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.