England, Thursday Apr 15 (day 9 of our trip)

The morning came way too soon for both of us. Well, the morning had come a few hours earlier for Ben, who woke up at 4am to watch the first game of the playoffs for the Avalanche. We went to the train station and met up with Emily and Tamara. Tamara met Cole before they went to Oxford, because she just happened to live in Loveland as well, and they actually shared a plane ride here when the semester started. So we ended up talking about Loveland an embarrassing (but enjoyable) amount throughout the day. However, Ben and I didn't nap on the train like we'd planned due to all the talking, so we were pretty tired in London.

On our connecting train heading towards the Indian side of town, we heard an announcement over the loud speakers that a volcano had erupted in Iceland, and the airport was closed! This was big news since we were supposed to catch a plane home the very next day. We got off the train, then traveled down the street towards the restaurant that Cole had read about in his guide book. A few restaurant owners that we passed started harassing us to eat there—offering free bundhi and other deals. We decided that was really a turn-off more than anything, and ended up Aladdin, that boasted it had been spoken well of by prince Charles. After ordering, Ben and I decided to still walk over to the internet cafe and check in for our flight, to try and get at the top of the list of standby passengers. We didn't have our little papers with us though, so we called the US to get the code we needed. Turned out it was 6am and we'd woken her up, and later we would find out that all flights were cancelled for Friday anyway. Woops! But we returned in time for a delicious meal of Indian food. After eating, we went a little further down the street and stopped at an Indian bakery. The people we were with picked up various treats that seemed to swim in sugar. I decided all he walking around must be what keeps the people of Oxford so slim, since they loved to eat just as much as we did.

Next, we headed towards Big Ben, and the more touristy part of London. We stopped at the building that leads to Buckingham palace, guarded by traditional English guards. We felt bad for their high leg guards and low helmets that must be hard to see out of! Then we went to a nearby park for a few minutes to pass time until the traditional inspection of the guard. Ben and I instantly closed our eyes in the park—we were both so tired that day! Then we walked over to watch the inspection, which was an amusing combination of extreme formality, and smiles here and there. I think the guards realized how on-display they were, and were sort of laughing at the little play they were putting on for the tourists.

We headed a little further down the street, to Trafalgar square. It was guarded by lions on 4 corners, and a huge statue commemorating admiral Nelson from the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, in the middle. Behind it was the English museum. Ben and I marveled at these buildings that had been built by the state, and wondered if any government still had the money or power to create such intricate, huge architectural wonders anymore.

Our next stop was a beautiful covered market (I'll have to look up these names later!). It was beautiful, with 2 open-air levels, beautiful architecture, and live performances. We stopped at a cupcake place that Alice had recommended (she's actually the Brit who gave us the loan of her room). Nearby, a street performer appeared to be getting nude in front of a wide audience. We watched for a bit, but got tired as he drew out the ending, so we never found out how far he stripped. What a strange show to put on! Then we decided to stop for a drink somewhere, and ended up outside a restaurant in a large patio area they were serving on. The days we've been here have been exceedingly warm and nice, and it was a lovely place to take a break. Behind us, a musician crooned and played the guitar, and an older lady danced interpretively behind him. We were pretty sure he didn't know she was there. I had a glass of wine and Ben had a cup of Espresso (which believe me, didn't help—by this time he was dead to the world). Then we meandered towards the train station to go home to Oxford.

On the train, we chit-chatted about all sorts of things. We talked about Cole's upcoming trip to Nigeria where he would study the film industry known as "Nollywood." Emily told us about the research work she would do over the summer in South America. Something to do with non-profits in the area. We talked about research ethics and methodology, and then I fell asleep because it was mostly over my head.

We arrived home and walked over to the Mission, a local big-burrito place that seemed to be a direct ripoff of Chipotle. Of course, it wasn't quite the same, but still very enjoyable. We watched a Community—a tv show online, then blessedly, went to bed.