Now that I've totally geeked out on some of the forum blog technical details, I think it's time to settle into actually posting.

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This spring it seems that I'm traveling like mad. This would be great for someone who liked traveling, but I don't. I can't help it. I hate sleeping away from home. even the nicest hotel comes in 2nd place to my own bed in my own room.

Last week, I was in England. Five days in Oxford, and 2 in London. I was totally enchanted by Oxford. London, on the other hand, was so gray and dismal. I loved the museums, but beyond that... Also, I don't think of myself as a prude, after all, I loved living in San Francisco, but... Walking down what seem to be normal downtown shopping streets and seeing sex shops and casinos just mixed in with the cafes and stores just seemed odd and a littledissonant. Also, what's with all the betting parlors? On every block, almost.

I unfortunately missed out on two places I wanted to go: I was planning to take a day trip to Stonehenge, but when I called the tour company, they were totally booked. Then I thought I'd take the train to Bletchley Park (where they cracked the Enigma code) but their museum was going to be closed until April 1. I was sad.

Everyone has been asking me about the food. Well, Oxford and London were both covered in very nice French boulangeries, which have great coffee, tea, and chocolate croisants. Many of them also serve sandwiches where they take a length of baguette, make a cheese-heavy sandwich with it, then smoosh it on a panini grill. The long narrow shape makes them much easier to eat than the kind of paninis we have here.

Also, the Indian food is spectacular. I can see why people joke about it being the national cuisine of England. The non-ethnic restaurants we went to were less impressive. They really do sadly overcook their vegetables.

I had fish and chips at a pub in Oxford (it was away from the tourist areas and was populated mostly by locals (I got chatted up by a handful, so I'm sure they were local). They served it on a regular plate, and it didn't taste any different from fish and chips you would have in the US. On the plus side though, the pub had Strongbow on tap. I love Strongbow...

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I took lots of pictures, so hopefully soon I will have some to post!