Operation: Seduce a British Prince

This may or may not be the last time I write (in England, at least). The countdown is in the single digits...

When I got back from spring break, I was thinking about planning another international trip, and this past weekend is the weekend I would have done it. However, I ended up having a perfect British weekend, so I'm very glad I stayed.

On Friday afternoon I left Brighton to go to London and visit my friend Kristen, who is interning there this summer. It was my last trip to the city and I couldn't have asked for better company or weather. On Friday we explored Kensington Gardens, including the Peter Pan statue, which was the last thing remaining on my must-see in London list. We also saw the Princess Diana memorial fountain, which is less like a fountain and more like a small river contained in concrete. After the gardens we had dinner at a pub, where I introduced Kristen to Pimm's. It was a proud British moment for me. We went out to a bar/club (we thought it was a club, but people weren't really dancing in the room we were in) with her flatmates, who also go to Purdue and were all really friendly.

On Saturday morning we got up fairly early so that we could get a good spot to see the Trouping of the Color, the Queen's birthday parade. There were lots of guards and you could tell what was going to happen based on their positions ("attention," "at ease," and our personal favorite, "royal salute"). After a lot of soldiers playing instruments, a carriage came by and it was only in the midst of furiously taking pictures that we realized, "OHMYGOD IT'S PRINCE WILLIAM AND HARRY!!!" (which then resulted in taking even more pictures, of course). We were all hyperventilating and missed the majority of whatever happened in the parade between the princes and the Queen's arrival (who didn't even smile, sheesh!). Standing that close to them is enough to make any girl go weak in the knees, I think.

After the parade we walked around, ate lunch and looked in some shops. Then Kristen and I went to Regent's Park, which is right across from her flat, and ended up walking from one end to the other! There was an open area with plenty of space for pickup football matches, then a river framed with more trees, and then Queen Mary's Rose Garden, which had tons of gorgeous flowers and at least two wedding receptions. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, even by non-British standards, so it was great to just be outside.

Next stop: Brighton. :o) We ate dinner at a cute Italian restaurant and saw the Pier lit up, but we were tired from the late night/early morning, so we went to bed and saved most of our adventure for the next day.

Sunday was the perfect day in Brighton. Weather: unbelievable. (I wore shorts!) Company: fabulous, of course. ;-) We went to a restaurant called the Mock Turtle for cream tea, Kristen's first and my last. :o)/:-( It was delicious, naturally, and I was so sad to consume my last bite of scone with clotted cream and jam. Kristen and I are already planning to have tea parties in Indianapolis when we're both back and missing England. I was really glad she liked it so much.

Then we spent the rest of our day on the pier/at the beach. There were lots of people but it still didn't feel overly crowded, which was nice. We rode the Crazy Mouse on the pier, which gave a good view of the ocean (at least, when it wasn't whipping you around corners), had ice cream on the beach and fish and chips for dinner, and generally basked in the amazing sunshine and warmth. I wish Brighton Beach could always be so close.

A few study abroad students had birthdays this week, so I went to a cocktail party Monday night and a birthday dinner on Tuesday. They were fun, but in general I feel more connected to my flatmates than most of the international students here.

This week: replication of psych experiment: finished (at least, my portion). Final paper: will be finished tonight and handed in tomorrow or Monday, depending on what time the psychology office opens. This weekend: road trip to Dover and Canterbury with Aoife (so excited!!), last visit to church and traditional Sunday roast with my flatmates. Next week: Drusilla's, Komedia, beach, and surely lots of delicious food and time spent with friends. And, uh, packing?? So much to do, so little time... where did the last six months go!?

A side note for Mom and Dad: when I come back to the States, I want pancakes for dinner. :o)