American Tune

My semester in London ended faster than I could have imagined, but the journey home lasted way too long...

After an unannounced flight cancellation, too many hours in the airport, spending a night in Reading, leaving at 5:30 am for a flight at noon, running to an NC flight that got delayed 3 times, and all in all switching flights a total of 7 times, I am BACK.

As usual, Paul Simon knows how I feel...

Many's, the time I've been mistaken
And many times confused
Yes, and I've often felt forsaken
And certainly misused
But I'm all right, I'm all right
I'm just weary to my bones
Still, you don't expect to be
Bright and bon vivant
So far away from home, so far away from home

And I don't know a soul who's not been battered
I don't have a friend who feels at ease
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered
or driven to its knees
But it's all right, it's all right
We've lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the road
we're traveling on
I wonder what went wrong
I can't help it, I wonder what went wrong

And I dreamed I was dying
And I dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly
And looking back down at me
Smiled reassuringly
And I dreamed I was flying
And high up above my eyes could clearly see
The Statue of Liberty
Sailing away to sea
And I dreamed I was flying

We come on the ship they call the Mayflower
We come on the ship that sailed the moon
We come in the age's most uncertain hour
and sing an American tune
But it's all right, it's all right
You can't be forever blessed
Still, tomorrow's going to be another working day
And I'm trying to get some rest
That's all I'm trying to get some rest.

angry birds

I went to Borough Market (again) today. This is easily my favorite place in London. After many times of sampling chorizos, cheeses, truffle olive oil, fudge, candy coated nuts, chutneys and and everything else that I love, I decided to go for something new. I decided to have an ostrich burger for lunch.

Once you get past the complete ugliness of the animal (sorry guys) and smother on grainy mustard, cranberry sauce, salad (lettuce) and caramelized onions, you will find the perfect mix of a turkey and beef burger. Quite a burger, the ostrich burger.

Paris

Paris was the final destination of my semester-long travels. There were only 3 days spent in the city, but it was probably my favorite trip. I'm already anticipating my next visit...

{Musée du Louvre}

{Musée des Arts Decoratifs}

{Versailles}

{Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris}

{Eiffel Tower}

Lisbon

The final destination of our Spring Break trip was Lisbon, Portugal. We started the morning with a visit to Jeronimo's Monastery and the Tower of Belem, both located near the coast. We happened to come across the Monastery on a free visit day, so the experience was slightly less than spiritual, but that's tourism. A little ways down there is a cultural center with lots of random exhibits, but it was probably one of my favorite museums that I've been to in a while. A simple yet moving collection of worldwide artists' photograph series and rooms filled with maps representing literal and broader themes were a nice change from crowded museums of people looking at pieces solely because they feel that they have to.

After some exploring, we stopped at Pasteis de Belem, famous for their custard tarts. The bakery looked like a tiny, local spot from the outside, but the inside was literally like a large cafeteria - only filled with sweets. Wonderful.

On our last full day of vacation, we took a tour of Sintra. Our trip northwest of Lisbon was led by Nunu, the guide associated with our hostel. The four of us and four others hopped in a van and stopped first at Palacio de Pena. The weather wasn't too great to begin with, but being so high up (we drove at quite the angle for quite some time...) created an insane fog. We skirted around the palace's upper balcony. The fog made it appear as though the palace was housed in a space of complete nothingness.

After touring the palace, Nunu took us to lunch. At first sight, we found ourselves at a restaurant/gift shop, but the food was beyond most things that I've ever tried. Many of us had the traditional Portuguese pork on a bed of perfectly cooked potatoes and salad. Lunch was the best possible way to warm up for the next couple of legs of our journey.

We walked from the restaurant to Quinta da Regaleira, a palace with labyrinths and exotic gardens. Nunu handed us flashlights to guide us through the damp and pitch black tunnels. Spelunking wasn't exactly what I had imagined getting ourselves into, but I really enjoyed all of the hiking and tunneling, especially since I can't say that really happens in London.

On the way back to the hostel, we stopped at the beach and Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of Europe. The rocky coast, wildflowers, clear ocean and (verrrrry) powerful wind made it seem like a scene from a movie, but the purity of the nature is something that I don't think could be accurately depicted.