This is it, the home stretch. Classes are ending, finals are being undertaken, bags packed, and the nauseating whorl collapses inward as I try to make sense of it all.
Make no mistake, London’s been a blast. I’ve lived, learned, and loved in the shadows of so much history. The city itself overwhelms, but there are solaces. Hampstead has become a home away from home away from home. It’s posh, but unassuming. I spend hours in the parish cemetery and at the cafes. I’ve discovered a real love for pastries that I would have never assumed I held. They’re just that good. A particular favorite is a ricotta, sour cherry, and pistachio croissant.
Thanksgiving was an interesting day. They don’t celebrate it here, obviously, but there’s been a full embracing of Black Friday. Go Capitalism, I guess. For the night proper, I joined my flatmates at the UK’s only P.F. Chang’s. We were all hoping for an American experience, that glossed up mall food we all knew and loved, but found ourselves in an intimate and classy setting with an unusually complex bar menu. At least I looked nice, and the food really was excellent, but not the Chang’s we’d gone in anticipating. Bellow, a terrible selfie from the night in question.
Fall break was quiet. I elected to stay in London and had the flat to myself for the week. I did spend a day at the Tate Modern, and got to see several of my favorite pieces of art up close and personal, including my favorite Picasso, The Weeping Woman. It’s a lovely museum, but entirely too large for anyone to get through in a day. Still, it was an incredibly relaxed little staycation of a day. I had a lovely butternut squash soup for dinner and had a bath (amplified by a Lush bathbomb) while listening to The Wall before bed.
Perhaps the most fun I’ve had in the UK, however, was the weekend after break, which I spent in Cardiff, Wales, with a dear friend. We’re both big Torchwood and Doctor Who fans, so it was an absolutely touristy romp, but we found the city had so much more to offer. The mall there was by far the nicest I’ve ever been to in my entire life, and I’ve fallen in love with Welsh cakes.
As the semester closes, I’ll admit my feelings are mixed. It’s been fun, but I’m tired. I think I’m ready to be home. As of tomorrow, 18 more days until I set foot in America.
Hanging in there,
L.