I can officially say that I am done with my junior year of college. Wow, that is completely surreal. I am a senior?! When did that happen? Besides for finishing up my final essays and handing them in, the end of this week has been filled with little exciting activities.

Friday, I went with Chm and two of her flatmates to Greenwich. Our sole mission of the trip was to find the Prime Meridian and stand in two hemispheres at once. Beating the rain and staying dry, we quickly boarded the train for a short ride to Greenwich. Once there, we effortlessly followed signed for the Royal Observatory, walked through the Greenwich Park, and climbed the hill. There, we found the Prime Meridian and stood straddling the line. Mission Accomplished. It was a very Walk to Remember-esque when they stood in two states at once. At home, I have stood in two towns because the dividing line is in my friend’s front yard, but two hemispheres… that just sounds like a bigger accomplishment.

Giving the flatmates some time to themselves, I didn’t meet up with them again until Saturday night. That was when we had seder dinner for Passover, complete with matza pizza, soup, and a delicious apple crumb cake dessert. One of the girls is Jewish and cooked the feast for us! Since they all move out tomorrow, I spent the night there hanging out with the large group of them for the last time in London. That too is another surreal thing. They are going back home and I’m here for just under two more months! However, everyone is from the Northeast, so we’ll see if any reunions happen next year. I’m sure if Chm goes to visit anyone she’ll drag me along.

Now, it’s back to packing. It seriously is the part of traveling that I could do without. Twelve days is a long time period to fit into one carry on size bag!

Lectures and seminars are over, I have one paper left to write, and the majority of my friends are close to being done with their traveling. How on earth did the end of the term creep up on us all?! The past two weeks have been busy ones, but busy ones around London. It has been nice to be able to spend a solid amount of time in this city while having some friends visit. Finally, they got to see my home for the semester.

The first weekend of the month, Chm and I had the chance to meet up with Alyssa and her friend from home. I meet them at Tate Modern before going out to dinner. Although it was great to see Alyssa, it was also a relief that I didn’t have to play tour guide that weekend. We were able to hang out, catch up, and eat at my favorite “American” food restaurant. I seem to end up taking every visitor there.

Over the course of the next week I spent a good amount of time writing papers. I never realized how much I would rather take a test. Studying is far less time consuming than paper writing, for me at least. The one good thing about papers is that you can do it on your own schedule where as exams you have to be present at a certain time. However, getting yourself motivated to sit and write when there are so many other things you could be doing is the real trick. I don’t think I have mastered that either…

This past weekend was the big Jefferson visit to London! Mara, Kristen, Kathleen, and Susanne all came from different parts of Ireland to visit Chm and me. On Thursday I picked them up from Heathrow, having a Love Actually moment where they ran into my arms. Too bad we all didn’t jump on to the tube in time! Mara and I just had to loop around to pick them back up, oops! It was just like dejavu in Rome when Jen and Melissa didn’t have time to get off the Metro! I took them back to Chm’s flat to drop off their bags before going out to dinner at, once again, my favorite “American” place. Luckily, Chm’s intership meeting was shorter than she anticipated so she was there to greet us when we arrived back with our special surprise to make our own milk shakes! We saw them on the menu, and just couldn’t resist but we weren’t willing to pay the price. After some catch up time, Kathleen and I headed to Harrow since there weren’t quite enough beds at her flat.

Making our way to meet the others in the morning, I brought our visitors for a walk along the Thames past St. Paul’s, Tate Modern, and the Globe down South Bank to Borough Market. Of course no trip to Borough Market would be complete without a chocolate brownie! Encountering a downpour of hail we decided to head back to the flat to rework our plan and meet up with Chm who just got out of work. Luckily, by the time we go back there the sun was out! Taking a quick break, we were back out showing them more of the city. Our first stop, Trafalgar Square, was where we finally climbed the lions. Let’s just say getting up on the base isn’t an issue, but getting on the lions is quite tricky and terrifying! Chm was quite a bit more scared than I was, surprising because of my whole dislike for heights. Luckily, having a large group made it much easier with people to give you boosts and pull you up. It is just one of those London things I felt like I needed to do! En route to Big Ben we stopped at the Horse Guard Parade to take the typical pictures with the perfectly still soldiers. Unknowingly, it was also time for the changing of the guard there! Perfect timing! Next, we walked through St. James Park where we met some friendly squirrels and pelicans all on our way to see Buckingham Palace. Sadly, the Queen wasn’t home and Kathleen’s hopes for having tea with her were shattered. But, our next stop outside Westminster Abbey perked her up a bit. She recreated Joey the “going into the map” scene from Friends. After photos of Big Ben we walked around by the Eye waiting for sunset (which was taking far too long after the time changed). Without waiting any longer we rode the London Eye, this time the sky was perfectly blue and I could see all the way to Wembley Stadium. It was much nicer having a feel where everything was in the city rather than riding it my first week in London, certainly the clear sky helped too. Heading back to Chm’s for dinner and the evening, we were all happy to be surrounded by friends from Jefferson…and soon to be Beckett!

Saturday we began our day by taking the typical phone booth photos. Chm had seen a grouping of three over by her university so we headed there to escape the busy streets (and thousands of people awkwardly staring at us). Once on the tube, we headed for King’s Cross to attempt to get through Platform 9 3/4. Muggles must have seen us because we weren’t able to get all the way through! Heading to Portobello Road we got delicious crepes and walked around a bit before encountering another downpour of hail. Thankfully we were right by a shop close to the tube so we were able to round the corner without getting too soaked. But once again, by the time we got off the tube at Harrods, the sun was back out. Apparently my other trips to Harrods weren’t up to par because we wandered through so much of that store that I didn’t even know existed… including a pet shop! Back at the flat we once again cooked dinner and hung out Chm’s flatmates for the night. More were around than we expected because some of their plans for Paris were booked incorrectly. However, it was an extremely fun night with the Ireland girls. We tried to get into O’Neils (which had a cover for the first time ever…lame!) and then went to Waxy O’Connors by Leicester Square. We momentarily lost K and Kristen in McDonalds and later Kristen had a little encounter with the sidewalk. Let’s just say this night was filled with memories.

Up too early for our liking, we got ready to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham. Due to the rain and London Marathon we didn’t see much guard changing, but we were there when an American runner broke the record for the US! Seeing some of the winners run past the last bend, we headed to Tower Bridge before the rain picked up again. We ate lunch, some girls getting fish and chips, before attempting the jumping photos. This is a thing that Mara, Kristen, and Susanne have done in every country they visited except their first trip, Scotland. This weekend we had a chance to join in on the hilarity. Before walking across Tower Bridge we got ice cream! Our next stop was Oxford Street for some souvenir shopping. This made me realize how many London things I really want to buy! Then we went to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park before calling it a day and going home to our pasta and blueberry buckle!

Kristen, Mara, and Susanne were up early to catch their flight and Chm when to work, so K and I slept in before getting on the tube and parting ways. It was a really, really fun weekend with them. It was the first time I really got to show off my city for the semester and they all seemed to thoroughly enjoy it! And it didn’t rain nearly as much as it did when we were all together in Galway and Rome. Right off the bat that makes everyone have a much more enjoyable time. I guess I’ve perfected my tour guide skills for when Beth comes next month! But for now, its back to procrastinating my last paper of my study abroad term and junior year before heading off to Spain and France!

So, March is over?! And tomorrow is my last day of lectures?! When did April get here and how did March pass so quickly?! I knew it was coming but it passed even quicker than expected. Besides for going to lectures and seminars, I took a free tour of the BBC Television studio on Wednesday and I spend this past weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland visiting a friend who graduated Stonehill last June and is currently finishing up grad school at the University of Edinburgh.

Getting on an early Friday morning train at King’s Cross, Hannah, another Harrow student, and I began the four and a half hour ride up Great Britain. The weekend had a Harry Potter theme and fittingly so did its London beginning even though we didn’t depart from Platform 9¾. Arriving in Edinburgh at lunch time, Duffy greeted us at the Station and began our walking tour of the city en route to his flat. While walking through New Town to get to Old Town and back to his flat, Duffy showed us some spots off the beaten path. Our first stop was to see Dolly the cloned sheep who is stuffed and unnecessarily rotating in a glass box in a museum. Then he took us though the University of Edinburgh’s campus. In one of the university buildings we saw elephant bones and the largest jaw bone (of a blue whale) I have ever seen! He also brought us into the room he graduates in; completely grandeur is the only way to describe it. It sure isn’t the Stonehill SpoCo! Above one of the university building entrance doors is a relief sculpture that may be influenced JK Rowling’s creation of the Sorting Hat. When Edinburgh students graduate, a piece of extremely old cloth is placed over their heads. Once back at his flat, reminiscing about Peru, and letting Hannah and Duffy get acquainted, we set back out to see more of the city. We walked to the Edinburgh Castle (attempting to get in for free) and minding not to step on the heart in the sidewalk on our way, visited a graveyard and castle that Hogwarts may be based upon, and saw a real pirate working in a shop! After stopping for food, we continued our personal walking tour climbing Calton Hill where the Observatory, Nelson’s Monument, and a Scottish-Greek Parthenon was started to be built then halted due to lack of funds. While walking there, it began to rain but five minutes later, the sun was shinning and a double rainbow crossed the sky. The rainbow ended on a house—I wonder what is hidden in there! Wasting a little time before we were to meet up with some of Duffy’s friends at the Blind Poet, we saw the Queen’s Palace and the horribly designed Parliament building with bamboo and elements looking referential to guns. Duffy’s university friends welcomed us in and invited us to a rugby match at the Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh versus Cardiff Blues. The Welsh team won. Stopping at a Chipper after the match, I tried some authentic Scottish food, haggis. After walking all over in search of somewhere ‘suitable’ to go, we ended up walking back to his flat where we just hung out and talked for a good majority of the night. Even though he and Hannah had just met, nothing was awkward and they were getting along great! A big relief to me, the middle man. Giving up his bed and a lot of blankets (one thing I miss from my Stonehill bed!) for Hannah and I, he slept out in the sitting room on the pull out couch when we had the big bed! I love how I haven’t had to resort to the floor when visiting anyone yet!

Our goal for Saturday was to climb Arthur’s Seat which is in Holyrood Park next to the Salisbury Crags and thankfully the weather held out for us! I guess when I over pack and bring the necessary rain gear, the weather decides I don’t need it! I should have learned that two weeks earlier. So, climbing… we pretty much took the path directly up the side of the mountain/hill/cliff-ish mound. Midway to the flatter top portion I started to freak due to the sheer height and fierce wind. With a lot of reassurance and faith, we kept climbing upwards. 250.5 meters later we had made it to the top of Arthur’s Seat! Holding on for dear life and not getting to close to the edge, I reveled in the accomplishment. It was an adventure because despite the numerous times Duffy climbed it he had never taken that path before. However, we did take the easier, but longer, path down all the while being passed by world class cross country runners and middle aged hikers bounding up and down the hill. Then we meandered, sore feet and all, to the Mosque where we had a good, cheap lunch. After having our fill, we headed for the National Gallery of Scotland. Finally, someone that I could let out my art history dork-ness with. In London when I go to museums and galleries no one really talks when walking though the different rooms. This was a well welcomed change filled with stimulating, interesting, and engaging conversation! Of course, the impressionist rooms were my favorite, but that was a giveaway. After an exhausting morning we had intended to go to The Elephant House but being to busy from all of the Harry Potter hype, we went to another tea house which is rumored to be JK Rowling’s new spot. Upon resting our feet and getting warm, the sky was growing darker by the second. We determined it would be the perfect afternoon for a nap! Ok, you might not expect to go to another country, take an over an hour long group nap, play the ‘who is the most relaxed’ game, and then proceed to sit in the same room for over 10 full hours just talking and listening to music. Oh, but we did. After waking up, that is Hannah, Duffy, his flatmate Dave, and I, after over an hour nap we just sat and talked. While Dave went to the library, we didn’t budge an inch. It was a group where we could say whatever, the topics flowed from one to the other and there was never really a dull moment. At some point, Duffy cooked dinner because we gave all hope of putting our shoes back on to venture out to get food. And of course the clock change provided the time to fly past even more quickly. Next thing we knew it was 5am and we were still in the sitting room, drinking tea, listening to music and the boys playing the guitar, and just talking. It was just one of those comfortable, relaxing evenings.

After too few hours of sleep, we were once again up trying to plan our final day in Edinburgh. Originally, Duffy was supposed to have baseball practice (Yes, Edinburgh has a baseball team. And yes, he is probably the best on the team considering its status as an American sport). But to our advantage, it was cancelled and our tour guide was still around for the early afternoon! It was time for the traditional tourist shopping and in the mean time we took a few more photos while walking on the Royal Mile. After making our purchases, we headed back to The Elephant House. Now, this isn’t any tea house. It is THE place where JK Rowling sat in the back sitting room with a view onto the Edinburgh Castle and a graveyard while she wrote Harry Potter. Due to this little fact, the place is overrun with tourists at certain times of the day and with students and writers at others. We each got a pot of tea, something I have grown to love during my time abroad. Similar to Rowling’s writing, we ‘read’ our tea leaves just like Ron and Harry did! The Elephant House was just very relaxed and chill, very comfortable. Maybe that is why Rowling liked it so much! And it definitely had a great pot of tea! With a couple hours left in the Scottish city, we walked through the Princes Street Garden to see a home that literally is IN the park with a great view of the castle. On our way back to Duffy’s flat we walked up and down a million stairs due to the different ‘layers’ and built in bridges of the city. On minute you will thing you are at ground level then step past a building and notice you are actually on a bridge with another street level below! We stopped en route for another traditional Scottish food. It is no wonder the Scottish have such high heart attack rates—the fry everything from pizza and cheeseburgers to hot dogs and haggis. Those didn’t appeal to us so we had a fried battered Mars bar! It was delicious with all the melted chocolate but I felt like I was slowing digesting my death. Collecting our bags and stopping at Tesco for some train food, we headed to Waverly to say see you later to Duffy (who is coming to London in a few weeks to stay with other Stonehill grads). I love how Stonehill is all over Europe!

What I loved about Edinburgh was the eased pace of life. I’m sure it was a combination of the people I spent the weekend with as well as the city itself. People get where they need to be, but the hustle and bustle is nothing to the extent of London. This isn’t a slight against London as I am extremely thankful for its myriad of activities, but the calmer, more relaxed pace of life in Edinburgh is something I could easily and swiftly adjust too. It is a city, so there are things too do and see, but overall if it is rainy outside you don’t feel bad just staying indoors and hanging out listening to music.