merrie england

i am home from london, and officially declare the trip a good decision. i didn't have too many quintessentially london experiences, save for seeing the national portrait gallery, trafalgar square, westminster abbey and big ben, notting hill, and spending some time at the thames river festival, all of which just involved walking and looking around. in a way it hasn't even registered that i was in london specifically rather than just a european city, because it is a big, complicated place in which complex experiences should be had in order to understand it, rather than fleeting snapshots of that big ole clock tower (but yes, i have one). nevertheless, it was delightful to be there just walking around, having some fabulous conversations with john, spending money on books, music, museums and food - all of the most worthwhile expenses.

i stayed in the hotel that john's dickinson program was inhabiting, and wasn't really supposed to, as one of the rooms had some extra beds, one of which i invisibly filled without payment. but in doing so i met many people currently important to john's life, including a perhaps serious budding love, and am pleased to feel an improvement in our connection in these international times. i am forever marvelling at how well we can know one another and talk to one another in spite of never having had the opportunity to be friends in the same physical place; i am so grateful to have him in the uk with me.

my first night in london was particularly exceptional because one of john's friends on the trip was having a birthday dinner for herself and 6 of her friends at a very fancy restaurant - quagliano's or something ridiculous - and on her father's tab. i went along with parsimoniousness in mind, john and i splitting the cost of my unexpected presence between ourselves, but i must say, it was pretty unreal - high-class jazz band, cigarette girl, two-tiered towers of fresh seafood, and on and on. hell, the bathroom doors weren't even labelled because it was just that swanky. honestly, though i didn't feel a lick of comfort being there, i can't say i blame wealthy people for taking such delight in those kinds of things. and i guess in spite of my pretenses, the worldiness factor increases meanwhile, and i won't complain.

for all of the positive things of london, there were also a few losses, though i find them humorous: very quickly i completely lost my voice, which had been threatening to leave for a few days beforehand, and spoke for the remaining two days in a husky, throaty voice that i had to really force out - all of john's friends must think i'm terribly and animatedly edgy. a new persona to explore, no doubt. i also brought with me a white bath towel that naturally looked extremely similar to the hotel's own towels and was confiscated one unsuspecting morning by the maids, lost in the huge dirty laundry bags and never to be returned. i didn't protest - protecting my invisibility was a much greater priority.

i enjoyed riding the train for transport as well, though i sadly found it to be soporific, thwarting my big plans for tackling some assigned reading (nietzsche, no less) for my first seminar tomorrow morning, and writing some letters. on my way home we rode through the cities of york and newcastle (perhaps we did on the way down as well and i missed it in my sleep?) and logged a lot of miles on the coastline, which was gorgeous at sundown and included a cool, quaint town called berwick-upon-tweed. finally, i am beginning to see things that belong to the literature - or vice versa - i have been reading these past few years.

speaking of literature, i have some reading and unpacking to do. it's good to be home (yes, this must be the place) and to begin. i suspect, with all of my anticipation for the beginning of classes, that you will be hearing from me again soon.