plague, pustules, pest-houses, popish plots....

This entire week has been filled with reading, researching, outlining, and a desperate attempt at writing. I have 2-2,000 word essays due Monday so needless to say, I've been drinking a lot of coffee and spending way too much time with early modern Europe. Monday, Wednesday, Friday I've spent with the plague (pustules, pest-houses and more) while Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday were spent with anti-Catholic propaganda and Popish plots. plague, pustules, pest-houses, propaganda, popish plots, pringles...so many p's. The Starbucks here give free refills on filter coffee. I'm pretty certain I'm the only one in this city who actually orders filter coffee so really, they are just cutting back on waste. I know, I go to Europe and end up going to Starbucks. I spent my most formative years in a Starbucks. Shoot me. Okay - I think that is the anti-Papist paranoia talking. It is very infectious...kind of like the plague. God.

I spent last weekend in Edinburgh and it was a city I could really see myself living in. Little did I know the majority of UK-ers, when polled, think the same thing. I am 99% sure that I climbed the same volcano as Ewan McGregoer. I won a dance battle against this strange, strange man in a Hangover shirt. And I sat where J.K Rowling wrote most of Sorcorer's Stone. You think I'm lucky now...just you wait.

I'm leaving on Thursday for this little town called NAPLES. Our plans go a little something like this - Luxurious Italian villa on the coast of Sorrento for 7 days, travel up the coast to Rome, Florence (wineries!), and CInque Terre. Go into the south of France, stay in Nice, visit Monaco (my favorite place on earth), perhaps stop in Aix. Train into Barcelona. And then fly back to Leeds for 20 euros. I will be broke after this trip. Memories over money, am I right?



The view from our patio. It's only Mount Vesuvius. No big deal.

Fortified

Whenever I happen to be in Europe I make a fort. It is a weird little correlation. The last time I made a fort was 3 years ago in my Parisian hotel room. That didn't go over too well with the maids. Today, I decided I ought to lock myself away to begin my research and essay prep for these two beasts due on the 15th. My cave was metaphorical at first. Then I found a spare bed sheet and my 6-year-old self, Natawee. After reading about anti-Catholic propaganda and the Popish plot for hours, I carefully constructed my new little study area. I'm pretty sure I put more thought into this construction than at any point in AP Physics. And that is the absolute truth.

I have to say, I am really proud of my fort. It is equipped with my laptop, wifi, water, candles (warning: underneath a bed sheet is probably the dumbest place to ever put a candle. But thrilling.) nutella, pillow, and books. What more could one need?

When you make a fort during the day you have to sleep in it at night, right? So that is what I'm about to do. After I finish blogging by candlelight and listening to some Yellow and Wonderwall set on repeat. I hope I get enough sleep though - it is going to take a lot of mental clarity and strength to block out Monty Python and the Holy Grail while I research the plague's effects on early modern English society tomorrow.