The End

This is my final blog post...

I've been thinking about this post for awhile, but I thought it would be forever before I would have to write it. Mind you, I delayed writing on account of my cold, but I've kept delaying because, honestly, I'm really not ready to accept that my time in England is over.

The last few days of traveling took us to Hucknall, where Ada Lovelace is buried. For those of you who don't know, Ada Lovelace is an icon for women in computing. Working under Charles Babbage, she wrote the first computer program (for a computer Babbage never ended up building) and is considered to be the FIRST computer programmer! In addition, she is also the daughter of Lord Byron.

Hucknall is just outside Nottingham, so we stopped by at a pub, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, for lunch. The pub is built into a cave, so the ceilings and some walls are simply rock. It was a really fun experience, but the food was only okay.

That was pretty much the (anticlimactic) end of our travels. From there, we returned the car and went back to London. Our first night was rather uneventful. We got in too late to eat at any of the places I recommended, so we just got sandwiches and went to the pub.

Initially, we'd intended to meet Cate at Cittie of Yorke, but I decided to walk my parents past Ye Olde Mitre House first. It's considered to be the most hidden pub in London, but every time I've gone, it's been PACKED. This night, however, it was practically empty; in fact, as we went by, a waiter exclaimed, "Customers!" We explained that we were actually passing through on the way to meet a friend, but he gave us an interesting history lesson about the pub. When we finally met with Cate, we felt bad about leaving after the waiter had been so nice, so we went back. The waiter, whose name turned out to be Andy, was very happy to see us, and we all had a good, relaxing time anyways.

The next day, we had breakfast at Smiths of Smithfield and took a bus up to Highgate Cemetery. We saw the graves of Douglas Adams, Sir Ralph David Richardson, Karl Marx, and George Eliot. It was a very peaceful afternoon, and the cemetery was just lovely (which may be an odd thing to say about a big park full of dead people but it genuinely was beautiful -- in that serene, contemplative way).

Tea was Bea's of Bloomsbury, which turned out to be an overall family favorite. Bea's serves the best cupcakes EVER, but the mini-desserts and scones were also divine! I spent the rest of the afternoon packing and cleaning, so the pinnacle of the evening was really dinner. We went to the Bleeding Heart Bistro, a highly regarded French restaurant with pub and restaurant branches within the same square. Bleeding Heart Yard (where all three eateries are located) is named after a story regarding some local party-going noblewoman who was murdered by her "swarthy" (direct quote from the restaurant) lover. Her heart was torn out and left pulsing and wriggling on the pavement... Thus the name.

My parents, perhaps due to poor judgement on their part, allowed me my choice of anything on the menu. I ordered foie gras for a starter and leg of rabbit for my main. Both were delicious, but I was really impressed by the foie gras. I love paté, but this was just... Wow.

That night, I went out with Cate, Holly, and Beth. It was a bit of a downer evening because it really marked the end of our time together. Also, Beth's boyfriend had already left, so it was a rather sad affair all around. Still, it was good that we got our last hurrah.

I brought back to the States 4 pint glasses, 3 mugs, a tea strainer, and a Welsh flag. I could hole myself up with some loose leaf tea and ale and pretend I never left. Instead, I've just been lazing around. I only brought 2 pairs of 2-week contact lenses to England (that's a story in and of itself) and made them last the whole 5 months. Needless to say, I had an eye doctor appointment as soon as I got back. I also got my hair cut short again, and I got to see my Amanda (actually she drove me to my doctor's appointment -- the cars are all coming from the wrong side!).

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Anyways, here are some things I picked up from my time in England.

From my food journal...

Best Fish & Chips
Rock and Sole Plaice
45-47 Endell Street
WC2H 9AJ

Best Desserts
Bea's of Bloomsbury
44 Theobald's Road
WC1X 8NW

Best Breakfast
Smiths of Smithfield
67-77 Charterhouse Street
EC1M 6HJ

Best Pub
Cittie of Yorke
22 High Holborn
WC1V 6BN
OR
Ye Old Mitre House
1 Ely Court
EC1N 6SJ

Best Pub (Outside London)
The Borough
3-5 Dalton Square
LA1 1PP

American vs British Terminology
American - British
Sweater - Jumper
Napkin - Serviette
Pants - Trousers
Zucchini - Courgette
Eggplant - Aubergine
Fries - Chips
Chips - Crisps
Ladybug - Ladybird
BandAid - Plaster
Exit - Way Out
Line - Queue
ATM - Cash Point
Desserts - Puddings (Puds, for short)
To Go OR Takeout - Takeaway
Check - Bill
Semester - Term
Trash can - Rubbish Bin
Drunk - Pissed
Ad - Advert

Some Other Common Words and Phrases
"Cheers!" - used both for toasting and also to replace thank-you (ie one might say "cheers" to someone who has held the door)
"I can't be bothered..."
"Take the piss out of..."
To "pull" someone - to hook-up with somebody. Despite what Harry Potter tells you, snogging is not the common phrase for this
"Brilliant"
"Bollocks"
"Wanker"
"Oh, crumbs!"
"Pucker" (as in good)
"Pasty" (this is a food, the 'a' is pronounced like the 'a' in 'cat'*)

*I was once told that if an 'a' is not followed by an 'r', it will be pronounced like the 'a' in 'cat'. For instance, pasta or kebab...