Coming on autumn in London

I put my partner-in-crime on the tube to Heathrow today, and will be home soon myself. London, and England more generally, has been much more about visiting friends and family than ticking off the sights or taking lots of photos. I feel this strange mixture of jaded - but not in a snobby way - and amazed. The summer has gone so fast, and I am slowly realizing that I can't possibly process all of the information I've gathered. If it is possible to be overloaded by the new, I feel that way. And then again, London is a comfortable place - nearly the same language, some familiar sights, uncomplicatedly friendly people. So perhaps it's less about not being able to process things than being comfortable and a little bit careless about absorbing every bit of information I can. I've got a head cold, in any case, so I'll ask for a bit of leeway.

Kolz and I took a quick train trip to York on Saturday, visited with my old professors (finally met their families!) and said hello to the Minster. I have been so wistful about hearing the particular way that the bells there chime the hour, and having cream tea at Betty's. Just riding the train up from London was nice. It was strange to be back, with some distance -- the uni really is far from everything, and it was a lonely time back then, but the city is still beautiful and a comfort to me. Kolz hadn't been there since he was a wee lad (he he) and was stoked to visit the Jorvik Viking Centre, home of animatronic Vikings telling the medieval history of York. Complete with authentic smells and sounds of the Middle Ages. Thankfully he was mostly kidding, and willing to indulge my need for cream tea above his interest in the new and improved animatronic Vikings. Whew. We had a nice walk around the Minster, looked at the bosses (decorative plasterwork on the cathedral ceiling that hides where the Gothic arches don't quite meet perfectly), and then tromped around the oldest section of the city wall. I started to remember all of the other things you can do in Yorkshire, but hopefully I'll be back again soon, and with more time.

In any case, it was lovely, but we realized in talking then that we hadn't posted anything about England or London -- we're still catching up on Berlin. I agree mostly with Kolz's posts about the city, though my comment on the complexities of Berlin history would doubtless be more long-winded. It was great to get to run around together, and the last blast of summer heat there certainly made the cool of Oxford and London a welcome change. I remain excited about the possibilities of going back to Germany to do work.

It really does feel like autumn here - and I left my jacket in Berlin (doh). England is always a bit cool and unpredictable, weather-wise, in my mind and memory, so this fits. As different as it is here from New York, it does seem like a way to ease back into life there.

I've had to set this aside and pick back up again, after spending literally the whole afternoon watching the 3rd season of 'Alias' with Kolz's cousin (we're both under the weather, and so I am unapologetic about my poor use of time in London). Such an odd end to our big trip, and strange to be ending it separately and at different times. Safe travels for all.

Oh, and I'm sure he's still got something in the works on the rest of Berlin, and if you haven't looked in a while, scroll around...we've loaded lots of photos!