place names + a few adjectives to describe each = what will hopefully be a concise but insightful summary of this week.
(yeah, right.)
The London Wall: the ancient and once-majestic smack dab in the middle of one of the poshest, modernest (i’m not convinced of that word’s legitimacy but spellcheck isn’t saying anything…) areas of London, like a wrinkle in time.
London’s Financial District: tall. lots of glass and reflective surfaces.
National Theatre: a rather predictable plot brilliantly acted on a beautiful set. i felt so cultured sitting in there.
The Tipperary Pub: great scampi. cozy vibe. 400 years old. (don’t worry mom, i drank water)
Kensington: where Finding Neverland was filmed! cute, classy area filled with green fields, white houses, and “the cutest alley ever.” lots of authors lived there, including Ezra Pound, Robert Browning, and Henry James (I think).
Notting Hill: hands-down the most adorable place EVER. little shops and candy colored houses. I must go back.
Solo in Camden Town: jazz club with a so-called edgy vibe. the jazz, however, was smooth and standard.
Cambridge: quaint and majestically medieval, surrounded by LUSH green rolling hills and fields. throwback to uh, the 12th century, privileged enough to call Newton, Milton, Tennyson, Bacon and 8 prime ministers alumni. i hear grad school calling…
Tower of London: tall towers and cobblestone paths, then gloomy and foreboding, now money-making tourist site. full of secrets and bloody stories. the Crown Jewels are gorgeous.
National Gallery: 51 rooms full of ideas of the world through the eyes of artists ranging from Caravaggio to Van Gogh, bursting with imagination (or a skillfully painted lack thereof). A floor-length Guido Reni blew my mind; the vibrant colors and teeming details my art history prof described were right there in front of me.
World Cup: ok, not a place. But Trafalgar Square before the US vs England match was brimming with patriotism and football fever. Red and white crosses everywhere. We try to avoid bringing up the fact that we’re American, though I watched the match in a sports bar downstairs where the excited audience was half American half English.
Tesco’s: London’s 7/11, with some super tasty cheap sandwiches and fruit salad for the win.
Nothing big planned tomorrow except church with Timo. Really excited about seeing how people worship here in London, especially in a place where most churches are museums and memorials…
To Love, Laugh, and Use Adjectives Deftly 
Keep writing, Girl.
What did you see at the National Theatre?? (I am glad you are spelling it the British Way.)
We saw “After the Dance”, a play set in the 1920s about the Lost Generation. It started off fairly superficial and got complicated and much, much deeper with each scene.