Chapter Two: Welcome to Fatland

Mum and Dad insisted on the London Eye. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the London Eye is a giant ferris wheel that boasts the best views of London for £17.50! Dad said, 'That's the coolest thing I've ever done.' Mum revised her schedule and helped me point out different locals to the other couple in the pod. £17.50? Really? At least we got a good picture of us and with Bill Guido I guess that's worth every penny. Normally I would attach that picture here...but it's not electronic. They brought the cold and snow. Still that was the coldest week we've had and the snow was so bad...well I get to that later.

I was really proud of my parents for trying to use the public transportation system, but the London Underground is literally impossible to master fully in that time. Because of this, my parents almost missed the train to Scotland, and in the spirit of spontaneity they arrived at London's King Cross without a stitch of luggage. I know right? So off we headed to Edinburgh, me with luggage and warm clothes and them with wallet and purse and literally the clothes of their backs. Thank god I had the guide book...and the tickets! We looked out the window to the beautiful Northern countryside and then it started to snow! Snow! SNow! SNOw! SNOW! By the time we got to Scotland, it was really starting to stick. Luckily we got there in time that it didn't ruin Saturday (Sunday aka the dark day was a different story) Apparently in Scotland, after 9 it's impossible to get food, which was fine because they only place that was open was Mexican. For me, it was an oasis in the desert. Mexican. Margaritas, fajita, guacamole, salsa, so perfect. Then I TRIED to give them a pub crawl but they didn't make it past the first bar! Wimps. It's ok. Dad drank enough whiskey on Saturday to make up for it. Pub life in Edinburgh was hopping. These little guys on bikes buzz around giving drunk people rides, once so funny is Edinburgh is all hills, steps, and valleys. What comes down...must go back up in Scotland. With snow and beer this isn't so easy. This biker was trying to get these guys up the hill and a then in a huff asked, 'Where the fuck(fuck in a Scottish accent sounds like fook) are you from, fatland?' Then everyone rallied and pushed them all up the hill. Perfect. We laughed so hard. Dad's only desire was to go to the Castle so we did it first thing in the morning. After they had a proper English breakfast, I know better than that. Ick. They didn't like it either and kept blaming the restaurant. Trust me, it wasn't the restaurant. Dad also learned that if you want coffee with milk (no cream) you ask for white coffee. The Castle was epic! Mom loves the tours and the tour guide was good, but not as good as the discovery that because of St.Andrew it was free! SCORE! I like free.However, we missed the 1 o'clock gun because we were in the gift shop (everyone expect the good presents from Scotland)! Clearly its not very loud. It's similar when Catherine and I missed the famous clock in Prague play its ditty because we were in the Starbucks line nursing out hangovers after a proper pubcrawl. The perfect, but freezing day, was concluded by a ghost tour. I was genuinely terrified of two things, that my parents would fall getting around the tour and of the poltergeist! It was a good scare and if you ever on in Scotland, go on a ghost tour in the vaults at night. The snow really added to the effect. Anyone want to guess what we did after? We went drink! And warm up, we accidentally ended up at the Elephant House. To continue my literary pilgrimage it just happened to be the bar/coffee house/cafe where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter! Yes! It's true and this discovery was made via a toilet. There was an HP toilet seat in the bathroom and people had signed the stalls. Epic. Truly epic.

Day Three: Mom and Dad in the same clothes from Day 1 and 2.
The snow was basically a borderline blizzard and our tour was canceled! We were supposed to go into the highlands to see the cows. It was my birthday and I was very upset. Everything was closed except the Royal Scottish Museum. There we saw half of the Lewis Chessman which was cool, but other than that it was potentially the most boring museum ever. Needless to say we left and wandered around. We ended up at the Christmas Market where I made my parents ride the ferris wheel for my birthday, turns out they are afraid of heights. I had no idea after the London Eye. It was hilarious. For anyone who's wondering, hot buttered rum punch, amazing. Then to escape the cold we saw Harry Potter, my second time, their first. Again, so good! Happy 22nd birthday to me! And because it was my birthday, I got to eat popcorn and peanut m&m's for dinner. Hehe. Are we sure I turned 22? Maybe I'm regressing in age. A few stressful meltdowns occurred in the middle of the day, but we'll ignore those because after 3pm, it was a fabulous birthday! Mom got a behemoth brownie sundae in honor of my birthday at this cafe called Chocolate Soup. I'm lactose intolerant...lol

Early the next morning we went to catch our train which was surprisingly on time. (Mom and Dad still in the same clothes. I'm glad it was cold and not hot...) The train ride was an intense/difficult journey to say the least. We knew the snow might cause a few delays, but never would have guessed that the train in front of us would break down and all their passengers would get on our train adding all their stops, plus an extra 5 hours. Yes, the 3 1/2 hour train ride took 9 hours! The train ran out of food! Anyone want to guess what we came back to? That's right, a planned tube strike.

Starving, haggard, and still in the same clothes we had to go straight to the New London Theatre for Warhorse. My real birthday present. But here's the part where I talk about how proud of my parents I am. Here's why (even though Dad never tried haggis):

1. They never complained about wearing the same clothes for 3 days straight.
2. They climbed 4 billion steps in the freezing cold.
3. They laughed through pain.
4. They told me how awesome I am.
MOST IMPORTANTLY:
5. Mom tried Indian food and loved it!

Yes my picky mother who still complains about how Dad tricked her into eating Thai in Richmond, not only sat down at an Indian restaurant with an open mind, but let me order for her and tried everything that was brought to her! That was a great birthday present for me. My parents are growing up, so cute. ;)

6. And Dad finally realized London theatre is on the same level(if not a higher level) than his precious Broadway. Thanks to Warhorse.

Warhorse was hardly describable. Everyone cried, everyone laughed, everyone clapped. Still no standing O. Classic London. On my bus ride back to Waterloo, I sat next to the quite attractive lead of the play.

Their last full day in England we went to Hampton Court and for the first time in four days I saw my parents in different outfits. Thank goodness since we were attending the Royal Palace of Henry 8th. I really liked Hampton Court. Probably my favorite of the Historic Royal Palaces, but it's freezing in the winter and guess what. The snow followed us to London, and didn't go away for a week. It's good my parents go out when they did because after they left most of the airports closed. We ended that day in Kingston and Surbiton and the historical (to us anyway) Berryland's Berry where my parents got to meet my soul mate Catherine. I hadn't seen her in 9 days, for the two of us it was a lifetime. We laughed, ate a delicious pub meal, and I got more presents. Sure I didn't need anymore presents, but they were good ones. Mom could be a personal shopper. She really gives the best presents. I got a daisy pendant with a real flower inside and an Alexander technique cd (yes theatre dork!)

Graciously my parents dragged 3/4 of my crap back to the states, although it was a trek to get it to them in London with the snow. After they left, reality set in: 2 weeks left, 2 essays, 2 plays, 2 performances, 1 short story all due the Friday before I leave. So if you are wondering where I've been it's in the Kingston Library. With only 5 days left, I have some editing to do and one essay to finish but everything else is pretty much done. I can't believe it's coming to an end and I can't believe how jam packed the last two weeks have been.

I may have mislead you. I am not spending all my time in the library, since my parents left, I've seen 4 shows, finished Christmas shopping, celebrated my birthday with the ladies, yeah and also had my wallet stolen. A minor hiccup in perfection.

This is one of my last entries and I know it's a bit rushed. Thanks you guys for keeping up with me. I wish you could have all come to experience my magical experience abroad. I can't to share more stories and of course tons of pictures!

Cheers yall
Carolyn

Literary and Epic

Dear Blogosphere, do you miss me? I miss you!

I know it's been forever. I seems that my last few weeks in London are doomed. They are not unhappy however, just unlucky. I am pretty sure that I am the unluckiest/luckiest person alive. I am living in an oxymoron I know. I live an amazing life surrounded by fabulous and strong people, but every little bad thing that can happen does happen and will happen. In two weeks, I passed out on the train, Dad's passport was rejected, had my wallet stolen, got snowed in in Scotland, barely survived a 10 hour train ride, turned 22 and my computer broke. Also in the past two weeks, I turned 22, my parents came, Elizabeth was here, I went to Oxford, saw Harry Potter twice, drank a lot, saw Romeo and Juliet, ect! It was really great to have people from home to share this time with.

The past few weeks have had a literary theme. I visited the 100 Acre Wood, although the tea shop called Pooh's Corner was closed, we still hiked through the place where Christopher Robin played. Catherine and I went to Jane Austen's house in the darling village of Chawton. It is one of the only towns in England (not in the Cotswold) with thatched roofs. It was really amazing. The two of us are huge Austen fans. Seeing her witting desk was...well honestly I'm lost for words. However, seeing a lock of her hair was a bit odd. Elizabeth and I visited Oxford, the mecca for literary creativty: the birhtplace of Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Lord of the Rings. Oxford is also one of the many towns that also claims Harry Potter as well. We saw some really great movie locations! I really loved Oxford. It's amazing. So old and quaint, but still modern and full of energy. Funnily enough, Elizabeth and I were both raised Methodist. Turns out, Methodism was born in Oxford. Together we took our own religious pilgrmage. It was cool. We saw many potraits of the JW, and the church where the first methodist meeting was held.

Elizabeth and I saw Harry on opening day in the IMAX, the biggest screen in Great Britain apparently. It was worth it. Deathly Hallows Part 1 really exceeded my expectations the first time, it didn't hold up as well on the second viewing but it was still good. Yes, I saw it twice with less than a week between. I am a super fan, don't judge me.

Honestly, I don't have time to finish this blog entry. I will return to my literary adeventures soon with highlights from Mummy and Daddy's visit.

How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?

Well, I'm back in England, and I'm in for a week of some serious penny pinching due to my recent rock and roll lifestyle. Seriously, going from fabulous meals, chocolate, wine, pastries and coffee to pasta, pb and j, tuna, and yogurt will be a bit of a shock, but worth it for the week I just had. This week was Student Enrichment Week or Independent Study Week, and let me tell you, I did some serious "learning" in the Czech Republic and Austria.

I started my enrichment in Prague. Which was fantastic! It's one of my five. I have 5 cities I want to visit before I die. (Valencia, Prague, Edinburgh, Avignon, and Florence.) This trip I get to cross 3 off the list. Many people ask me, why Prague?

Which I answer, why not? Prague is famous for castles, beer, and the arts. Hello? Sounds pretty great to me. Mozart's Don Giovanni premiered in Prague, but don't remind the Austrian's of that. They are very protective of Mozart. Kind of like the battle between IL and KY for Lincoln. Prague has the biggest castle in Europe, one more fun fact: Czech's drink more beer than anyone else, and average of 2 liters a day.

We stayed at a hostel that has been voted for by Hostel World and RyanAir Magazine as the best hostel in Europe. I have to agree with them. It is by far the best and cleanest hostel I'v

e stayed in, and frankly I've stayed in some great hostels. We had great breakfast, great showers, comfortable beds, a bar downstairs that boasted 8 different kinds of Czech beer, tons of info/discounts, free wifi, a sink in the room(that's big), and all for the low price of 11 bucks a bed! Fabulous! We took a great free walk tour that was 3 hours. I learned so much, that's without the sarcastic lilt. The Czech people have been to hell and back. The most interesting thing is how fresh communism still is to the population. A dark history has given them a very dark sense of humor. For example, our second day we ventured about an 1 1/2 outside of Prague (And when I say we I am referring to my fearless partner in crime, Catherine from O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A!) to a

small mining town, Kuna Hora. We went to the Ossuary, a church that has been decorated using the bones from 40,000 dead bodies, all human. Yummy. When I say completely decorated using bones I am not exaggerating, every inch is covered in bones and skulls, from the chandelier that contains every bone from the human body to these quaint little candle holders I am posing with in the picture. We ate at this adorable cottage on the hill and I innocently order Czech ribs, only 8 bucks I figured I'd only get a rack or two. I got 5 racks of ribs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 racks of ribs! The waiter laughed at me when I came out my eyes were bugging out of my head! Catherine, and I say this with love, is a human garbage disposal. Girl can eat better than the boys back home! Frankly I'm impressed with her. She had to help me finish, and she still wanted dessert. For the first time in my travels in Europe I had to refuse. I know, right? I was really glad we took the out to Kuna Hora. They also specialize in ceramics, and I finally found a tart warmer like my mom has. I have been looking for one of these for ever. Surprisingly it made back from Kuna Hora, to Prague, to Vienna, to England, let's hope it makes it back to the states in one piece. Also in Kuna Hora, I had me first glass of warm apple cider this season. Something I have been craving. In Prague, we went to a somewhat touristy bagelery and NOT only did I get an everything bagel but also pumpkin pie. I love the Czech Republic! We did a creepy bar crawl that started in the crypt of an old church, but honestly I can't say too much about that night because we got free shots. O well, we went some great people, but I don't remember their names! We did make it back to the hostel safe and sound though. I'm really glad Daddy wasn't in Prague because we learned that their are more crossing pedestrian accidents in Prague then any other city in the world. Because I spent some much time talking about food in this blog, I feel obliged to tell you that we decided to go to the top of the basilica for some great view. It was about 300 narrow steps. All the places we ate were on top of steep hills too so we worked for the calories!

After 3 fabulous days in Prague, we hoped a train to Austria and let me say, I really prefer train traveling to stupid planes. No security checks, no massive queues, private compartments, plugs for your computer, big comfy seats, leg room, no border control, amazing views, fewer screaming babies, I mean, why does anyone fly?? The only thing that I missed about not being in an airport was duty free shopping. That's a small price to pay. Although, this train did not have a trolley of treats like the others did, we were sort of counting on it to spend the rest of our Czech money and obviously to eat. By the time we got off, we were really grumpy and starving. Vienna, although lovely, is far from a 24/hr city. Frankly it's even worse than Stockholm in that sense. We really searched to find food, but once we did and got settled into to our strange hostel we were ready to begin the next leg of our adventure. What to say about the Labyrinth Hostel...you get what you pay for would be the best description. It wasn't dirty or gross, just weird. However both receptionist gave us the quotes of semester, but I'll get to that later. Here's an anaolgy, we went from the Plaza in Manhattan to the Econolodge next to a truck stop. However, the location was brilliant for I can't complain too much and like I said, reception was great, but we knew we were in for it when he dramatically turned to us and simply stated, "Welcome to the Labyrinth." Epic, right? As usual, we got up bright and early to start our one full day in Vienna, we asked for directions to the Belvedere, a palace turned art mueseum, we asked the same man who welcomed us, he gave us comprehensive instructions on where to go and what to see and then said, "Ah, well the Belvedere's nice too." Talk about an understatement. The Belvedere is fantastic. It has about permanent galleries with 3 rooms of Klimt, Austrian galleries, famous Baroque and Romantic painters and two rotating galleries- one had Rodin's sculptures and the other a modern artist. Also, it was a summer palace for the prince with outstanding gardens and ballrooms. Nice too...lordy. Since we had such a limited time in Vienna, it was the perfect summation of the culture. I will say with the aid of out litter guidebook I gave a fantastic walking tour of everything else! Sort of. It was free. We had heard shopping in Prague sucked so we were planning on shopping in Vienna, well we couldn't afford anything! It was ok, we went to the ballet that night at the State Opera house. We saw 2 Balachine pieces, one Twyla Tharp piece, and a rather famous piece called The Vertinginous Thrill of Exactitude (I'm sure that's spelled wrong). It was an amazing experience, even though we were on the top row of the top balcony. What'd you expect for 20 euro. It was the perfect allegory for our time in Austria, the first ballet was less than overwhelming, the second was a taste of excitement but the choreography was very fluid and had a bit of a rushed feeling, Exactitude was the Belvedere, and Rubies (the other Balachine and one of the best ballets I've ever seen) was Salzburg! That doesn't make much sense reading it, but to Catherine and I it was quite a revelation!

In Salzburg we took the Sound of Music tour, which was sort of false advertising. Half the tour we just drove by famous locations because the bus or group was too big to go into them, but Salzburg and the lakes were so freaking incredible it didn't bother me that we would have been better getting a list of locations for the movie and a map! Salzburg is the one place so far that I feel I NEED, NEED, NEED to go back. It was beautiful, quaint, comfortable, green, stunning, tasty, I really barely have words to describe it. I simply didn't have enough time in that place. The two locations we could actually go into were the church Maria gets married Liesl's in gazebo, both awesome. Plus, we got sing in the bus, which I loved. Those are lyrics you never forget. For those of you who don't know, Sound of Music was my first place, I was 8. "My name's Marta, and I want a pink parasol for my birthday." My first line. So this was a big deal for me. I thought I was going to be the most embarrassing super fan ,but the majority of the people on the tour were just like me. We also got the most amazing strudel ever with vanilla cream sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

I have to say after all that, it was really nice to have England to come home to. Now it's countdown time.

10 days until Elizabeth and Harry Potter

13 days until Mom and Dad

20 days until my birthday and Scotland

1 month until Royal Shakespeare season in London

1 month and 10 days until I'm stateside

Cheers yall

Carolyn

Not do duty free

Every time you fly with Easyjet you get a million warning emails. Last time it was all about the French air strike. This time it was all about arriving at the airport 2 hours early, so I did. Why? I don’t know. I was here by 4:25. Got a nice hotel room last night, and spent a hot 4 hours in it. I wanted to wake up at 4:30, leave at 4:45, be at the airport by 5. But no, this stupid terrorist high security bullshit has scared everyone into thinking that I needed to be her now, at 4:46 for my 6:30 flight. The people at the hotel transfer service said, “NO no no you must leave by 4:10! It takes 2 hours. You have to be there 2 hours!” So I am. And who wants to guess how long it took me to get through security, and to check in? Just guess. 15 min, maybe 10. Nope. 7 min. No. not 7. 5 min. It took 5 minutes to check in and get through security!!! It’s 4:00 in the bloody morning!!! Who on earth is here at 4:00am? I am concerned about the threats, especially after alst nights show, BUT I don’t think a terrorist wants to get up at 4:00 to bomb a plane. I think they value sleep more than Easyjet, the Acorn Lodge an Inn, or Gatwick Airport. 2 hours my foot. This isn’t O’hare busy, hell it’s not even Richmond busy. It’s empty! Although, security isn’t very tight at this hour so that’s probably precisely why they would. I retract my last rant, a little bit. People are sleeping in the airport with their luggage completely exposed. They haven’t gone through security yet or anything. I mean it’s bizarre how strict they say they are with unattended baggage because I think someone passed out asleep with three suitcases counts as unattended. Clearly I am the only person that seems to think that this is a possible threat!

It’s midnight stateside now. I feel like I should take advantage of this shorter distance between us, but I alas I go abroad. When I return, the full time difference will be back in effect for y’all will have gone through daylight savings time. For those of you who aren’t in constant contact with my nutty parents, here’s a picture of Samson on Halloween. Now, let me remind you, that 3 months ago my father wouldn’t let that dog be caught in a baseball jersey, now he’s in a dress and pigtails. I guess he gave in.

Dedicated to Dr. Ridge

*****Here’s fair warning to my reader. This blog contains some political opinions that are probably different thanyour own. I hope it makes you think a bit, and I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t want to comments about your opinions via email or posted on the blog. I do value what you have to think, but I just saw a very political piece of theatre and these thoughts are strictly based on that experience. I wish you could all see the play so we could talk about it in that context, but you didn’t. Sorry. I hope this doesn’t sound mean!******

This might have been my the most rewarding day here. How many times now have I said that this was my best day? Too many, probably. I’m currently on the train to Gatwick to stay in a hotel that would be cheaper than the cab ride to the airport, but more expensive than my flight. The irony. Again, I underestimate how long English theatre can be, so I decided to see one last show before my trips to Prague and Austria. The play was over 3 hours. I always pick the worst days to see the long ones, but I didn’t totally have a choice. The show ends Wednesday and was sold out until today SO I was forced into a corner.

This one however, was much much much better than the last epic I saw. It was also my first experience at the historic National Theatre. I saw Blood and Gifts, an eerie depiction of the end of the cold war and the beginning of our dealings with the Middle East. It told the story of an American CIA agent who formed a relationshipwith an Afghani warlord. I don’t know, however, if it would have read 20 years ago when it was set. It was scary than anything I’d seen on Halloween. Although, it put things in perspective for me and explained things I never understood. It’s really easy to sit on the other side complain about how we put weapons in their hands andtalk about the mistakes we made, but watching through one man’s experience helped explain why the tax payers money funded this war. You here about how the relationships over there are bizarre and how different their reasons are for war. Things I’ve read in textbooks and hear people yelling about on the news, that I academically understood, but didn’t actually comprehend. I know that’s sort of a contradiction. I prefer political theatre that allows me to form my own opinions about the situation instead of hitting me on the head with the writers and directors views. It’s better to leave the theatre asking why and forming my own opinions based on the material. I’d rather leave the theatre thinking than being forced into an opinions and this play did it very delicately. The play was far from perfect, but it did what it needed to do, forced me to sit at my computer on the train to work out my feelings about it. THAT’S THEATRE! Not a shiny piece of plastic comedy, or a hit you over the head bullshit drama, or even worse a play that just makes you shrug your shoulders and walk away easily with nothing to say.

Frankly, and no offense to my British mates, but the Brits around me didn’t get it. The guy behind me said, I’m tried of drama-less drama, but the play set the stage for what is happening now. It built the tension perfectly. I think it’s another “American experience” things. I’ve been seeing this bloody war on the new every day since 9/11, myfriend and their loved ones are over their fighting, and unfortunately my country has no one to blame but itself. I don’t see how setting that history and context up isn’t DRAMA.Also, for the record, the American accents in this one were much better. I don’t know if they were American actors or not because I refuse to buy a 3 BPS for a program that isno nicer than a Playbill I get for free. On a less political note, the buying a program thing is really bugging me!! I think that you have a less educated audience because people don’t always want to spend that kind of money on something they only have 15 minutes to read. However, that mere 15 minutes can explain so much about the historical context of the show, the directors intentions, ect. Hrrrumph

Today was inspiring! I spent the afternoon at the Royal Court, aka a new playwrights dream world. It was a fabulous experience, that I wish I had the beginning of the semester. My class really formed as an ensemble inthose few hours. It was a big relief too, I’m not as afraid to share my work with them now, but more importantly I will understand and trust their opinions on a new level.

Now off to the fairytale thatwill be Prague! Here are a few pictures from my adventures in Kent this weekend. It was lovely, but the tour was exhausting and wore me out that all I did Halloween was rest, do laundry, and watchX-Factor!

All things London

Today was a fantastically British day. Going to France was exactly the refresher I needed to enjoy all things London. I went to the National Gallery (again), went shopping on Oxford street( bought a pair of Clarks), walked down the South Bank at sunset, ate fish and chips washed down by a pint, and finished off with a fabulous NEW play at the Royal Court. Pretty perfect if I do say so my self. Because of this marvelously British day, I am devoting this blog to my every day life here in Kingston, starting with my top ten favorite new phrases that I have learned living here (The main contributors are Louis and friends). Be prepared to here this a lot upon my return. It's already started. I call my rain-boots, wellies and have a cuppa nightly. Here goes:

10. I'm knackered.

9. We got smashed.

8. Pardon? (this one more has to do with inflection)

7. Hiya. (again, it's the way they say it. it's adorable)

6. In America, things are so big!

5. Off to Uni today?

4. Mind the gap.

3. It was shocking, mate!

2. That's the badness.

1. All my days!

I am so lucky to be living with such a great family, a little wacky at times, last night I walked in on Nathan, the youngest son painting himself green to go out, I asked if it was for Halloween, and it wasn't. Obviously, he was dressing as a frog to go to a club. I don't think his mom was too excited about all the green body paint in the bathroom. They are great though. Louis, my age although he's already graduated, has a two friends that practically live here, Ben and Rich. They are as much a part of this family as anyone. Rich even buys milk and sugar because he drinks tea here so often. And it wouldn't be complete without Oliver, the cat. He's ornery and fat, but I like him. He's my buddy even though he knows I won't feed him, he never gives up. I'm the last one to leave in the morning, if he's not outside sunbathing on his favorite plank of wood, he's outside my door meowing. He doesn't really do this with anyone else that I've noticed. Maybe it's because I talk to him.

I really love getting a cup of coffee and just sitting on the Thames in Kingston. I like to watch the people feeding the swans, I haven't yet. I have an irrational fear of large birds, and you can't feed the ducks without getting the bully swans involved. They are beautiful to watch even though they beat up on the other birds. As you can see, I do this quite a lot.

Embarrassingly, one of my favorite things about Britain is the TV. It's awful, I know!! But look, they've got great television. Don't despair, I don't plan my nights around my television schedule. I have internet catchup and I don't spend hours just watching anything, cause they have weird TV as well. I am loyal to X-Factor, Law and Order UK, the Inbetweeners, and Downtown Abbey. I'm learning a lot from them. X-Factor here is bigger than American Idol back home. It's everywhere, and it's brilliant! This probably isn't the best clip to show off the X-Factor but it's been my favorite performance so far: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4mfUyjfuA0

It's great because the judge also count as mentors for the contestants so they have a battle going as well. No, this is NOT the show that Susan Boyle was on. Law and Order UK teaches me loads about the British government system...sort of. Give me a break, it's good writing and the younger detective r is cute. The Inbetweeners is about a group of guys in sixth form that aren't jocks, they aren't popular, but they aren't outcasts or geeks, they are just "inbetween" It's hilarious, but the language is vile. In England they have the watershed, so after 9pm you can say and do pretty much whatever you want. They are flabbergasted that Americans don't have that. "What about comics?" they ask.

"They bleep certain words out, sometimes they dub."

"Right mate, so when you are watching Chris Rock on the tele, every other word is BEEP BEEP."

"Basically, unless it's on HBO. Premium channels you pay extra for."

"So you are telling me, you pay to get the cursing channels."

I had never quite thought of it that way...

Paris J'Taime

I still have a tummy ache from all the rich food, sweets, and alcohol! I had my first Opera cake...OH MY WORD! It was fabulous. I ate more chocolate than I thought I could. It's so good. I can't even explain. Also, Elizabethmentioned that before we left we had to try this trendy little cookies called macrons. I know they've been around forever, but they have littleshops all over Paris dedicated to these amazing little treats, kind of like the cupcake craze in the states. I tried rose, coffee, salted caramel is the best, and I still have a few left! Also I had onion soup (they don't have to add the french part, its a given), baguettes, the best ice cream I've ever tasted, croissants, 4 Lactaid pills and a tiny tummy ache.

The Paris Monmatre Pub Crawl did not compare with Valencia's Pub Crawl, but it was good company! We had a great time and met some fun people: a guy from South Africa who is commuting to Paris from London for work, a Danish guy who was really cute, 1 American claiming to be from Tennessee, but had the faux Euro accent from his study abroad, as well as lots of Australians, Canadians, and Spaniards. It was a good time in that regard, but sort of a rip off. However, we were a block away from the hostel which was a plus wondering home(crepe in hand) at 2 AM.

For the record and all the worrywarts reading this blog, I felt really safe in Paris. We are on the same level of terrorists alert in London, but in France there were more police and the airport security was INTENSE! They checked our document 3x more than any other country. I didn't see a single protest, and my friend ELizabeth who has been living there for a month said she hasn't seen any either. I felt more welcomed by Parisians then the last time I was there and was pleasantly surprised at how nice everyone was. Don't get me wrong, they were nice based on my expectations and I'm sure having Elizabeth there to translate and help us order really helped the situation.

It was the breath of fresh air I needed though. I was getting a little frustrated in London and it was fantastic to get away but even better to want to come back. France is so opulent while London is cozy. Even the fancy palaces and big buildings have a classic cozy feeling, in France I feel like I am defacing all the beauty around me just by standing on the street. We went to the National Opera House (the one in Phantom of the Opera) which was fantastic! I've never seen anything quite like it. It was fancier than any of the palaces here. So detailed! Everything was crystal, gold, and marble. We got to go inside the auditorium which was surprisingly intimate feeling for such a large house. Chandeliers lined every hall, statues everywhere I just couldn't get over it! I was so glad we went because it wasn't on the itinerary, but after searching for Sarah Bernhart's grave for an hour and a half, it was exciting to be swept away!

We did however see Oscar Wilde's grave, Moliere's final resting place, Jim Morrison's shrine and Isadora Duncan's ashes. It was 10:30 AM and people were taking shots in honor of Morrison. It was a spectacular cemetery, and of course reminded me a lot of New Orleans. It was strange how it's customary to put on red lipstick and kiss people's tombstones. Oscar Wilde's was covered in kiss marks and interesting remarks...

not all of them were thankful or respectful though. There's a small plaque asking people not to deface his grave, but since he wasn't French, they didn't put a fence around it like some of the others. It was a maze, oddly marked, not well planned, but really breathtakingly eerie. I'm really lucky to be doing so much traveling in the fall while the leaves are changing, it makes everything more beautiful.

It was funny because Catherine and I have been staying in budget hostels and flying cheap airlines so we felt like we were living in the lap of luxury on Air France and in a room with only two others that included breakfast and a private bathroom. On our 40 minute flight we got drinks AND snacks, in our room we got blankets (not just sheets) and a HAIR DRYER!! It was worth the price! The hostel was a block away from the Moulin Rouge so we passed it constantly, we did not however pay the 150 Euro to see the show, a tad out of our price range, but the thought of scantly clad women and unlimited champagne is intriguing....

We did a bit of shopping at the outdoor markets took a complete 180 and window shopped at the designer and jewelry stores including Cartier and Louis Vuitton. More excitedly we stopped into Repetto, the company that both Catherine and I got our first pair of pointe shoes from. They had really cute, but expensive shoes and frankly I'd rather spend my money on chocolate.

We also visited the Arc d' Triumph, what I kept calling Triumph Arch. It was incredible. Again all the sculptures were so detailed. No offense America, but it kind of puts our memorials to shame. It's so big and extravagant...we have the Washington Monument...a building shaped like a pencil.

I had a fantastic trip and have realized I need to purchase more comfortable shoes for Prague and Austria next week, my feet still hurt because Europeans still love cobblestones.