It's been two weeks since my last update. (Whoops). A lot has happened.
First, I'll finish relaying my London experience. On Frances' day off, we went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum and Platform 9 3/4! It was a misty, moisty morning, and for most of the afternoon we enjoyed a classic London drizzle. The Sherlock Holmes Museum was amazing. Firstly, because Frances and I got in for 2 pound less than the cost for adults (yes, we lied and said we were 16, but we're alway mistaken for that age so we might as well take advantage while we can...hehehe). Secondly, the house--probably dating back to the 1880s or so--is entirely furnished with antique gadgets and trinkets that would've been absolutely necessary for a 19th century detective. Literally, floor to ceiling, there were myriad magnifying glasses, scissors, storage vessels, books, pipes, miniature potion bottles, tweezers, feather pens, hats etc. There was also an odd collection of preserved animals and insects; the worst was a huge snake sitting in a window sill next to a giant boat in a bottle. All of the items in the house were purchased at auctions, and (best part) you could touch them (!), well, most of them. A lot of you know I have a horrible aching to touch things when I'm in museums, so this place was my tangible paradise.
We trekked through the rain (in our thin tennis shoes and block-colored rain coats) to Kings Cross Station; obviously, we were in pursuit of Platform 9 3/4! Frances got to ask (quite seriously) how to find Platform 9 3/4, which was a riot. It's located in a remote section of the train station, which makes sense I guess, because it can get pretty crowded with tourists. But we were lucky; there were hardly any people there! We ate a picnic lunch right across from the trolley that's disappearing into the wall. We got to watch as people trickled in and out to take their pictures underneath the famous sign. It felt pretty awesome to be there. Since I've read the books, visiting Harry Potter related areas has been a serious life goal, and now I can tick it off!
That night we left for Colchester, where Reg lives. Reg's parents are lovely and very welcoming, but what really made me feel right at home was being introduced to Reg's dogs, who are essentially the British versions of Gus and Rex! One is a huge greyhound named Alphie who looks more like a gazelle than a dog, and the other is a miniature daschund name Izzy! I couldn't believe it. Those dogs were so amazing; an unexpected comfort and extremely entertaining. Colchester is such a cute town. The streets are narrow and are lined with lampposts that have flowers hanging from them. There are lots of little tea shops and thrift stores and restaurants. We went to Colchester Castle (a Norman Castle built on top of Roman ruins) for an afternoon. Reg's dad works at the castle so we got an exclusive tour! We go to go on top of the roof, which meant climbing up the spiral staircases (windy and creepy) and crawling through tiny doors (no problem for me!). We could see the entire town from the roof top which was so neat! We had Indian food for dinner that night (always a good choice) and then headed over to a club called Yates, a "proper Essex club" according to Reg. All of the girls had really fancy clothes on and a lot of make-up (too much). So Frances and I stuck out like sore thumbs, not only because we were wearing jeans and t-shrits, but because we apparently we look really "American" when we dance. Ah well, it was still really fun.
The next weekend was super lame. I just did work because my attempt to rent a car for the weekend to explore Donegal and the west coast failed miserably.
BUT! I got the car for this weekend! Off to Donegal and beyond!
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