Missouri Calling...

My time in London is almost over. Today I pack and tomorrow I attempt to soak up every last bit of the city that I can. It seems weird to think that I am packing to leave; I feel like I am just to continue living here forever. It also seems weird that the summer itself is over--that I have actually passed two whole months while here, and now they, too, are gone. How fast it went...

With the past few weeks I have been squeezing in everything I could--seeing the friends I have made here as much as possible, picnicking, museums and even just walking around, as that is also an activity in London. One of the most memorable things I have seen lately was the Imperial War Museum, which has exhibits on the 1st and 2nd World Wars, all conflicts and wars since then, the Holocaust, and Crimes Against Humanity. All exhibits were really incredible, eye-opening, educational. This may be one of the best museums I have seen (and there are a lot of amazing museums).
Last evening I went to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, the pub where Yeats, Twain, Dickens, and others drank. It's one of the oldest pubs in London and it looks it. There are several rooms with a bar in each; it's hot and a bit uncomfortable. It's great. I also went to Ye Olde Cock Tavern, where Eliot was a regular, though I think they have done more to modernize that than the Cheshire.
The other day we had a picnic in St. James' Park, which was really fun (the park is beautiful, too). After that we went to Koko, a sort of Indie-rock club that used to be an opera house and thus is quite amazing inside.

Not to pass quickly over this:
Paris!!
Paris was really fun, exciting, a bit wearying, beautiful. We spent a lot of time trying to find one another (everyone's phones stopped working), and we were unfamiliar with the place so saying "meet at Les Halles" seemed like a fine idea to us Londoners before we realized that Les Halles is about the size of downtown Columbia. Otherwise, though, we had a good time. I stuck with Lacey for most of the trip, as we wanted to do the same things pretty much. I was even able to use French while I was there, and was understood! (And sometimes not even laughed at!) In seriousness, though, almost everyone I met was accommodating to the fact my attempts at their language were pretty poor, and that I couldn't understand more than a few words spoken in a sentence back to me. I tried to speak French to everyone--the man at the front desk at our hotel (though trying to explain "our wireless isn't connecting" sounded more like "her computer no work. the internet? we don't find the name of the hotel...here"), serveurs, the ticket people at the metro stations, the men selling crepes, a French tourist that I wanted to take my picture in front of the gates at Versailles (she did a poor job, but I felt too shy for "can you take another? this time with the whole gate?"), the guy at the cheese shop, the guy at the wine shop. All were kind, and many had to ask a question in return, to which I usually answered, "...what?" after which they switched to English (except for the hotel desk guy, who, after I asked him in French to please speak more slowly? he waved his hand and said something that I'm not even sure was French at all.)
Still though, with all the troubles, it was quite amazing to say, "je voudrais dix billets, s'il vous plait?" and actually get ten tickets; to ask, "combien ce coute?" and receive the answer, understandable, " deux trente." In all the time of French class, nothing ever made the language so real.
The best part perhaps were the museums, particularly the Louvre and Musee D'Orsay, and Musee Rodin was great as well. It was exhausting but amazing to see everything that I saw in the Louvre, and I barely saw any percentage of it at all. My favorites were th large format French paintings, these enormous, beautiful paintings with incredible detail and life to them, dramatic but tastefully so. Actually, those were my second favorites; the best pieces were the ancient Greek and Roman sculptures. I mean really. Wow.
The food was incredible. Obviously. So was the cheese, and the wine. But I don't need to tell you these things. In that way, at least, Paris is what you think.
In the way of architecture, beautiful sights, slightly more laid-back people, Paris is what you think, there, too. But, in thinking that Paris is preferable to London, well, I might argue otherwise.

Speaking of, it awaits me as I tyoe, even if just to pack (and then maybe get to Primark, where I can fight gladiator-style with the other shoppers and hopefully come out with some cheap articles of clothing).

Random things I have seen/done:
-Saw a squirrel fall out of a tree and hit the ground with a thud. He was okay, though he looked a little embarrassed.
-Had a scone with clotted cream, and it was awesome.
-Saw wheat beer here (!!!) but was too tired for a second pint; I chose cider before seeing that they had it.
-Had fish and chips in a Christopher Wren pub. The guy was really a genius.
-Picnicked in Hyde Park and then in St. James' Park, also lounged in Regent's Park.
-Had Mexican food at Camden Market.
-Finished up my class except for one final paper.
-Saw Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, and most importantly, Cupid and Psyche.
-Spent too much time updating my blog in an effort to delay packing and taking a shower.