I see London, I see France

Today is our last morning in London. I really feel like I’m not “done” with the UK. There are still tons of things I didn’t get a chance to do. Leaving is sad and exhilarating at the same time. Right now I’m sitting on the Eurostar to France. Can’t believe I’m here! In less than three hours I will be in Paris.

This morning we had to say our goodbyes to our flat and the labyrinth that is the study center. Gonna miss the hike up to the 4^th floor after all. I had one more cup of english breakfast tea with milk and sugar and then headed to the British Library.

I didn’t have time to see the general collection at all because I wanted to focus on the exhibits. The British library houses a rare book collection that is incredible. It was amazing to see original handwritten manuscripts by Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre manuscript!!), Sylvia Plath, Shakespeare, Da Vinci, Oscar Wilde. It just went on and on. They also had a Gutenburg Bible and the Codex Sinaiticus written in the 4^th century. I was blown away by the entire collection but when I was younger Austen, Bronte and Plath all had a significant impact on my life so they were my favorites. How incredible to see these treasures.

They also had a stamp exhibit that was interesting. I spent a while browsing the Polish stamps. Very cool. In the center of the library the King’s Collection is housed in a three story transparent glass tower.

We took the tube back to our corner of town and got off at Leicester Square to have one last walk through the West End. Then got our bags and headed to St. Pancras. We are well on our way now under the English Channel. Just imagine the millions of gallons of ocean above us right now.

Paris here I come!

Ok so I just arrived in Paris. No kidding, I have been here about 20 minutes and I have already had a somewhat crazy experience.

Well, we were all lugging our stuff from the train station on the metro. We finally reached our stop and headed to the exit. I was leading the pack and at the top of the stairs I noticed a guy lighting a cigarette. I thought to myself – I don't think you're allowed to smoke in here. Then I looked over and noticed a no smoking sign and thought – what a jerk. Can’t anyone follow simple directions anymore? Then I noticed it was the biggest cigarette I have ever seen and thought – wow that must be some kind of crazy French roll your own cigarette. Then I smelled it and realized it was pot! He was just standing there with 20 American tourists swarming around him with 5000 bags smoking the biggest doobie I have ever seen! As I was waiting for the rest of the group to make it up the stairs another French guy noticed the guy smoking. The rest of their interaction I gleaned from body language and context clues because it was all in French (of which I don’t speak a friggin word). Here’s how it went:

French guy: Hey is that marijuana?

Guy with giant doobie: (shrugging shoulders) yep

French guy: Can I have some?

Guy with giant doobie: yeah sure. (hands over the doob)

French guy: thanks man that’s really nice of you. Can my girl have some, too?

Guy with giant doobie: sure have as much as you want. Take another drag.

French guy and girlfriend: Thanks man.

OK so I was just standing on the stairs watching these three people smoke pot in public. IN FRENCH. Amazing! What a crazy introduction to this country. We just checked into our rooms which are European size (i.e. - tiny) yet comfortable and functional. Michele and I are rooming together again. Yeah!

Here’s the best news yet: we have a full size shower!! I will finally be able to bend over to pick up a dropped shampoo bottle without having to open the shower door. I’m excited. Also, they have an elevator in the bldg which is wonderful.

Off to see the Eiffel Tower in about an hour.

Peter Pan Syndrome

That it does! Bye bye London

Kensington Gardens

Today we took a leisurely stroll through Kensington Gardens. We started off at Princess Diana Memorial Playground and then walked through the park taking pictures. We finally ended up at the Peter Pan statue. We saw a lot of dogs and pretty park landscapes.

I know its kind of creepy to take pictures of strangers' children but today I couldn't help it. These kids were so cute and had a tiny British accents to boot.

This girl was very into jumping in puddles and she knows how to dress for the occasion. Her mother had to physically restrain her from throwing herself into the fountain nearby.

This kid helped me to get the coveted pigeon actions shots I love. Thanks for being hyperactive and kind of mean to animals anonymous kid!

Later, I split off from the group to do a little shopping by myself. It’s so fun to walk around London. I popped into Harrod’s and Harvey Nichols to have a look around. As I mentioned before, there are very large sales going on. Everything at these stores was on sale which was great but they were stocked with designer labels. Even at 70% off things were still well over 200 GBP for a shirt. Oh well, off to H&M where I fit in. Lovely.

After I was finished shopping, I jumped on the tube and met an interesting Iranian man who offered to show me around the city. As much as I love hanging out with strange old men I declined. He was very nice though. We talked about San Francisco for a while then I got off the tube at Leicester Square. I did a little more shopping determined to spend the last of my pounds. I couldn’t find anything!!! I picked up lunch at Pret a Manger (delish!) and decided to stop in one more little boutique to have a look around. I found a great shirt! Yeah!

Today is our last day in London so I have some packing to do. I finally decided to ship the some stuff home. I packed up everything and headed to the post office. It’s amazing how daunting things are when you have no idea how a country works. You kind of just hand them your stuff and hope they know what to do with it. Come to think of it though, the post office in the states is kind of a mystery, too. Anyway, they were very nice and I managed to get a whole lot of stuff off my hands for a reasonable fee. Heads up everyone at home, two packages marked “Royal Mail” should be showing up at my house in around a week. Yeah!

Tonight we are going to have “goodbye London” pints at the wonderful Marlborough Arms. I’m very sad to leave London. Everyone is. If Paris is half as wonderful as London has been I will be a happy girl. I already am a happy girl.

Tomorrow I conquer the British Library and the Eurostar to Paris. Eiffel Tower here I come!