Last City

We've made it to Munich, our last city on the trip. To commemorate the occasion, Kristin and Erica have composed a "travel day" song that we sang all day. It is quite creative and incorporates all genres as well as various things involved in travel day. To give you a little taste, I will describe what we do on a typical travel day -
1. Meet at a predetermined location for "travel day" (yes, Jeremy really calls it this, and he usually does a little dance and yells to get us excited, too). This part of the song is of the pop/rock genre.
2. We then check for our friends. "friends" are a group to which you are assigned on the first day (before you even know their names, which makes it quite interesting). If we each check for our friends, we can quickly determine who is missing. My friends are James, Marissa, Azra, and Amanda. We have never been without a friend until this morning's 7:00 meeting time. Way to ruin it, James. Checking for your friends is a country/western verse in the travel day song.
3. We head out for whatever form of public transportation is going to take us to the next city. Today was relatively simple as we only had to walk, then ride a bus, then 2 metros to the train station. On some days there are multiple short trains, buses, metros, and occasionally even boats before we get to the actual train that will take us where we are going.
4. At some point during the day we make a pack pile. Everyone removes their large pack and stacks it in a remote corner of the train station. 3-4 people watch the packs in shifts so we can get food, go [pay] to use the toilet, etc. The pack pile is a hip-hop bridge in the travel day song.

These may be repeated if necessary.

Hopefully, after all of these steps are done and re-done, we are in a new city. As you can see, travelling can be a bit boring, and we have to resort to things like making up songs to entertain ourselves. Jesse, the art professor, has also been so kind as to give us a test on sunday, so we studied for that as well!

On Monday I went to Lovosice to visit Radek Pospisil and his family. After a bit of a disastrous morning due to the inability to communicate in Czech, he picked me up at the train station in Kralupy, and we had a really fun day catching up. I really enjoyed getting to know his family as well as some of their friends.

Last night we went to see the Romeo and Julia ballet at the Vienna Opera House. we couldn't see a lot so we didn't stay too long, but the building was absolutely incredible. I wish we had been on a night to see an actual opera!

Tomorrow we are going to our last two art museums of the trip (thank goodness!). On sunday we are going to a concentration camp, and on Monday I believe we will go to the Holocaust memorial Museum. That just leaves our free day (to write our final paper for history) Tuesday, and then we'll be home wednesday. Time has flown!

Praha!

We're in Prague! This city is amazing. I could spend a week here and still not get bored, and the people are so nice, which is a pleasant change from last week.

Last night we had Erica's bachelorette party. It was a very fun time. All of the girls went out (essentially our entire group) for dinner, then drinks and dessert, then to a big club. We (and especially Erica) had a great time.

Today we had class at 10:30 and then came to the Prague Castle. I had to restrain myself from buying an antique flute, but then I remembered that I am not rich, and the decision became very easy. ha. Tonight we're having our group dinner so that we can have real Czech food, and from what we've seen on the streets it is going to be very good!

Tomorrow I am going to take a train to see Radek Pospisil and his family! He sent me great directions, so I'm really excited. It looks like we have a fun day planned, and I'm excited to be out of the city and in a family-type setting for the first time in almost a month!

Now, the most important part of today:

Happy Father's Day, Daddy! Love you!

Museum Island

Today we conquered part of Berlin's "Museum Island" - the Pergamon and some other smaller museum with Egyptian stuff. The Pergamon has ancient things, so today was a great change of Paris after the never-ending art museums of Paris. (Not to worry, though, tomorrow we are going to 2 art museums, and supposedly one is the biggest and nicest in Germany.) It was all really interesting and laid back, and we saw the famous statue of Nefertiti's head, which in case you were wondering, is missing an eye. That is why she is always photographed from the side. This afternoon Alicia, Kristin, Erica, and I found our way back to a subway station and the first big, nice Internet cafe we have seen since London!! We are all very excited. Plus, it is in a dunkin' donuts, so we can get coffee here, too. Always a bonus.

Yesterday we saw quite a bit of the Berlin Wall. It was very surreal because until that point everything we were seeing was very much in the past and therefore, very easy to disconnect myself. It is quite strange to think that some of that happened during our lifetime -- that really changes the way you look at it! We are about to head out to see if we can find good shopping - we tried yesterday with no luck. Alicia says she is disappointed because there is no GAP.

Guten Tag

We're in Germany! Friday night we took the night train from Paris to Frankfurt and then several other trains and a boat to Bacharach. After spending 2 days relaxing in a castle (yes, a castle), we're in Berlin!

This morning we had our first art test. Not too bad. Today we're headed out to see checkpoint Charlie and a large section of the Berlin Wall that is still standing. Berlin so far is how I imagined it - fairly cleancut and somewhat industrialized looking. Our hostel very much fits this description!

We will be here until Saturday, and then we go to Prague. I can't believe we only have 2 more weeks!

Catacombes de Paris

Today we went to the Catacombs underneath Paris. Apparently at one point they dug out huge tunnels for limestone, at which time they were left with massive underground holes that they decided to put human bones in. Fun, huh? Not just any bones, either, they actually went to cemetaries, dug up all of the occupants (I guess that's what you would call them) and arranged them quite artfully with little plaques telling their original location. I should also probably add that this morning we went to the Picasso museum, so basically it's just been an all-around very interesting day. Tonight we take the night train to Frankfurt, get on another train in the morning for about 1.5 hours, then take a 2-3 hour boat ride up the Rhine river to Bacharach. It's going to be a loooong day of travelling! Our hostel in Bacharach is in a castle, though, so we aren't complaining!

Paris!

The Internet has not been readily available here, so now on our last night I will give you a quick rundown of what wehave been doing. Hopefully I will actually be able to expand on this soon!

Sunday - Les Invalides - a government-run institution/ that also has a chapel and museum. Napoleon is buried here. Apparently his dog and horse are also stuffed and on display, but I unfortunately missed that! The Rodin Museum - Rodin works and some of his private collection.
Monday - Day trip to the cathedral at Chartres
Tuesday - Day trip to the palace at Versailles. The palace was huge and beautiful, but the grounds were amazing! We rented bikes and rode around.
Wednesday - Museè d'Orsay - lots of Impressionist work, more recent art (think VanGogh and Monet) tiring but fun
Today - Notre Dame and the Louvre - yep, two big ones in a day!! Saw Mona Lisa, the Nike, tons of other stuff, prayed in Notre Dame, and still got to shop on the Champs-Elysse;

Whew! Tomorrow we go to the Picasso museum and the catacombs then take the night train to Germany. Long week. My time is up; I'll write more later!

Leaving London

Tonight is our last night in London. In a way it is sad because I feel like there is still so much we did not get to see, but I'm glad we're moving on. I think constantly moving and seeing new things helps me not to get too homesick and definitely keeps things interesting!!

Wednesday morning we did not have class so Erica and I went to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. There was some sort of delay on the tube, so we were a little later than we had hoped and by the time we got there we could hear the band already playing as they marched. Of course, not wanting to miss anything, I yelled to Erica to follow me and began sprinting across St. James's Park. It was the typical movie scenario - through the pidgeons that flew up all around me, almost knocking over the elderly lady in orthopedic shoes, and barely catching up with them where the sidewalk and road met, but we made it! What can I say, I am my mother's child; it would not be a day without causing some sort of ruckus like that. After that, which was lots of fun, we met up with the group to go to the Imperial War Museum. I am not really one for looking at all of the different weapons and such, but they had an amazing Holocaust exhibit, a whole exhibit about Imperial Warfare and Wars over the years, and another about artists commissioned by the British during WWII that I enjoyed immensely. After leaving the museum, Abbey, Erica, and I went to go buy tickets to see Wicked. Alicia, Kristin, and Paige already had their tickets. We were able to get an awesome student rate and got great seats for half price. The show was fabulous. Mom and Mimi - you will be happy to know (or maybe just feel sorry for the people with which I am travelling) that it is like a repeat of our first NYC trip - I have been singing the Wicked songs constantly. At least it's not Old Man River, right?

Yesterday we had a history class in the morning and then in the afternoon we went to the British Museum. Surprisingly, there is little British anything in the British Museum. We did get to see the Rosetta Stone, though, which was cool. Even though I've seen it about 100 times in pictures, it still somehow looked different in person. They also have the Elgin Marbles there, which are the marble carvings that used to be around the outer [upper] facing of the Parthenon. There's been a lot of debate about whether or not they should be returned to Greece (they were bought privately by a Briton and then given to the museum later), but I doubt they will be given back. The detailing is amazing. All of the facial expressions, the veins in the arms and legs of the men and the legs of the horses, their hair, just everything is so perfect even after all of this time. There is one particular sculpture that used to be a horse, but now is just his head (I think the body is elsewhere), and it reminds me of the scene in the Godfather where the horse's head ends up in the bed...I would probably upset a lot of people if they heard me say that (apparently it is very famous), but that's what it looked like to me. Last night the group went to see Othello in the Globe Theatre. We were in the standing room only part, which was not fun after about 1 1/2 hours. Plus, this version just did not stand up to the film versions of Shakespeare once viewed in Mr. Saunder's/Mrs. Baltz's AP classes.

Today we had another free morning so Erica and I went shopping at Covent Garden. It is a "market", but I think there were a lot more actual shops and a lot less booths. Still, it was so cute and a lot of fun! There was also entertainment in the market throughout the morning - we had a juggler, opera singer, and chamber music, and that's just what I saw. This afternoon our group went to St. Paul's Cathedral, the 2nd largest cathedral in Europe (behind St. Peter's in the Vatican). Charles and Diana were married there, and several notables are buried in the crypts. We also climbed over 430-something very old, narrow steps to get to the top dome to the gallery to look over the city. If you know my fear of heights, you know this was a huge accomplishment for me! After that we went to the Tower of London, which is actually more like a castle. It is even surrounded by a moat, which to my sadness is no longer filled with water, only grass. We saw the crown jewels, which are indescribable. I've never seen/never will see again anything like that. There literally was a diamond that would have filled my entire palm. No joke. Unfortunately, there were also sheets of glass and armed guards keeping me from that diamond. After the jewels, I basically just wandered around the buildings looking at the various times that they were built (and rebuilt - 1776, 1945 - oops on us and the Germans). It is weird to think that a lot of them were there before they even knew that the continent on which my entire life is based existed.

Okay, before I leave London I am going to answer some questions/write some because of some requests:
Mom asked about the architecture -
Basically, in my opinion the architecture and city structure is much prettier here than in the US. The city is so much older, so there aren't really any high rises or anything like that. To me it is really cool to think that you are walking through buildings that existed in the 12th century. In the "City" which is the actually financial district, there are a lot of high rises, steel and glass buildings, etc. That section of the metropolitan area was destroyed at a couple of different times during history, so it is really one area that has evolved into more modern architecture. One buiding that I recognized was the Gherkin (I think that's how you spell it) - to me it kind of looks like a big glass and steel pinecone and is part of their financial/banking district. Other than that, there are basically random more modern buildings scattered throughout, but most are older.

Steven said I should dedicate a section to the random phrases/words/sayings -
tube/underground - subway (apparently subway is just under the street, so the little tunnel part that you walk through that connects different parts of the underground can be a subway, too)
water closet (W.C.) - bathroom (the one with a shower)
toilets - restroom (like a public place, with, well, toilets)
way out - exit (yep, that's what all the signs say, and it looks like the little man is running to the door)
loo roll - toilet paper
lift - elevator
cheers - what they say at the end of every conversation
black or white - how you order coffee (still haven't ordered white...and sometimes black is actually espresso with water.)
white or brown - types of toast. refers to white or wheat bread, not degree of toastiness.
Mind the gap - careful of the gap! as in, watch your step when getting off the tube. Or, you may see a sign that says, "mind your head", etc.

I will probably think of more later, but it's hard to come up with these on demand. As the British would say, "cheers!"

yippie!!

We're walking out the door to go see Wicked.

Walking on the Thames

Yesterday and today were very busy!!

After our history class yesterday we went to Westminster Abbey, which was very crowded but so cool! I'm pretty sure I saw just about every grave of every famous dead British person you know (well, scratch that, but a lot of them). A few that you all might appreciate - Darwin (that's for all of my science friends), Handel (yep, the composer, I just about cried), Tennyson, Kipling, Dickens, and too many monarchs to name. We also saw the coronation chair that has been used since the 13th century. After the Abby we went to the National Gallery, where we ran around like crazy because our art professor had given us an assignment. Unfortunately, the impressionist exhibit is closed right now, so we missed out on all of that, but their collection is mainly Renaissance and Baroque, so I am trying to tell myself it wasn't that bad. After the National Gallery about five of us girls decided we wanted to go see Harrods. The only thing I could afford in the entire place was one piece of chocolate (emphasis on the one). The exact same pair of jeans I had on cost more in pounds at Harrods than it does in dollars in the United States; therefore, it is well over twice the cost of buying them in Arkansas. My advice to Britons: order your jeans from Fayetteville.

This morning we had another history class and then headed out to see the War Cabinet Rooms and Churchill Museum. It was a really cool museum! It is very new and interactive, and I love that era of history, so it was right up my alley. They have restored the actual building (which was mostly untouched) to its conditions of the turning point of WWII in 1940. This particular place is where Churchill and his war cabinet went during the bombing raids. There were bunks, a kitchen, conference rooms, a map room, and everything imaginable, even a direct line to the US President. Apparently, since all of these men and women spent so much time in there during the war right afterwards they basically just took pictures of how it looked (absolutely incredibly convenient, huh?) shut it up and no one really reopened it until the '70s, which has made the restoration really amazing. Off of this they have built a huge room/museum of Churchill's life, which is also fun if you like to learn about Churchill.

After that, we could do whatever we wanted, so Kelly (from LA), and I went down to Buckingham Palace. We walked around for a while and were actually heading to find a cafe for dinner when happened to see a British family standing at a gate guarded by the Royal Guards. Knowing that whatever was behind that gate must be important, we walked over. Turns out, it was the residence of Charles and Camilla, or so the family told us. That may not be true, but we are choosing to believe it. After that, we somehow wandered around and stumbled upon the Ritz, and then met up with the rest of the group.

Tonight we went on a walk along the Thames. We essentially walked down the river for a while and listened to a very colorful guide tell us a quite questionable history of the city while stopping at a few "historic" places along the way so some of our group could have a few beverages. We did get some great views of St. Paul's cathedral, where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married in 1981 (we're going there Friday), and also walked by both the recreation of the Globe, where we are seeing Othello Thursday night and the original Globe site.

Tomorrow morning Erica and I are going to attempt to see the changing of the guard if the weather is good, and a group of us is going to try to get last minute theatre tickets. Yea!!

A note to Paige Dunn - do not stay at the Leinster Inn. It is our hostel, and it is very dirty. If you go to Salisbury, stay at the Milford Hall Hotel. VERY nice. They even had a towel warmer in the bathroom. This place brought us crashing back to reality.

it's cold

We're back in London! Another train ride, another day of carrying our packs, and we're back in London. Yesterday was much more pleasant thanks to a successful purging of my pack. While it was sad to leave the only forms of entertainment I had in Salisbury, I have read books before, and my back is ever-so-thankful. Besides, after Blake (one of the girls on the tour) described RealSimple like this, "It's like, 'How to more efficiently organize your closet', and 'how to turn your candles into...mocassins!'", I decided everyone had made fun of my southern-ness enough, and I could part with it until I got home. Also, my back was very thankful after losing the extra weight.

Last night we went on a little walking tour of London to orient ourselves. We took a bus down to Piccadilly Circus then walked around to Trafalgar Square, walked by Tony Blair's house, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, saw Westminster Abbey, walked across the Thames, and then Erica and I rode the London Eye. Very touristy, I know, but it was worth it. We were lucky enough to be on with a really sweet young British family who told us what all of the buildings were, so we got to see everything across London and actually know what it was. Also, at one point their little girl who was three got really confused and grabbed onto my leg (apparently it looked really similar to her mother's) and didn't realize what she had done until we all started laughing and I was rubbing her hair. It basically made my night.

We're off to our 2nd history lecture. It's going to be riveting, I'm sure.

Plane ride, Salisbury, and blood sausage

We're here! Thursday morning we arrived in London after a very long but actually quite pleasant flight. We sat next to a really sweet family with 2 kids from Baltimore. Paige was bumped to first class, poor baby, and I was really jealous.

After quite an adventure finding our way around the city, Erica, Paige, and I found our way to our neighborhood. We sat in a small cafe for a few hours just relaxing before heading to the hostel around 2. The Leinster, our hostel in London, is a hostel in every sense of the word. There are people around our age from many countries, and it was loud at all hours. There are rules against congregating on the stoop, so they simply moved across the street or to the next door. Clever, huh?

Yesterday we took the train to Salisbury, which is just near Stonehenge. We are going there this afternoon! It is a great place. I think I am going to move here. Last night we saw a concert of the European Union Chamber Orchestra in the Salisbury Cathedral (which holds one of only 4 original copies of the Magna Carta). I was in heaven. They were absolutely wonderful.

We are about to have our first history class, so I better go!! More soon.

I should be packing...

In approximately 24 hours, Erica, Paige, and I will be leaving for five weeks in Europe! That said, I should be packing (and hopelessly attempting to stuff everything in my pack), but I'm not. Rather than e-mailing everyone throughout the next few weeks, I'm going to attempt to keep this updated so that you'll all know what I'm doing. Now that I've figured out how to work this thing, I'll leave you all with a schedule of our travels.

May 24: London
May 25-26: Salisbury
May 27 - June 1: London
June 2 - June 7: Paris
June 8: night train to Frankfurt
June 9 - 10: Bacharach
June 11 - 15: Berlin
June 16 - 18: Prague
June 19 - 21: Vienna
June 22 - 26: Munich