This post was originally written in Oxford, but the internet logged me out before I could post it.
Sunday: Church was great. And then we hung out around the church, having fun, fireside prepping. Sunday is my play the piano all day day because I play most of the songs for the fireside. But it rocks. The members here are awesome. We also tend to run into the Elders a lot. One of them stalked out Sydney's stuff and left her a pass-along card with his name and an invitation to look him up on MySpace. So she promptly called her boyfriend, who did. John Bennion also suggested sending the pass-along card back via the mission president. :) The next day we once again ran into the same Elders in Stratford. Then we saw Elders again today in Oxford, but they were different ones this time.
Monday: Um...we went to Shakespeare's mommy's house. Her name was Mary Arden and I got to hold an owl on my arm after it flew to me. And then we hiked to Stratford. And saw Julius Caesar done by the...RSC! ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY! we either loved it or hated it. I was of the positive opinion, although it creeped me out, but that's kinda what the tragedies are supposed to do. Ah. Loved it loved it loved it. Can't wait to see As You Like It there later. It was also Bentley's birthday, so some of us went out for a nice meal before the play.
Tuesday: Shakespeare Day. Started out with the birthplace and then moved on to the other Shakespeare houses, except New Place, because it's not really a house anymore because some dumb guy got tired of the tourists in like the 1750s and tore it down. But you can see where it was and go into his granddaughter's husband's house. But I got to walk on the same ground Shakespeare did! Hooray! I was giggling all the way through his house. Also, we're in B&Bs there in Stratford and here in Oxford, so it was just Tina and me in a cute little pretty room. And yes, I no longer believed in commas for that sentence.
Wednesday: Class in the park (I think this was the first day that it didn't rain at all. Wonderful) followed by a coach ride to Blenheim Palace, during which I talked to John Bennion about my paper. Blenheim was beautiful. It's the birthplace of Winston Churchill and just this outrageous house. I wouldn't like to live there, except for the Beauty and the Beast library contained within. And the grounds. The gardens are beautiful. Christine, my best friend on the trip who is my soul mate and I love her so much, and I just wandered around for a long time until we had to hop on the bus to head to Oxford, where we went to Christ's Church, one of the 38 (I think) colleges here that form Oxford University and also where Harry Potter's Great Hall scenes were filmed/inspired by. We went to Evensong, which was a better experience than in York too.
Today we had an insider's view of Oxford getting into places like the Old Library in St. Mary's beacuse we had a student tour guide. I don't have much time left, so I'll say more later, but just know that I love you all.
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