Making Plans

Good evening!! It's been another exciting day here in London!

This morning, Jill and I went back to Speedy's for some lunch. We wanted pictures of the shop with when it was open and people were there. We took a couple pictures and headed inside for some food. We were insanely overwhelmed so we decided take away would be our best bet. I unintentionally ordered the most complicated sandwich that has ever been made. Below is a little snippet of the conversation between me and the woman behind the counter (who had a very thick accent and in quite a hurry even though we were the only people at the counter).

Me: I'll have a roast beef sandwich on a roll.
Her: We don't have rolls, just the big ones.
Me: Oh, ok that's fine.
Her: Do you want horseradish and salad?
Me: Ummm, (completely confused as to what "salad" is) no. Just mayonnaise?
Her: So you just want mayo and roast beef on a roll?
Me: (staring blankly) No, I'll have salad on it also, sorry. (still uncertain as to what that meant)
Her: (looking at me like I'm insane) ok, do you want salt and pepper too?
Me: Yes please.

Writing it out really doesn't do it justice. You're all just going to have to believe me that it was quite and interesting moment. I was totally ok with whatever she was going to make me. All of the questions really weren't necessary and they just confused and flustered me. It was kind of a mess. Jill witnessed the whole thing and when we walked out we couldn't help but start laughing. I asked if she knew what "salad" was and she assumed it was coleslaw, which is what I was thinking also. We walked down the block a bit and sat on the side of a short wall. It turns out that salad is lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. (And there was no mayo). It was still pretty good and I would go back, this time a little more prepared.

Speedy's is open!

After lunch we decided to check out the Natural History Museum. It was huge. The building itself is massive and absolutely beautiful. The exhibits are all scientific, which isn't necessarily my favorite but it was still really cool. The dinosaur exhibit was especially fun.

The inside of the Natural History Museum with a statue of Darwin in the back.

One of the last things we saw was the "Giant Sequoia." It's a section of a giant tree that was cut down in California in the 1880's, if I remember correctly. It began growing in 550, so it was incredible. We walked up the stair and Jill or I made a comment about going to check out "the big tree." We both chuckled until we found the plaque below. Apparently the tree is known as the big tree, which amuses me very much.

Giant Sequoia.

After a while at the museum we headed home and just hung out for a bit. Then we headed in to the kitchen to cook french fries and plan our 10 day trip. In the middle of our term we have 10 days to travel and explore this part of the world. Jill and I are travelling together to Wales and Scotland. Planning a trip, buying tickets and booking hostels is incredibly difficult and stressful. We spent a lot of time sitting in the kitchen trying to figure everything out. Looking at our plans, it doesn't seem like we got that much done but I am thoroughly exhausted. So, here are our plans so far!

Fri 14 Feb : 1pm train leaves for Fishguard, Wales. Arrive and check in to hostel.
Sat 15 Feb: Day in Fishguard.
Sun 16 Feb: Day in Fishguard.
Mon 17 Feb: 1am train leaves for London (with change at 3am). 3pm plane leaves for Edinburgh.                      Arrive and check in to hostel.
Tues 18 Feb: Day in Edingburgh.
Wed 19 Feb: Day tour of the Highlands with Haggis Adventures.
Thurs 20 Feb: Day in Edingburgh.
Fri 21 Feb: Day in Edingburgh.
Sat 22 Feb: 11am plane leaves for London.

I am so excited and I know that Jill and I are going to have a great time. If anyone has any suggestions for what we should do on our free days in Wales and Scotland, please leave me a comment We would really love some help!!

Tonight I'm a little homesick. Trivia starts tonight at Lawrence. For those or you who don't know what Trivia is, it's a crazy 50 straight hours of trivia and one of my favorite things about Lawrence. I have loved playing Trivia for the past two years and this year my lovely Portia is a Trivia Master. So, obviously I'm a little bummed to be missing it. Luckily, I will be able to listen to it online and enjoy it from afar. Good luck to all the teams this year and I hope you have a great time!!