Back to the hustle and bustle of America, and loving it.

Last night in Oxford

It's my last night in Oxford until 2009. Tomorrow I return to NIH to finish the remainder of my DPhil. I will miss backgammon games at the Royal Oak, afternoon tea time, the endless miles of centuries old architecture, and of course my amazing friends in Oxford and London. Today I had a pretty good last hurrah that started out in London with scones and clotted cream, followed by a curry lunch, a spot of tea, a shot of whiskey, four freshly fried donuts, and an exciting ride on "Chaos" at the St. Giles Fair in Oxford.

I suppose I'm packed and ready for tomorrow's next big adventure. It will be an early 5am rise.

The fair is coming!

The Oxford St. Giles' Fair is back! All of St. Giles St., from St. Giles church to the Martyr's Memorial was blocked to traffic today to set up. You know what this means? Bumper cars, roller coaster, fun house, ghost train, helter skelter, the twister, waltzer, cotton candy, popcorn, and SCARY CARNI's! The St. Giles's Fair has been taking place in Oxford since the 17th century. I'm just hoping that they've upgraded the rides since then...

St. Giles Fair 1895:A few photos from my walk home today:

Bring on the fun!

Just in time for football!

I can't wait to watch USC football in realtime!

Bath

Bath is my new favorite city in England! As an impromptu mini vacation, Chelsea and I traveled to Bath this weekend. In addition to the Roman baths, the Georgian architecture was incredible. I would highly recommend Bath as a travel destination for anyone visiting England.

The Royal Crescent:

Bath Abby:

The Roman baths:

How to Make a Cup of Tea

Thanks to the English, I now have an obsession with tea. By obsession, I mean more than just the addition of a daily cup to my morning routine. My kitchen counter is decorated with a variety of teas, and I have become quite particular about when and how to prepare each type. For instance, a "rushed" early weekday morning (aka 11am) would involve an eye opening cup of classic Twining's english breakfast (tea bag in a cup) plus a dash of milk. A slower more relaxed morning calls for tasty black english caramel or black chocolate mint looseleaf tea with a substantial helping of 1% milk. The weekend and early afternoon involves a bit of green tea, steeped at cooler temps. For a relaxing late afternoon on a cool English day, some wonderfully fragrant jasmine dragon pearls (compliments of Cheryl and Amy) hit the spot! Each night I wind the evening down with decaf tea, usually of the herbal mint, lemon, or rose variety. It is amazing how much joy one can get from the prospect of a warm drink on a chilly English day. Friends are always welcome to pop on by for a cup and a chat. Usually a cookie is part of the deal. Although a scone, jam, and clotted cream make for tasty perfection.

The Lemons visit Oxford

Last weekend, Amy and Cheryl visited Oxford as part of their exciting whirlwind tour of the UK and Ireland. Now that they both live in NYC, we usually only see each other at Christmas time when the "Chaotic Lemons" return home to Orange County for the holidays. It was great catching up with them Saturday and Sunday and meeting Amy's cousin Paul who is also a graduate of Oxford.

Tea time! "Enjoying" the English weather and taking a break between the Oxford botanical gardens and the Oxford natural history museum (sadly the Pitt Rivers museum is closed for renovation until 2009).

Half pints at The Bear.

Also on the evening's agenda:
A brief stop at Eagle and Child, gin rummy at the Turf Tavern, and scrabble at the Royal Oak.

What's a visit to Oxford without a view of the "dreaming spires?"

The View

The view from my apartment. I spend a lot of time looking out this window...

Return to Oxford

I am back in Oxford until mid-September. While stepping off the bus and onto the cobblestones of Gloucester Green square, I was greeted by a surprise. What a joy it was to see so many flower baskets lining the streets and walkways. The English love their gardens; this week, the summer gardens seemed to hug the streets.

Half Blood Prince

I'm ready for November.