Horns up across the Pond!!!

We are off to the American Sports bar to start getting ready to see UT beat OU. The Longhorn spirit survives in this strange town. Hook 'em!

Prague then Hook 'em

We are headed to Prague until Friday and then back to London to watch the UT beat OU with the London Texas Exs. Its a good thing I brought some burnt orange!

British Birthday

Yay for Birthdays!!! My birthday was very fun here in London. Although it rained almost the entire day, I don't care. We have been going out alot since it is our first week all together here. We didn't have class last week, so that was all the more reason, or so we thought... There are alot of people with birthdays right around mine. So all the more celebrating. Kim bought us all some flare for the birthdays which made us quite a spectacle, but that is what birthdyas are for, right? I am, quite frankly, birthday-ed out at this point. BUT I do need some cake. I have not yet had a birthday cake. So this is a necessity that I will be tracking down this week.

London is very rainy, if anyone was wondering. I would have to say that it rains at least once a day, usually more, and coupled with the cold wind, it is less than pleasant. It could be bright and sunny one minute and then pouring rain the next. I learned quickly to never leave home without an umbrella. I have not learned the less on about wearing closed toed shoes and not flip flops yet. I always have been hard headed.

Here's to birthdays (and to the fact that they only come once a year!)...

Re-Cap

Ok, now. I am incredibly sorry for the lack of posts. It was very hard to formulate my thoughts in an internet cafe. Now I am all settled in in London and have an internet connection all to myself (hooray).

Before we get into soggy ole England, lets re-cap. Kim got to Pisa on a Wednesday. After she caught up on her rest and adjusted a little, we went to Florence for the day. We figured out the train system and had a lovely journey. As luck would have it, we were there on the 3rd Monday of the month which apparently means that most of the museums are CLOSED!!! Thats right, we did not get to see the Uffizzi, nor did we see all of Michelangelo's works in the Cathedral Museum. We did see how beautiful the city was and we enjoyed ourselves in spite of the closures. We had every intention of returning before our trip was over, but time flies. To top off our lovely day, as we were sitting at an outdoor bistro having some wine after our return to Pisa, a bee stings me. Can you believe it? Me either. But knowing Italians, they would probably say that it was good luck. Whenever something bad or gross happens to you thats what they say.

Kim and I also travelled to Venice. It is incredible. Like a city, just ploped in the middle of the ocean. We rode in a gondola, very romantic (hehe). The whole time that I was there I felt like I was lost. The passageways are so narrow that you can't find landmarks, so you just wander through the labrynth until you find where you are going. There are no cars. But there are a freaking ba-jillion pigeons. If you know me well, you will be familiar with my fear of birds. So needless to say St. Mark's square was not a comfortable environment for me. Also, when we were walking over toward the square for the first time, Kim must have startled a pigeon walking in front of her, because it flew up and literally hit her in the face. I was stunned. Also, there are also way too many tourists. Other than that our trip to Venice was really great. We were definately relieved to be back on the train and headed to Pisa, but it is truely an amazing place.

My cousin, Piergeorgio, also took us by car to some very interesting and beautiful places around Tuscany. We went to a mountain town called Volterra. They are famous there for alabaster quarries. We also went to Siena. St. Catherine (of Siena) cathedral is a grand masterpiece. The marble workings are amazing.

Kim and I also went to the beach in Viareggio. It was very pretty. We spent the day at this beach cabana-type place that was reminiscent of the beach that the gang from Saved by the Bell worked at one summer. There was really no one around though since it was a weekday and the summer has ended. We drove through again on a sunday, I think and it was really crowded though. It was pretty neat to be looking out at the Mediteranean Sea.

Although Italy is so incredible, I was a little relieved to be leaving. It is hard to be a houseguest for over 3 weeks and to also feel pressured to travel and see everything. I am quite happy to be in London and all settled into my cozy little dorm room. I hope that all of you are doing well and apologize for being slow on email responses. I'll write some more soon. Cheers ;)