UK.

Today is the 6th of July. Next week is my final week of interning here, followed by a week of oral presentations, due dates for 20-page papers, and final exams for my British Politics course. Then, just a couple days of free time in London before I head to other parts of Europe.

Have I really already been here going on 6 weeks now? Looking back at the very first day in the city, it seems like ages ago. The feel of the city has changed, and it actually feels like home. It's the same feeling I had after being abroad for 6 months: Like having two separate yet distinct lives in completely different countries. It doesn't help that I will have to immediately start searching for a job upon my arrival back home, and I only have one measly week left in my house downtown before I have to move out.


Needless to say, life is moving pretty fast. "If you don't stop and look around once and awhile, you could miss it."


















SO, what I've been up to: After last weekend's journey to Greenwich for the prime meridian and the festival, I had my normal week of interning and class. I was really, really looking forward to Thursday night, though. I was going to the famous Globe Theatre to see Shakespeare's "All's Well that Ends Well". It was phenomenal. We were on the first level, right near the action (but not in the peasant standing area). Prior to the beginning of the performance, all of the actors walked out in full wardrobe to meet some audience members. Just erasing the invisible line between performer and audience member made the play that much better. I've actually seen this particular play done before, and the version I saw this time around completely surpassed my expectations. I don't know if it was because I was inside the Globe Theatre, and the performance lasted from sunset into a completely dark night... but something about it really made me a happier person.

















After the performance, we headed into Camden (our favorite spot for the London night life). We ended up at a club/bar/pub/disco dance place named Hoxton. The rest is history.




Which brings me to the (drum roll please) *Featured Soul* of this entry:







Gabe Gurrera.








You are fabulous. So much love.

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Friday Jen and I got up bright and early (10:30am), to head to Kent, England for the *HOP FARM MUSIC FESTIVAL*. We were beyond pumped. The journey to Kent was an adventure all on its own. We met some very interesting souls on the train, who were more than willing to share their wine and champagne with us (and we brought our own Strongbow, just in case). Note: There are no laws in the UK against open alcohol in public. You can literally walk down the street with a beer in your hand and wave at a police officer as you walk by.
Upon arrival to Kent, I felt like I had taken a train ride back to Wisconsin. We were literally on hundreds of acres of farm land that used to be used to grow hop (the stuff added to beer to make it extra-tasty). Obviously it made sense to continue with our festival-inspired activities by enjoying some brew and live music. Throughout the course of the day, we saw:







The Walkmen
City and Colour
10CC
*Deathcab For Cutie*(did I mention we were 2nd row?)
**The Eagles**


Deathcab (and Ben Gibbard) were of course, fantastic. But, The Eagles literally blew any competition completely out of the water. Even after all these years, they've still got it. AND, Hop Farm was their very last show for their European tour. AND the sun set during their show, and we were eventually completely wrapped in darkness, surrounded by Hotel California. I couldn't help but think of my dad when seeing (many) grown man around me, arms crossed, grinning from ear to ear.






After we finally made it back to South-West London, we went to bed straight away. Apart from the noticeable ringing of my ears, I haven't slept that soundly since I've been here. Saturday was a day devoted to writing papers, a long walk, and drinking way too much coffee. You know when you say to yourself, "Okay- today I'm going to crack down and just crank out at least 20 pages of this paper".... I was nearly there. Got to about the 15-page mark. I should be working on it now, but instead I'm obviously writing this. Procrastination is a tricky thing.
Saturday night we took it easy, and were honestly too lazy after a day of being too lazy to go out. Jen and I curled up in my bed (a tiny twin-sized mattress), and watched none other than *Twilight*. I'm sure it wasn't intended to be a comedy, but we were laughing nearly every 30 seconds at the horrible acting. Afterward, Jen showed me this, which couldn't be more accurate.








Keep on truckin', Bella.


Sunday--> London Bridge, London Tower, and wandering around parts of the city we haven't seen (including the dodgy 'Elephant Castle' on the very east end of the Jubilee line). I'm willing to bet this was the most run-down part of the city, and we realized it was time to go immediately when we got there. But- the bridge was beautiful, and the tower was everything I had hoped for. The best part? The crowned jewels display. Photography was "strictly forbidden", but I managed to slyly snap a couple photos. The entire tower was really impressive. The whole day was great.









If you're still reading to this point- Thank you!
Monday night: 4th of July in the UK. Celebrating America's independence from Great Britain in Great Britain. It was also the birthday of my friend, Becky here on the program (and my brother-in-law back home!), so we head out on the city to celebrate a bit. Not quite like the misquitoes and beer tents and fireworks displays back home, but it was a good try at getting there. The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel like I missed it this year. But hearing stories from people back home (and getting pictures like this one), made it all a bit easier to be so far away. (SPOILER ALERT- THE BOTTLE WAS EMPTY).







I love my nephew.


And of course, some pictures of Becky's badass birthday cake.






Yesterday was skype galore. My parents, Steven Knurr, and of course, Nico, to finalize plans for this weekend- FRANCE. Below is a screenshot of my dad being awesome on skype, followed by Nico "visiting" London before we come to France.











Beyond excited. Really. France is bound to be an adventure all on its own.


Well, longest blog entry known to man. There's still so much going on here that I haven't spoken of, but I feel like half of you are probably asleep by now. To the roomies back home: Miss you guys. To JBarr: I love you. To my parents: Thank you for everything. To Casey Anthony: Yeah, I've got nothin'. The cards are against you, but based on the evidence, you are a free being. Besides, the guilt riding on your conscience for the rest of your life would outweigh any physical punishment by the state. Just sayin'.







Oh, and one more thing: Liz- I hope you had fun at the comedy club last night. It sure looks like you did.