Almost the End of the Wandering ... Goodbye, England (next up - Ireland)

So it's come to this. The end of my sojourn in England. Also the end of my class. This will be my final British post - then I'll do one more because the final country I'm visiting is Ireland, land of poets. Don't worry, though, I shall not attempt any poetry whatsoever.

Okay, what to write, what to write? I think I've pretty much blithered about all there is to know about my school work (just finished up my paper & my social media video, in case you want to watch that, click on here - I really won't blame you if you don't, however). Although expensive, I think these types of trips are definitely worth it (that is, if I still have a job when I get home!) They are extremely intense (classes of some sort beginning usually around 8 am every day along with some nights & weekends plus daily homework - no, it was honestly not just rocketing around to tourist sites and snapping photos although it might have seemed that way). Anyway, if you watch my video, you'll get a fairly good idea about my classwork as a whole in London.

That being said, I think I'll just bore you with my sensory impressions of the whole trip and Europe, in general. Here we go.

Ok, you can't hear this - but Wales has
every sign in both English & Welch.
Children have to learn their native Welch
until they turn 16. It is a beautiful language.

- The Sounds. Oh, the accents and the way people speak differently. Fun cockney sounds - gorgeous posh Received Pronunciation ones - country accents. Do yourself a favor and go to YouTube and look up various British accents. One of the best things about Europe is that you will also hear so many accents from all over the world. It is a bit like this in Manhattan but it seems much more concentrated in London. And the French, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish. If you like to listen to people sound so very differently than they do in the States (as I do), Europe is a wonderful place to go and just listen. Also, don't forget the ringing bells and chimes from all the many churches everywhere in Europe.

This is a traditional type "Full English" breakfast
They put beans with everything. Except this one is missing
mushrooms, which I adore. You'll never go hungry
after eating a Full English!

- The Smells and Tastes. I put these together because they just go with each other. I heard many years ago that British food is "bland". That is a rather dumb statement. If you don't like traditional English foods (Bangers & Mash, Fish & Chips, Shepherd's Pie, Bubble & Squeak, etc...), then just eat at any of the zillions of other types of restaurants! Chinese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, etc... The smells go along with the wonderful food and, I have to add, there are also the smells of all the divine flowers that seem to be every single place we go.

Just a random building in London.
Nothing special - but it is.

- The Sights and Touch - I love the U.S.A. Would never want to be from anywhere else. But whenever I come to Europe and return home, I invariably think, "Do we HAVE to have all these boxy looking stores and buildings all over the place? They are so ugly!"  Now granted I am talking about middle American strip malls and shopping centers and so on. All cities and towns boast some beautiful buildings and our countryside is gorgeous. However, I am just talking about architecture everywhere. From the teeniest town to the largest cities, Europe seems to take a lot of pride in their buildings. Unfortunately, I am noticing a lot more "box-type" convenience stores on this trip than the last one I took here five years ago. I know that it's so much more economical and efficient to build a large, box store but it is truly ugly. What is wrong with building beautiful architecture that will be seen and appreciated for the ages?

These are just a few of the things I will miss and try to remember when I return. I will also miss things like this:

Trains - they are the absolute
smartest and best way to get around.
They are all over Europe. Why doesn't
the US invest more in trains???

Once again, another train - but this time
an underground one. THE TUBE!
Look how fast it goes - I just got
the streaks as it went by. And, YES,
I totally minded the gap this time!

Meeting random, interesting people.
(Although, I admit, I can totally do this in
the States - but these accents are cooler).
This poor, unsuspecting young
man sat next to me at the British Library
so I harassed him until he talked to me.
Very sweet - he was studying engineering
and, although he looked about 14, he
was actually 23 and had lived in the States
for a few years.

The fresh flowers. Everywhere. EVERY. WHERE.

Another shot of random buildings -
all just gorgeous. This was
in Edinburgh, Scotland.

No, I am not missing this guy. But he works
at Harrod's & I took this photo because
all of the shop workers dress great like him.
They all dress up. No jeans and a tshirt for them!
I am the queen of jeans & t-shirts but I envy
their style in Europe.

Did I mention I would miss the architecture?
I believe I might have. If not, let me
repeat - I will miss Europe's gorgeous
buildings and statues. A lot.

Once again, I'm going to take the easy way out and tell you to click here to go look at the photos I've put up on Facebook. These are pictures of some of the things I found most memorable in Europe. Hope you enjoy them - and be of good cheer. Only one more blog post and then you'll be released!