Defying gravity

I can hardly believe my week in London draws to a close tomorrow!

Where did we leave off? I believe we were having high tea. How very British of us! On Monday afternoon we had high tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace. Uh huh. Wanna know what my table talked about? LSU Baseball. Can we get anymore American? Maybe not.

After that we went down to Piccadilly Circus, just to see it, before heading down to the Apollo Victoria theatre for Wicked, which was absolutely amazing. I've never seen it before, but I do own the soundtrack, which I frequently blare from my car speakers when driving, and sing along to quite obnoxiously, so I knew all the words to all the songs by heart. I've also read the book, which is quite different, but still some of the basics remain the same.

But I loved every last minute of it. It was a fantastic show.

On Tuesday we took a day-trip out to Oxford, which was an adventure in an of itself seeing as our first train was canceled. We had to hop on another to Reading, where we stood in the aisles for 20 minutes, and switched onto another train to Oxford. Once in Oxford, we got to see a bunch of really cool stuff, including the great steps where Harry Potter and all the Hogwarts students stand before they're sorted, and the dining hall that the Hogwarts Great Hall was based off of, and some other Harry Potter movie stuff. We had lunch at the Eagle and Child Pub, which is the pub that the Inklings, JRR Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and W.H. Lewis all met at until they died, which was cool. And I'm pretty sure our group bought them out of Oxford sweatshirts and t-shirts. Hey, the students of Oxford schools may not wear them, but they are a staple of American college students' wardrobes!

Today we went to Parliament, which was an enlightening experience. We toured the different Houses (House of Commons, House of Lords), and even talked to an MP (represented Canterbury, Conservative party). We stuck around after and watch them harass the Prime Minister for a while, since it was a Wednesday, and apparently, that's what they do on Wednesdays. Harass the Prime Minister and each other on important issues. Regardless, it was fun to watch. After that, we went to the Tower of London, and saw some pretty impressive jewellry, and some pretty disgusting torture.

But the best part of the day? Harrod's, of course! Which is what I've been waiting for this whole week! It was like my pilgrimage!

OK, I know I'm sort of trailing off, but my computer is about to die. I just wanted to squeak out a post real quick! The next time I talk to you all, I'll probably be in Paris.

A bien tot, mes amis!