Well I leave for my trip to Wales tomorrow. I am going to post the rest of my pictures tonight and wipe the cards clean. (I will burn them to a disk, mom, because I know that you don't like to trust the internet or my hard drive) Before I go and have all of this taken out of my head by new info, I want to say a few things that surprised me about England in no particular order.

1. Too many Americans. Everywhere I go there are at least a dozen of them... and not just in touristy areas either. I am surprized that there is anyone left at home at all! I wonder if all the Americans overseas came home if the population would double or the country overflow?

2. The weather-- it is HOT here one day and raining the next but the sun always comes out at some point. It is odd.

3. The sun comes up so Bloody Early and goes down so late. Intellectually I know that England is very far North but the whole sun thing is throwing me off. I think that it is two and it is really six or I think it is six and it is really nine.

4. Everything, I mean EVERYTHING in Oxford closes between 5 and 6. Restaurants stop serving at 7:30. At home, there are restaurants that dont even open til 6. It drives me nuts! Combine this with number three and you have major problems!

5. Dogs. There are dogs everywhere. People bring them with them everywhere. The bums on the street have them, little old ladies have them in their hand baskets while shopping for clothes. It is crazy. And unless you see them you dont know that they are there because I have yet to hear one bark.

6. Diversity. I hear more languages while walking down Cornmarket street than I have heard in my life.

7. They sell the same crap here that they do at home. Everything is the same except the words are spelled wrong and the price has a funny "L" thing in front of it instead of a funny "S" thing. I keep seeing stuff we sell in our shop at home.

8. Thongs. They are everywhere. Lurking on everyone. Turn around on the street an the person in front of you suddenly has low riding pants and a hi riding top and a butterfly thong emerging from the jellyrolls around her middle. Or sheer pants. That just isnt pleasant folks! Really it isnt!

9. Sheer clothing on people who shouldnt be wearing it. Or just sheer clothing in general. "nothanksI'drathernotseeyourunderwear" or "ohmygodIamgoingblind! PUTSOMECLOTHESON!" either way, not fun.

10. Ice, or the lack thereof. Nothing is cold here. Beer is warm... that is ok. Soda, however should not be warm. Soda should have ice in it. Too much ice in it so you can crunch on it. Bah!

There were more but I can't think of them right now...

It will be at least Monday before I blog again so just hold your horses and you will all hear about Wales and my adventures on the way, there, and back.