Days 19, 20, 21, and 22

It's been a moderately busy few days for me over on this side of the pond. Sunday was just like any other Sunday, except that we had a Munch 'n Mingle after church. These Brits know how to munch! The mingling was all right, but let's focus on the munch. It is me, after all. There was so much food for a ward this small! And it was all FANTASTIC! Of course, the only things missing from the smorgasborg was some funeral potatoes, baked beans, and jello, green or otherwise. It was the best Sunday ever. Monday was uneventful as we sat in British Literature class, yet again focusing on T.S. Elliot, who has done nothing that I am especially fond of. He's not even British! He was born in Missouri! Just because he lived here forever we talk about him, and it's at trial for me every time. Tuesday I went with some girls to the Tower of London, which was really fun! The only disappointing part was that the city has turned it into such a tourist place that it is difficult to imagine all of the things that happened there actually happening. But we took a guided tour with one of the warders and that was the best part of all. Then a bunch of us went to see The Sound of Music at the Palladian. It was one of the best moments of my life! The actors were awesome, the sets were amazing, and the singing was phenominal. When the Mother Abbess (who was actually a very accomplsihed opera singer) went into Climb Ev'ry Mountain, I got chills like you wouldn't believe and she literally took my breath away. Tears were shed. Outstanding. Maybe I'll go again. Then today, Wednesday, we took a group day to Hampton Court. For those of you who don't know (and I assume that is most of you), Hampton Court was the palace of Henry VIII (you know, the fat one who like going through wives) and also the residence of William and Mary. Various other monarchs lived there, but those are the most famous. Because William and Mary did some expansion work, half of the palace is Tudor style (Henry) and half is Boroque (Will and Mary). "And if it's not Boroque, don't fix it!" Hahaha...haha...ha...heh. Hmm. Bad joke. Sorry. The entire palace was amazing and very VERY well preserved. It was one of the coolest places I have seen yet, and I apologize, but there were no picture-taking allowed inside.
We have a free weekend here, and a ball on Saturday night. No joke, a real one. With posh frocks as a requirement. I'm excited! And ladies and gents, I just found out 30 seconds ago that some of our girls saw Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson today as they were filming something and they have the pictures to prove it. Amazing, unreal, not fair.

Our warder at the Tower. He was an entertainer of the highest order!

Tower of London outer walls. So cool!

This reminded me of Beauty and the Beast. "Bonjour!"

The Tower of London. Where many people died, mostly by beheading. Ick. And yet...

Hampton Court. Carlos was rude and walked through on purpose. Oh well.

Golden Arch of leaves at Hampton Court. Honestly, can you blame me?

Contemplating on the footbridge at Hampton Court. Romantic....

Swans in the Long Water. Swans may look elegant and graceful, but they growl. Really. It's terrifying.

Looking like a dork in one of the oldest and most well-known hedge mazes in the world. It was pretty cool, and, don't worry, I had my wand with me at all times to send up red sparks if I got into trouble.

So pretty! Flower tunnel at Hampton Court. Should lead somewhere awesome, right? WRONG! Totally leads to the toilets. Go figure.