Finally

AH! I can't believe I haven't updated this thing in so long. I've been all over the place, but have said nothing about it to my devoted following! So sorry.
So, last we left off I was in Keswick I'm pretty sure. Well, after Keswick we headed off to my FAVORITE place of the trip thus far: St. Deniol's Residential Library. I made a vlog for this wonderful place, and I think that speaks best of how great it was. So, check out the video below:

Then after the amazing live-in library we went to York for a night and stayed in a Best Western. A little odd for England Term, but a great city. We saw the cathedral, went to a Viking museum, and wandered around the windy cobblestone streets. I really did like York, but we spent too little time there.
However, York was followed by the (highly anticipated) London. The first day we played full-out tourist and did a hop on, hop off tour of the city. We saw all the high lights: Big Ben, Westminster, Picadilly Circus and all the others. It was a great way to see the city, as well as start London by jumping right into it.
The rest of London was a lot of shopping, a lot of walking, a lot of tubes, and some gorgeous parks. I really do like London, but surprisingly, it hasn't been my favorite city. It feels a bit touristy, but still like England. It's a nice balance, but one that's a bit too big for me. I'm sure I'll come to more conclusions when I return again two more times for this trip.
The high light of London was by far the trip to the Globe Theatre to see As You Like It. I honestly think it might be my favorite activity of the trip thus far. It was hilarious to start. Then it just got funnier. The actors got soaked because it rained (the Globe doesn't have a roof), but didn't even care. They fell, slipped, joked and just had a great time. The audience loved it too. Shakespeare would have been proud I'd like to think.
After London we had a short stint at a conference center just outside London. It was nice to have a little time off to relax, but a paper was due and classes were back on, so not too much down time. The backyard of High Leigh was great though, and I spent many an hour sitting beneath a great tree in the middle of the garden reading and writing. Can England Term get any better?
Cambridge was next. Another amazing place to stay. We were housed in university housing for Corpus Christi College. We got a nice walking tour our first day there and saw the (in my opinion CREEPY) clock Stephen Hawking gave the college. Pictured here, if you're interested: http://www.cambridge2000.com/gallery/images/P91928255e.jpg
Cambridge was a great little town, if a tad posh. I liked the fact that there were so many students though. I felt rather at home again.
Next England Term became IRELAND TERM! We flew to Dublin for a week and enjoyed the city in post St. Patrick's prime. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, and hasn't been my favorite city of the trip, but it still had its little splashes of flavor. The city was all abuzz as well with the 250th anniversary of Guinness. In case you're wondering, the Irish started to celebrate around 6 in the evening with 2 euro 50 cent pints. I don't think very many of the Irish slept that night, for all of them were out in the Temple Bar district enjoying the discounted beer. When I went out the next morning, the pub down a block was loading empty kegs into a van. They had to have had at least 30 empty kegs of Guinness to go in. CRAZY.
Then we went to Sligo (a little north) to study Yeats and rest. Sligo was gorgeous. We stayed at a place right on the bay and headed down to the water quite often. One day the bus left without me because of a time screw up (by me), so I ended up walking to the place. It was a nice three mile walk down the beach to the Lissadell House, and when I arrived the group stared at me quite a bit. When I explained the walk they all commended me and were glad I had arrived. It was nice to get a ride back, however, and not have to worry about the tides.
After Sligo we went north to Northern Ireland for homestays in Belfast. I can't say enough how great homestays were. I absolutely LOVED my host family and they treated me so well. It was great to just stop and rest a while with good food and great company. I loved them quite a lot and would love to return someday.
Ok, now I'm in Bayeux, France, just south of the Normandy Beaches. Tomorrow we head off for a full day tour and history lesson on the area. I'm really looking forward to it.
Hopefully I'll update sooner next time, and give more details about the places.
Thank you so much for the prayers and kind words. I miss you all, my wonderful family and friends and cannot wait to here from you soon!