Last weekend Whitney and I went north to Scotland. I think it is my favorite place thus far. London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, and all other excursions were fun, but nothing compared to the natural beauty of the highlands of Scotland!
Whitney arrived (exhausted) in London on Wednesday. I met her at the train station hugging her as tight as possible. I couldn't believe she was actually here! We got to my flat and she met my roommates who instantly fell in love with her. (They told me so!) I took her on a quick tour around London seeing Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Parliament, Westminster, the Thames, Big Ben, 10 Downing St., the theater district (West End), and took a ride on the London Eye. We later joined one of my classes for dinner and a theater performance (Blood Brothers). We went to an authentic English pub, where the food tasted amazing and then the theater which turned out to be a very good musical. Later we brought Whitney to her hostel for the night. Next day, while I was in class, Whitney went to the British museum, Oxford St., and the surrounding area on her own. (She became adventuresome quite quickly!) With my roommates and Whitney, we went to the famous Harrod's department store and drooled over the ever increasing rooms of specialty chocolate, baked goods, butcher meats, teas, candies, and ice cream rooms! (YUM!) Whitney and I came back and packed and left for the train station where we began our journey to Scotland.
It was Whitney's first time on a train, so the transportation itself became an attraction! After barely sleeping through the night (left London at 12am and arrived in Edinburgh 7:15 am) we had breakfast and joined our tour group for our three day adventure to the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye.
Our tour guide, Colin, was really knowledgeable and funny. He was in his mid twenties so Whitney and I teased him throughout the whole trip because he kind of felt like our big brother. He started calling us the "Troublesome Twosome" saying that he knew we were trouble from the start! We saw so many things, read so much Gaelic, and heard so many myths I cannot begin to list everything we did on the trip (see photos for a small sampling!). One big event for Whitney and I was to conquer ordering our first alcoholic beverage. We were so inexperienced when ordering, that the bar tender smiled and handed us a guide to bar drinks and cocktails. We felt pretty silly! We quickly learned what we did and didn't like (I hate whiskey!). We liked Haggis Sunrise and Messy Nessies as well as Magners Irish cider. Whitney also fell in love with sticky toffee pudding. (A toffee flavored dense and sticky cakes that has raisins inside usually served warm with custard. A basic English dessert). We also went to a clansman show where we were taught about highland lifestyle, weaponry, and the multi-purpose kilt. After demonstrating the uses of a kilt, I was almost convinced to wear one myself! We also skipped stones in a loch (lake), toured a medieval castle that is still inhabited, searched for the Loch Ness monster, reached the top of the Isle of Sky, heard "singing fairies" at the glen waterfall, walked on Calodin battle field, visited William Wallace Monument, achieved eternal beauty when dunking our heads in an enchanted river for 7 seconds, and laughed at the US national anthem rendition Whitney and I so poorly sang. We have very fond memories of our time together. I will never forget the amount of times Whitney and I said how beautiful it was. I love mountains for how humbling they are and we definitely felt that as well as Christ's love while we were there. His creation is so beautiful and perfect. We couldn't understand how any person could see this and not love Him back! We learned so much about Scotland, each other, and God whilst we were there. I miss Whitney very much now that she is home. I'm so grateful for the time we had together and the many, MANY laughs that will be talked about for a lifetime.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
The Italian Report
Well I'm back to normal life in London and writing a paper for my government class. Italy was fun and exhausting! Our idea of traveling is "winging it". All we did was book accommodations and flights to and from London. When we showed up to a city we pulled the map out, and started walking towards something famous. We booked trains, buses, and metros as we went and learned Italian-English (very poorly). We got lost more times than I would like to count and loved every minute of the adventure.
We went to Rome our first two days and saw a lot of historical places (Brian informs me that we missed a lot though!). In Rome we officially tried calzones and veal (not exactly the American version). We went to the Vatican museums, St. Peters Basilica, Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Roman Forum, Colosseum, St. Pietro en Vincoli, and many other historical places. We learned that bus drivers do not know the stops on their route whatsoever, that you don't buy bags off of street vendors b/c the police will fine you 1,000 euro, and that getting lost can still be fun.
We then left on a train (barely missed it by 4 minutes) to Cinque Terre, specifically Vernazza. (No cars are allowed in the cities!). Cinque Terre is a 5 cityr area that has been kept secluded for so long that Italy proclaimed it a National Park. The area is on the west coast of Italy about 2-3 hours from Florence. Most people come to the area to hike along the coastline from city to city. Brian and I hiked from Vernazza (where we were) to Monterosso (the Northern most city of the 5). After the hike, instead of hiking to all five towns) we rode the train to each and walked around. They are very similar, but if you explore enough you can find little characteristics that tell you about each city. All the towns have one main road, small ristorantes and shops. English is as widley spoken and you are tagged as a tourist the minute you walk off the train b/c everyone in the town knows each other. It was beautiful. We had perfect weather! Brian and I learned we LOVE fresh Foccacia and mozzarella! we ate this for every meal pretty much! I also love their local pesto and tomato sauce and absolutely hate lemoncino! They have fresh lemon and orange trees growing up the mountain ridges as well as grape vineyards. (I cannot describe how beautiful please check out my pictures).
We then left for Florence where we had colder and wetter weather than London. Yuck! We soon learned that Florence is quite small compared to Rome and we got done with most of the big things to do there. We went to the Uffitzi, Duomo, bronze doors, Ponte Vecchio, the accademia (Michelangelo's works are here), piazza Signoria and Croce. We also went to markets, stores and walked the Arno river. We had the best pasta we have ever tasted from this authentic Tuscan restaurant. I can't explain it, but you could have eaten the pasta with no sauce or toppings and still have been totally satisfied! We basically rolled out of the restaurant we ate so much! The next afternoon I got sick (we think my stomach didn't react well to the bacteria in the water) and I stayed in bed until the next day when we headed back for London.
We had a full day of traveling b/c our flight was out of Pisa. By the end of the day I was so sick they almost had to take me to the hospital. Yikes!
I have been slowly recovering while also trying to show Brian around London (very briefly!!) before he left this morning. He also surprised me and took me the see the Lion King musical. It was simply amazing!
Italy taught me a lot about expectations of travel and stereotypes of cities/countries. I can't say they are all positive, but I have learned. Italy was a lot of fun but I have to say I missed my home in London and am glad to be back.
We went to Rome our first two days and saw a lot of historical places (Brian informs me that we missed a lot though!). In Rome we officially tried calzones and veal (not exactly the American version). We went to the Vatican museums, St. Peters Basilica, Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Roman Forum, Colosseum, St. Pietro en Vincoli, and many other historical places. We learned that bus drivers do not know the stops on their route whatsoever, that you don't buy bags off of street vendors b/c the police will fine you 1,000 euro, and that getting lost can still be fun.
We then left on a train (barely missed it by 4 minutes) to Cinque Terre, specifically Vernazza. (No cars are allowed in the cities!). Cinque Terre is a 5 cityr area that has been kept secluded for so long that Italy proclaimed it a National Park. The area is on the west coast of Italy about 2-3 hours from Florence. Most people come to the area to hike along the coastline from city to city. Brian and I hiked from Vernazza (where we were) to Monterosso (the Northern most city of the 5). After the hike, instead of hiking to all five towns) we rode the train to each and walked around. They are very similar, but if you explore enough you can find little characteristics that tell you about each city. All the towns have one main road, small ristorantes and shops. English is as widley spoken and you are tagged as a tourist the minute you walk off the train b/c everyone in the town knows each other. It was beautiful. We had perfect weather! Brian and I learned we LOVE fresh Foccacia and mozzarella! we ate this for every meal pretty much! I also love their local pesto and tomato sauce and absolutely hate lemoncino! They have fresh lemon and orange trees growing up the mountain ridges as well as grape vineyards. (I cannot describe how beautiful please check out my pictures).
We then left for Florence where we had colder and wetter weather than London. Yuck! We soon learned that Florence is quite small compared to Rome and we got done with most of the big things to do there. We went to the Uffitzi, Duomo, bronze doors, Ponte Vecchio, the accademia (Michelangelo's works are here), piazza Signoria and Croce. We also went to markets, stores and walked the Arno river. We had the best pasta we have ever tasted from this authentic Tuscan restaurant. I can't explain it, but you could have eaten the pasta with no sauce or toppings and still have been totally satisfied! We basically rolled out of the restaurant we ate so much! The next afternoon I got sick (we think my stomach didn't react well to the bacteria in the water) and I stayed in bed until the next day when we headed back for London.
We had a full day of traveling b/c our flight was out of Pisa. By the end of the day I was so sick they almost had to take me to the hospital. Yikes!
I have been slowly recovering while also trying to show Brian around London (very briefly!!) before he left this morning. He also surprised me and took me the see the Lion King musical. It was simply amazing!
Italy taught me a lot about expectations of travel and stereotypes of cities/countries. I can't say they are all positive, but I have learned. Italy was a lot of fun but I have to say I missed my home in London and am glad to be back.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
To Italy and Beyond!
Hello everyone,
I have become the person whom I detest...the bad blog updater! I will have to write about my travels to Paris soon (I think I can still remember. Ha,Ha!) as well as talk about my trip to Italy! I will be leaving tomorrow morning @ 3:00am to get to a flight that leaves at 7:10 am! I'll arrive in Rome in about an hour. I will be in Rome for two days, Chinque Terra (the five cities) for two days and Florence for two days. What a whirlwind! I will come home and update my blog as well as photo album. Thanks again for the support!
Jessica...(English, Parisian, Italian and hopefully more!)
I have become the person whom I detest...the bad blog updater! I will have to write about my travels to Paris soon (I think I can still remember. Ha,Ha!) as well as talk about my trip to Italy! I will be leaving tomorrow morning @ 3:00am to get to a flight that leaves at 7:10 am! I'll arrive in Rome in about an hour. I will be in Rome for two days, Chinque Terra (the five cities) for two days and Florence for two days. What a whirlwind! I will come home and update my blog as well as photo album. Thanks again for the support!
Jessica...(English, Parisian, Italian and hopefully more!)
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Leaving for Paris
I am leaving for Paris tomorrow morning and will not be back until Saturday evening. I will try to update then as well as answer emails. Thanks!
Friday, January 25, 2008
My First Real Update
Hopefully everyone has been checking on my web album. I have updated that more timely than the blog. These first two weeks have been filled with so many different emotions I cannot begin to start. The first three days were highly emotional after not sleeping on the plane...at all, and then my communications to the US not working, and then getting sticker shock and thinking "how in the world can I even eat here, let alone live". After slowly coping with this I've learned to love London, England, and Europe as a whole. As I was telling one of my professors, I am already a little bias and protective of England.
I have noticed this especially through my classes, predominantly my comparative government class in which we debate and come to understand latest British political news. I try to watch the news every night along with my flat mate Christine and she also buys newspapers for her and I to read. We have already seen a scandal and resignation in Parliament, approval ratings of the prime minister drop, flooding crisis, a bailing-out of one of the biggest banks in the UK by the government, a split in the house of commons over an EU constitution, the lowest stock market numbers since the early 20th century, talks of recession, and many protests. Needless to say for a political science person...it has been exciting!
My other classes are also very enjoyable and have made me fall in love with the culture and history of England. Besides my comparative government class, I also take the British Empire and the Common Wealth, British Literature, and Introduction to Theater. My history class is taught by the London program director. She's from Liverpool and is great fun! My literature class is trying at times because of the extensive amount of poetry we are required to understand, but it is doable especially with Prof. Duckworth teaching. (If you haven't checked my web album, you'll see him in my "Hampstead" album). He is so typically English I could eat him up! He is like a grandpa to all of us and we love him as such. My theater class should be fun. We go to a play pretty much every week, although after the first one we saw-which I highly disliked- I'm a little apprehensive about the following plays. The class is taught by Prof. Mateer and she is a very petite older Irish women who is so animated you laugh every time.
Many of us in the program have been laughing at the new accents we already have and the new phrases we have already picked-up. (Brian has already commented on how funny I sound on the phone now). Although it has only been two weeks the nostalgia of the English accent has worn off and I don't even notice the difference in speech anymore.
One thing that I have noticed and LOVE about London and England as a whole is the lack of laws yet low crime. Keviny, my room mate, and I were noticing how civil and considerate the English are. Yes, they are like everyone else and will not always be nice, but as a whole there are many unsaid rules that people follow just because it's curtious. Their government doesn't even have a constitution, yet they are one of the longest standing democracies. London police officers (coppers) don't even have to carry guns because they don't need them. I have heard and seen so few crime stories compared to what you usually see on American news shocking. Yes, there is still crime but with these observations and more I've come to realize that London and the UK is really safe and I love this culture.
Speaking of the news...I was on it the other day! The BBC news was covering a protest in front of the Ministers quarters and my class was having a field trip at the time right near there. After it dispersed, we walked over to ask questions and take pictures of 10 Downing St. (PM's house). Little did we know they were still taping and there I am on screen talking, laughing, and carrying-on about being near the PM's house! Go figure I've made the news already!
As you can see, my life has been very eventful lately and can only get more exciting, well at least I hope. Please keep emailing and writing letters, they are always welcome!
I have noticed this especially through my classes, predominantly my comparative government class in which we debate and come to understand latest British political news. I try to watch the news every night along with my flat mate Christine and she also buys newspapers for her and I to read. We have already seen a scandal and resignation in Parliament, approval ratings of the prime minister drop, flooding crisis, a bailing-out of one of the biggest banks in the UK by the government, a split in the house of commons over an EU constitution, the lowest stock market numbers since the early 20th century, talks of recession, and many protests. Needless to say for a political science person...it has been exciting!
My other classes are also very enjoyable and have made me fall in love with the culture and history of England. Besides my comparative government class, I also take the British Empire and the Common Wealth, British Literature, and Introduction to Theater. My history class is taught by the London program director. She's from Liverpool and is great fun! My literature class is trying at times because of the extensive amount of poetry we are required to understand, but it is doable especially with Prof. Duckworth teaching. (If you haven't checked my web album, you'll see him in my "Hampstead" album). He is so typically English I could eat him up! He is like a grandpa to all of us and we love him as such. My theater class should be fun. We go to a play pretty much every week, although after the first one we saw-which I highly disliked- I'm a little apprehensive about the following plays. The class is taught by Prof. Mateer and she is a very petite older Irish women who is so animated you laugh every time.
Many of us in the program have been laughing at the new accents we already have and the new phrases we have already picked-up. (Brian has already commented on how funny I sound on the phone now). Although it has only been two weeks the nostalgia of the English accent has worn off and I don't even notice the difference in speech anymore.
One thing that I have noticed and LOVE about London and England as a whole is the lack of laws yet low crime. Keviny, my room mate, and I were noticing how civil and considerate the English are. Yes, they are like everyone else and will not always be nice, but as a whole there are many unsaid rules that people follow just because it's curtious. Their government doesn't even have a constitution, yet they are one of the longest standing democracies. London police officers (coppers) don't even have to carry guns because they don't need them. I have heard and seen so few crime stories compared to what you usually see on American news shocking. Yes, there is still crime but with these observations and more I've come to realize that London and the UK is really safe and I love this culture.
Speaking of the news...I was on it the other day! The BBC news was covering a protest in front of the Ministers quarters and my class was having a field trip at the time right near there. After it dispersed, we walked over to ask questions and take pictures of 10 Downing St. (PM's house). Little did we know they were still taping and there I am on screen talking, laughing, and carrying-on about being near the PM's house! Go figure I've made the news already!
As you can see, my life has been very eventful lately and can only get more exciting, well at least I hope. Please keep emailing and writing letters, they are always welcome!
A BIG Thank You!
Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive by sending me emails, comments and calls during my first two weeks in London. The knowledge that everyone is as excited as I in my new adventure abroad has made the experience all the more exciting! Thank you: Rita, Cookie, Whitty, Aunt Wendy and very cool cousins, Mr. Bob, Grandma and Grandpa, Gina, Uncle Ned and Aunt Mary, Roger and Peggy, Stephanie, Elke, Ashley, Adam, Nick, Jennifer, Holly, Lisa, David, Matt, Sara, Brian, Mom, Dad, and Matthew.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Quick Update
Hi everyone!
Sorry about the delay. I have been very busy! I will hopefully be updating the blog journal this weekend, but in the meantime I have uploaded pictures to my web album (link on the left) so check them out!
Sorry about the delay. I have been very busy! I will hopefully be updating the blog journal this weekend, but in the meantime I have uploaded pictures to my web album (link on the left) so check them out!
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