London Bridge is Falling Down

Not really. But I always think of that song whenever I think of the London Bridge. Anyway, I visited Liz in London for the weekend since she is studying abroad at King's College right now. The city is beautiful. Most importantly, they speak English here, which is possibly the #1 best thing ever. When I got off the plane into the London Gatwick airport, I felt myself breathe a huge sigh of relief. I was in an English speaking country for the first time in 5 months! Navigating customs, finding my way to the underground, and ordering food is just so much easier here. I will admit, however, that everyone spoke English in The Netherlands, but still! I am in a country where the first official language is English.

Liz and I have been having a blast walking around London and taking advantage of the free museums. We went to the Tate Modern, which is stock full of absolutely fascinating modern art, including some Andy Warhol (Pittsburgh, holla back at ya girl!). We also went to the British Museum, which had the Rosetta Stone (not the computer software), Greek sculptures from the Parthenon, Egyptian mummies, and Chinese jade. As Liz likes to say, a bunch of stuff that the Brits stole from other countries. But we also both agree that the museum is a pretty accurate reflection of the far-reaching British Empire.

Tonight we saw the live play Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket with (drum roll, please) Ian McKellen aka Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was absolutely phenomenal and was one of the highlights of the trip. And the best part was that the tickets were free! George Washington, with its oodles of money, sponsored the trip and I tagged along with Liz. I was smiling as I remembered when we read the play in AP English senior year with Mrs. Streiff. I honestly never thought that reading that play would do me any good, but here I am, grateful as ever. I also remember sitting outside the steps of the J Building after Reconciliation/Confession one day with Hannah and quickly trying to figure out my thesis sentence for an in-class essay on Waiting for Godot that started the next period. Good times, good times.