amazement [root of confusion]: the countdown begins.

we officially have five days left in england. well not counting today. the transitioning time has become, and even from the first moments of today that was obvious.

i woke up to duckie knocking at the door to the flat around 8:15 this morning. apparently, when she got dinner last night, she forgot her key, and after coming back from carly's room, i locked the door, locking her out. i felt horrible, but i didn't know that she didn't have her key so there were only so many times i could apologize. at around 9:10 i left for class, and when i got there we jumped in subject matter from the renaissance into arthurian legend and the holy grail. it was the first time it hit me that our stay in england really was coming to a close. today's lesson did keep my mind off that however. though i know much of the grail lore and arthurian legend already thanks to reading the once and future king my sophomore summer, i was unaware of the romantic art movement that stemmed from it in the 19th century. it was a direct reaction to the growing impressionist movement, and the artists of the countermovement wanted to bring pastoral and fantastical art back to light. it was a reaction backed by the p.r.b. also known as the pre-rafael brotherhood. they were supposedly a secret order with information as to the history of the grail, but they are better known for the avant-garde movement they supported. this new movement was detail focused, and the artists produced mostly paintings and tapestries. we also talked about two other works and completely changed them for me. jan van eyck's piece arnoldfini wedding served a purpose greater than just simply being a portrait. it was also a legal contract. upon closer examination, one sees two figures in the mirror, the artist and another man, who are bearing witness to the wedding, thus making it legal. we also discussed the nightmare by fusseli. apparently, fusseli's fiance jilted him and soon thereafter became involved with another man. this enraged the artist, so he painted the nightmare bearing deep symbolism. being more than just a woman drunk off absinthe and being visited by an incubus, the woman is the former fiance, the incubus her new companion, and the horse is fusseli. i had never known these small yet pertinent details before, and by opening my mind in class, my mind remained open for the rest of the day.

for lunch we went to a chinese restaurant with the head of the wisc program. i had wonton soup and house rice. they both were surprising. first, the wontons were filled with pork, leaving a horrible after taste in one's mouth, but i'm sure that was a side affect of me not eating meat often. secondly, the house rice was not fried. all of the ingredients were fresh and the rice steamed, so i didn't feel half as guilty about eating it. conversation at lunch was pleasant and made the hour and a half we were there fly by.

after lunch we went to the oxford university museum of natural history. it was virtually the exact same museum that amherst college has that i loved as a child. the one noticeable difference between the two is that the one in oxford allows for people to actually touch items in the collection. the only ones you are not encouraged to touch are the fragile fossils. oxford's museum also has an interesting series on human evolution. the conclusion is the most fascinating. they compare skulls from different regions, and when comparing the skull of a european to one of an aboriginese australian, the australian skull still has the features of the protruding jaw and forehead. behind the museum is the pitt rivers museum. though they are attached, the pitt rivers museum focuses more on the archeological and anthropological aspects of museum life. pitt rivers, the model for the indiana jones character, collected artifacts from around the globe ranging from shrunken heads to totem poles to weaponry to different methods of starting fire. the collection was staggering in size, so i was not able to fully take in every detail. however, the experience was unforgettable.

after the museums, carly, steven, and i made our way back to the flat, though we made side trips. we stopped at the local ice cream place so that they could get ice cream, sansbury's so that they could get food and cash, and the covered market so that carly could see what it was all about. i didn't buy anything and was tired and anxious to relax. for some reason, even after all of the sleep, my body still needed water and to be recharged.

so, i managed to forget to talk about it in the last post, but we received some big news from dr. collins yesterday. apparently, while we were in paris, terrorist attacks were occurring. three men were caught strapping bombs to themselves and attempting to enter crowds. apparently museums were being targeted. people were also being kidnapped. obviously, i am safe. our last day in paris we say a lot of police, militia, and television reporters. dr. collins had not wanted to alarm us, as i don't wish to leave you feeling uneasy. be safe, wherever you may be.

for now, i leave you with images of peace and intrigue.

the interior of the oxford university museum of natural history.