Ahh.. I'm so behind!

Where to start?

Im sorry I've fallen so behind... A lot has happened since Dublin, but i'll try and sum up the highlights...

Liz, Michelle, Jon, Brandon and I went to Scotland for the four days in between Dublin and London. Scotland was so beautiful!!! We toured Edinburgh castle, watched a fireworks show from their Military Tattoo, took pictures with The Scotts Monument, Shopped on Princess Street, took pictures with true blue Scottish Bagpipers, thought about buying kilts, met a really cute Australian boy... not so bright, but very pretty :) ... and visited William Wallaces monument and his home - Sterling Castle... I had plans to see Dashboard Confessionals in concert there and nearly cried when they were sold out (even though they told me a week ago they wouldnt be.. err.) Someone please watch Braveheart in honor of me... im dying to watch it again!

And now I'm at the close of my time here in London, i am truly sorry i will have to summarize everything here. We have squeezed so much in these last two weeks.
Let's see... Ive been to the British Museum twice now... (there's SO much to see) the most interesting things i saw being the Rosetta Stone and the corpse of a man they refer to as "Ginger"... an egyptian man buried in sand in 3400 B.C. who was almost perfectly preserved by the hot sand in the fetal position... so he still has skin, and a little bit of hair, and his teeth... ya, it's really disgusting, but incredible. Um, also visited the British National Gallery, saw Van Gough, Monet, Cezanne, Renoir, David, and Ingres... that was great! We went to the Tate Modern - weird museum, with lots of random "modern" displays... some were interesting, but most seemed to have a big fuss made over nothing... i.e. - the piece of wood, completely painted blue... one shade... nothing special... seriously couldve been dropped in a big bucket of paint and left to dry... and the plaque next to it said it's considered one of the most important pieces of 21st century art!!! HA! Ya... like i said, weird. Michelle and I went to a parade in Notting Hill... (Someone please watch that movie for me as well!) Yesterday, Liz, Des and I were able to help out at homeless shelter - i met some wonderful people there. i wish i could go back again before i leave. Ive seen Buckingham and Kensington Palace... both amazing! We went to Cambridge one day - wow... that University is beautiful!! We all went Punting there... it was hilarious! Picture a little boat, similar to a canoe in shape, w/ a platform on the back for one person to stand and Punt... it's steered much the same way a Gondola is - only it's not nearly as graceful. That day easily ranks as one of the best so far! Westminster Abby is gorgeous... i cant begin to describe what it's like inside... I took a tour of Parliament - saw the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Saw the Tower of London and Big Ben... Ive been to 3 musicals!!!! Les Miserables, The Woman in White ( new play by Andrew Lloyd Weber w/ Michael Crawford in it!) and Phantom of the Opera! Les Mis was another highlight of the trip so far - it made me cry 3 times. Beautiful story. See it if you never have!! There is so much to see here and so many details i wish i could include.... but all in all, everything has been great.

The taxis here are top of the line! Ive become a champ at the Underground (subway) and even the big, red, two-story buses are fun... walking is our primary transportation, but the above three choices are always easy to navigate.

The weather here has been wonderful - a rare thing according to the locals. Someone told us that we must have brought the sunshine with us and asked us to please never leave. Haha...
Ya, i think this is the last of our skirt wearing days, as the weather reports in the rest of the locations do not sound promising, but i'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Oh ya, and a tip if you're traveling here anytime soon... When someone asks where youre from, "California" provokes a much more positive response than "America." Trust me on this one. Even say "Canada" before you dare say "America" - ya, at least that's been my experience. ha.

Today is 9/11, so i'm sure there are many special events going on there today... we attempted to have our own little meeting this morning in honor of it. Wasnt too successful, but the families and friends of 9/11 victims and the leaders of our nation are especially in our prayers today. On a lighter note, today also marks the 54th anniversary of my grandparents! So excuse my shoutout, but it's definitely noteworthy!

Well, if i'm leaving anything out - i'll include it next time. Sorry for the scattered thoughts in this update... i just didnt want to let one more day pass without writing. As you can see, we've been busy... and i didnt even elaborate on my homework. Ya, that deserves its own blog. Not really. It doesnt deserve much. :) haha.. no, it's actually not too bad, there's just a lot of reading and mandatory trips.... but all in all worth it.

Tomorrow I'm taking the Chunnel across to Paris, staying there for the night, and then taking a day trip to Normandy on Monday. We'll have a week in Paris after that. I'm looking really forward to it, but dreading the idea of this being my last night in an English speaking country for the next 2 and a half months. Time to put highschool French to use! :) Please pray i forget to bring my wallet with me while shopping in Paris... i have a bad feeling im gonna go crazy. ha.

Alright, hope life has been wonderful back in the states. Thanks again for all your emails... Feel free to ask me any questions or lend me any good tips you might know of. :) All feedback is welcome. I hope this blog idea is working out better than the mass email lists. I know those get obnoxious and can be really impersonal. Its much easier to write personal emails in response to yours - so just in case youre experience "melody withdrawels" - Remember, 1 - you're not alone, and 2, all you have to do is email me ( Skrupples@aol.com ) :) haha..

Love you friends and family. Stay healthy and safe and in good spirits. I miss you all.

Love, love, love, Melody