Nutmeg's Misadventures

Since my roommate Dezi turned 20 yesterday, we decided to make her birthday special! What a birthday right! To spend it in London. So we went on a nice little outing to this tea place called The Orangery. It's next to Kensington Palace in Kensington Gardens. It was a nice proper place to settle in for some tea. It's one of those places that if you laugh or talk too loud, it echoes, and people stare at you. This was my fresh mint tea. I originally wanted peppermint, but they didn't have it that day. There was literally, mint leaves in there! It was pretty gross though. Camille got rose bud tea which tasted delicious. If I go again, for sure getting that! They had REAL baby orange tress on each table! And Dezi was really excited about it. Happy Birthday Dez!!!!!!

This has been a very exciting experience for me. I've felt a dynamic range of emotions from one moment to the next. Instead of simply listing them all, I thought I could better demonstrate with a little presentation. I want to be, where the Britons are Wanna see, wanna see 'em dancing strutting along in those . . . . what's that word again? Oh! Wellies! Way too conspicuous to be allowed outside my flat. A little stressed. Really homesick :( Very disoriented. Like I'm not doing anything right. Flat out exasperated with the world! Dazzled like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. Excited at the possibilities. Gorged like Augustus Gloop. Sassy and Stylish. Like everyone here is cute, I just don't know what they're saying!!! Does that need explanation? Apprehensive. Like Alice in Wonderland. Curiouser and curiouser . . . . . Surprised and grateful for the random, kind stranger. Like I'm in an intense Harry Potter craze!!! Like I'm about to die! Like I'm see...

At the beginning of day three, we visited Blenheim Palace, where some Duke lives (do you see how my touristy zeal has gone down exponentially? Being a tourist can be very tiring!) There are two main attractions to this palace: 1) the beautiful grounds 2) this was where Winston Churchill was born! And here is a lovely rose garden. It smelled quite nice, just how you would imagine a rose garden to smell. I think this is my favorite rose of them all. I like the roses that have a blend of different colors. I also like black roses, but they didn't have any in this garden ;) Then we happened to stumble upon this lovely waterfall! Over an incredibly beautiful stream. My group raced sticks like they did in Winnie the Pooh. After admiring the lily pads, we went up and climbed a tree that was extended over the stream. I couldn't remember the last time I had climbed a tree. I was in a state of bliss. Next we visited the little town of Oxford (you may have heard of it). Prepare yourselves ...