Gravity is another great English invention -Jimmy

First day of school! For the first time I hadn’t gone ‘back-to-school shopping’ or prepared an outfit in advance. Tr�s stress-worthy. Somehow, the world didn’t end, and I still managed to fall in love with European Economics and Politics. It’s really exciting because it turns out that every topic is covered by Amy’s Economics of European Integration book, which Bender once mocked me for reading. Who’s laughing about the European Coal and Steel Community now? Oh, that’s right… still no one.

Monday and Tuesday were spent becoming very culturally aware with lovely Ms. Eileen! Apart from learning firsthand the differences between the Circle and District lines (as well as east and west), we spent the first of our two dates at Kensington Palace, once home to Princess Diana. Imagining the Enchanted Palace conjures a Disneyworld-Adventureland in my head. It turns out, that it was the Disney classics, but with the Brother’s Grimm endings. The Enchanted Palace came complete with forgotten children, early deaths and depressing rooms like the Room of Royal Sorrows, the Room of the Quarrel and the Room of Lost Childhood. Although it made me happy that I no longer force people to call me Princess Diana, it doesn’t exactly inspire romance and majesty in the royal family. But the day ended on a bright, cheerful note with delicious scones and a tea hour at the Orangery.

After an evening bout of food poisoning from cream cheese, I was able to march into Tuesday ready to enjoy the first sunshine since I’d arrived in London. While the darkness has been doing great things for me, it was wonderful to be naturally warm. We decided the best way to take advantage of it, would be to tour the Tower of London. Perhaps the most depressing, albeit awe-inspiring, site in London, we learned the history of the castle/dungeon/fortress, which included over 1,000 executions, many public beheadings, and various methods of torture. Also housed in the Tower, are the crown jewels, which are absolutely spectacular.

Fun fact of the day: Queen Victoria’s Coronation ring was fitted to her pinky finger instead of her ring finger. When it came time for the Archbishop of Canterbury to put it on, he had to make it fit, regardless of the obvious pain she was going through. Try working that into casual conversation.

After the perfect lunch, Eileen found a marvelous French brasserie in Kensington, and while chatting for a long time, we discovered Asahi, which is our new Stella. I don’t know what I am going to do with myself when she leaves in February!

I’m going to go give cooking another try, if anyone has a suggestion for ways to eat an onion besides in layers, slices, or dices, I’d love to hear it.