After the UPS delivery guy dropped off my passport with my new visa, I flipped through the pages and couldn't help but smile. I am so incredibly lucky. To be so young, and have had the chance to visit so many places. The UK, France, Hong Kong, Australia, Switzerland. This was the life I had dreamed for myself just few years ago, and had told myself to accept that it was never going to happen. That I should learn to be content with the least of my dreams because that way I wouldn't be disappointed. I was wrong. To think that just 6 years ago, I didn't even want to go to college, and now I have a B.A. and am starting an M.S. In another country, 4000 miles from where I was born and raised and lived the past 24 years of my life. So, thanks life. You're pretty great.

Today I went in search of the original Twinnings Tea Shop. I wandered down the Strand, and back up, confused by the numbering on the buildings. I wandered back down, only to find the shop completely under construction. Extremely bummed out, I stopped in a Whittard of Chelsea, and picked up 2 packets of tea, but they didn't really have anything I drooled over. I wandered off the very beaten path a little bit, and found a Satya jewelry boutique at the edge of Covent Garden that just opened two weeks ago. In need of retail therapy to nurse my lack-of-Twinnings woes, I bought myself a beautiful necklace and bracelet. Now to pop off to the movie theatre and see District 9 for the second time. Today is the UK release and Guy can't wait to see it.

View from the Arc de Triomphe

After spending three days and two nights in Paris, I've come away with mixed emotions, but a beautiful memory none-the-less. Paris is at once, dirty, smelly, crowded, and crazy, but it is also beautiful, full of life, and can be quiet, personable, and deeply intimate. During our stay we lodged in Montmartre at the edge of the red light district. Our hotel was clean and comfortable, and the night time noise was quickly squashed with a pair of earplugs. Our first morning we ventured up a steep side road to the base of the Sacre Coeur. I sat at the bottom of the stairs in awe at how large everything seemed. The cathedral itself was beautiful, and the singing of the nuns just helped bolster the sense of wonder I felt as we walked through. So many references and symbols carved into the building, it was hard to comprehend that someone had carved every single detail. The view from atop the hill that Sacre Coeur sits on is a nice display of the layout on that side of the city. After our trek down the front stairs of Cathedral, we grabbed lunch at a café close to our restaurant. My advice concerning Sacre Coeur, for anyone who had never been before, is avoid going up or down the front stairs. Not only are there hundreds of them, but there are also hundreds of extremely pushy gypsies and immigrant men who are not afraid to ask for your money and corner you to get it. Guy and I got corner and split by a group of these men, and after one of them poked him in the chest and tried to stop him from walking, I freaked out, grabbed his arm, pulled him towards me and yelled Arrêt! The man cornering him found this amusing, and called me "Big Mamma". Damn right. We went to the Arc de Triomphe later, which was such a powerful monument, and we climbed the narrow spiral staircase all the way to the top. I thought my lungs might explode out of my chest and my legs might fall off, but it was worth it, because the view of all sides of Paris was just breathtaking. After coming down all those stairs, we took a walk on the Champs-Élysées and popped into a Monoprix and the giant Sephora, which was an experience unto itself. That evening we met up with Katia & Kyliemac and some of their friends out to celebrate Kylie's birthday. I've been an ardent listener of their podcasts for a few years now, and had always wanted to meet them. We started at a Scottish pub and moved on to a Dutch bar where we finished out the evening. Those ladies are two of the nicest women I have met, and were so welcoming and kind. It was a fantastic evening out getting to spend time with the both of them, and I know the next time I come visit Paris seeing them again will be top on my list. Everyone go check out their awesome podcasts and website at the above link. Our second day in Paris was spent at the Palace of Versailles. Instead of going into the Palace, we chose to wander through some of the main gardens, and then explore the structures Marie-Antoinette had built for herself off the right side of the gardens, the Petit Trianon and the surrounding follies. I'm really pleased that we chose to avoid the main palace and look at some of the smaller more intimate structures. There was a small English style village, and a little farm with animals, the giant geese and a huge St. Bernard puppy being my favorites. We enjoyed lunch by one of the larger lakes at the back of the gardens, and fed the ducks and giant carp scraps of bread. The last day we wandered through Montmarte and saw some of the windmills still up on the sides of buildings. There was also a really fascinating exhibition of Dali sculpture, and a small market full of artists. On our way down from the Dali exhibit we popped in a small natural skincare botique that carries a niche line of perfumes I'd been dying to try, and Next on the list was the Centre Pompidou, which had a really interesting exhibition on feminist art and women in art. They have a really lovely collection, and I got to see some Magritte and Tamara de Lempicka up close. The building itself offers a fantastic view of the city from the top floors. After soaking up all that art, we went to Notre Dame, and took a walking through the inside, but didn't go up. On our way into the square we got granitas from a street vendor and passed a very ironic café called Quasimodo. Later, we visited the outside of the Louvre and sat down at one of the larger fountains, taking the opportunity to dip our sore, tired feet in the fountain along with the other Parisians and tourists. That was probably the best part of the day, to be honest, just the change to lay out in the sun and relax and not feel like we had anything pressing to do. After a nice long sit next to the fountain, we wandered down through the park across the street from the Louvre, and down to the start of the shops near the Champs-Élyées. By the point it was time to head off to the train station and catch the Eurostar home.

My flight into Heathrow was long, but tolerable. After a quick nap and a shower, I felt a lot better. I tend to get plane sick, so my appetite was shot for most of the afternoon. G's parents came around and stayed for a cup of tea as well. It was really lovely seeing them, and so sweet that they made the time to stop and see me. We made plans to meet up again next week, once they come back from France. For dinner, we went to a small Japanese restaurant and had some sushi. An eel and cucumber roll, and a tuna hand roll for myself, while G had a fermented bean roll, fried tofu, and a seaweed rice ball that was excellent. After dinner we swung by this cute Thai grocery called Thai Smile, and got some junk food. Sesame mochi and some sort of corn nuts. We popped by his tattoo parlour since it was just a bit up the road, and on a lucky chance his artist was there, so I got to meet her. We hung around and chatted with the owner and her for a bit, and then headed home. The rest of the evening involved sitting on the couch and watching bad tv. It's the little pleasures in life, my friends. Now, I'm by myself for most of the day while he's at work, and I should probably get out of my pajamas and go to Boots to pick up the rest of the stuff I forgot to pack. I'm a little nervous about getting lost on the tube, but being that everything is labeled within an inch of it's life(which I love), I am sure I'll be fine. Time for some adventures!

Today, Guy and I went to the Tate Modern Museum. I am officially in love with the Tate. The surrealist collection they have is fantastic. I got up to see Magritte's "The Reckless Sleeper" up close, and that had to have been the highlight of my day. I snapped a few photos before a lovely lady caught me and asked me to stop. Oops! The 5 floors have such an interesting variety and the view of the Thames river and St Paul's cathedral from the top is breathtaking. We ate lunch at a place called Wahaca which serves "mexican market" style food. It was good eats and the drinks were tasty, and cheap to boot. I picked up some teas at Whittard of Chelsea, and we popped over to the Whole Foods in Kensington to get beer and snacks for a nice quiet evening on the couch. The store was huge, with 3 floors and a really nice selection of goods. I'll even be able to get my favorite brand of vitamins when I move over. I'm pretty stoked about that, actually. Tomorrow is my last full day in London, and I really wish I didn't have to fly back to the States. I really love it here. Only a year, and that will fly by. I can't wait.

Wednesday, we spent the morning at the London Zoo. The weather stayed dry for us, and we had a really nice time wandering around and looking at the animals. I loved the butterfly hot house. They has a really fascinating selection of moths as well as butterflies, and an area that you could see the caterpillars crawling around. They also had a really nice tropical bird house, which had some free flying rooms so you could get a closer look at some of the smaller birds.  We decided to skip Camden Market on our way home since we'd been walking around so much. There's always another day for shopping. Later that night Guy had a really nice surprise for me. He'd gotten tickets for Les Misérables, but hadn't told me what we were doing for the evening. The show was wonderful. The smaller Queens Theatre was a nice venue, and the sets were incredible. There was a nice mix of opera and traditional musical actors vocally, so the contrast of their voices really stood out and helped you hear both parts clearly. All in all a really lovely day.

On Tuesday, Guy and I headed off to The Natural History Museum for a Darwin Exhibition. There was s much to look at, and my personal favorite being this display with a hundred or so different kinds of hummingbirds. I couldn't find my adored Ruby Throated Hummingbird, but it was still an amazing display. After perusing the collections, the exhibition, and much staring at how beautiful the building itself is we walked over the the Science Museum. We ate lunch in the Deep Blue Café, which is this huge cobalt blue room, with internally lighted tables and decent food. I found the color rather soothing, and quite a lot of the museum was that hue. We wandered around, rode the motion simulator, and spent a good amount of time in the History of Medicine wing. We've come so far in terms of health care, and looking back at some of those instruments, I have to say I'm glad I was born in a later century. That night we went to Madame Jojo's for what they call White Heat: London's Infamous Art Rock Disco. The bands were enjoyable, and the people watching even more so. Scenesters look the same, wherever you go. We had a few drinks, but left early and enjoyed the walk home. I even got heckled at, which in a city this large, and full of so many gorgeous people, took me by surprise a bit. A quick ride home on the Tube, and I was out like a light as soon as I hit the mattress.

Sunday morning. After almost an hour getting through customs and baggage claim, Guy met me just outside of the arrivals gate. The smile on his face was worth all the hours on the plane times ten. After a sleepy ride home on the tube, I took a quick nap. We went out for lunch with his parents and siblings for Mother's day. His parents were so sweet and such fun to spend time with. His siblings are awesome as well. After lunch we all lazed about and watched television. Napping ensued after TV time, as I was exhausted by that point. We watched the last episode of Battlestar Galactica, and I managed to fall asleep at a decent hour and slept a full 8, waking up at 6:30 to sunshine and birds chirping outside. Today was a wonderful day in London. Guy and I went to the Royal Academy and saw the Utagawa Kuniyoshi exhibit which was a really nice selection of his work. Everything from geisha and warrior portraits to mythological triptych panels and humorous pieces. There was a small selection of humorous erotic panels the size of post cards, which I was pleased they included. We snagged lunch at Pret á Manger and headed off to The British Museum, but stopped by Fortnum & Mason and I perused the tea counter and bought some Margret's Hope Oolong from Darjeeling. I've just had a cup and it is floral and complex. Lovely. We browsed around the collections at the British Museum for 2 hours or so, and then came home, made dinner, and are now vegging out on the couch watching TV and surfing the web. Tuesday is a science day, with more museums and possibly a night out to see some bands play. I'm amazed at how at home I feel here. I don't feel like a tourist or a vacationer. All those day to day activities that should feel strange feel normal.  I can see myself making a very smooth transition to living here next year.