My Weekend Pilgrimages

Word of the day: Happy Christmas
Isn’t it delightful that some people say this instead of “Merry Christmas?”

What I learned today: Shopping online is so much less stressful than shopping for real. Yes, this is coming from the girl who loves to shop (but just not for other people). I have planned it so Amazon will have all my presents waiting in Cincinnati when I arrive at Christmas. Go me!

What I love about London: All the ridiculous souvenirs I bought at one of the many tacky shops along Leicester Square this afternoon.

This Weekend in London…
Well, originally my friend Joe Washecheck (a Wisconsin native working in the BUNAC program for Boston University), and a couple other people were going to cook Thanksgiving dinner, but we discovered a much better option. As I have mentioned before, I live down the street from where The Mayflower sailed. So Joe and I visited The Mayflower pub in Rotherhithe (on my street) and had a fancy dinner (well, fancy for us). Back when the pilgrims sailed the ocean blue in 1620 in order to escape persecution and then persecute others in return, this same pub was still standing there. At the time it was called The Shippe. Kind of cool, eh?

Today I finally visited the National Gallery and saw all the Ninja Turtles' paintings. My favorite pieces were those by Degas, because if I could make my words imitate any artist, I would choose the blurred reality of Degas. I am also partial to him because I love ballet. My mother lined my little aspiring-ballerina room with his paintings growing up.

I also hopped over to the adjoining National Portrait Gallery to see the haunted faces of dead people in room after room. I love that stuff!

National Gallery at Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square

I am now watching: Fanny Hill -- getting educated on a little 18^th century erotica on the BBC. Definitely not the Jane Austen-type movies I’m used to seeing from this time period!