She Went To Harrods

Dear Grace,

So I started off the day on Thursday with quite an ordeal. We were told to be down to breakfast by 6:30am and that the bus would be leaving by 7:30am. Before you make any assumptions, yes, I DID SET MY ALARM. I woke up the next morning at 7:25 to an alarm clock notification on my iPod and no sound coming out of it. So naturally I freaked and yelled for my roommate (Maddie) to wake up, and the pair of us got ready for the day in record time. I learned that morning that without makeup and hair, I can get ready for the day in five minutes (which makes me hate guys for how easy they have it).

In any case, when we got down to the lobby fully expecting everyone to be on the bus waiting for us, we discovered everyone sitting on their suitcases in the lobby with the explanation that the bus was running late. So then Maddie and I did a victory dance and ran down to get breakfast at the buffet. One thing I had been so sad about the day before was that I hadn't gotten the chance to go out to a pub to get haggis and warm milk for dinner, but when we got down to the buffet Maddie noticed that they offered haggis for breakfast. I was pumped! Once I had my bowl of haggis, I then turned around and discovered a pitcher of hot milk right behind me! I have to say that that right there totally made the morning all better for me.

(Photo evidence of me without makeup)

After waving goodbye to Edinburgh and Scotland, our first stop of the day was at Hadrian's Wall - a historic fort/wall built by the Romans in 122 AD. Since the wall isn't guarded, we basically just spent the whole time climbing on and running up and down it like the rebellious heathens we are ;)

After the wall we stopped in the city of Durham, where we only had enough time to visit the beautiful cathedral before heading off to York.

When we got to York, we went to an Evensong at the local church. After that we had a little time to wander through York to find somewhere to eat. I can't decide if I liked the streets of York or Edinburgh more. They were both so elegant and antique and so uniquely their own. I ended up picking up a meat pie in a cute little bakery there where I met the absolute sweetest Scotsman ever. Seriously though, all of the stereotypes about Britons being cold and unfriendly have proved to be completely wrong in my experience here. Oddly enough, Brits and Scots have proved to be some of the nicest people I've ever met in my entire life.

The next day I got up early and went with a group for a walk along the wall of York - the wall that goes all the way around the city.

After that we drove to Fountains Abbey, which was my favorite abbey I've seen on this trip, probably due to the fact that the whole thing was in ruins.

This place was so magical and peaceful, like a spell had been cast upon it. I felt strange walking through the shadows of these halls; like I belonged there, even though I didn't; like I could lie on the floor, close my eyes, and disappear for a while.

This hall was my favorite part of the abbey for me. If you look closely, you can see a window with a ledge at the far end in the photo. The sun was at just the right angle to let the sun shine on the ledge, and for a long time I sat in that window with my eyes closed and just listened to the sound of the wind rushing through the valley. I think for a while I really did disappear.

After the abbey we went to the small town of Haworth to visit the parsonage where the Brontë sisters lived. I wish I had taken a few more pictures of this, but it was so windy and cold that I couldn't really think straight the whole time. We toured the museum and had a quick tour of the parsonage and briefly saw the main street. Then we went on a mini hike on the moors, which was absolutely stunning. It was a foggy, windy day, which made it the perfect setting for any Brontë story, but I have to admit it was pretty freezing on that hike!

(I finally took a photo of my new tea set!)

After that we had a long four hour drive home. This morning I thought I was going to have a bed day where I would just stay in bed and watch movies all day, but I woke up at like 9:00am and the sun was shining and I just couldn't stand to stay in bed. So, I got up and went for breakfast and tea at The Muffin Man cafe. I don't think I've ever had a more enjoyable breakfast in all the time I've been here in England than I did today. I read Pride And Prejudice while I enjoyed a nice pot of tea with a scone and some lemon cake, and when I was finished there I took the bus to go check out Harrods, which I had never been to before. According to my darling flatmates, Harrods was like the first shopping mall in the world.

Last of all, I picked up a few souvenirs for some people back home, as well as a few postage stamps for sending some postcards.

This afternoon I went to the church and played on the piano for a couple of hours. I've really been missing my piano back home lately, and I wish I didn't have to walk all the way down to the church and hope that I can find a piano to play in a room that isn't already occupied, as well as live with the constant paranoia that someone is going to walk in on me when I'm belting my lungs out (which happens 3/4 of the time).

I ended my evening by binging on pizza and lemon cake whilst watching a show called Firefly with Rose, which I'm excited to watch more of tomorrow! I can't believe I only have three weeks left to live here in London. I try not to think about it, but I keep trying to picture my life after I go back home, and I really can't see what my future is going to be. I only hope that the things I've seen and experienced here will start to open new doors for me wherever I go from now on.