Cheerio from London!

So I've been in London for a week now and it's absolutely magnificent, as were Switzerland and Paris. Switzerland was more beautiful than I ever gave it credit for. I looked out of my bedroom window at the Swiss Alps and two beautiful waterfalls running down them. We hiked up one mountain, and I promise, it was hardly a leisurely stroll. If I don't look like a track star by the time I'm through here I will be highly upset. We stayed in Switzerland two nights and left for Paris on Saturday morning. We got there Saturday night and I was a little apprehensive; I still wasn't quite sure about all this Paris business. However, it turned out to be quite beautiful and very comfortable. We stayed at a cool hostel and saw the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in our one day. We did some shopping, but alas, my body isn't made for the fabulous european clothes. (My shopping efforts have been highly unsuccessful until yesterday, I did get a dress in London)
We arrived here in London around 6:00 Monday evening. On the trek from the station to the hostel, laden with our enormous backpacks and travel bags, we ran into some fresh MC girls in all their cute new clothes that they haven't been wearing, febreezing, and handwashing for a month...we felt very cosmopolitan. All our woes were alleviated when we saw our rooms. Each lady gets her own room: her own bed, her own desk, her own closet, her own chest of drawers, her own bedside table, her own sink. There is a laundry room with machines downstairs and free detergent to boot. This place is a palace.

We kicked off the stay with some fan. tastic. theatre. We saw Billy Elliot and it was one of the finest productions I've ever seen. I've never cried so much over a work of theatre in my life. You must go see it. The next day we went to the National Gallery and saw artwork from the early Italian frescos up to Van Gogh. We saw Phantom of the Opera two nights ago and have tickets to see Waiting for Godot (starring PATRICK STEWART AND SIR IAN MCCELLAN. I WILL MEET PATRICK STEWART AND SIR IAN MCCELLAN) next Saturday. We actually got to meet the Phantom, dream come true, after the show. He liked my scarf. And my smile. Oh yeah, he dug me.

We're all having a great time; it's really nice to actually speak the language in a country, and really makes you appreciate your own. I can't wait to see you all in a couple of weeks!