It had an awesome treasury, though! There was this one small... jeweled thing... of St. George slaying the dragon-- it was beautiful!!!! And so intricate! I also went to the toy museum, which was a let-down. It was small. I also shopped in Promod, my favorite store from Italy, though I didn't buy anything. AND I got a Mezzo Mix, which is the soda at the Coke Stop in Disney World where there are sodas from around the world. I really kind of thought Coke made up those sodas, because I haven't seen any for real anywhere else. I love Mezzo Mix. It was kind of a dreary day, though, and I felt very homesick all afternoon. Sigh. That night perked me up though! We went to the Hofbrauhaus-- the most famous beerhall in Munich. It celebrated its 400th Anniversary last year the waiter told us, to which I replied "So did Jamestown Settlement!" We had AMAZING FOOD (Bavaria has incredible food-- I'm not sure why no one ever talks about their culinary experience in Germany, because mine was beyond belief) and we each drank a FULL LITER OF BEER! Some people finished TWO LITERS (not me, though... I'm not sure my stomach would have allowed it). We were all very happy that evening. I fell asleep the second we got back to the hostel, but apparently everyone else stayed awake for awhile and had some Smirnoff... bad call, guys. "Beer before liquer, never been sicker." I, however, woke feeling perfectly peachy.

Our final day in Germany us girls took a day trip to a beautiful little Alpine village called Garmisch, where the 1936 Winter Olympics were held, apparently. The place was classic Germany. I loved it. We had lunch outside surrounded by the Alps and I bought a little German teddy-bear (I still haven't named her) and I got some gifts for my parents. We also found a wonderful chocolaterie. I really think Garmisch was my favorite day of all of Spring Break. It was relaxing with walking trails and a peaceful church and a little restaurant on a mountainside and beautiful Alpine houses.

Final Munich note: They have much better street performers than Bath. In Bath we have some homeless men with tin pipes and guitars scattered around. If we are lucky we get a man playing the violin on a tight rope or the men who put sparklers in their behinds. In Munich, however, we got a classical pianist on a baby grand and a string trio playing classical music. In general, I would have to say that Munich is superior to Bath. Except in Bath I understand the language without trying, which is a plus.

I got back to Bath today. I had a good time going through customs:

Airport Employee Manning the Passport Line: Well, well, you've arrived at a perfect time, eh? We just got this flight in from backwoods Turkey and none of them speak English or know what they are doing. It's terrible. It's like they are from a whole nother world. Oh, I guess they are. I think it's called the third-world.

Then, Passport Control Man: Oh thank God! People who speak English! I might just keep you here for the next half-hour so I don't have to deal with any more of those Turks. It's bloody ridiculous they don't know what they are doing.

Needless to say, we were the English-speaking hit of the Border Controllers hour, so we got back into the UK with absolutely no trouble at all. Probably they would have waved us through even if we didn't have our passports with us.

So, now I have three papers and a presentation to work on. Ouch. It will be lots of working for the next couple of days. Luckily, I will sleep well now, because my bed here has back support and my room isn't occupied by strangers. Yay! Hope everyone else has had a good week!

And congratulations to Callie on getting into GRAD SCHOOL!!!!

Once Through Tara's Halls...

Happy Easter, everyone! I'm in Ireland! We arrived late Friday night and have been on the go ever since. I'm traveling with some of my friends-- Emily, John, Andrew, and Sarah, and in Munich we are going to meet up with Danielle.

The group of us left Bath on the 1:24 train to Bristol Temple Meads, then promptly got the Bristol Flyer to the airport. We left early because John was worried about Good Friday traffic (although he's the one who had to run back for his passport), and we had hours to sit around the airport doing nothing. After several hours of nothingness we checked into our flight and made it through security where we found Sylvia waiting for her delayed Venice flight. It was nice to see Sylvia one last time before everyone seperated for the week. Anyways, our flight was on time, nice, easy, quick-- and we were in Ireland! I listened to Great Big Sea the whole flight and bus ride from Shannon to Galway. Once at the bus stop, Andrew met up with his girlfriend, Megan (she's studying abroad in Ireland), and they headed off to a hotel while the rest of us trudged to our hostel.

Our hostel is much like a summer camp. They have a board saying where all the craic (fun) is, and they push tours, and the room we are in has eight beds (we fill four) and they are all bunked. Last night we had two Swedish girls and two German girls with us. We have new roommates tonight, but we haven't met them yet. Friday night we didn't really do anything, because everything was closed for Good Friday.

Saturday, however, we went out to the Aran Islands! We went to Inishmore, the largest of the Islands. We all rented bikes, which might have been a bad idea, considering I'm horrible at bike-riding and terrified of bikes, but I managed to overcome my fear (sort of) and rode around the island. We went to this old Celtic Fort built in 2000 B.C-- it overlooks the Atlantic and is absolutely beautiful. We rode by the sea quite a bit. It was a really nice day. After we got back yesterday evening we tried to go to a pub for dinner, but everything was packed! After much walking around we finally found a little American style diner called Eddie Rocket's (Johnny's brother? His Irish cousin?) and got hamburgers, fries, onion rings, and milk shakes. I think it was much needed. We're all kind of missing America right now. After dinner we all went to a pub called "The King's Head." I stayed for a few minutes, but I was pretty tuckered out from the day, so I headed back to the hostel to rest.

Today, Easter, has been amazing! We woke up, got toast at the hostel, then headed out to church. We went to a Catholic Mass at Galway Cathedral-- the Cathedral is beautiful, and the mass was very nice. They opened with the hymn "Jesus Christ is Risen Today," the same hymn that all Episcopal Easter Services begin with, and that made me really happy-- it can't be Easter without that hymn. Strangely enough, everything has been open today. Apparently Good Friday is the day that everything is closed. We spent the day in Galway shopping (I got a scally-cap for Jacob!) and looking around. Emily and I got some Irish donuts which were AMAZING but I can feel them clogging my arteries, and we got a traditional Irish breakfast at 12:30 at Riordan's, which was sooo good. Everything here is about Claddagh-- all the tourists shops sell the rings, there is a museum dedicated to it (closed today, though, ironically) and everyone wears Claddagh rings. I like that I already had one-- it makes me feel special. It also makes me miss Jacob more than ever. Everything here is also about Guiness, which I have yet to drink in Ireland-- I may do that tonight, just to say that I got a pint while in Ireland. Also, I've seen about eight rainbows since I got here. Now I know why the rainbow is a symbol of Ireland-- they are around everyday! Which makes sense, because everyday is the kind of day while the sun shines as it pours rain.

Tomorrow we're going to the Cliffs of Moher, which promise to be amazing.

Hope everyone is having a great Easter!

Gearing to Go...

Tomorrow Spring Break starts.

Everyone here at ASE is in a flurry of panic. It sort of crept up on us. I don't have little bottles of shampoo, and I need to change money into euros, and I finally did laundry today, but now I have to figure out how to get it all in a little duffel. Someone suggested buying a lock, because apparently at hostels they give you little lockers if you supply a lock, but I have no idea where to find something like that here in Bath. Another rumor is that hostels don't supply sheets unless you pay extra, so after weighing the options, I've decided just to pony up the pounds instead of cramming a blanket into my full duffel. Furthermore, there is no food in our flat but we're all leaving tomorrow so there's no point to buying more, so basically we're all starving. *Dies a little*

I should be doing several things today: packing, getting together necessary odds and ends, and writing a paper about Parliamentary Reform. Hm. That would be productive.

Addendum: Pictures

Hey, I just noticed that it's been awhile since I posted any pictures, so here are a few from Jake's visit to England, and a few from France. The first six are from London, the last four are from Biarritz.







Here's where the Biarritz pictures start.





Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Told Him I Knew Too Many People in Biarritz; True, Too.

First of all, Biarritz is gorgeous. Secondly, it is a bitch to get to and from London Stansted Airport.

Thursday morning I woke up around 9:00, as I do, ate breakfast, finished up writing a letter to Jacob, and popped into the post office to mail it. Then I finished up packing for France and headed out to the train station to catch the 11:13 train to London Paddington. My flight wasn’t until 6:30 that night, but I had read that it takes quite awhile to get to Stansted, and everyone knows that for international flights you have to get to the airport quite early. So off I went to on the train merrily towards London Paddington. I ought to have been reading for Irish Lit, but instead I took along Betsy and the Great World and began to read that as we rolled towards London. I love my Betsy-Tacy books. Honestly, it’s like opening an old friend to read—and lately I’ve felt in desperate need of old friends.

We got to London Paddington around 1:00 in the afternoon, then I had to navigate my way through the tube system to Liverpool Street, where I switched onto the Stansted Express going to the airport. I managed it all without too much difficulty and around 2:30 we were pulling up to the airport. So, slightly earlier than I had bargained for, but at least I had gotten there without much trouble. Unfortunately Ryanair.com, who has the cheapest flights in the world (before taxes my flights cost me two pence, or four USA cents) doesn’t open their desks until exactly two hours before the flight is scheduled to leave, so I got to sit around the airport for awhile. I got a bag of crisps and a chocolate croissant from Pret-A-Manger, then I settled back into Betsy and the Great World. Betsy, like me, gets homesick (though she gets it much worse than me…usually). I was doing quite well until I got to the line, “‘Life is just too short,’ Betsy wept, ‘to spend a year away from home!’” Then I sort of broke down weeping myself, so I called my mom. We talked for a good twenty minutes, and by then the Ryanair.com desk had opened so I got my boarding pass and went through security. Past security were all the duty free shops and I browsed them for awhile, almost buying a fake-pearl headband, then settled back into my book when Shea called to tell me that she and Margaux were in the airport, just coming through security. We met up, got a little more food at yet another Pret-A-Manger, then headed to the gate. We had a relatively easy flight (I read more Betsy and the Great World and was delighted to rediscover that she spends a few months in Munich. I’m going to Munich for Spring Break and had absolutely no idea what to see there, but now I can be like Betsy!!!), and when we landed it was a warm clear night in the South of France, in the Aquitaine, in Biarritz.

We got a taxi which zoomed us to our hotel (how they go so quickly on such narrow streets I’ll never know), punched in the night code, got up to our rooms, and fell in love with Biarritz. The hotel was somewhat similar to Hotel Patrizia, where I stayed the first few nights in Italy, except cleaner, with slightly softer beds, and an actual shower. I had a single and Shea and Margaux had a double. My room was all light blue with a headboard (if you could call it that) embroidered with anchors. We changed into lighter clothing then headed out into the night. It was only 9:00 PM on a Thursday, but Biarritz was dead. There was no one out. We finally found the center of town where a few brasseries and bars were still open—there were people—but we didn’t go in. We also passed a few discoteques, but again, didn’t go in. Instead, we found the beach. We rounded the corner onto the Grande Plage and my heart just soared. There was a palais which Napoleon had built, all lit up, and—most importantly—a lighthouse! Jacob and I search out lighthouses and all I wanted was him next to me to enjoy this beautiful, beautiful sight. The lighthouse was even a functioning lighthouse, with an extremely bright light flashing in circles. We walked down to the edge of the sand, but only Shea actually went running towards the water. After awhile we simply walked back to the hotel. I watched a little T.V, something with James Blunt (apparently he was performing in Paris, which made me think of the “1973” song, which made me think of this one time that Jacob called me from the car and just held the phone over the speaker when that song was on, just to get it stuck in my head), then I fell asleep pretty much instantaneously.

The next morning we were up by 8:00, because the hotel served breakfast at 8:10. We went down to the little, bright dining room and our hostess (who, it transpired, spoke no English—thank goodness for my meager French!) seated us and brought out warm croissants, baguettes, butter, jam, and the rich, dark, flavorful coffee of Europe. The whole breakfast reminded me of Italy, and of Spain. In Spain we had the best coffee and my mom and I kept getting refills—that was how I felt with this. It almost—ALMOST—made me miss Florence. I noticed later that the hallways of the hotel smelled like Roberta’s house, and even my room smelled like summer in Italy.

It was a bit cloudy and cool that morning, even though weather.com had said it was supposed to be warm and sunny, so we put on pants and I put on my white tunic top, and we headed out to see the Musee de Chocolat, and in general to explore the area (Margaux, on chocolate: “I would eat a chocolate-shaped poop I love it so much. Err… a poop-shaped chocolate…ew.”) We walked forever, just looking at the ocean below us and at the little pretty houses, when we came to a sign that pointed to San Sebastian. Immediately, I wanted to go, because that is where Jake Barnes is in the end of the Sun Also Rises (not to mention in St. Jean de Luz, another close place) but we found out that San Sebastian was forty miles away, and St. Jean de Luz was half an hour by car, and that buses to Spain only ran one way…we were a little confused about that. Anyways, we stayed in Biarritz. The sun had gotten through the clouds and it was beginning to be quite hot, so we went back to the hotel and changed into our “resort wear.” I wore a white skirt, my Juliet shirt, and my grey flats. Then we decided to head over to the Grande Plage for picture taking. We ended up taking about a million pictures on a cliff overlooking the beach, and even some old French guy stopped and tried to talk to us, and took a picture of the three of us. He must have been about sixty-five, he was balding, and he looked slightly like Edgar from Aristocats, but he kept talking to us about going to Copa Cabana Discoteque that night. We declined. Finally he left and we headed down to the beach, where there were more pictures to be had. It was about lunchtime, so we went to a little sandwich food stand by the beach for lunch. I got a croque monsieur, an Orangina, and an apple tart all for 6.50 euro! We took our meals back to the seaside and ate while watching the ocean, and a bunch of Spanish schoolkids who had just arrived. After lunch, we went to Hotel de Palais, which used to be a residence of Napoleon and the Empress Eugenie, then we headed back in the direction of our hotel, and yet a different beach. On the way there we stopped by a little restaurant/patisserie, and I got a chocolate éclair, which of course made me think of eating in Paul’s with Jacob, and the coffee éclair he got. Sigh. The patisserie was fantastic though, and we decided to go back for dinner and eat in, because the restaurant had a lovely view of the ocean.

We spent the next few hours lounging happily on the beach. I continued reading Betsy and the Great World. She was in Venice. It made me slightly miserable. I tried to call Jacob, but my phone wasn’t getting any reception on the beach. Furthermore, the entire area looked like Cinqueterre, which was beautiful, but also slightly heart-string tugging. Still, it was very nice to have Betsy Ray with me on my travels. And goodness, it was nice to be reading on a beach again, and to feel the sand and the sun and smell the salt air.

We left the beach area around 5:30, took more pictures at la Roche de la Vierge, a memorial for the French resistance of World War II, then ran into the old French man again, who again tried to get us to go discotequing (and again we declined). We went back to the hotel to freshen up a bit, then headed back out to Miremont, the restaurant/patisserie. We had a bit of trouble with Margaux trying to order just tap water, but we secured it, and I got a Quiche Lorraine, in honor of Jacob. We spent the evening sitting by the ocean, watching the sky gradually darken, then we decided just to go back to our hotel. We watched the French Top 50 Song Chart (there were some good, some bad), then I feel asleep.

The next morning progressed similarly to the one before, waking early, eating breakfast. Then Shea, Margaux, and I checked out of the hotel and got a taxi to the airport. I had planned to switch from a 7:15 PM flight to the 12:10 PM flight that Shea and Margaux were on, except they wouldn’t let me do that without paying 352 euro, which I wasn’t about to do, so Shea and Margaux went on past security to their flight to London and I was stranded in the airport without recourse—I couldn’t even get my boarding pass until 5:15. I called my parents and began to cry, mostly with homesickness than with anger over the flights, and unhappy at the grim prospect of sitting alone in an airport forever. I cried and cried and begged to get on a plane to New York JFK, then I calmed myself down and walked back to the terminal. Immediately, an English woman came up to me and asked if I was alright, she had seen me talking on the phone. I explained the situation and she said, “Well, I’m just picking up a friend from the airport—her name is Charlee, and we are going for drink in Biarritz if you want to come with us.” So, I did. Kirstie, as her name was, and Charlee, and I went to a brasserie and got wine and spent five hours drinking and talking. They were both incredibly nice—didn’t even let me pay for the drinks when I offered. They had lived in St. Jean de Luz, close to Biarritz, for about a year, but before that they had been friends in London, and had grown up in Bath! It was such a fantastic afternoon that I hadn’t even hoped for hours before; very Sun Also Rises. Kirstie drove me back to the airport at 5:00, and we exchanged e-mail addresses, then I got on my plane and was off to London! Got back (nearly didn’t get back into the country because I didn’t have my letter saying that I was a student; must remember to take that for Spring Break), then trained home to Bath, where I arrived safe and sound at midnight.

"Told him I knew too many people in Biarritz; true, too." ~Lady Brett Ashley

A Free Wednesday

My tutorial was canceled today because Leslie is spending four days in Monte Carlo, Monaco, with some rich friend of his. He told us the story. Apparently when they were doing their O-Levels in Chemistry this kid spilled chemicals all over Leslie's perfect, wonderful, miraculous answer, and now, many years later after keeping in touch from that day on, the kid is a millionaire after inventing a new chemical dying process and is living as a tax exile in Monaco. This year he is president of the Monte Carlo Lunch Club or something, and has invited Leslie to give a fifteen minute speech after the meeting with four free days in Monaco to follow. Lucky dog.

For me, however, this meant that I didn't have to get a tutorial paper done for today (although I should have or I'll fall behind). It was lucky to have a free Wednesday, though, because it meant that I could get my Irish Literature paper finished-- which I did. It ended up being an OK paper, I think. I wrote about about death in Joyce's "The Dead" and Yeats' Cathleen ni Houlihan. After I finished that and printed it out and turned it in I just floated through the afternoon... I went grocery shopping, then... got Euros for my trip to Biarritz tomorrow! I'm going to France for the weekend and I'm quite excited. Biarritz is going to be warm, hopefully, and most importantly it's in the Aquitaine region, from whence came Eleanor of Aquitaine!

So, I'm gearing up for a weekend of France, followed by a flurry of tutorial paperwriting. :)

England is for Lovers

Jacob left yesterday morning. I felt miserable for the rest of the day; on the train home I couldn't stop crying. I still have 69 days left in Bath. It's a long time.

Day One: February 29th
We had a fantastic time, though, for the brief interval that we were together! Jacob arrived on Friday, February 29th. I got an extremely early train from the station to pick him up at Gatwick airport. Even so, I got to the international arrivals gate a few moments after Jacob had come through. I stood at the gate waiting for him when I heard a voice from behind me whisper in my ear "Ciao." I turned around, grabbed him, and kissed him. Perfect airport moment. We had about forty-five minutes until the train back to Bath, so we stopped in at a Costa Coffee for some cappucinos-- we were both exhausted. We sat down at a little table with our drinks and held hands and Jake said, "Don't ever do this again." I can promise I won't. Not that I dislike Bath, or that I wish I wasn't studying abroad, but I would never do it again. I think it's one of those things that really can only be done once... that, or including Florence, perhaps I'm study abroad-ed out.

Anyways, the first thing we did in Bath was to get a pasty from the West Cornwall Pasty Company. I felt that Jacob should try something quintessentially English on his first day in England. We ate them outside, and the crumbs blew everywhere, but it was fun. We people-watched in Bath city center, then we walked to Sainsbury's Local and Marks and Spencer for some dinner supplies-- we figured it would save us money to eat in some meals. So, for example, that night I made fish-cakes, sweetcorn, and rice, with Hob-Nobs for dessert (again, something English that Jake needed to try).

After dinner, everyone headed over to the Northhamptons for an evening of cider beirut. Jake and I walked over with Alli, Danielle, Sylvia, and Jon (Shea was in Dublin). We pointed out interesting Bath-y sites on the way, such as the Jane Austen Centre, the Circus, complete with Nicolas Cage's house (and we told him how every time we pass we talk about what bad movies Nick Cage has made, and how we're certain someday we'll be doing that and turn the corner straight into him. Then, of course, we'll probably tell him his movies are excellent), the Royal Crescent, the giant hill that leads to the Northhampton residences, etc. Once at the Northhamptons the cider flowed, and instead of beirut some game called Civil War was played, which is similar to Beirut, but involves two three-person teams and the ping-pong balls are literally up for grabs and can be thrown at any time. Oh, Gettysburg College people. After a few hours at the Northhamptons, we returned to Nunes for the night.

Day Two: March 1st
We got a bit of a late start on Saturday morning, but by 11:30 we were up, dressed, and out in the beautiful day. It was beautiful, and warm, other than the wind. We decided to take a walk on the towpath. The towpath was even more magical that day than I had remembered it. Perhaps because I was out later than I normally am there was more action. Barges were sailing, people were out walking, all of the sheep and ducks were awake, and even the George was full of people lunching, once we got up to Bathhampton. We even went into the little church near the George; inside was so quiet and peaceful. Jake said it would be nice to live by the towpath with a house and a garden, but most importantly, with a little step-down dock and a small boat. He also pointed out that one of the barges looked like Darth Vader's barge, but I didn't get a picture unfortunately. Even more sadly, I had two papers due within the next four days; off the towpath we went, ordered a pizza, ate it in Nelson House common room, and then I worked on my Henry VII paper for a few hours. Jake went back to Nunes to take a nap, but after an hour or so he came back down to Nelson's Cabin where we talked for over an hour. It was so good to talk to him, and to see his face, and to be able to discuss so easily things which cannot be discussed other than when we can touch hands.

About an hour later I returned to Nunes and cooked dinner for us. We stayed around the flat for a little while, hanging out on the perch with Alli, Danielle, and Sylvia, but there were no real plans, and Jacob wanted to see a real English Pub, so we ventured out into Bath together. First, I took him to a pub called The Three Trees; it's really local, small, and switches out its taps regularly so you can always try a new beer. It was also extremely crowded this evening. All of the seats in both the lounge and the smoking room were taken, so we finished our drinks somewhat quickly, then headed back to the Huntsman for another round. We got a little table for two and sat and talked over pints for several hours. That night everything felt back to normal. There was no strain, no uneasiness in our being together again, just pure and simple and us again. We talked easily, we laughed, we exchanged random facts. We got back somewhat late to find everyone in Danielle's room watching Love Actually. Jacob and I curled up on the floor to watch with them, but I felt tired, so after Hugh Grant got the Natalie girl Jacob and I got ready for sleep.

Day Three: March 2nd
For lunch on Sunday we decided to try this wonderful little chain called "Pret-A-Manger." I've seen them before (they are literally on every block in London), but I'd never eaten at one. The food was pretty good. I got a baguette sandwich and Jacob got a chicken bacon club, which was excellent. We went to Pasty Presto for their GBP2.55 hot drink and a pastry deal, too, so we had dessert with our Pret. We ate it in the common room at Nelson House.

That afternoon we moved our things to the Best Western Bath Abbey hotel, which is right down the street from me. Walking into the hotel really helped to make things feel normal again, too. We finally had our own space, without flatmates and ASErs around all of the time (but I love them, it's just that Jake and I needed our own time, too!), and the hotel smelled all fresh and clean. Suddenly everything just fell into focus so beautifully.

That night, we decided to treat ourselves to dinner out. We hadn't really gone out together, and it felt like the perfect night for a date night. Granted, I was in the middle of outlining/writing my Henry VII paper, and I hadn't even started reading about the American Revolution from the British perspective, but what Jake and I needed was a night out. We chose a restaurant called Martinis. This has got to be the best restaurant in Bath. It is family owned by three Italian brothers, so the food is amazing. The atmosphere is also great. They played Frank Sinatra-style music throughout our meal, the color scheme of dark red and light red looked beautiful, there were candles. Then the food! Jake started off with a martini, I got a cosmopolitan martini, plus we had a bottle of sparkling water. Then we ordered a pizza and garlic bread as our appetizer. I'm not sure that I've ever had a better Neapolitan pizza before, even in Italy. It was spectacular, and even better was the garlic bread. Then Jake had penne bolognese, I think, and I had a pesto linguine. For dessert, we shared tiramisu.

And we talked. We talked and talked, about life, past experiences, Italy, England, the safari we will take after we graduated. Just everything and everything. I'm not sure I've ever felt happier after a meal.

Day Four: March 3rd
Monday. Mondays are always trouble, especially Mondays which begin weeks in which you have two papers due when you haven't written either of them. All I wanted to do was to stay curled up next to Jacob for the entire day, but that morning I got up early and went to Nelson House for the library. I spent several hours reading all I could about the American Revolution and beginning an outline, until I could take it no longer and headed back to the hotel to find Jacob. We decided to play tourist that afternoon, so we went over to the Roman Baths. We got our little audio-guides and went through the entire museum and ruins. A man dressed in Roman garb said, "Salve" to Jacob, which was pretty hilarious. As soon as we were through the baths, we went to the Pump Room for high tea. I must say, that has been one of my favorite Bath experiences-- England experiences, in fact-- and I'm so glad that I got to do this with Jacob. We went into the Pump Room, which is a gorgeous Georgian style room with the highest ceilings you can imagine, and lots of gilding. It feels like a set from a Jane Austen movie. They had a piano player setting the formal mood, and the waiters all had on Georgian style uniforms (a bit like what someone would were at the Kings Arms Tavern, in Williamsburg, only nicer and less costume-y looking; plus, the girls didn't wear dresses, just feminized versions of what the men wore). Jacob and I ordered tea sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and a selection of pastries with a pot of English Breakfast tea. The food was absolutely amazing, especially the scones with clotted cream and the coffee eclair. Jacob and I couldn't believe how nice everything was-- Jacob even said that he would live in England with me for awhile, if that's what I wanted, so long as I lived in Paris with him for awhile in return. Agreed. Then he told me all about Paris-- more in detail than usual-- so I actually got a picture of what his life there had been like. Then we discussed our future houses-- yes, plural, because of course we have to own Tiberius' castle (Kay, you and Brian were going in on that with us, right?) and we have to have a house like... the French secretary whose name I can't recall that inspired Versailles... and got executed for having too nice a house.

Anyways, after high tea I had to really buckle down and write my tutorial paper, so all evening, up until nearly 11:00, was devoted to the writing of that little number. I felt terrible having to leave Jacob alone; I really wanted to spend every minute with him. At 11:00 I went over to the Huntsman for student night-- Jacob had been there for awhile with my flatmates. He actually seemed very discouraged at how late I did show up... I felt terrible, but my paper had to get done. Sigh. After a pint or two things got much better, though. :)

Day Five: March 4th
Class Day. I had class basically all of Tuesday. I woke up and went to the library telling Jacob I'd see him at 1:30, but at 10:30 I couldn't take it anymore so I went back to the hotel and semi-hug-attacked him. I can't be away from him for so long when I know he's just down the street. Unfortunately, I did have class at 11:40. After Tudors and Stuarts, Jacob and I went back to West Cornwall Pasty Company for lunch, and again we took it back to the common room to eat. There were more people in the common room today though, and they seemed to be not very talkative, so Jacob and I spoke in barely more than a whisper the entire meal-- which provoked some very entertaining conversations. That afternoon, I had Irish Literature. Jacob went cavorting around Bath by himself and met a Frenchman named Armand who hated the United States; they got a drink together and talked about politics. He also tried on nice jackets and ties, and bought me a box of chocolate truffles :).

We ate in for dinner that night; more fishcakes, sweetcorn, and rice, then I began writing again, just to finish up my American Revolution paper, which I did by 9:00. I headed back to the hotel and Jacob told me he had tried Cafe Rouge, that it was wonderful, and that we should go soon. I was quite excited, because that restaurant has always looked so nice and no one else has wanted to go with me; I love Jacob. He's always up for trying new places and new things. I love that I can always count on having someone adventurous with me in him. I love him. Sigh. I wish he didn't have to leave, and that he could have stayed in England with me for the next two months. Everything seems so much nicer with him around.

Day Six: March 5th
I had my tutorial on Wednesday, so it was off to Oxford! I felt horrid that day. All day my stomach was upset; I even got sick. I managed to get to Oxford, though, and to get through my tutorial with relative ease. I also got to go into the library of University College that day (because Greg and I figured out the code) and it was so perfectly Oxfordian you can't even imagine. It really looked exactly like what you would think a library at Oxford should look like. I wanted to take a picture, but I know if I was in Swem and some girl pulled out a camera I would be seriously concerned with her mental stability, so I refrained. Anyways, made it through my tutorial, read my paper about the American Revolution out loud-- got told it was my best ever!!!!-- then got home feeling completely terrible. Jacob took me back to the hotel and laid down with me for an hour or so until I began to feel better. Then we went to a pub called the Linden Tree (where my flatmates and I went for Valentine's Day) for dinner. It wasn't so spectacular this time. The food wasn't as tasty, nor was the service quite as good. Plus, I think both Jacob and I were a little cranky-- me because I was sick, Jacob because all I had done since he arrived was write papers and I had another to finish that night. In the event, I didn't get my paper written; I got it started, but Jacob gave me a backrub to make me feel better, and I fell asleep pretty quickly.

Funny story, though. On the walk back from Linden Tree to the hotel we passed a man who earlier had been playing a little pipe (Jacob called him the Pied Piper). He was sitting in the doorway of the Disney Store in an immaculate pink hoodie. I remarked that I thought it must be his first night sleeping on the streets. As we passed him he suddenly yelled, "WHY!?" And didn't say anything else or move the entire time he was within our sight. It was hilarious. Jacob did that to me later in London (yelled "WHY!?" loudly and for no reason) just to watch people turn around to stare. Good fun.

Day Seven: March 6th, 2008
This was our last day in Bath. I woke up early, grabbed a bite of cereal, then had a meeting with Barbara and Andy to discuss going with the Modern British Politics class' study trip. They were going to the War Rooms and the Houses of Parliament on Friday; I would already be in London. After the meeting, I began to seriously write my Tudor paper. With all of the prep work I had already done, the paper was complete within two hours. Jacob came over while I finished it up, then we went to Nelson House where I printed it out and turned it in, then it was off to Cafe Rouge for lunch! Cafe Rouge was absolutely wonderful. It really did feel so Parisian, and the food wasn't even that expensive. I had French Onion Soup with bread, Jake had a Croque Monsieur. I also had a Kir, because that's my mom's favorite drink, and I have been missing her a lot lately, so having a Kir made me feel somehow close to her all over again. I must say, lunch cheered me immensely, but I still felt exhausted and burned out. Jacob somehow has the power to kiss me and make everything all better though. He also always has the right things to say to make me feel like it's worth continuing my academic life, and my regular life, and just in general to give me a better outlook on everything (which is a little ironic). In this case, the best thing he could have said (and did say) was that we were going to London. And we were.

We had checked out of the Bath Hotel, so after lunch I packed a small duffle bag for myself, and Jacob and I headed out to the train station, where we caught a 2:48 train into London Paddington. The train ride was relatively uneventful; I think I slept for a large part of it. But just knowing that I was training away from Bath helped. Jacob suggested that the reason is because now I associate Bath with school and stress and London with fun and freedom. He's right, I suppose. I'm also tired of being always in Bath. It's a wonder I don't get tired of Williamsburg the same way. I suppose I do, but somehow in Williamsburg everything is different. Maybe it's that there's actually more work there than here so I don't have time to get bored, I don't know. And I'm not "bored" in Bath, but I just like getting out for a few days... maybe I'm that way about Williamsburg. I don't know.

Anyways, we got to London Paddington and took a taxi to the hotel-- such a beautiful, luxurious hotel!!! We had the most gorgeous room, in such a wonderful location. I had read on Playbill.com that Cabaret was playing in the West End, and I asked Jacob if he would like to see it. He said yes. We asked for a map at Guest Services, then headed out to find the Lyric theatre. We got a little lost, but we made it eventually. And anyways, it didn't matter too much because London is so wonderful and vibrant and I just get such a happy feel from being there-- I can't even explain it, but it's as if London radiates happiness onto me. We got to the theatre and bought two tickets in Box L. Then we went next door and bought two tickets for the next night to see Noel Coward's The Vortex. We decided that since we didn't have time for dinner before the show we would grab a sandwich at Starbuck's then eat our dinner after the show, which is exactly what we did. Cabaret was fantastic. The production quality was top-notch, the actors were all extremely good, the story and music are wonderful; I loved it, Jacob loved it. It's rather depressing, of course, but soooo fantastic. I was glad to get to share it with Jacob-- Cabaret is one of my favorite shows, and I know it's difficult to like shows if you haven't seen them.

We couldn't stop talking about it and how wonderful it had been all the way back to Strada, a restaurant near our hotel. It was 10:40, and Strada closed at 11:00, so we just made it. We got Aglio--garlic and rosemary bread-- and we each got a glass of wine and pizzas. A perfect meal to top off a perfect night. I don't think I've ever been happier than that evening. I was on a show high, and satisfied from a lovely meal, and in London, and-- most importantly of all-- with my Jacob.

Day Eight: March 7th, 2008
We woke up a bit late this morning, which is understandable because we went to bed rather late, as well. But today there was a plan, for this was the day we were meeting the ASE study trip. We got up and got dressed and headed out the the Cabinet War Rooms, Winston Churchill's bunker during the Second World War. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. A little chilly, perhaps, but not too bad, and not a cloud in the sky. We walked through Trafalgar Square, and under the Arch leading to the Mall, then past the Horses Guard and down to the War Rooms. We got there before Leslie and the ASE group, so we bought our tickets and headed for the cafe for a bite to eat. Jacob got carrot cake and I got a fruit scone with tea.

Tangent: The cafe had Curiosity Cola!!! I gave up soda for Lent, so I didn't get any (although I probably would have, if we had had adequate time; I think God would have gotten over it). Curiosity Cola is the best soda in the entire world-- they sell it at the Cheese Shop and I really never thought about it having any distributors other than the Cheese Shop, but I've seen it several places here in England. It's SO GOOD! Really, anyone in Williamsburg should check at the Cheese Shop for it. Usually it's next to Victorian Lemonade (both my Fentiman's) but the Victorian Lemonade is less than good, so don't get it, just stick with the Curiosity Cola.

After the cafe, we met up with the ASE group at the top of the War Rooms. We got our audioguides and went through together; probably the most lovey-dovey people to ever be in the War Rooms, besides perhaps Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine. It was nice, though, and there's a new Winston Churchill Museum that was fantastic. I love seeing how museums are being designed nowadays. It's very interesting to look at all of the interactive bits, and to see how displays are set up to be eye catching. I do like Public History, even if it wasn't my favorite class. I like the theory behind it, and the innovation. For example, they had this thing on the floor and if you stepped on it you could hear excerpts from Churchill's speeches; another part you put a golden egg on a stand and it asked a question and answered it.

After our tour of the War Rooms we had two hours to do whatever we liked. Jacob and I grabbed sandwiches at Pret-A-Manger, then we walked down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. Gorgeous. It really is stunning. We saw a Danish? couple trying to take a picture of themselves, so Jake said, "I'll make you a deal. We'll take a picture of you if you'll take a picture of us." They agreed, so we all got pictures in front of Buckingham Palace. Jacob and I walked back through St. James' Park. It looked a lot like the Boston Commons, which reminded me of Boston in the summer, and how happy were were to see each other then after nearly two months. We've done this two month thing once, we can do it again. Oh, but it is difficult not to see each other.

We got back to Trafalgar Square and we still had a goodly amount of time on our hands, so we went to the National Portrait Gallery. I was (of course) interesting in the Tudor Portraiture, so we went up to the second floor to look at it. You know you are a Tudor History geek when you don't even have to look at the labels to know who about 2/3rds of the portraits are. Obviously, everyone knows Elizabeth I, but I feel few people glance at a portrait and think "Oh, Robert Dudley!" or "Look, Elizabeth of York!" I know, I'm a little foolish. We were running out of time to meet up with the group for the Houses of Parliament, so we had to run a little to catch up to them. We did, though. As we walked towards the tour entrance Leslie pointed out statues outside the Houses, for example, Oliver Cromwell. HUH? Yes, indeed, Oliver Cromwell is outside the Houses of Parliament. Whyever did they put him there? Then, there's Richard I, who lived about 100 years before the first Parliament was ever called. HUH? Very interesting statue choices. We entered through Sovereign's Gate, where the Queen enters when she opens Parliament for the year. Andrew Butterworth, the most adorable ASE staff member ever, talked to me and Jacob pretty much the whole time. We discussed William and Mary, and giving Spotswood Tours (Andrew is a tour guide in Bath) and the funny architecture of the Houses. At one point he said, "I could use a spot of tea." And he was completely serious.

The Houses of Parliament were awesome, especially for Jacob who is far more into politics than I am, and recognized the two Houses from CSPAN and such. I just liked seeing the historical parts of the building and learning about how the British House of Commons votes, and learning about how the Queen or King opens the Parliaments, and all of the historical precedent and tradition. Also, I don't think a full minute went by without Jacob and I touching hands.

After our tour, Jacob and I headed back towards the Holborn area to grab coats and change clothes before our play that night, The Vortex. We also didn't have time for dinner. We thought we should get it after again. The Vortex was not as good as Cabaret, but still good. Depressing. Recalled parts of Hamlet, in a strange, Noel Cowardy way. After the show, we looked around for restaurants, but found none that were really appealing, so we ended up getting room service. Good room service, at that. We also had a bottle of Chianti that I had bought for us in Bath. It was a lovely evening; I ended up falling asleep with my clothes on after dinner I was so exhausted from the day.

Day Nine: March 8th
This was Jacob's last day in England, and I think we were keenly aware of it all day. I woke up and showered, then while Jacob showered and got ready for the day I ran out to Starbuck's across the street from our hotel to get us some coffee and pastries. The cappucinos were welcome; caffeine was necessary. We started off going towards the Globe Theatre, and on the way there we turned a corner into the courtyard of St. Paul's Cathedral. Since that was also on our list of places to go, we decided to go in. I began singing "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins. The Cathedral was gorgeous. I think maybe I'd been in once before, but I didn't remember it at all. The mosaics on the ceiling were incredible, the dome was incredible, and there was an altar in the nave dedicated to the Americans who died in the Second World War, from the British People. It gave Jacob and me chills. Then, they were having a service! Jacob and I went for the Holy Eucharist Rite I. He's Catholic, so it didn't mean much to him ;), but it's pretty cool to say that I attended a service at St. Paul's. Plus, I haven't been to Church in forever, so it was probably a good thing. Especially since I plan to drink Curiosity Cola soon.

After St. Paul's, we headed across the Millennium Bridge to the Globe. They were filming some movie on Millennium Bridge, but we never did figure out what movie, and we didn't see any famous movie stars, so that was too bad. We did get pictures next to the Thames, though. Then we headed over to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Jacob (and I) LOVE Shakespeare, so this was the perfect thing for us. We didn't get to spend any time in the museum, unfortunately, but we did tour the theatre. There was a woman who looked like a Sherpa on our tour. It was pretty funny. We clandestinely took pictures. They were also doing a dress rehearsal of Much Ado About Nothing while we were there, so we got to watch them start up that; AWESOME! Jacob said he wished the Globe was in season... me, too.

We went to lunch after our Globe tour, at a little boulangerie called Paul. There is a Paul on Champs-Elysees in Paris, where my family and I go when we are there, so I wanted to eat at one in London. I got a ham and cheese baguette sandwich with Viennese Hot Chocolate (nearly Polar Express worthy) and an apple pastry. Jacob got a Quiche Lorraine, which I found out was one of his favorite foods, Viennese Coffee, and a cafe eclair. All fantastic. It really was an excellent lunch, and not too expensive, plus it was getting cold and a little rainy outside, so being warm and inside felt wonderful. After lunch we walked to the Tower. I wasn't sure if Jacob would want to go in or not, because it was late in the day and costs a bit of money to go in, but he assured me that he knew how much I love the Tower and how much he wanted to see it because I had talked it up so much. We got tickets. I think it was well worth it. I showed him Henry VIII's armor, and how you can watch him get fatter as the years go by because his armor gets fatter. We went through the Jewel House to see the Crown Jewels, and we stopped and watched the video of Elizabeth II's coronation. It really is regal; it gives one chills almost. We stood at the spot where Anne Boleyn, Katharine Howard, Robert Deveraux, and Lady Jane Grey were executed, and I showed him in the Beauchamp Tower where "Robart Dudley" carved his name while in captivity. I told him about the Ravens and the prophecy, and we went into Bloody Tower, where the Princes (Edward IV's sons) were murdered, presumably by Richard III.

By the end of the day we were exhausted again, so we took the tube back to Holborn and the hotel. We had reservations for dinner, but we canceled them because we had such a late lunch, and we rested in the hotel instead for about two hours. When we got up we dressed for a night out; I even wore heels! We went down to a restaurant called Pearl, which is literally strung with thousands of pearls to get cocktails. I had an Aphrodyte-- crushed raspberries muddled with Belvedere Vodka, pineapple juice, and pearl dust. They also gave us peanuts toasted in olive oil and herbs... very sophisticated. After cocktails we went back to Strada for dinner, only this time Jacob ordered us a bottle of Taittenger. Of course, it was excellent. Our waitress seemed genuinely happy for us; I think she thought Jacob was proposing :).

We ended the night at the Absolut Ice Bar, but we missed our reservation for the Ice Bar part, so we got cocktails at the regular bar instead, and after our drink we walked back to our hotel for the evening, through Leicester Square and all of the life and hub-bub of London.

Day Ten: March 9th
Jacob had to leave by about 7:30 in the morning, so we didn't sleep much at night to get every possible minute out of the visit. Around 6:30 Jacob ordered up some pastries and coffee and tea, and we had a little breakfast. Then the taxi arrived to take Jacob to the airport. I couldn't stay in the hotel without him, or in London, for that matter, so I packed and shortly took a taxi to London Paddington, where I caught a 9:00 train back to Bath. The train route was pretty, at least... I needed that. It followed the towpath, which I didn't realize stretched for miles and miles outside of Bath-- you could probably spend a whole week walking it, living off of the pubs at the side of the path and camping at night. Yesterday was generally miserable, though. Only two months until I see my Jacob again.

Now, it's back to Bath life. I have an Irish Lit paper due Thursday, and a tutorial paper to write, and I need to read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Last night my flatmates and I went out to a Nepalese place with Shea's friend, Margot, who is visiting, and we saw The Other Boleyn Girl, which was ok. I need to see it with Jacob because he'll let me talk during it and point out the historical inaccuracies. Kay would probably let me do that, too. :) Annie would simply limit the amount of questions I could ask and the amount of comments I could make, and so would Michelle. I'm sure when I mention talking during movies all they think of is the Firefly Marathon that I wouldn't shut up during Freshman year :).

One last note: The USA has switched to Daylight Savings Time, so now I'm only four hours different from everyone instead of five!!!!!

Jacob!

Jacob is here! It's wonderful! He got into Gatwick Friday morning-- it was a long day of train rides for me, but completely worth it. Yesterday we went for a walk on the towpath, all the way to the little pub and church. It was a beautiful sunny day: perfect towpath weather. Then in the afternoon I worked on my Henry VII paper. I really need to work a lot today, sadly, but after Wednesday I'll be fancy free for a bit, and I won't have to worry too much about papers while I'm in London!

Also, Kay, my wonderful best friend, sent me American measuring cups, so now I can make food without guesstimating at the ingredient amounts. I'm pretty excited about it-- Thank you, Kay!

Hope all my WM friends are enjoying Spring Break! Love you all!