Greetings! It’s hard to believe where
the last three months have taken me. Sadly, I have not been as diligent as I
could have been in keeping my blog up-to-date. Hopefully I can make up for some
lost time now.
The biggest, and my far the greatest,
experience I've had the last three months would be my spectacular trip to
Europe on a Brigham Young University Art History Study Abroad. We left April 30th
and got back to the states, [very late], June 7th. In whole, we went
to Greece, Italy, Austria, Germany, France and England. What an experience it
was! It would be impossible to describe every detail and every event which made
a lifelong effect on me, but I can tell you that it was almost every night I
went to bed feeling very tired, but more so enriched, blessed and astounded by
the talent, beauty, people and cultures our world has. Greece, although
suffering from economic decline, is enchanting in its own unique way. Our tour
guide, Costas, reminded me of the dad from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. When we
were on the bus one day, traveling from Greek civilization to civilization, he
began to explain why being naked is the same as democracy: “Really we’re all
the same when we’re naked. No one is richer or poorer. No one is labeled by
religion or social status. So really, being naked is like democracy. We’re all
equal. We’re all the same.” Oh, Costas! Too funny. I guess that’s why ancient
Greek athletes worked out in the nude. My favorite place in Greece was this
little town called Nafplion. When you think of Greece - white sand, blue roof
tops, crystal blue water - that is what you find in Nafplion. It is gorgeous! Some
of us climbed 960 stairs up and 960 stairs down to an abandoned fortress atop a
steep mountain. Quite the leg workout, but it was totally worth it. The view
took my breath away. Easter is celebrated at a different time in Greece and
while we were there, we were fortunately able to see some of the festivities
the Greeks perform during this extremely important holiday in Catholicism. After
dark, worshipers crowd the streets with candles in hand and walk from church
to church as preachers speak sermons. It was beautiful to watch, even if it was
all in a different language! It was very eye opening to see how other people
and other cultures worship.
When we flew
into Italy, it was like flying into a different world. It was like night and
day from Greece. We began our Italian journey in Rome. You all know I’m not a
pizza fan. Well I’ll gladly die for a piece of Italian pizza! Holy delicious!
Include some pasta and this girl is happy with her life! I remember when we
first got off the metro and truly “entered” Rome…like the Rome everyone thinks
about. And all we could do is look UP! The architecture is exquisite. The city
is delightful. It is beautiful, ornate and charming, chalked full of history. My
eyes kept moving from place to place, building to building. The Roman aqueducts
are still in use and I will tell you all now that Roman water from an ancient
fountain is the best you’ll ever have. Period. We visited so many Baroque
churches I couldn't possibly even begin to count them all. We saw the Pantheon,
Spanish Steps, Roman forums, churches, the Coliseum, museums, the Vatican and
did I mention churches? Some of the girls and I found this delightful gelato
shop called Della Palma. Come to find when Audrey Hepburn was filming Roman Holiday she would come to this
shop and indulge in creamy, cold goodness. I KNEW Audrey and I would be
friends. Rome, and later Florence, has easily become one of the most ROMANTIC
cities I have ever been too. There are couples everywhere! You know those
scenes in the movies when you see the couple, arm in arm, completely zoned out
on everyone except each other, laughing, kissing, and blissfully happy? That is
what Rome holds. Everywhere! So naturally, I would be all over that. I was
happy. On our way out of Rome, we made some pit stops. My favorite was in a
place called Orvieto. I encourage everyone to go there at least once in their
life because it is such a quaint little city and I love it! They have the BEST
pottery. I bought such a beautiful plate from there, along with a cute little
elephant. There gelato is also pretty delectable as well ;)
My dear buddy, Aricka!
I've got 9 1/2 months left for my wish to come true :)
I kind of like gelato!
Our next stop was Florence. Oh,
Florence! I have left my heart with you. It is beautiful and was easily my favorite place I went to, hands down. The
Renaissance is still alive and well in that enchanting city and I want nothing
more than to just live there. The night life in Florence is very different than
Rome. The tourism settles down greatly and it’s youthful, energetic and fun. It’s
not overly crowded in the streets making it very easy to just stroll, relax and
look at the beautiful art and architecture that is everywhere! The street
performers are a bit…colorful, but you get used to them. The Duoma is HUGE and
Brunelleschi’s dome gives me chills still now while I write this. Yes, we
climbed the 476 stairs up to the top of said dome and that view was definitely
one to be remembered for the books. We saw the famous “David” from Michelangelo
and without hesitation; he is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful naked
men I have ever laid eyes on. I realize that list is a bit short, but I will
argue my opinion on this will not change any time soon. Tears, friends, tears. Florence
has the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. The sun glistens off the river
and buildings and it just makes you catch your breath. It’s stunning and you can’t pull your eyes away. No picture could
capture its beauty or the emotions that come with it. It’s very peaceful and,
at least for me, provided a bit of serenity and much needed quiet thinking. Funny
story in Florence: at one restaurant, a group of girls and I sat down and our
waiter said (remember to think this with an Italian accent) “because you’re so
beautiful, I will give you FREE red wine!” It took us a couple minutes to
convince him that we didn’t drink. Italians just don’t understand how or why
one wouldn’t drink. We just settled for free waters instead. I crossed a great
deal off my bucket list on my study abroad, but one thing I did add was to come
back to Florence with my sweetheart. As I said about Rome, it is such an
enchanting, romantic city and I can’t picture anything better than experiencing
Florence, and its entire artistic splendor, with the love of my life. One
day…one day…
I'm that little blue dot at the bottom. Picture taken for scale, of course :)
Our next stop was Venice. I will keep
my description of Venice very short because honestly speaking; I don’t have too
many good things to say about Venice. Aside from the very rude locals and
getting in a tiff with one of the restaurant bar tenders, it is just a little
too tight, a little too claustrophobic for my anxiety levels. Still, I got to
take my gondola ride (something I’ve always wanted to do) with some of my dear
girlfriends and that was so much fun! There was even a puppy on board. One VERY
positive thing about Venice was the art that was there. For the first time, and
very likely the ONLY time, was the installation of Manet’s Olympia with Titian’s Venus
of Urbino. By far, one of the best art experiences I had on the entire
study abroad. I adore those two paintings now. And I already had a very good
relationship with both of them before arriving in Venice. Friends, do some
research and fall in love with them as much as I am.
The day we left Venice and traveled to
Vienna, Austria was the day we celebrated my 21st birthday. For 8
very long hours, we were in
the bus, driving through the Alps, eyes on the destination of Austria. Now I
know what you’re thinking: “poor baby. Had to spend the day driving through the
Alps. So sad”. But when the bus driver only goes 50 miles an hour and the trip
was only supposed to be 4 hours, but ended up taking 8+, you might’ve felt a
little cranky too. One of my favorite experiences on that bus ride was actually
at the end when we were all at our ropes end and someone made the comment to
keep an “eternal perspective”. Margot’s response? “We are LIVING in the eternal
perspective. And the eternal perspective is that we’ve wasted the last 8 hours
on earth!” Ha, I love that girl! Austria is much, much different than Italy. It’s
more modern history (WWI-WW2, etc.) and beautiful in its own right. We went
through some fine museums. One personal favorite of mine is Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss. One day we visited the
beautiful gardens of Marie Antoinette’s childhood home. I wish America had such
beautiful grounds as they. I would never leave. And hey…maybe I’d actually like
to be outside if I had such gardens to stroll through. We were also able to
visit Salzburg, Austria where, most famously, The Sound of Music was filmed. That was so much fun! We had a
little photo shoot on the “do-re-mi” stairs. The mountains made me miss home,
but singing a few rounds of “the hills are alive” reminded me how lucky I was
to be experiencing Europe.
Our
next stop was in Munich, Germany and that was very moving. We, of course, spent
our days roaming through museums. Our last night was spent at the famous Beer
Hall, where I ate by far the BEST potatoes and steak I have ever had in my entire life. Oh! How I
will crave those until I eat them again one day! On Sunday, most of us traveled
to Dachau, the first concentration camp to open in World War II. What an
incredible experience that was! Although very difficult to get through, I feel
exceptionally fortunate I was able to face just a small measurement of what some
million Jews suffered there. It’s impossible to articulate into words the
feelings and emotions of being in such a place. While the surrounding vegetation
is actually quite lovely to the eye, the mood was far from pleasant; rather it
was a weight stinging all those who walked through the gates which read “work
will set you free”. The camp is big, but the space is bare. What makes it so overwhelming
is the pain, the fear, the devastation, the evil that still lingers within the
parameter of that camp. Many places, such as the crematory or the bunkers echo the
silent cries of those who died there. It was very impactful. Later, we were
able to reflect on how lucky and blessed we are to live in the United States,
where we are free to practice whatever religion we so desire.
12 hours
(roughly) later, our bus pulled up to our hotel in Paris, France and our group didn't look back! We’d finally made it to PARIS! Heather, one of my spectacular
professors, could not dim the light in her eyes; she was delighted to have
arrived! We were in Paris the longest; about 10 days total. Until recently
(like a week or two ago), I had lost all feeling in my big toe because of all
the freak rain storms we got caught in throughout our stay, but it was well
worth it. The Paris mentality was definitely go-go-go (as if we weren’t already
doing that enough in the other countries we’d visited ;)). Museums after museums
after museums came and went. The Louvre (3 days!), the Musee de la Ville De
Paris, Musee de Orsay, Musee d’Cluny....on and on. It was fabulous – for the
most part – sometimes our feet got a bit tired. We, of course, played with Quasimodo
at Notre Dame, sang “Paris Holds the Key to My Heart” in front of the Eiffel
Tower (meow!), searched for the Phantom at the famous Paris Opera House and
danced (metaphorically speaking) with the girls at the Moulin Rouge. One of my
favorite memories was spent at Disneyland: Paris! Yes, indeed, I got to cross
that baby off my bucket list because Maren, Jessica, Abigail, Aricka and I
played little girls for an entire day, screaming on Space Mountain, dreaming
through Peter Pan and beating “Zurg” in Buzz Lightyear Star Command. It was a
blast! We ate the most delicious macaroons at Laduree’s – a bakery world renowned
for its pastries. The cathedrals…oh, the cathedrals! How beautiful they are!
Keisha and I were chatting later after my trip and we agreed that we would take
sole responsibility if need be for preserving and protecting those beautiful
buildings. We’ll talk to God and get it all sorted out, but we would be sorely devastated
if the breathtakingly STUNNING stained glass and altar pieces had to go. On one
of our last nights, we took a night boat ride through Paris. It was exquisite! You
know those iconic pictures of Paris you see in art books or post cards? Yes.
Imagine that and then picture me and 30 others girls (and Nate J) sitting there
experiencing it all. I couldn't ask for me. The food, the people, the art, the
culture…Paris is a place I will return to one day.
The best crepe I had the whole trip!
Already wishing for the day I can go back!!
Finally, our
last stop was England. By this point in the trip, after living out of a
suitcase for a month and eating out, spending money, walking everywhere, etc.
etc., we were pretty tuckered out. Still, London was one of my favorite places.
Being there made me think of mom, because she loves England so much. I can
understand why. It is so much fun. I love the accents. British man—please love
me so our kids can have British accents too! London definitely equaled BROADWAY
PLAYS! I feel confident that everyone saw at
least one. I saw “Wicked!” and “Matilda: The Musical”. We, of course, went
to Big Ben, the House of Parliament, Buckingham Palace (where coincidently, the
Queen was having a Garden Party), Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Harrods,
the National Gallery, the British Museum, etc. I love all the parks they have!
On Sunday, some girls and I went and had tea at Kensington Gardens. One of my
favorite spots was a building in the middle of this square where Eliza Doolittle
sold her flowers. Being the Audrey fan that I am, I naturally had a moment. One
day, we traveled to Salisbury, Stonehenge and Stourhead. Stourhead, for those
who don’t know, is where some of “Pride and Prejudice” was filmed. It’s also
one of the most beautiful places I have literally ever been too. If Heaven
looked like that, I would be content. Above all, the greatest thing I did in
London was visit the Warner Brother’s Harry Potter Studio. Basically imagine
anything and everything from the Harry Potter movies and it was most likely
there: the Great Hall, Privet Drive, Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, the Knight Bus, the
flying car, the Burrow, Dumbledoor’s office, the Gryffindor common room, Butterbeer,
the potions classroom, the Ministry of Magic…do I need to continue? Do you get
it?? It was AMAZING!! Seriously I cried. And I am not joking. Tears came. It may have cost me half a paycheck to go,
but it was so, so worth it!! And I would/will do it again!
Tea time!
Stonehenge
Stourhead = Heaven on earth
This is the place where Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth <3
I kind of LOVE these girls!
I’m sure IF they've made it through this;
my roommates are rolling their eyes. As a result of my trip, it’s something I
bring up at least once a day. But it’s one of those experiences that has such a
profound effect on one’s life that’s it’s impossible to not recount some sort
of story or feeling or lesson gained somewhere on the 6 weeks we were gone.
Thanks girls for indulging me. Thank you mom and dad for encouraging me to go
and later, for supporting me. Without you, I would still be daydreaming. I’m so
happy I went on this trip. It opened my eyes to how BIG our world really is. It
reminded me that I am not bound to just the things and people available to me
in Provo; rather, there’s a great, big, huge world out there, waiting to be
explored; waiting to be experienced. Yes, Melina, I have caught the travel bug!
I’m so very blessed to have traveled with the people I did. I had the
opportunity to spend 6 weeks with two of the greatest professors and with 31
fantastic friends. And thankfully, some of those relationships have lasted
beyond gondola rides and hikes up mountain tops, but to daily texts and weekly
meetings (yay Awful Waffle!). I’m so fortunate to have met them. They helped make
my trip that much better.
Now it’s back to life. No better, no
worse, but definitely different. Definitely bigger. Definitely a journey!
Loves!
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