London Town

LONDON = Such a fun place! I loved London so much! It was so nice after 10 days in Italy to be able to actually speak the language of people who were working and serving etc. I remember the first place that I asked for food was on the Sunday afternoon and we went to a sandwhich shop and I still pointed and barely said anything to the gal that was helping me with the food. I was being so silly, but old habbits die hard I guess. ;) Anyways, the first day we got there we just hung out in the subway until we could find our passes for the week, and did some excellent people watching. I tell you what, people in England just do whatever the heck they want to as regards their dress, speech, and mannerisms. It was so fun to watch, then went straight to bed we were so tired. The next day was Sunday, and we just took it easy by eating lunch in Hyde Park after an amazing session of church, walking around the city for the first time (where I took this picture of Westminster Abbey) and then just lazed around and read etc. and went to visit my friend Hannah who was at the London center until the day was done.

The next day we started the art classes again, and went to my most favorite museum, the National Gallery. It is cool because all of the museums in England are free to the public, so anyone who has any interest in art, PLEASE go to the national gallery in London. It was so magical because I finally felt like I connected with art, and got a little teary over a Monet and the one and only Fredrick that we saw on the trip (he's one of my most favorite artists) and I just realized how incredibly lucky I was to be able to be having that experience and be traveling and studying abroad. It was a great thing. Then we went and got fish and chips (where I left my journal, don't worry we went back to get it later that day), went to the Cult of Beauty exhibit in the V & A and after went to the musical "Billy Elliot". It was so weird, don't go, it swears a little too much, but I guess it was fun to be there with good friends and be able to feel some of the true culture of England.

The next day was more of the same as far as the layout of the day went. We went to the Brittish Museum and got to see the Elgeon marbles, Hammarabi's code, Egyptian artifacts like no other, and a lot of really old, cool stuff! We also went to this small collection called the Wallace collection. It has a lot of Rococo stuff in it, which is some of my favorite stuff so I really enjoyed it. We also saw Johnny Dep right before it, and I got to talk to some older gentleman about the gospel... it was pretty cool. Inbetween the two museums we went to find Harry Potter's Platform 9 3/4... This was it... a large poster on the wall with half a cart to pretend like you were pushing through... So silly, yet still fun to go as I am a huge harry potter fan.

That night we went to see the musical "The Phantom of the Opera". It was AMAZING... I don't think I have ever heard a more impressive man's voice before. I loved it!

The next day we got to go on a day trip to Stonehenge, Salisbury, Stourhead and Bath. Let me tell you what, the British countryside is incredible. I don't think I can recall a more beautiful place in the world than here... Maybe Hawaii and Florence, but this is beautiful because of the calm and peacefulness of the cities. Stourhead especially.

This is our group at Stonehenge. It was surprisingly smaller than I pictured it to be, but it really is incredible how mysterious it all is... I enjoyed it a lot!

After Stonehenge we went to Salisbury where there is the infamous Salisbury cathedral, one of the oldest in the world, and with just a very small (like 4 feet) foundation... They had to add a lot of things to the inside for support of the cathedral, but it was fun because in this cathedral we got to be taken around by a nice lady (in her 70's?) who told us all about the place. It was fun to hear not just art facts, but normal history stuff too! She finished her lecture saying, "Well you guys must be absolutely wacked" a phrase that we used repeatedly throughout the rest of the trip. Then we went to Stourhead, which really, INCREDIBLE. I have never seen a place so beautiful before in all my life. There was just lush greenness all around, and flowers of vibrant pinks, purples, yellows, blues, and just everything inbetween. We all decided if we could die anywhere it would be there. This picture is of the group at the temple of venus which is where a scene from the new Pride and Prejudice was filmed. We were in heaven, the boys? not so much. Hence why they are not pictured there. he he.

The next day we went to some more museums like the Tate Britain (so many Turners and Constable's there I was just in heaven) and the Tate Modern (I also spent a ton of time at this museum cuz I thought it was awesome). We went to the london bridge, the tower of london, and the Tower Bridge as well... Oh and saw the Globe theater, and St. Paul's bascillica. So much of the famous stuff in London was all off of the same metro stop.. It was awesome.

I totally loved London. It is a place i had been dreaming about going to for so so long, and so it was amazing for me to go there! Also, there was so much history there so I had to see it. And, my Grandpa B. along with so many other important church members served there! What heritage. It was also the most fun place to shop! I only ended up buying some hair stuff, jewelry, and a pair of shoes for 11 pounds (at primemark, the least expensive yet most busy store I have ever been to).

Florence, Venice, Milan and Padua

FLORENCE = My favorite place in Italy, and maybe in the whole world. This city is absolutely Magical. I loved every second of our 2 1/2 days there. We got to see so many amazing things as far as art was concerned, but really I loved most the atmosphere of the place. As you can see from all of these pictures, it was BEAUTIFUL there. Everywhere was green and they have this river that was just outside of our silly little hotel (it was like an ugly dorm room for 3 people... the shower was also connected to the toilet with no divider curtain, so everything just got wet as heck... plus the towels were basically the same material as sheets... so funny). We at delicious food here, and they had some great shopping. Brunalessci's duomo, Gilberti's baptistry doors, and of course Michaelangelo's absolutely perfect David were all there as well, which just added to the fact that this is now one of my favorite places on earth.

(The view of the city out of our Apartment window)

(That first night... Isn't it breathtaking?)

(A view (ish) of the city from the top of the hill. It was so green and full of flowers that was just beautiful, plus this guy was playing music which just made the experience that much better.)

VENICE- Not as romantic as you may think. I actually really liked Venice, but it is just a place for tourists to eat pretty decent food (actually the best pizza of the trip was here) and to enjoy water everywhere with these beautiful buildings. All the buildings in Italy are these pastel colors, but they were much more vibrant in Venice. The whole city is falling apart, but it is still pretty awesome. Me and my friend Jamie took a boat ride around the whole city and up to the island of Morono, which is where they actually blow the glass. We got to see some amazing works of glass art here, and a few old chapels that were pretty. I would recommend paying the money to take the boat ride around this city, it was picturesque.

After venice we got to go to Milan, the fashion capital of the world. It was not that much different from a city in America as far as around the train station and the hotel that we stayed in. We got in pretty late that night, and so all we wanted to do was find food and go to sleep. So me, Jamie, Jen, Spencer and Will found this small Italian resturaunt and it was so delicious! We just talked for about 3 hours and it was such a nice change of pase and a very fun way to get to know the people in our group. We enjoyed it for sure. My favorite modern museum was here in Milan, so that was the highlight for me I think, but also, this Cathedral, the Milan Cathedral, is BREATHTAKING both inside and out. Go there. :)

After Milan we took a few hours to see the city Padua. Now anyone who knows anything about Art History should recognize the name, Giotto. Well Giotto is this genius painter who basically started the renaissance movement in painting. He is the first man to show realistic perspective and facial expressions. This chapel pictured below was painted by him, and seriously made me cry how beautiful it was. Our instructors had never been inside either, so they were balling as well, and it was just awesome. Go there. It is called the Arena Chapel. We were happy art history people in there.

So that is how we ended Italy. It was a beautiful day! And we were all excited to get off to England where they spoke English ha ha. :)

Europe with Pictures. Finally

Hello family and friends! I am so sorry it has taken me forever to post pictures and stories on the Blog. We have been so busy since I got home with the mission, I haven't had a minute to sit down and just write about the WONDERFUL experience that I had. I am going to start of with and Italy post, then an England one, then a Paris one. I will try to be condensed, but who knows. This is more for my posterity than anything anyways, so if you don't want to read a saga, just enjoy the pictures. :)

Italy - Rome

Rome is this city full of romance, history, and so many people. This was the first city that we visited on our abroad, and oh man, it was PACKED with things for us to do and see. We were so busy just looking at all the ancient sights that it was impossible to be 'bored'. The first day we went to the Spanish steps and did a walking tour that included the Pantheon (amazing), Trevi fountain (also amazing, and cool, which was nice as it was very warm in Rome) and the streets of Rome.

(Spanish steps with Diana)

(Trevi Fountain)

(Pantheon Oculous)

Keisha and Reegan finally made it up with at the end of the day when they had this horrible experience with their flights and basically almost didn't make it to Rome! We were all so tired after basically staying up for 24 hours that by the end of this tour (which included some of the best gelato of the trip), we were exhausted, and just hit the hay.

Day 2 was a day I absolutely have to talk about. We saw all the ancient sights of Rome, and then went to the Borghese Palace which had the most amazing sculptures in it by Bernini.

(Colosseum)

(Constantine's Arch)

(This is Michelangelo's Moses)

On Saturday we took at trip to Naples/Pompeii. Pompeii was awesome! It was so interesting to see this pretty well preserved ancient town that wasn't Rome. It was so much bigger than I thought it would be, and it was so interesting to look at all the fresco's, buildings, and even people who were preserved from this time. It was dusty and old and I loved it. Naples however, was a scary experience for us. Naples is supposedly the birth place of Pizza, and so it is a tourist spot, but we just had a few hours there after this museum we went to, so we did not get to find the pizza that is delicious, instead we had to search around the train station for something, and it was one of the scariest experiences of my life! I was not able to hold in my fear, and at one point just looked up at the sky and kept walking as not to stare back at the people staring at me, or the men living on the side of the road with all the garbage. It was just a scary experience... yet now I look back on it with fondness because of how silly we were all being.

This is a picture of the "Ecstasy of St. Teresa" by Bernini. He is such a phenomenal sculptor. O man I was so excited to see this sculpture because of how much my high school art history professor, Mrs. Hughes, loved it. Now I get what she was talking about with the cloth thing. Bernini is a genius. We went to see a lot of the churches and the works inside of them like a lot of the Caravaggio paintings and sculptures of the early renaissance. It was awesome.

Our last day in Rome we went to the Vatican and saw all of these amazing sites there. Did you know that the Vatican is it's own country? I think that is crazy, but it is huge, and the pope does live there... Anyways, this is the top of St. Peter's Basilica, I took a lot of pictures inside of this building, but I am struggling with adding the pictures for some reason... So this is what you get. If you want more, I will e-mail them to you. :) Anyways, the thing that I thought was more impressive than this huge cathedral, is the Vatican itself! There was so much amazing stuff in there! Of course we couldn't take too many pictures inside, so i just didn't try. But we got to see the Augustus Prima Porta, Apollo Belvidere, Laocoon, Raphael's School of Athens, (and many more of his paintings), and of course the Sistine Ceiling!!! That was such an amazing experience, except guess what, I don't really care for Michelangelo's work because his anatomy is TOTALLY ridiculous. Sure, he understood what muscles could look like on strong men, but he adds so many that do not really exist, and all the women look like men. I don't appreciate that.

So that was Rome! I loved it! We saw a lot of awesome things, and even stayed up one night until 1:00 am looking at art!! (they had this late night "free museum" thing going, so we went to a modern art exhibit at about 11:00 at night. So adventurous ;) ) Next up, Florence.

I am feeling very very grateful to be here today. I am so lucky to have had this opportunity to grown and learn. It has been just incredibly fulfilling and it has strengthened my testimony of the gospel. I have been so happy to see and truly experience the works of these masters. I have made great friends and learned from the example of so many people.   

This trip can be summarized by the verb amaze. I have been amazing and humbled not only by the artwork I have seen, but the deep culture that I have seen in all of the countries I have been to. The people in Italy are humble and hardworking. They know the pride of living in a city such as Rome or Florence, and they want people who come to that country to remember and feel that. In england, they are confident and different. Each person seems to have a unique identity and purpose. We were always treated with respect and church there was one of my favorites of my life because of the family union that I felt there. Paris/France is calm, confident, and proud. The city is not as busy as that of Rome or Venice, but it has the seine which somehow makes it seem like there is calmness in the city. It is the city of love. So many people around us are happily and calmly in love. Everywhere you go here in the city has a specific charm and feel to it, plus so much history and things to see here. Out of all the places I have been, Paris has been my favorite because of the feel of it. 

I love and appreciate art more then I thought I would after this ends. It has an amazing power to change your perspective on the world and on emotions. It has helped me to solidify my testimony and feelings about Jesus Christ and his life on earth. It has also helped me to recognize how having opinions or feelings about life can translate to the works that people are creating. I will only have good art in my home, and I will make sure to have it be uplifting and beautiful as well. :) 

These were my thoughts today in church, and it has most absolutely been a blast to be here. I will miss it so much!! I will post specifics and pictures etc when I get home in 2 days. :)

Oh man! Blogging on the I phone is tough! He he. K so I want to tell y'all about what we have been doing lately! So since the last time I wrote we have visited Vatican city (complete with the Sistine chapel and michaelangelos ceiling), at peters basillica, Pompeii, Naples, bottichelli's Venus de Milo, lots of beautiful churches and cathedrals, berninni sculptures, the collussem and all o the ancient roman ruins, carrivagio's paintings, raphael's paintings, and of course, michaelangelo's DAVID. All of these things have been my dream to see since the first few weeks of art history class my senior year, and of course I have been dreaming of Florence Italy since I was a little girl. I cannot believe all the wonderful amazing hinges I have seen so far. I feel like an art history trecky, but am definitely not an art expert.

We have had nights to just roam the cities of Rome, Florence, and venice. I seriously could bot have asked for a better situation than what I have going on for me here. It has been so incredible. The Italian life is something to be experienced for sure. The food has for the most part been delicious, and the atmosphere is relaxing. I don't have pictures because I just using the phone to be in contact with home, so I can't download stuff, so sorry!! When I can I will go into detail about things. Just know that I am loving it so much, but missing it back home setimes as well. Ps. Congrats to my good friend mitch! He just got engaged tonight. Till next time! Ciao

EURO WORLD!! ITALY

So, I am currently sitting in my hotel writing this post! It has been such a great trip. So let me start from the very beginning... So I went to the airport early in the morning on what was Wednesday, and it was fun... Sort of. I slept very little on the plane... It was a great introduction to Italian society though because the people on the plane were Italian, and the lady next to me was too! The plane was a little old, and wasn't like the one we took to Hawaii with all the cool personal TV's and stuff... ;-) Anyways, that was cool. Yesterday we went to the pantheon and MAN it was literally breathtaking. I enjoyed it so much, and wished that I could just stay in there forever. We also some some great fountains, Italians, and statues. It was cool. Ended the day with delicious gellato and hit the bed with NO energy left... so tired.

Today we had a pretty full day. We started out going to the Colussem and then we toured around the Roman forum. SO pretty. Oh man, I wish that I had better adjectives to describe the experience. We loved so much to just come out of the train station and look at the colussem. I got this delicious crossant (you like me spelling so far?? ;)) and then walked around for a while. I loved the trees. They were awesome. And of course all of the great old Roman stuff. Really fun. Then we went and saw the Moses by Michalangelo... One of my faves so far. They had free wi-fi there, weird? yes. But also awesome. Then we walked around Italy and enjoyed the italians, the window shopping, and the sculpture/architecture that is everywhere you turn. We ended the day looking at Bernini statues at the palatza Borgesese or Villa Borgese? I don't remember. So great. Loved it. I just am having a blast. Well till next time!

Chao

Lone Peak Lacrosse

So for the last 4 months I have been hanging out with this bunch of fun high schoolers. They are all so awesome and I have felt really lucky to be a part of their lives. They are all so kind and have just made me so happy! Tomorrow is our last day together, and their last game. What gems these girls are! I am so excited for them. Here are some pictures of us. :)

2 days till EUROPE

Oh man, can you believe it? In 2 days I will be on my way to ITALY! I never thought that the day would come, and here it is, and it is making me so excited. At the same time though, I am sad. I am scared to leave this zone of comfort that is my home, and the wonderful friends that I have in each member of my family. I am going to miss them all like crazy. What is harder for me though, is that I feel like these next three days before I leave are my last of the summer, and the last of the next 3 years with my parents, being here in this home, in this City, in this comfort. I have been nastalgic all day! I woke up this morning feeling sadness at having to leave quickly when my mom had made everyone a nice waffle breakfast, and my siblings were around to help mom go through some things... I know it will be one of the last times before they leave that I will be around to help them go through things, or be all together as a family, and in ways it really breaks my heart. Change has never been something that I am good at dealing with.

Another thing I was thinking about tonight was the concept of LOVE. And how do I feel love?? How do you know if you are in love?? and how do you know that someone can be your forever? These have all been questions on my mind for the last few weeks. We watched the movie "Dan in real life" tonight, and it made me really think about LOVE. The main character in that show has a wife who past away 4 years before the scenes you see in the movie. He has three daughters, and they are all at a family cabin for a week or so. He (on a whim) meets this wonderful and beautiful girl, who actually ends up dating his brother. The story just basically is two sides of Love. One of the sides is the enduring kind of love, where the other person is just your best friend in the world. This person would do anything for you, and would always put you above themselves. This is the kind of lasting love that can withstand pain and hardship. The other kind of love is the more 'romantic' kind of love where each moment, word, and experience with that person is like time consists of just you and them, and you never want it to end. This is exciting love, passionate love, and love that keeps you wanting more. Both of these love's together make a sort of 'ideal' love, the kind of thing that I hope someday to find.

Basically, after watching this movie and a few others that always tug at my heartstrings because of their commentaries on love, made me realize, I am getting ready for that kind of thing. I never was before because I always thought, "you know, there is more out there for me than just school and marriage". I always have wanted to see the world, experience things, be active, and just enjoy. I am getting that opportunity this summer, and I hope it will be everything I ever imagined it to be. But when all is said and done after this summer, I want to have the courage and ability to find this kind of unconditional, undeniable love. I have faith that it will be in my cards to be married one day, and I do hope that that part of it all is at least a few years away, but I believe that after the experiences of the summer, I am going to want to seriously consider what I believe love to be, and what kind of person will embody a man that I will love.

So, I have come full circle. Italy, England, and France are going to rule my world and give me some of the most sought after experiences I have ever hoped for. I will learn from these countries, people, and artists lessons that I could not learn anywhere else. And then I will move on to learning so much about the world of missionary work, and so much more about my Savior and Father in Heaven. I am so excited for this opportunity to finally give back to my parents a little bit of the service that they have given me over the past (almost) 21 years.

When I write next I will be in a foreign land! But I promise to post things, and pictures, and keep ya'll updated.

Chao!

(I wrote that on sunday) :)