Back in the states now. I’m extremely jet lagged, which explains why I am up at 5:46 a.m. central time to blog. It’s strange adjusting not only to the time difference, but to not being around the same twenty-two people and to being in America. Even seeing people drive on the right side of the road was weird (I am not going to drive for a day or two until I get reoriented again!). I wasn’t over there all that long, really, but we did so much that it feels like I was there for a year. Certainly enough major world events occurred with us in the vicinity for a year. Still can’t believe it all.
Looking back, I find the picture of King’s Cross station exceedingly creepy (see June 23rd). Especially since it’s of a Circle Line platform, and the Circle line was one that was hit (also one that we took frequently while visiting our sites). Last I heard, they are still digging out bodies from King’s Cross and taking them down to Russell, since that’s the nearest one with an elevator. Also, browsing through pictures of Tavistock on BBC, I recognize these set of double doors:
I remember walking by these -all- the time, because the whole doorknob-in-the middle thing reminded me of my high school physics textbook, saying how inefficient this was because of the lack of torque (God, what a dork I am). It’s bizarre seeing all the debris there, not to mention the stains on the walls. That area was walled off when we went back to London for our last night, or else morbid fascination would have drawn me back there. There are lots of flowers and handwritten notes laid down by the fencing.
The whole thing is creepy, especially considering that if it hadn’t been for the G8 summit, we would have been in London at the time of the attacks. (It could also be argued that if it hadn’t been for the G8 the attacks wouldn’t have happened, but nobody knows). We may have been safely in class at the time, but – we might have also had a free day that day, and if so, it’s very likely that half our group would be on the Tube at that time, on the lines and in the stations that got hit. Ugh. Best not to think about it, I suppose.
Overall I had a really good experience. I almost didn’t go because of lack of money and cause of craziness right before the trip (two days before I left, I did -not- feel up to going to a strange country with a bunch of people I didn’t know), but I’m very glad I did. I became good friends with a girl whose boyfriend happens to live right next door to my boyfriend(!). I also have really toned thighs now – I had better, because I pretty much walked everywhere all over England and Scotland. I have not lost weight, though, despite all the walking, because I consumed about a metric ton of ice cream during my stay there. It must be either due to something unique to their ice cream, or perhaps all the cathedral-visiting and tower-climbing gave me a raging sweet tooth. I hardly even eat ice cream in the States, unless someone I know is working behind the counter at Silas and Maddy’s and can get me a free scoop. While in England, and especially Scotland, where they had a plethora of cheap ice cream stands and kiosks available, I couldn’t get enough of it. Just plain old vanilla ice cream, occasionally with a delicious little Cadbury’s 99 flake stuck in the scoop. Oh man, I get fat just thinking about it.
Of course I have a ton of pictures, which I will have to cull through once I muster up enough courage to open my suitcases. Will continue the rest of the trip update when I have done so!
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