last minute thoughts: reprise.

"Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane,
Don't know when I'll be back again..."
-John Denver

I'm about to sleep in my Kingston bed for the last time. I just finished packing up the last of my things, and managed to fit everything I've bought on my shopping spree in the past few days! (Well, almost. I did put a few things in one of Morgan's suitcases). The flight reservations are confirmed, a taxi is scheduled to pick us up tomorrow morning, and everything is all set for my return to the states. Oh, bittersweet. I don't feel ready to leave this wonderful country, but it will be nice to see my family. I wish I could just have a week at home to visit and get some American food before heading back here for another semester or year.

At least I've had a fantastic week here to end the semester. Our last two days were full of adventures! Yesterday we made it to Buckingham Palace just in time for the Changing of the Guards. There were zillions of people there, so it was hard to see, but eventually we squeezed our way into a spot. It was similar to the ceremony that I saw at Windsor Castle, but obviously on a larger scale. We then headed over to Leicester Square to buy tickets for one last West End show, and then off to Hard Rock Cafe for some lunch. London's Hard Rock was the first ever to be opened. It actually started off as a fluke, when Eric Clapton insisted on having a table saved for him at his favorite restaurant, so they hung one of his guitars over the table. Another rock legend (I forget the name) walked into the restaurant, saw the guitar, and sent in his own with a note saying "mine's as good as his!". Interesting tidbit of information for you. We went over to the wax museum after lunch, but the line was so long that we decided not to bother, and went straight to the London Eye instead. The eye was fun, and the views over the city were pretty good despite the overcast weather. Did I mention that we had warmth and sunshine all week long until yesterday? Pretty impressive stretch of good weather for London. Last night we met up with Kaitlin at the King's Tun for a few drinks, and then Morgan and I went across the street to Oceana. I thought she needed to experience the neon colored tutus that are always out in abundance there. It was a fun time, and we met two adorable English girls that we spent a lot of the night with.

Today we went into London for the last time. This morning we went on an interactive tour of Drury Theatre, the first West End theatre dating back to the 17th century. It was a bit cheesy, but informative and fun. We walked through Covent Garden market to waste some time, and I finally found a couple of small London paintings to add to my collection. I plan on having a kickass wall in my room next year with the paintings I've gotten from all over Europe and my football scarves. Then we went to see another musical: We Will Rock You! I'm not even sure how to describe the show. In one word: bizarre. It was the most "far out" musical I've ever seen, and parts of it were so campy that I couldn't believe I was enjoying it, but the music was so amazing that it was impossible not to have fun. Take Queen songs, fantastic arrangements, and a few leads that rocked out with spectacular voices, and the ludicrous storyline didn't get in the way of a few standing ovations and the entire audience singing and clapping along to the last few songs. Sure, it was no Jersey Boys, but it was a lot of fun. After a bit of souveneir shopping, we hopped on the train back to Kingston and met Kaitlin and Maggie at Tops for one last pizza night before I had to say goodbye.

As it was in January when I was getting ready to leave the states, it hasn't actually hit me that I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Therefore I really have nothing else to write about at the moment, because I feel like tomorrow is just another day in foggy Kingston. Maybe I'll waste some time on the plane with another post if it actually clicks in my mind that I'm on my way home.

Until then, I'm going to dream away my last night in England. Tomorrow, it's time to puddle hop. Farewell, my dear Londontown.