No, I haven't changed cities. We went and saw the play Copenhagen tonight. BRILLIANT ON SO MANY LEVELS. We all loved it. My 4 adjectives for it: brilliant, terrifying, mind-boggling, and inspiring.
I don't have time to write a full post tonight though because I need to pack for when we leave in the morning. Tomorrow we head out to Balmaha and Rowardennan so I'm not sure if we'll have internet access. Possibly. Probably not. I was looking forward to divorcing myself from technology, and being free from a cellphone is nice, but my luggage kinda forced me to use the internet to keep in touch with the parentals.
Today was full of class, chocolate soup, a bookshop, the National Gallery and Monet, and shopping. And Copenhagen. Hooray. So awesome. I love thinking deep thoughts. From our hostel we can see the fires from a Pagan festival, Beltane, which worships the Green Man and spring and such. It's really cool until you actually think about the meaning behind what they're doing and then it's very disturbing and creepy and scary.
Love you all. I bought some postcards today that I'm hopefully sending out soon, but I didn't buy stamps so we'll see what happens.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Full Day #2
Todays highlights: We started the day with breakfast and a brief lit class where we talked about Copenhagen, a play we're singing tomorrow night, and Twelfth Night. Then we hiked to the castle, and explored there. And then for lunch we went to ELEPHANT HOUSE!!!! AHHHH! HARRY POTTER!!!! JK ROWLING!!!! My favorite place. So good. Food=excellent. And Harry Potter goodness. Sigh. Life is great. Then we hiked Arthur's Seat (Don't worry Tracy, we're on a hiking tour, of course we're going to climb Arthur's Seat) and explored some ruins and sat by a swan pond. I helped make dinner and then we walked clear across town (we've done so much walking today. It's been so exhausting. Just being on our feet. I don't even know how far we've walked) to a Scottish Family's home that Bentley knew and we heard highland folk tales and bagpipes and learned Scottish songs and dances. We sang a couple hymns for them (they're not LDS) and it was just a great way to start the trip, there sharing our culture with them and becoming a family with each other and them. The people here are all great. We got lost on the way to this house (it was seriously like an hour walk) and so we asked a very sweet old lady for directions who asked us what we were doing and Jamie and Isabell were so nice.
TOmorrow's kind of a free day full of museums. Check out the group blog www.beowulf2virginiawoolf.blogspot.com It's pretty sweet. Now it's off to shower and go to bed!
btw, my suitcase came today. HOORAY FOR CLEAN CLOTHES!
TOmorrow's kind of a free day full of museums. Check out the group blog www.beowulf2virginiawoolf.blogspot.com It's pretty sweet. Now it's off to shower and go to bed!
btw, my suitcase came today. HOORAY FOR CLEAN CLOTHES!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
EDINBURGH!
I now have a new favorite place. This city is so beautiful. I could just spend hours wandering the city. Luckily we have a few days, but I think it won't be enough. Seriously. Everything about it...it's so green, there are little parks everywhere, the history, the buildings. It just makes me so happy. Here's a brief overview of what we've done so far:
I slept in because I forgot to turn on my alarm, but that's okay. I wandered around trying to find my busstop and eventually found it and got on. Rode a double-decker bus for the second time (hooray!). Met John at the hostel; he and Lauren were the only ones there at first. SLowly everyone else got there. We went exploring--found a really good, cheap place to eat where we got pasties. So good. Wandered around the National Gallery. Wrote in my journal. CLimbed to the top of the Scott Monument. It's a huge pointy tower in the middle of Edinburgh, a memorial to Sir Walter Scott. 287 stairs of clausterphobia. I mean, tight spaces usually don't bug me, but spiral staircases where one person can barely squeeze through was a littl emuch. BUt it was totally worth it as well. The view were amazing. I keep thinking that one day I'll wake up and be like, "Oh, so this isn't really all that pretty" or that I'll turn a corner and it'll all disappear, but nope. It never ceases to amaze me. Then we walked to and to the top of Calton Hill. Also beautiful. A guy advertized to us about the Pagan Festival that'll be held on the hill on May Day. We'll be able to see the fire from our hostel, but we won't be allowed to go, for obvious reasons involving much drunkeness and much nakedness. But you know...hahaha. I don't really think any of us want to go. :) Now we're back at the hostel waiting for dinner.
Tomorrow's plans: hike to Edinburgh Castle. Wander some more. CHeck out the bookshop right by our hostel that is only open Wednesday-Saturday so we couldn't go today. Get my luggage (yes, it got lost, and hopefully it'll be here tomorrow). Have some more fun. And just be awesome. Also, we're going to the place where JK ROwling wrote the first Harry POtter book. SO excited.
BUt I have to go...my internet is almost up. I have 50 seconds before it logs me off. Love you all!
I slept in because I forgot to turn on my alarm, but that's okay. I wandered around trying to find my busstop and eventually found it and got on. Rode a double-decker bus for the second time (hooray!). Met John at the hostel; he and Lauren were the only ones there at first. SLowly everyone else got there. We went exploring--found a really good, cheap place to eat where we got pasties. So good. Wandered around the National Gallery. Wrote in my journal. CLimbed to the top of the Scott Monument. It's a huge pointy tower in the middle of Edinburgh, a memorial to Sir Walter Scott. 287 stairs of clausterphobia. I mean, tight spaces usually don't bug me, but spiral staircases where one person can barely squeeze through was a littl emuch. BUt it was totally worth it as well. The view were amazing. I keep thinking that one day I'll wake up and be like, "Oh, so this isn't really all that pretty" or that I'll turn a corner and it'll all disappear, but nope. It never ceases to amaze me. Then we walked to and to the top of Calton Hill. Also beautiful. A guy advertized to us about the Pagan Festival that'll be held on the hill on May Day. We'll be able to see the fire from our hostel, but we won't be allowed to go, for obvious reasons involving much drunkeness and much nakedness. But you know...hahaha. I don't really think any of us want to go. :) Now we're back at the hostel waiting for dinner.
Tomorrow's plans: hike to Edinburgh Castle. Wander some more. CHeck out the bookshop right by our hostel that is only open Wednesday-Saturday so we couldn't go today. Get my luggage (yes, it got lost, and hopefully it'll be here tomorrow). Have some more fun. And just be awesome. Also, we're going to the place where JK ROwling wrote the first Harry POtter book. SO excited.
BUt I have to go...my internet is almost up. I have 50 seconds before it logs me off. Love you all!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Wow.
I haven't updated this thing in AGES. Sorry about that, friends. The current England countdown: 9 DAYS! That's only fingers! So excited! There's still so much to do though.
So right now I'm kind of an honorary Maid of Honor for one of my best friends, Camille Burgess. She's getting married June 6th, while I'm in England so I can't actually be there, but I'm helping her plan everything that I can. I'm basically the chauffer and honest opinion. We tried on lots of dresses together and today I drove her to pick up the final choice (which I actually hadn't seen yet)! She is so beautiful! Her fiance is also adorable. Together they're perfect. Oh, love just makes me so happy. I've realized it's a good thing I won't be at the wedding though. I'd be bawling my eyes out because she'd be so beautiful and such and then she'd start crying. We talked about this today. Haha, we also went to get her ring cleaned and to pick up her free pearls (her bridals are tomorrow) so when we were are the jewelery store she made me try on some rings. Haha. They were HUGE! You would know I was just playing around because they were definately not me. She just wanted me to put some on, so I humored her. We've had so much fun. It makes me want to get married. But don't worry. I can definately wait a while. One day she'll come with me to try on all these ridiculous dresses. That's just such a weird thought. So yep. Wow number 1: I have three friends getting married while I'm in England, one of them who's been one of my best friends for 8 and a half years! Hooray for the soon-to-be Mrs. von Nieda!
Wow number 2: in 9 days I'll be in Scotland! Holy smokes! I have SO much shopping to do! And it's just crazy crazy crazy! AHHHHH!
Wow number 3: It's been almost 2 years since I graduated from high school. It's been 2 years since my last Jive Show, as I've been reminded of by the fact that the show is this weekend and I can't go. I miss Jive. I guess they had a slide show/videos of Jive over the last 10 years and I was in it a couple times. My mom texted me. She misses me singing really loudly in the kitchen late at night. Who knew? :)
Wow number 4: In a year, most of my boys will be just about to come home from their missions (give or take a couple months. Some will already be home, some won't be back until the end of the summer). And in a year I could be putting in my mission papers. I probably will be, but we'll see what happens. A year is a long time. And yet, hardly any time at all. A year ago today doesn't seem like long ago at all.
Wow number 5: LIFE IS JUST AWESOME!
So enough of the wows. I bought myself flowers yesterday; just because. I LOVE flowers. I want someone to give me some. But I'll just have to wait. I'm taking Floral Design in the fall though, so I'm very excited about that! I also picked up my Study Abroad backpack and watched the life-changing movie Bride and Prejudice. Yay Bollywood. So life is generally good. :) Sigh (of contentment).
So right now I'm kind of an honorary Maid of Honor for one of my best friends, Camille Burgess. She's getting married June 6th, while I'm in England so I can't actually be there, but I'm helping her plan everything that I can. I'm basically the chauffer and honest opinion. We tried on lots of dresses together and today I drove her to pick up the final choice (which I actually hadn't seen yet)! She is so beautiful! Her fiance is also adorable. Together they're perfect. Oh, love just makes me so happy. I've realized it's a good thing I won't be at the wedding though. I'd be bawling my eyes out because she'd be so beautiful and such and then she'd start crying. We talked about this today. Haha, we also went to get her ring cleaned and to pick up her free pearls (her bridals are tomorrow) so when we were are the jewelery store she made me try on some rings. Haha. They were HUGE! You would know I was just playing around because they were definately not me. She just wanted me to put some on, so I humored her. We've had so much fun. It makes me want to get married. But don't worry. I can definately wait a while. One day she'll come with me to try on all these ridiculous dresses. That's just such a weird thought. So yep. Wow number 1: I have three friends getting married while I'm in England, one of them who's been one of my best friends for 8 and a half years! Hooray for the soon-to-be Mrs. von Nieda!
Wow number 2: in 9 days I'll be in Scotland! Holy smokes! I have SO much shopping to do! And it's just crazy crazy crazy! AHHHHH!
Wow number 3: It's been almost 2 years since I graduated from high school. It's been 2 years since my last Jive Show, as I've been reminded of by the fact that the show is this weekend and I can't go. I miss Jive. I guess they had a slide show/videos of Jive over the last 10 years and I was in it a couple times. My mom texted me. She misses me singing really loudly in the kitchen late at night. Who knew? :)
Wow number 4: In a year, most of my boys will be just about to come home from their missions (give or take a couple months. Some will already be home, some won't be back until the end of the summer). And in a year I could be putting in my mission papers. I probably will be, but we'll see what happens. A year is a long time. And yet, hardly any time at all. A year ago today doesn't seem like long ago at all.
Wow number 5: LIFE IS JUST AWESOME!
So enough of the wows. I bought myself flowers yesterday; just because. I LOVE flowers. I want someone to give me some. But I'll just have to wait. I'm taking Floral Design in the fall though, so I'm very excited about that! I also picked up my Study Abroad backpack and watched the life-changing movie Bride and Prejudice. Yay Bollywood. So life is generally good. :) Sigh (of contentment).
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