And she's back!

Well, it's been one crazy journey, but I've touched back down to the good old US of A. And damn, it feels good to be back home.

Both flights were delayed by at least one hour. The one from Heathrow to Toronto was due to a broken seat, and the second one from Toronto to Philly was due to a thunderstorm and monsoon. But I did manage to take this photo of Toronto after the storm:



To everyone that has been keeping up with my travels, thank you. I probably won't be posting as much as I did on the trip, but you haven't heard the last of me.

Bookshop Day

England is so old; it's crazy. Hung out in a glorious, five story bookshop called Hatchard's that's been in business for almost as long as the United States has been in existence.

It's been awhile since I curled up in the corner of a shop and read books that I have no intention of buying. Well, no that's not true, I do want to buy, just not at that second.

I tried finding Katy Perry's album, but it's a lot harder than I thought it would be. Since "I Kissed A Girl" is huge, one would think most stores would have it.

Yes, as you can judge from this post, today was really exciting.

Who needs Paris

When there's so much to do in London?

Last class was Thursday, August 7 (which was another reason to celebrate the day, the first commemorating the 50 years of AWESOME!!!, otherwise known as Bruce Dickinson's birthday). My grades aren't finalized yet, so I'll say what I thought about Temple's study abroad program at a later time.

Yesterday, I attended the Great British Beer Festival at Earls Court. Now, me being the fantasy/sci-fi/anime lover that I am, have attended many a convention in my day.

Not as great as this one. 10 pounds to taste over 450 beers from around the world? Lovely. Don't remember much about it, though.

And today...



I wish my fellow Americans wouldn't shrug off soccer/football as "Oh, the one where they kick?" Because the West Ham United vs. Villareal game ruled! Didn't see as many fights as I expected (or none at all). My friend who lives around there says I needed to see the Hammers back in the 80s when fights broke out all the time.

And now, just relaxing and enjoying the silence; everyone in the dorm either went to Paris or some other European destination. Grant it, I don't have a problem with anyone here, but a floor with 30 college girls can wear my nerves after awhile.

Guerrilla Gardening

So, friends (and mysterious readers) that reside in the Philadelphia area, please check out this website which is the homepage for guerrilla gardening

Or if you're too lazy, I'll briefly explain it: guerrilla gardening is cultivating neglected land that does not belong to you, basically making small parts of the city beautiful. It started in London with a man named Richard Reynolds (who spoke to our class today). He planted flowers and other plants on public land in the middle of the night and continues to care of it. He planted seeds with his own money, on his own time. The movement has grown from there, all local people who want to make and keep their residence beautiful.

It's attracted some media attention:
like this article in the NY Times

And I think it's a lovely idea. That's all I'm going to say for now, but I think the Philly area could use something like this. So, just keep that in mind when I head back to the States.



A guerrilla lavender garden found in the London borough of Lamberth.

Tube Art Tour

For our class trip today, we had a scintillating tour of Tube art. Where we rode the Tube. For an hour. To look at artwork. That was impossible to find. And some of the pieces weren't even in existence anymore. And one piece was displayed outside. Where it was pouring.

But I suppose things could be worse. I could be camping outside of Parliament like these guys in the pouring English rain:



They've camped here since England entered the Iraq War in protest (at least, I think). Now, that's dedication!

Screw Abbey Road!

Now, off to find Acacia Avenue!



Me, rocking the Invisible Orange Pose on stage at THE RUSKIN ARMS!!! The very same rock club where Maiden used to play. I almost kissed the floor, but I restrained myself.

Did a bit of an Iron Maiden tour in east London with a friend I met on Bruce Air last night. Rocked the stage at the Cart and Horses (another rock club Maiden,at least Steve Harris and the less important early members, used to frequent) karaoke night. The English were never graced with the awesome-ness that is Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."

So, me being the pseudo goth I've always been, took a walk through Highgate Cemetery today. Weird England spoke of vampires and horror movie settings, so that's what I went looking for. Karl Marx is also buried here, but he's not nearly as cool as vampires.





And I wonder who this post-modernist is:

I think

I'm becoming a hermit. An English-ish hermit, but a hermit none the less.

England's Green and Pleasant Land

Honestly, I was more impressed with the giant sky of England's country side:



Then I was with Stonehenge. Because really, when it comes down to it, it's just a bunch of rocks.





Bath is a cute town, very un-Englandy. It seemed like something straight out of Rome (possibly because it's Roman?) But still, I felt the unexcavated bath house at Chesters by the Hadrian's Wall site was cooler. This was nice, but too touristy for my tastes.