So...you pumped for the resurrection?

So one of the best things about the UK is that they love their "holiday".  Good Friday and Easter Monday were both national holidays.  Even though I couldn't go home (the visa saga continues) I was excited for my plans.  Thursday after work I got my hair cut.  Its very different and I'm still getting used to it, but I think it will be ok.  

Friday morning Joy and I set off for Dover.  The plan was to drive to Dover, climb the white cliffs of Dover and hike the 10 miles to Deal.  Not really thinking when I was getting dressed in the morning, I brought my purse.  I thought I might look a little silly being the only girl on the cliff without a backpack, but then I saw a woman rocking 2 inch heels and I thought I was ok.  It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!  and very scary.  I managed to steal a piece of the cliff, which is essentially chalk.  Apparently it took millions of years for the cliffs to be built.  So essentially you climb to the top, and then you are walking in people's fields and you see horses and cows and sheep and stuff.  We popped in for a Pims and Lemonade at the pub in St Margarets that marks the half way point.  It was lovely.  After we leave St Margarets we climb back up and are walking.  There was a lull in our conversation as we were enjoying the view when I saw a man walk by with a woman.  It was the DUKE OF EARL!!  Yes, the same Duke that Trever and I met in Greenwich.  I'm pretty sure if I wasn't rocking Paris Hilton shades and didn't just get my hair cut he would have recognized me.  Actually, lets be honest, if I had been talking that would have been the dead give away.  I've been told several times since being here that my voice is quite recognizable.  A few hours later we wrapped up our trip and headed back home.  It was a great day!

Saturday night I met up with my friend Trish who had a few friends and cousins in town.  We went to a place called Waxy's Little Sister.  It was a lot of fun, there was a dumb waiter that would bring your drinks up to the second floor.  So there were two guys there that I didn't know.  One of them looks us and says "So, are you pumped for the resurrection?"  I said, um what?  He said, you know...tomorrow?  The resurrection?  I said "OH haha...yeah, I'm pumped.  Are you?"  He said, "oh no..I'm Jewish."  Later, after I showed off the rock collection in my bag because I clearly hadn't emptied it out (everyone was really curious as to what else I could possibly have in there after that), the bar closes and we head to a private club for rich people and mildly-famous people.  It was a members only club.  Whenever I thought of that all I could think of was Shallow Hal when Jason Alexander is wearing that jacket.  Gweneth Paltrow says, is that a members only jacket? and he responds, yes, it is.  She says, so what are you like the last member?  Anywhoo, we hang out there for a while and eventually head home.  

Easter Sunday I went to my friend Kate's house for a Braai.  Braai is South African for bbq.  I was told that Australians can't actually bbq and South Africans are better at it.  I'm not going to argue.  We had steak, pork rashers (essentially really thick bacon), chicken wings and pork loins.  The sides were amazing too!  After dinner we continue to hang out and, after the political discussion that errupts any time there is an American on their own surrounded by people from anywhere else, we decided that we should celebrate Easter as any good Christian would - with a crazy hat photo montage.  I regret (and by regret I mean I'm really happy) to say those pictures haven't been published yet, but I'm sure they will come out in due course.

Monday was a relaxing day filled with bad movies and Indian food at Chris and Allison's.  Even though I would have LOVED to be home, the weekend over all was a great one.