another day at EXACTLY greenwich mean time

just so you can see it: a link to westminster abbey 360-degree views. click on ''panoramic views'' and then click the small links under the map to get a feel for the place. if you care. if not, ride on. :)

so today = another so-so day in london. how sad. i'm in one of the biggest/most famous cities in the world and it bores me.

we leave for home tomorrow. i don't think i've ever been so glad to be going home. not that our trip has been bad at all, but it seems like well over a month when...yesterday was here. and i am having trouble remembering entire days, entire castles, etc.

i don't know how far we walked today in our futile search for good souvenirs. here is our Epiphany of the Day: london is not cultural. it's just like america, only they talk a little differently and have a longer history. ok, a longer and somewhat cooler history. the history seems to be pretty much what sets them apart. on the other hand, in scotland/ireland/wales, we were able to buy very cool stuff that was cultural and cool, because they had these distinct cultures that carried over into the present. here, all the souvenirs are either little statues or keychains of fuzzy-hat guys, big ben, the london eye, and the tower bridge; and a hundred thousand t-shirts and baseball caps that say MIND THE GAP; and of course pens, postcards, shot classes, and red metal telephone booth coin-banks. not exactly the cultural/unique assortment i was looking for. but it is sunday and i think a lot of the cute little stores we wanted to visit were closed. tomorrow morning we're going to The Map Store. probably one of the coolest places i've seen so far (at least from the outside).

things we did do today:

• ate ice cream that was actually frozen whipped cream (so deceptive)
• went to the ''famous'' places called picadilly circus and oxford street which are supposed to be good shopping streets (that means exclusive, expensive stores with clothes and watches and leather stuff, not souvenirs)
  
• probably walked at least five miles, likely more
  
• rode dozens of miles of tube (underground train) which was surprisingly simple
  
• visited harrod's, like the biggest mall in the world or something, quite unimpressive really
  
• walked a LONG way to buckingham palace, only to realize today is one of those ''rare occasions'' when they don't have the changing of the guard ceremony
• took pictures of the weird fuzzy-hat guys anyways
• walked a little ways out onto london bridge, which was incredibly boring and seems to be one of those things that is pretty much just famous for being famous
  
• walked to the tower bridge and walked across it and even went up into the tower

i just want to be home with people i know, where i can drive my own car on my own schedule wherever i want, and go to my own job and wear my other clothes and not pay for internet or sit in a smelly tube car ever again. :)

i have learned a lot so far. it's been such a whirlwind i think many of the lessons probably flew by me as i read a street map or a bus schedule. i guess that's how most of life goes. anyways, i am still really enjoying the compact self-sufficiency and portability my backpack brings. but, it weighs a LOT more now. :)

also, like i said before, england does not seem to be a cultural place at all. i kind of thought it would be this way, but this reinforces my desire to NOT study here or anywhere else that could commonly be confused for home. booooring.

i shall not write again until i am back home. it might be a while. :) once again, many thanks for your prayers, which will also be appreciated tomorrow, as we cross the ocean once more.